How to enable app management for Google Cloud folder

Key Concepts

• Application Management (Google Cloud): A feature within Google Cloud organizations that allows for centralized management of application-related resources within a specific folder.
• Google Cloud Folder: A hierarchical organizational unit in Google Cloud used to group projects and other folders, enabling policy inheritance and resource management.
• Folder Admin Role: A Google Cloud Identity and Access Management (IAM) role that grants administrative permissions over a folder, necessary for enabling application management.
• Service Usage Viewer Role: An IAM role required to view the list of APIs that will be activated during the application management enablement process.
• Management Project: A Google Cloud project automatically generated within a folder upon enabling application management, designed to host all application-related resources.
• API Activation: The process of enabling specific Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that are necessary for application management functionalities.
• Billing Enablement: The crucial step of linking a billing account to the newly generated management project to cover the costs of activated services.

This summary outlines the process of enabling application management for a folder within a Google Cloud organization, as demonstrated by Leonid. It covers how to check the current status, the step-by-step enablement process, and critical post-enablement actions.

Identifying Application Management Status

To determine if a currently selected folder is enabled for application management, users should inspect the folder's icon in the console's resource selector. An enabled folder will display a small, office-like image superimposed on top of the standard folder icon. For instance, the demonstration showed a folder that was not enabled, indicated by the absence of this specific icon.

Enabling Application Management for a Folder

The process to enable application management involves modifying the folder's settings.

Prerequisites

Before initiating the enablement process, the user must possess the Folder Admin role or equivalent permissions granted on the specific folder. Without these permissions, the "Enable" button for application management will be disabled and inaccessible.

Step-by-Step Process

1. Access Folder Settings: Navigate to the settings page for the target folder.
2. Locate App Management Section: Within the folder settings, find the section explicitly labeled "App Management."
3. Initiate Enablement: Click the prominent "big blue enable button" located within the "App Management" section.
4. Review API Activation: Upon pressing the button, the console will open a panel displaying a list of APIs that will be automatically activated as part of the enablement process.
   • Warning Message: If a warning message appears in this panel, it indicates that the user requires the Service Usage Viewer role (or similar permissions) to view the complete list of APIs.
5. Process Completion: The entire enablement process typically takes only a few seconds to complete.

Post-Enablement Actions and Information

Once application management is successfully enabled:

• Automatic Management Project Generation: The Google Cloud console automatically generates a dedicated management project within the folder. This project is specifically designed to host all application-related resources.
• Project Details: The name and ID of this newly generated management project become visible on the folder settings page.
• Billing Requirement: Crucially, users will find instructions for enabling billing on the folder settings page. It is explicitly stated that billing must be enabled after activating application management in the folder to ensure the proper functioning and cost management of the activated services.

Important Considerations

The demonstration emphasizes the necessity of specific IAM roles (Folder Admin, Service Usage Viewer) for different stages of the process. It also highlights the automatic creation of a dedicated management project and the critical, mandatory step of enabling billing post-activation.

Conclusion

Enabling application management for a Google Cloud folder is a straightforward process, provided the user has the necessary permissions. It involves a few clicks in the folder settings, leading to the automatic activation of relevant APIs and the creation of a dedicated management project. The most critical takeaway is the absolute requirement to enable billing for the newly created management project after the initial activation to ensure the continued operation of application management features.