BlackLine, Inc. (Nasdaq: BL) has announced a collaboration with Google Cloud designed to support increasing mission-critical workloads as BlackLine continues to scale globally. Under the terms of the agreement, BlackLine will leverage Google Cloud Platform to add innovative, cloud-native capabilities such as machine learning and artificial intelligence to enhance its financial automation platform with new real-time, intelligent functionality.

“As we expand our global presence and add functionality, we also need to grow our performance and scaling capabilities. As a result, BlackLine will begin using the power of the public cloud to deliver our next generation of products and scale existing solutions to provide our customers with the best possible experience – and on an accelerated delivery schedule,” said BlackLine Chief Technology Officer Pete Hirsch. “Google Cloud provides BlackLine with virtually limitless computing power while allowing us to embrace open source technologies, continue to improve our industry-leading intelligent data platform, and incorporate artificial intelligence into future offerings.”

BlackLine’s ‘cloud-first’ strategy going forward is multi-faceted, focusing on three key areas:

• Maximizing the potential of the BlackLine cloud platform as a real-time, intelligent data platform
• Leveraging new cloud-native products and services and adding cloud-based capabilities to enhance the customer experience
• Scaling for new and existing customers on a global level

“With Google Cloud, BlackLine is accelerating its digital transformation journey, taking a cloud-first approach to its products and services and utilizing cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning,” said Rob Enslin, President, Global Customer Operations, Google Cloud. “Most importantly, BlackLine customers will benefit from increased protections and the scalable infrastructure needed to keep pace in today’s business world.”

BlackLine and Google Cloud expect to further enable business growth, compliance and digital transformation initiatives, ensuring customers that their sensitive financial data remains secure, protected and available via Google Cloud. This new relationship reinforces BlackLine’s strategy for meeting the digital financial transformation needs of its customers through the development of innovative solutions and strategic partnerships with market-leading providers of cloud and technology solutions.

“Google has been a valuable contributor on our Customer Advisory Board for several years now, sharing their digital financial transformation story with other industry leaders embarking on similar journeys,” said BlackLine CEO Therese Tucker. “With our move to Google Cloud, we’re taking our synergistic relationship to the next level.”

BlackLine’s move to Google Cloud will be a multi-year process, with the transition expected to begin this Fall.

SOURCE BlackLine