NorthPoint Development's enhanced Google Cloud utilization with CDW

A real estate development firm specializing in the development of Class A facilities. To stay at the forefront of innovation and operational efficiency, the firm set out to optimize their Google Cloud environment. With growing complexity and reliance on cloud infrastructure, they partnered with CDW to ensure their systems were not only efficient but also aligned with best practices.

This case study explores how CDW’s proven methodologies helped this company streamline their cloud operations, enhance security and build a foundation for scalable growth.

This real estate development firm had used Google Cloud since 2019, allowing for organic growth and experimentation across multiple teams. While this open approach fostered innovation, it also introduced complexity over time. With production applications becoming dependent on Google Cloud's native services, the organization identified the need for a strategic review and optimization of their cloud environment.

• A sprawling landscape of 125 Google Cloud projects with inconsistent organization
• Weak identity and access management (IAM) policies that posed security risks
• Lack of standardized processes and naming conventions
• An outdated network topology unable to scale with company growth

The customer sought CDW’s cloud experts to address these challenges while empowering their internal teams with best practices.

CDW conducted a comprehensive assessment of the firm’s Google Cloud environment, leveraging deep expertise in cloud governance, architecture design and security. The engagement included detailed evaluations of the Google Cloud organization structure, IAM configurations, folder and project hierarchies, and overall resource usage.

To ensure effective collaboration, CDW facilitated five working sessions with the customer’s teams. These sessions prioritized education, creating a clear action plan, and the design and implementation of a secure and scalable virtual private cloud (VPC) using infrastructure as code (IaC).

• Designing and deploying a robust, scalable network topology using Terraform to manage IaC.
• Strengthening IAM policies to improve access control and security.
• Reducing and reorganizing the Google Cloud landscape from 125 projects to 29 well-structured environments.
• Deleting unused resources and implementing naming standards to streamline operations.
• Educating the customer’s staff on cloud best practices for sustainable long-term success.

The customer experienced significant improvements across its Google Cloud environment because of CDW’s strategic interventions.

• Streamlined cloud operations: reduced project sprawl by consolidating 125 unorganized Google Cloud projects into a well-organized structure of 29 projects.
  Enhanced security: strengthened IAM policies, minimizing risk and ensuring adherence to industry best practices.
• Optimized infrastructure: secure, extensible hub-and-spoke network topology implemented using Terraform, paving the way for scalable growth.
  Improved efficiency: deletion of unused resources and adoption of naming standards provided clarity and reduced operational overhead.
• Empowered teams: knowledge and tools acquired to maintain and optimize Google Cloud environment through focused education sessions.

CDW’s cloud experts combine technical proficiency with a collaborative, customer-first approach. By tailoring solutions to the real estate firm’s specific needs, CDW delivered measurable outcomes that optimized cloud usage, enhanced security and positioned the organization for sustainable growth.

Partnering with CDW unlocked the full potential of the customer’s Google Cloud environment, providing both immediate results and long-term value.