Implementation of Google Cloud Platform - securely and smoothly

Collaboration in brief

Starting point Keys to success Result
Switching from on-premises solution to Google Cloud Platform.

Build the foundation and transition thoroughly. Pay attention to the skills and training of the employees.

Cloud environment that is secure and easy to maintain.

Our goal: Easy-to-maintain GCP infrastructure solution.

The starting point and goals of cooperation

Finnish P&C Insurance Ltd chose Google's cloud service because its architecture was compatible with existing services and systems. Google Cloud Platform was also considered to bring benefits in cost efficiency, scalability, and information security.

Once the platform had been chosen, Finnish P&C Insurance Ltd wanted a partner who would design and build the foundation of the GCP platform in a secure manner. In addition, they hoped for support from the partner in the transfer of services from the old environment to the cloud. In addition to the successful implementation of GCP, the cooperation aimed to increase the competence of their own personnel.

Finnish P&C Insurance Ltd wanted to proceed in a straightforward manner, and forget about customized implementation projects: that's why the Secure Google Cloud Platform Foundation service offered by Gapps was just the right package.
Gapps.

Gapps' Secure Google Cloud Platform Foundation service was well designed and prepared, which confirmed that working GCP solutions have been made for others as well.

Risto Pihlajasalo, CTO

Solution: Secure Google Cloud Platform Foundation service

The foundation of the cloud environment must be in order before a big migration of services. The Secure Google Cloud Platform Foundation implemented by Gapps guaranteed a successful implementation of GCP and a functional foundation for the new environment.

The project took into account issues related to GCP's resource management, user management, authentication, network architecture, and monitoring, among other things.

Hybrid model architecture where on-premises and GCP are connected via Interconnect.

Figure: Hybrid model architecture where on-premises and GCP are connected via Interconnect.

Gapps' solution has met the expectations of Finnish P&C Insurance, and our cooperation has worked well. Gapps' understanding and know-how of GCP infrastructure and its management are excellent, which ensured a successful outcome.

Risto Pihlajasalo, CTO 

How is information security on Google Cloud Platform implemented?

Data security has been a key element throughout the collaboration - the entire architecture was thought through with data security in mind right from the design stage. GCP's data security is comprised of two areas: the data secure basis of the infrastructure and continuous monitoring.

Secure infrastructure

The GCP resources used by Finnish P&C Insurance were built in Terraform as their own modules, whose information security features are already configured correctly. For example, certain security configurations have been automated for the creation of a new server. The use of Terraform in infra automation makes the entire GCP data security easier to manage.

Continuous monitoring of information security

Continuous monitoring was built on top of Google's Security Command Center service. Observations made by various services (e.g. Cloud Armor, Web Security Scanner, Forseti) are centralized in the Security Command Center and are sent from there as alerts to the internal communication channel of Finnish P&C Insurance. Such a well-designed monitoring architecture enhances the identification and response to information security risks.

Continuous security monitoring and alerts

Image: Continuous security monitoring and alerts have been implemented with the help of Google's Security Command Center service

GCP Products and solutions in use

  • Compute Engine
  • Google Kubernetes Engine
  • CloudSQL
  • Cloud Storage
  • BigQuery
  • CloudVPN
  • Cloud Interconnect
  • Cloud Resource Manager
  • Security Health Analytics
  • Cloud Monitoring

Results

The most significant result of the cooperation is a cloud environment that is secure and easy to maintain. For example, managing the infrastructure through Terraform has made the management of the whole system clearer.

A well-built foundation also enables continuous and long-term development. There are already many ideas for the future of GCP. For example, an even wider utilization of Google's cloud services is on the to-do list.

After careful investment in the foundations, we now have an easy-to-maintain GCP infrastructure solution.

Marko Ketonen, Head Of Technology and Architecture

Thanks to the cooperation, the competence and understanding of the staff of Finnish P&C Insurance regarding cloud services have grown significantly. As the expertise grows, GCP can be used more widely and thus the company can get more benefits from it.

In terms of infrastructure, we have gained knowledge and know-how for our own organization. Today, more people understand what our infrastructure is and know how to make the necessary changes there.

Tarmo Pellikka, Senior Software Engineer 

Finnish P&C Insurance’s three tips for cloud services

  1. Build the foundation thoroughly. An existing on-premises solution should not be transferred to the cloud as is. Think in advance about what kind of changes to the services you need to make so that the new environment delivers on its promises, for example in terms of cost efficiency.

  2. Plan the transition so that the total costs do not get out of hand. The costs of the new environment will increase, but the costs of the old environment will not disappear at once when the environments coexist. For example, it is worth paying attention to the scaling of services at the very beginning.

  3. Attention to the skills and training of employees in the new environment. In order to get the desired results from the new cloud environment as quickly as possible, people's skills must be developed at the same time.

Introducing Finnish P&C Insurance Ltd

Finnish P&C Insurance Ltd. is a modern Finnish non-life insurance company that provides customized insurance services for the brands POP Insurance and Savings Bank Insurance. The digital aspect of the company was key from its foundation in 2012. The company currently has more than 180,000 customers and more than 120 employees. Finnish P&C Insurance Ltd. is owned by the financially sound POP Bank Group.