This book explains why applications running on cloud might not deliver the same service reliability, availability, latency and overall quality to end users as they do when the applications are running on traditional (non-virtualized, non-cloud) configurations, and explains what can be done to mitigate that risk.

Many enterprises are moving their applications and IT services to the cloud. Better risk management results in fewer operational surprises and failures, greater stakeholder confidence and reduced regulatory concerns; proactive risk management maximizes the likelihood that an enterprise’s objectives will be achieved, thereby enabling organizational success. This work methodically considers the risks and opportunities that an enterprise taking their applications or services onto the cloud must consider to obtain the cost reductions and service velocity improvements they desire without suffering the consequences of unacceptable user service quality.

A holistic approach to service reliability and availability of cloud computing Reliability and Availability of Cloud Computing provides IS/IT system and solution architects, developers, and engineers with the knowledge needed to assess the impact of virtualization and cloud computing on service reliability and availability. It reveals how to select the most appropriate design for reliability diligence to assure that user expectations are met. Organized in three parts (basics, risk analysis, and recommendations), this resource is accessible to readers of diverse backgrounds and experience levels. Numerous examples and more than 100 figures throughout the book help readers visualize problems to better understand the topic—and the authors present risks and options in bulleted lists that can be applied directly to specific applications/problems. Special features of this book include: Rigorous analysis of the reliability and availability risks that are inherent in cloud computing Simple formulas that explain the quantitative aspects of reliability and availability Enlightening discussions of the ways in which virtualized applications and cloud deployments differ from traditional system implementations and deployments Specific recommendations for developing reliable virtualized applications and cloud-based solutions Reliability and Availability of Cloud Computing is the guide for IS/IT staff in business, government, academia, and non-governmental organizations who are moving their applications to the cloud. It is also an important reference for professionals in technical sales, product management, and quality management, as well as software and quality engineers looking to broaden their expertise.

Modern society requires a specialized, persistent approach to IT service delivery. Cloud computing offers the most logical answer through a highly dynamic and virtualized resource made available by an increasing number of service providers. Advanced Research on Cloud Computing Design and Applications shares the latest high quality research results on cloud computing and explores the broad applicability and scope of these trends on an international scale, venturing into the hot-button issue of IT services evolution and what we need to do to be prepared for future developments in cloud computing. This book is an essential reference source for researchers and practitioners in the field of cloud computing, as well as a guide for students, academics, or anyone seeking to learn more about advancement in IT services. This publication features chapters covering a broad range of relevant topics, including cloud computing for e-government, cloud computing in the public sector, security in the cloud, hybrid clouds and outsourced data, IT service personalization, and supply chain in the cloud.

This book offers a systematic and practical overview of Quality of Service prediction in cloud and service computing. Intended to thoroughly prepare the reader for research in cloud performance, the book first identifies common problems in QoS prediction and proposes three QoS prediction models to address them. Then it demonstrates the benefits of QoS prediction in two QoS-aware research areas. Lastly, it collects large-scale real-world temporal QoS data and publicly releases the datasets, making it a valuable resource for the research community. The book will appeal to professionals involved in cloud computing and graduate students working on QoS-related problems.

Software applications once held on local computers and servers are beginning to shift to the public Internet sphere, and private health information is no exception. The likelihood of placing once restricted and private health records “in the cloud” is increasing. Cloud Computing Applications for Quality Health Care Delivery focuses on cloud technologies that could affect quality in the healthcare field. Leading experts in this area offer their knowledge and contribute to the demystification of healthcare in the Cloud. This publication will prove to be a useful tool for undergraduate and graduate students of healthcare quality and management, healthcare managers, and industry professionals.

Cloud computing continues to emerge as a subject of substantial industrial and academic interest. Although the meaning and scope of “cloud computing” continues to be debated, the current notion of clouds blurs the distinctions between grid services, web services, and data centers, among other areas. Clouds also bring considerations of lowering the cost for relatively bursty applications to the fore. Cloud Computing: Principles, Systems and Applications is an essential reference/guide that provides thorough and timely examination of the services, interfaces and types of applications that can be executed on cloud-based systems. The book identifies and highlights state-of-the-art techniques and methods for designing cloud systems, presents mechanisms and schemes for linking clouds to economic activities, and offers balanced coverage of all related technologies that collectively contribute towards the realization of cloud computing. With an emphasis on the conceptual and systemic links between cloud computing and other distributed computing approaches, this text also addresses the practical importance of efficiency, scalability, robustness and security as the four cornerstones of quality of service. Topics and features: explores the relationship of cloud computing to other distributed computing paradigms, namely peer-to-peer, grids, high performance computing and web services; presents the principles, techniques, protocols and algorithms that can be adapted from other distributed computing paradigms to the development of successful clouds; includes a Foreword by Professor Mark Baker of the University of Reading, UK; examines current cloud-practical applications and highlights early deployment experiences; elaborates the economic schemes needed for clouds to become viable business models. This book will serve as a comprehensive reference for researchers and students engaged in cloud computing. Professional system architects, technical managers, and IT consultants will also find this unique text a practical guide to the application and delivery of commercial cloud services. Prof. Nick Antonopoulos is Head of the School of Computing, University of Derby, UK. Dr. Lee Gillam is a Lecturer in the Department of Computing at the University of Surrey, UK.