Google Titan chip tells everyone that security goes all the way down to the hardware level so that one can rely on the company's cloud suite of services.
You typically don't see an earpiece as something that'll be vital to your business data security. But that's how Google's Urz Hölzle opted to show off Titan, the company's custom-built chip that is said to produce nearly impenetrable security for Google's data centers. They're the critical, digital product that is behind the company's push to be a major player in the enterprise space.
Hölzle unveiled the chip at Google's Cloud Next conference in San Francisco. He said "We designed every element of our infrastructure so you can be productive and enjoy the infrastructure that we created." Taking it off an earring was quite the party trick, but the essentials are found in the details.
What Is It?
According to Google, Titan is a "purpose-built chip to establish hardware root of trust for both machines and peripherals on cloud infrastructure, allowing us to more securely identify and authenticate legitimate access at the hardware level."
Essentially, it's Google telling everyone that security goes all the way down to the hardware level so that one can rely on the company's cloud suite of services.
How Secure Is This?
Very, at least that's how Google spoke about it. The chip can check software and verify that it's running properly and securely all the way down to the BIOS level. This is important because if it's compromised, hackers have access to the data that companies are paying Google to keep safe.
Why Build It?
One of the core messages of Google Cloud Next was security, security, security. If Google can showcase how it literally builds this concept into its cloud and services, it makes a powerful argument as to why companies should invest in its products instead of competitors.
During the first day's keynote, executives from Disney, Verizon, The Home Depot and other companies marched onstage to declare their faith in Google Cloud and to describe the potential benefits to the extensive list of APIs available.
Can Google Keep Pace?
All signs point to yes. The other main argument from Cloud Next was that Google has been designing hardware and infrastructure for its own services for years -- it's simply now making that same capability available to other businesses (for a fee, of course). A key term discussed during the discussion about Titan was that it could improve "operational security."
Google is out to prove that despite the head start and considerable market share lead enjoyed by Amazon and Microsoft, it can compete for cloud dollars. If a tiny chip is what it takes to make the case, then the company's happy to do it.
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