Cloud Resource Hierarchy is a fundamental of cloud computing. And Google LLC through its platform, the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) stands out as one of the leading cloud service providers. The GCP offers a comprehensive suite of services to cater to diverse computing needs. However, at the heart of GCP’s efficiency and scalability lies the concept of the cloud resource hierarchy. It is a fundamental organizational framework that guarantees seamless management of cloud resources. In this article, we shall be looking at what the cloud resource hierarchy is all about and how it works within the Google Cloud Platform ecosystem.
Cloud Resource Hierarchy: An Overview
At the center of cloud computing is the cloud resource hierarchy which entails how cloud resources are organized in a hierarchical and logical order within a cloud computing environment. In other words, it is a logical and structured framework that organizes cloud resources in a hierarchical order within the GCP. This structure provides clear boundaries, allowing users to efficiently manage and control resources while optimizing costs and maintaining security. The resource hierarchy levels define trust boundaries and resource isolation.
Note that if you change the resource hierarchy in GCP the policy hierarchy also changes. And child policies cannot restrict access granted at the parent level. The Google Cloud Platform’s resource hierarchy consists of four main levels:
Organization Level
The organizational level is the top of the resource hierarchy, and it represents the highest-level container for resources within GCP. Organizations can be thought of as the main administrative unit that encompasses all the projects and resources associated with a particular company, entity, or group. The organization level provides central control over policies, billing, and resource access across multiple projects.
The organization is the root node of the Google Cloud resources. That means Cloud IAM roles granted at the organizational level are inherited by all resources under the organization.
Folder Level
Within an organization, folders serve as a way to further structure and categorize projects and resources. Folders are children of organization. Folders group projects under an organization. Folders enable finer-grained access control and resource management, making it easier to manage resources for different teams, departments, or projects. Folders can hold projects, other folders, or both, creating a hierarchical arrangement that reflects the organizational structure.
Folders are additional grouping, mechanism, and isolation boundaries between projects; different legal entities, departments, teams, etc. Folders allow delegation of administrative roles like folder admin that grant full control over folders. The folder creator browses the hierarchy and creates folders. while viewers view folders and projects below a resource
Project Level
Projects are children of the folders. They are fundamental building blocks within the GCP resource hierarchy. Hence, all GCP services are associated with a project. Projects represent a trust boundary within your company. Services within the same projects have a default level of trust. They represent a dedicated space for creating, deploying, and managing resources such as virtual machines, storage buckets, databases, and more. Projects are associated with specific billing accounts and are used to isolate resources and manage permissions and credentials.
Multiple projects can exist within a folder, and each project operates independently, allowing for diverse workloads to coexist without interfering with each other. Projects have three identifying attributes – the project ID which is chosen by the user, is globally unique, and cannot be changed. Another attribute of the project is the project name. It is also user-assigned, it is not unique and can be changed. The third attribute of the GCP project is the project number. It is globally unique, assigned by GCP, and is immutable
Resource Level
The lowest level of the hierarchy is the resource level, where the actual cloud resources are created and managed. Individual resources are children of the projects. These resources include computing instances, storage buckets, databases, networking components, and more. Resources are contained within projects and inherit the permissions and policies set at higher levels of the hierarchy.
Benefits of the Cloud Resource Hierarchy
The cloud resource hierarchy offers some important benefits that contribute to efficient resource management, enhanced security, and cost optimization:
Access Control and Security
The hierarchical structure enables fine-grained access control by allowing administrators to assign permissions at different levels. This means that permissions can be granted at the organization, folder, or project level, ensuring that only authorized users can access and manage specific resources. This prevents unauthorized access and helps maintain data security.
At the organizational level, the Organization Admin can define the IAM policies, determine the structure of the resources hierarchy, and delegate responsibility over critical components such as networking, billing, and resource hierarchy through IAM roles. At the project level, the role of the Project creator create new projects (automatic owner) and migrate new projects into an organization. Has the right to delete projects.
Resource Isolation
Projects provide isolation between different workloads and teams. Each project operates independently, with its own set of resources, configurations, and access controls. This isolation reduces the risk of resource conflicts and failures impacting other projects within the same organization.
Cost Management
The cloud resource hierarchy aids in managing costs effectively. Billing accounts are associated with projects, allowing organizations to track and manage expenses for individual projects. This helps in identifying areas where resources can be optimized or consolidated to reduce costs.
Organizational Structure Alignment
The hierarchy can be designed to mirror the organizational structure, making it easier to manage resources based on teams, departments, or business units. This alignment simplifies resource allocation and enhances collaboration.
Policy Enforcement
Organizations can define policies at various levels of the hierarchy to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and internal guidelines. These policies can cover security, compliance, and resource provisioning, helping maintain consistency and governance.
Cloud Resource Hierarchy Implementation in GCP
Here let’s take a closer look at how the cloud resource hierarchy is implemented in the Google Cloud Platform:
Creating an Organization
An organization is typically the starting point, representing the highest level of the hierarchy. Organizations are created in GCP using the Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) admin console. Once established, the organization can hold multiple folders and projects. An organization is created when Google Workspace or a cloud identity account creates a Google Cloud project. Google Workspace or cloud identity Super Admin assigns 1). assigns the organization admin role to some users. 2). Be the point of contact in case of recovery issues. 3). Control the lifecycle of the workspace or cloud identity account and organization resources.
Managing Folders
Folders offer an additional layer of organization beneath the organization level. They can be created and managed through the Google Cloud Console or the Cloud Resource Manager API. Folders are especially useful when there’s a need to group projects based on specific criteria.
Setting Up Projects
Projects are created within folders and can be associated with billing accounts. A project is where resources are provisioned and managed. GCP provides a wide range of services that can be configured within a project, catering to various computing needs.
Resource Deployment and Management
Once a project is created, resources can be provisioned and managed within it. These resources include virtual machines, databases, storage solutions, and more. Resource management can be done using the Google Cloud Console, command-line tools, or APIs.
Applying Policies and Permissions
GCP offers a robust Identity and Access Management (IAM) system that allows organizations to define policies and assign permissions at different levels of the hierarchy. We shall treat the IAM in our next post. Applying policies and permissions ensures that the right users have the appropriate access to resources.
Conclusion
The cloud resource hierarchy is a foundational concept within the Google Cloud Platform that enables efficient management, security, and cost optimization. By organizing resources into a hierarchical structure encompassing organizations, folders, projects, and resources, GCP empowers businesses to scale, innovate, and collaborate while maintaining granular control over their cloud environment. Understanding and effectively utilizing the cloud resource hierarchy is important if one must maximize the benefits of Google Cloud Platform and achieve success in the world of cloud computing.
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