Information processing device and information processing method

Abstract

It is possible to efficiently propose an optimal system configuration that takes into account changes in the specifications required for the system over time. [Solution] The information processing device includes a storage device that stores information on the specifications, cloud services, and various costs of cloud services required for each period, and a processor that identifies combination patterns of candidate cloud services that meet the specifications for each period based on the information on the specifications and cloud services, calculates the costs of building, running, and migrating the candidate cloud services for each period for each combination pattern, calculates the total cost for each combination pattern, and outputs information on combination patterns whose total cost meets a specified standard.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention generally relates to the technology of an information processing device and an information processing method, and more particularly to a technology that enables efficient proposal of a suitable system configuration in consideration of changes over time in the specifications required for the system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, various cloud services have emerged and are being introduced by companies as one of the tools to promote so-called digital transformation. However, even with this trend, only a limited number of companies have personnel with specialized skills and knowledge in this field. As a result, managed services are being proposed that handle a series of tasks, from considering and building each company's ICT environment to its management, operation, and maintenance.

[0003] The managed services mentioned above require that the company seeking to use the service be given sufficient consideration in proposing and implementing an appropriate system configuration. However, in such companies, data and systems are often siloed for each business or department, making it difficult for the company to grasp its current situation on its own.

[0004] Therefore, with regard to the above-mentioned managed services, prior art techniques are known, for example, as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2. The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a technique for efficiently and appropriately assessing the use of cloud services. The technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 is a technique for efficiently creating new services that combine the functions of multiple devices. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-129957 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-72017 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Conventional technologies are expected to efficiently grasp the user's situation when implementing a combination of client services, etc. However, the content and scale of each user's business may change over time. As a result, the configuration and specifications of the system required for that business are likely to change as well. In other words, it is easy for the originally envisioned system specifications, etc., to be upgraded or downgraded, or revised or abolished at some point.

[0007] However, no prior art has been proposed that addresses the above-mentioned situation, takes into account the transition of system specifications that may change over time, and supports the review of those specifications.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide technology that makes it possible to efficiently propose an appropriate system configuration taking into account changes in the specifications required for the system over time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] An information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a storage device that stores information on the expected required specifications for a user's system at each time period, cloud services to be used for system construction, the construction and running costs of the cloud services, and the migration cost between two of the cloud services; a process for identifying a combination pattern of candidate cloud services that meets the specifications required at each time period based on the specifications and the information on the cloud services; a process for calculating, for each identified combination pattern, the construction cost of the candidate cloud service at each time period, the running cost during the operation period, and the migration cost when migrating the candidate cloud service between each time period based on the information on the construction and running costs and the migration cost; a process for calculating a total cost for each combination pattern based on the calculated construction cost, running cost, and migration cost; and a processor that executes a process for selecting from the combination patterns a combination pattern whose total cost meets a predetermined standard and outputting information on the combination pattern. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] It becomes possible to efficiently propose an optimal system configuration that takes into account changes in the specifications required for the system over time. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a network configuration including an information processing device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a configuration study server according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a user terminal according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a calculation formula in the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a product pattern list table in the embodiment. [Figure 6]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a construction experience value table in the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a transition experience table according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a constraint condition table according to the embodiment. [Figure 9A] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an increase in specifications in the embodiment. [Figure 9B] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of specification shrink in the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a combination list according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cost table according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flow of an information processing method according to an embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of output in the embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flow of an information processing method according to an embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of output in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] In the following description, a communication device may be one or more communication interface devices, which may be one or more homogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., one or more NICs (Network Interface Cards)) or two or more heterogeneous communication interface devices (e.g., a NIC and an HBA (Host Bus Adapter)).

[0013] In the following description, a "memory" refers to one or more memory devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices. At least one of the memory devices may be a volatile memory device or a non-volatile memory device.

[0014] In the following description, a "storage device" may refer to one or more persistent storage devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices. A persistent storage device may typically be a non-volatile storage device, specifically, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or a non-volatile memory express (NVMe) drive.

[0015] In the following description, a "CPU" refers to a computing device and may be one or more processor devices. The at least one processor device may typically be a microprocessor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may also be another type of processor device such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The at least one processor device may be a single-core or multi-core. The at least one processor device may also be a processor core. The at least one processor device may also be a processor device in a broader sense, such as a hardware circuit that performs part or all of the processing (e.g., an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)).

[0016] In the following description, information that provides an output in response to an input may be described using expressions such as "xxx table" or "xxx database." However, this information may be data of any structure (for example, structured data or unstructured data), or may be a learning model such as a neural network, genetic algorithm, or random forest that generates an output in response to an input. Therefore, "xxx table" or "xxx database" may be referred to as "xxx information." In the following description, the structure of each database or table is an example, and one database or table may be divided into two or more databases or tables, or all or part of two or more databases or tables may be one database or table.

[0017] In the following description, processing may be described using a "program" as the subject. However, since a program is executed by a CPU to perform a predetermined process using a storage device and / or an interface device, etc., as appropriate, the subject of the process may also be the CPU (or a device such as a controller having a processor). A program may be installed in a device such as a computer from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a computer-readable (e.g., non-transitory) recording medium. In the following description, two or more programs may be realized as one program, or one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0018] In addition, in the following description, when describing elements of the same type without distinguishing between them, common parts of the reference symbols may be used, and when describing elements of the same type with distinction between them, reference symbols or element identifiers may be used. <Network configuration including the configuration study server (information processing device)>

[0019] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a network configuration including a configuration study server 100, which is an information processing device in this embodiment.

