Preface

The Google Cloud Digital Leader certification is a great entry point into the Google Cloud ecosystem for both business and technical folks. This book is designed to be a certification guide, walking you through the core topics covered in the Digital Leader exam while also highlighting Google’s portfolio as it relates to the latest advancements in their Cloud business and services.

The book is organized into five sections:

• Introduction to Digital Transformation with Google Cloud
• Innovating with Data and Google Cloud
• Infrastructure and Platform Modernization
• Understanding Google Cloud Security and Operations
• Practice Exam Questions

You may find material covering these different topic areas but this book strives to include both the latest updates to the Digital Leader certification content and an overview of Google Cloud’s AI offerings – a topic that is becoming increasingly more relevant for both business and technology folks.

My experience working at Google Cloud for the past 5+ years has provided me with a deep understanding of cloud migrations, the challenges customers face, the debates they have with their teams, and ultimately why they make the decisions they do.

By reading this book, you’ll benefit from my unique perspective as it relates to the following:

• Understanding the why behind cloud migrations, particularly Google Cloud
• What factors and circumstances impact decision-making when building cloud systems
• Examples and scenarios that highlight the critical thinking and knowledge required to pass the exam

Google Cloud has been recognized as a Leader by Gartner in their Magic Quadrant for Cloud Infrastructure and Platform Services in 2022 and has a fast-growing, multi-billion dollar business. Most recently, Google Cloud was recognized by Gartner as the most innovative of the Leaders in their 2023 Cloud Database Management Systems Magic Quadrant.

This highlights both Google’s commitment to its Cloud division and its ability to drive enterprise-grade innovations to market. Throughout 2023, as executives and boards feel more pressure to adopt modern technologies and compete with modern companies, their business and technology teams are also being pressured to collaborate and innovate more while also taking into account security and compliance requirements.

There is a lot of demand in the market for folks with Google Cloud skills, both at the individual contributor and leadership levels. As their customer base grows, so does the demand for the product, engineering, business, partnership, and marketing knowledge related to getting the most out of the latest technologies. This book can be the first meaningful step towards formalizing your GCP skills by helping you attain the Google Cloud Digital Leader certification.