Google Cloud Next '24 Roundup: 3 Days of Announcements and Insight

Google's annual conference, Google Next, is always full of announcements that enhance Google Workspace and Google Cloud. This year's edition was certainly no different. 

To mark the end of Google Next, we’ve rounded up the biggest announcements from each day. 

Day 1

With regards to Cloud, the biggest announcement of Day 1 was the introduction of Gemini to Google Cloud. 

Particularly for developers, the ability to work and code more efficiently using natural language to add, change, analyse, and streamline code, along with the ability to manage applications more easily, gain deeper data insights, and identify and resolve security threats, is a huge win. 

That doesn’t mean Workspace was left on the shelf. There were five main Workspace announcements: 

• Vids, the latest addition to the Workspace family, is a unique AI-driven video creation tool. It bridges the gap between Slides and design software like Canva, offering users the ability to create professional storyboards with ease.

• Google Meet is expanding its auto-translation capability to include more languages, taking the total to 69. This is a precursor to the 'translate for me' feature, which is scheduled to launch in June. Alongside other upcoming features such as 'take notes for me,' this will form the new AI meeting and messaging add-on, making Meet the forefront of video meeting software. 

• Google will also introduce a Gemini-based security add-on to safeguard files across Google Drive. The tool will allow IT departments to automatically detect, categorise, and secure confidential documents across their organisation.

• Google Sheets now has a tables feature, which better organises data and is complemented by a refreshed design. Like in most other Google apps, users can choose from a number of templates. Similarly, Google Docs is also receiving a new tabs feature aimed at aiding users when organising related information within a single document. 

• Gmail's new feature set targets those sending emails on the move. The 'help me write feature' on mobile now supports voice commands. Gmail also now includes an 'instant polish' feature, which uses Gemini to refine notes into more concise email drafts. 

Another big announcement is the rebranding of BeyondCorp Enterprise into Chrome Enterprise Premium. Built into the already highly secure Chrome browser, Chrome Enterprise Premium will offer advanced security capabilities such as: 

• Enterprise Controls- Enforce policies and manage software updates and extensions. 

• Security insights and reporting- Support event reporting, device reporting, and forensic capabilities for enterprise-wide visibility and can integrate with other Google and third-party security solutions;

• Context-aware access controls- Can be scaled for web applications, can help enforce continuous Zero Trust access to SaaS and web-based apps with context-aware access control, and can mitigate data exfiltration risks for sanctioned and unsanctioned applications.  

• Threat and data protection- Deliver content inspection and data loss prevention, anti-malware, and anti-phishing using frontline intelligence and AI, dynamic URL filtering, and site categorisation.

To round out Day 1, we partnered with Google's UK and Ireland team to host an evening drinks reception for customers. It was a brilliant evening filled with insight and conversations around the future of Cloud and Workspace. 

Day 2

Day 2 was a day for developers, with announcements centred around how those in the development space can use AI to enhance efficiency in coding and the existing tools used to code.

The first announcement was around Gemini 1.5, which came with four main things that make this possible: 

• App Hub: App Hub provides an accurate, up-to-date representation of deployed applications and their resource dependencies, regardless of the specific Google Cloud products they use. 

• BigQuery continuous queries: BigQuery can now provide continuous SQL processing over data streams, enabling real-time pipelines with AI operators or reverse ETL.

• Natural language support in AlloyDB: AlloyDB users get the enhanced vector performance that powers some of Google's most popular services. 

• Gemini Code Assist in Apigee API management: Use Gemini to help you build APIs and integrations using natural language prompts.

There were also some sizable changes to BigQuery. 

Now, you can quickly and efficiently bring AI into your data using Gemini models in BigQuery ML and BigQuery DataFrames. 

BigQuery can also help you unlock value from your unstructured data with integrations such as Vertex AI's document processing and speech-to-text API, enabling AI-powered search for your business data. This combination of structured and unstructured data can be used to fine-tune your LLMs. 

Day 3

Day 3 was a day of breakout rooms, working alongside peers to take a more detailed look into how Google technology can help navigate challenges and provide specific solutions. Some of the breakout sessions included:

Building no-code business apps with AppSheet and AI in Google Cloud- This session discussed how AppSheet can help everyone drive results and collaborate across devices and data sources. 

The future of App Development with Analytics and Gen AI— The session demonstrated how developers can use tools to build apps and analytics and AI to maximise their potential. 

Google Next is always a highlight event on our yearly calendar. The announcements and discussions shape how we and our customers use Google Cloud and Workspace. 

The introduction of Gemini in the cloud and the changes to security, migration, and development tools will ensure that Google continues to be the go-to for businesses looking to position themselves at the forefront of their industries. 

For a complete list of announcements from Next, see Google’s Complete Roundup here. 

Want to make the switch to Google? Contact our team today to find out how Netpremacy can help you.