Google Cozies Up to Red Hat in the Cloud with Compute Engine Agreement

Red Hat has announced a new collaboration with Google that will enable Red Hat customers to move eligible Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscriptions to Google Compute Engine using Red Hat Cloud Access. Google joined the Red Hat Certified Cloud Provider program in November 2013.

Google announced the public availability of the Google Compute Engine platform earlier this year. Compute Engine placed the company in direct competition with Amazon Web Services (AWS), and represented a strong step into the Infrastructure-as-a-Service space. Now, Google becomes only the second Red Hat Certified Cloud Provider to earn designation as a Red Hat Cloud Access-enabled partner.

According to today's announcement:

"Through Red Hat Cloud Access, Red Hat customers can take advantage of the benefits of the Google Cloud Platform with the confidence that the consistency and quality of on-premise Red Hat technologies are the same on a public cloud. Red Hat Cloud Access also enables customers to maintain a direct relationship with Red Hat – including the ability to receive full support from Red Hat’s award-winning Global Support Services organization – on Google Compute Engine, enabling customers to maintain a consistent level of service and support across all certified deployment infrastructures with consistent and predictable pricing."

"By joining the Red Hat Certified Cloud Provider program, Google has signified that they are a trusted destination for Red Hat customers, independent software vendors (ISVs), and partners to benefit from Red Hat offerings in public clouds under innovative consumption and service models with the confidence that Red Hat product experts have validated the solution."

Launched in 2009, the Red Hat Certified Cloud Provider Program designates Red Hat partners as meeting rigorous validation standards. 

Tim Yeaton, senior vice president of the Infrastructure Group at Red Hat said, in a statement: "As customers move to the cloud, they want flexibility and portability, which is a key component of our vision for the open hybrid cloud is to enable freedom of choice across both new and existing heterogeneous infrastructures. By collaborating with Google to offer Red Hat Cloud Access for Google Compute Engine, we’re bringing even more choice to the open hybrid cloud: whether on-premise or in the public cloud with Google Compute Engine, customers can rely on their Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscriptions to meet their needs.” 

Chris Rimer, global head of partner business for Google Cloud Platform added: "Today's enterprise users demand performance, scale, flexibility, and security in order to run their applications. Now with Cloud Access, customers have the flexibility of bringing their existing Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscriptions to Google's infrastructure. By working with Red Hat, we are able to offer customers a powerful and consistent open source experience with Google Cloud Platform and Compute Engine."