1. Palo Alto Networks has a mission to enable secure digital transformation for all.
2. The Cloud Center of Excellence team at Palo Alto Networks oversees a large and decentralized structure with many engineering teams working on over 170,000 projects on Google Cloud.
3. The team implemented BigQuery ML to automate the process of identifying project ownership, leading to a significant increase in efficiency and accuracy in labeling projects and improving overall cloud operations.
At Palo Alto Networks, the focus is on secure digital transformation, with numerous engineering teams contributing to their products through mergers and acquisitions. The Cloud Center of Excellence team manages cloud operations, overseeing a complex landscape of over 170,000 projects on Google Cloud. Efforts to ensure cost-efficiency, cloud hygiene, and security led to the implementation of machine learning using BigQuery ML.
Initially faced with challenges in identifying project ownership, environment, and cost center, the team relied on manual processes to sort through projects, leading to inaccuracies and inefficiencies. Transitioning to BigQuery ML significantly reduced prototyping turnaround time and improved accuracy in labeling projects, resulting in a more streamlined and automated process.
The deployment of BigQuery ML not only boosted developer productivity but also democratized AI within the team, making machine learning more accessible to individuals with varying levels of expertise. The accurate label prediction system now provides greater visibility into cloud projects, with 99.9% accuracy in determining project ownership, cost centers, and environments.
Looking ahead, the team plans to extend the use of BigQuery ML to other departments within the organization, such as financial operations and information security. Additionally, they are exploring the integration of generative AI with BigQuery to enable natural language queries for business-related information, making data access more straightforward and user-friendly for individuals across all levels of the organization.