Streamlining Enterprise Networking with Google Cloud Shared VPC

AMJ Cloud Technologies partnered with a fintech company to centralize and scale their network architecture using Google Cloud Shared VPC. This case study demonstrates how we reduced complexity, enhanced security, and accelerated project launches while ensuring seamless hybrid cloud connectivity.

Situation

The client, a fintech company operating across multiple regions, had significantly expanded its Google Cloud presence over the past year. Each business unit operated in separate Google Cloud projects to maintain autonomy and billing separation, but this led to siloed VPC networks, complex VPC peering relationships, and inconsistent security policies. As the company scaled, managing inter-project networking, hybrid cloud connectivity, and unified security became increasingly challenging, resulting in operational inefficiencies and security risks.

Task

Our team was tasked with designing a solution to meet the following objectives:

• Simplify network management by consolidating fragmented VPC configurations and firewall rules.
• Improve inter-project communication efficiency and scalability without relying on VPC peering.
• Enhance security by reducing project teams’ control over networking and enforcing consistent policies.
• Centralize hybrid cloud connectivity to eliminate redundant infrastructure and improve routing consistency.
• Reduce operational overhead and accelerate the onboarding of new projects.

The project was executed by a team of cloud architects and network engineers over a six-week timeline.

Action

To achieve these objectives, we implemented Google Cloud Shared VPC to consolidate network management, improve security, and enhance scalability, focusing on centralization, governance, and efficiency:

1. Established a Host Project:

   • Designated a central project as the host project for the Shared VPC, managed by the network operations team.
   • Configured the Shared VPC in custom mode with well-defined subnets to avoid overlapping IP ranges.

2. Attached Service Projects:

   • Migrated over 25 existing service projects to the Shared VPC and ensured new projects were attached from day one.
   • Enabled compute resources in service projects to communicate over a unified network.

3. Subnet Sharing with Granular Control:

   • Selectively shared only relevant subnets with service projects, providing tight segmentation and minimizing unnecessary exposure of internal services.

4. Hybrid Connectivity Centralization:

   • Deployed Cloud VPN and Cloud Interconnect services exclusively in the host project, enabling consistent routing to on-premises systems.
   • Eliminated duplicated hybrid connectivity configurations in each service project.

5. IAM Role-Based Access Control:

   • Assigned the Shared VPC Admin role to a limited group of network administrators, enforcing centralized control.
   • Granted service project users Network User roles with limited access, following a least-privilege model.

6. Monitoring and Logging:

   • Integrated Cloud Logging and Cloud Monitoring for centralized visibility into network traffic, configuration changes, and potential security anomalies.
   • Enabled real-time alerts for misconfigurations or policy violations.

7. Testing and Validation:

   • Conducted tests to validate inter-project communication, hybrid connectivity, and security policies.
   • Monitored performance and compliance metrics to ensure the solution met operational and regulatory requirements.

The team collaborated with the client to monitor metrics during rollout and fine-tuned configurations to optimize performance, security, and scalability.

Result

The Google Cloud Shared VPC implementation delivered significant outcomes:

• Consolidated Dozens of VPC Peerings into a Single Shared VPC: Simplified network management by reducing complexity and eliminating scattered firewall rules.
• Reduced Misconfigurations with Centralized Control and IAM Policies: Enhanced security and compliance by limiting project teams’ control over networking.
• Reduced New Project Onboarding from Days to Hours: Accelerated project launches, allowing teams to focus on application logic rather than network design.
• Eliminated Redundant VPN Tunnels and Interconnect Links: Optimized costs and improved throughput across the organization.
• Seamless Integration with On-Premises Systems: Centralized hybrid connectivity provided consistent routing and reduced operational issues.
• Operational Simplicity: Quick implementation with minimal disruption.

This solution has become a reference for AMJ Cloud Technologies’ enterprise networking projects, showcasing our expertise in Google Cloud scalability and security architectures.

Technologies Used

• Google Cloud Shared VPC (Custom Mode): Centralized network management.
• Cloud VPN / Cloud Interconnect: Enabled hybrid cloud connectivity.
• Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE): Supported application workloads.
• IAM (Shared VPC Admin, Network User): Enforced access control.
• Cloud Logging & Cloud Monitoring: Provided visibility and alerting.
• Granular Subnet Sharing: Ensured network segmentation.
• Firewall and Routing Policy Enforcement: Enhanced security and compliance.

Key Use Cases

This architecture is suitable for:

• Enterprises with multiple Google Cloud projects requiring centralized network management.
• Organizations needing secure, scalable inter-project and hybrid cloud connectivity.
• Businesses seeking to reduce operational overhead and improve compliance in multi-team environments.

Ready to streamline your enterprise networking? Contact us to explore how AMJ Cloud Technologies can help.

Key Takeaways

This case study highlights the impact of Google Cloud Shared VPC in streamlining enterprise networking for a fintech client. By consolidating a fragmented network architecture into a centralized, secure, and scalable design, we reduced complexity, enhanced security, and accelerated project launches. AMJ Cloud Technologies is dedicated to delivering practical cloud solutions for scalable, secure enterprise architectures.

Architectural Diagram