[0020] The configuration consideration server 100 of this embodiment is a device that can efficiently propose a suitable system configuration based on temporal changes in the specifications required for the system, and corresponds to a server device operated by a provider of managed services related to the system. The configuration consideration server 100 is connected to a user terminal 200 via a network N so as to be able to communicate data with the user terminal 200, and can constitute an information processing system 10.

[0021] The configuration study server 100, which is a main component of the information processing system 10, is a server device operated by a business providing so-called managed services. In this case, when providing managed services, the business conducts interviews with users regarding desired system specifications and changes over time, and manages the results so that they can be used by the configuration study server 100. Alternatively, instead of or to supplement such interviews, an appropriate algorithm (e.g., a large-scale language model) may be used to infer the system specifications and their changes by inputting various information about the user (e.g., the size, content, and personnel of the company or target business, attributes of target customers, etc.). Furthermore, the configuration study server 100 is not limited to being used by the business, but may also be used or operated by users of managed services (users in this embodiment).

[0022] The information reviewed by the configuration review server 100, i.e., information on the system configuration combining various cloud services and configuration changes over time, is delivered to the user terminal 200 of the user via the network N, or output by an output device provided in the configuration review server 100.

[0023] As described above, the configuration study server 100 constituting the information processing system 10 is communicably connected to each of the user terminals 200 via an appropriate network N. Each of these user terminals 200 is a terminal that connects to the configuration study server 100 and acquires and outputs information on configuration proposals for the business system or the like for the user. The person who actually views and checks the information on the user terminal 200 is a person in charge of building and operating the business system, or the like.

[0024] The configuration study server 100 shown in Figures 1 and 2 includes a storage device 101 consisting of a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk drive or an embedded multimedia card, an I / O 102 for connecting to an input device such as a keyboard and an output device such as a display, a memory 103 consisting of a volatile storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a communication device 104 connected to a network N and communicating with at least a user terminal 200, and a CPU 105 (processor) that calls a program 1011 stored in the storage device 101 into the memory 103 to perform overall control of itself and perform various judgments, calculations, and control processing.

[0025] The information stored in the storage device 101 of the configuration study server 100 includes a calculation formula 1012, a product pattern list table 1013, a construction experience value table 1014, a migration experience value table 1015, a constraint condition table 1016, a combination list 1017, and a cost table 1018. Details of each of these pieces of information will be described later. The storage device 101 also stores an LLM 10111, which is appropriately called and used by the program 1011. This LLM 10111 is a model that performs functions such as estimating information such as specifications required for the user's business system and changes therein over time, instead of or as a supplement to the user interview. Therefore, it is assumed that machine learning corresponding to this function has been performed in advance using predetermined learning data.

[0026] Note that part of the processing performed by CPU 105 when it executes program 1011 may be executed by another arithmetic device (for example, hardware such as ASIC or FPGA). Also, memory 103 may be a ROM (Read Only Memory), which is a non-volatile storage element. ROM stores unchanging programs (for example, BIOS). RAM is a high-speed, volatile storage element such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), and temporarily stores program 1011 executed by CPU 105 and data used when program 1011 is executed.

[0027] Furthermore, the above-mentioned input device and output device may be provided by a user terminal 200 connected to the configuration study server 100 via a network N. The program 1011 executed by the CPU 105 is provided to the configuration study server 100 via a removable medium (CD-ROM, flash memory, etc.) or the network N, and is stored in a nonvolatile storage device 101, which is a non-transitory storage medium.

[0028] For this reason, the configuration study server 100 reads data from the removable media via the I / O 102. The configuration study server 100 is a computer system configured on one physical computer or on multiple logically or physically configured computers, and may operate on a virtual computer constructed on multiple physical computer resources. The configuration study server 100 is preferably configured on the cloud, but may also be on-premise configured on a specific computer (hardware).

[0029] The network N connecting the configuration study server 100 and the user terminal 200 may be the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a mobile phone network, or the like, but is not limited to these.

[0030] On the other hand, the user terminal 200 connected to the network N, like the above-mentioned configuration study server 100, comprises a storage device 201, an I / O 202, a memory 203, a communication device 204, and a CPU 205, as shown in Fig. 3. Among these, the storage device 201 stores, in addition to a program 2011, information relating to specifications required for the user's business system and the like and their changes over time, i.e., specification information 2013.

[0031] The program 2011 may further include an LLM 20111 having the same function as the LLM 10111 held by the configuration consideration server 100. In this case, the LLM 20111 is responsible for generating the specification information 2013. Specifically, such a user terminal 200 is implemented in the form of a PC (Personal Computer), a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or the like.

[0032] Furthermore, data exchange between the configuration study server 100 and the user terminal 200 may be performed according to, for example, an API (Application Programming Interface) protocol. In this case, it is assumed that each device is pre-implemented with functions and configurations for executing each process of request and response by the API. <About the calculation formula>

[0033] Here, the calculation formula 1012 used by the configuration review server 100 in this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG.

[0034] Calculation formula 1012 is a formula for calculating the estimated costs associated with the introduction and operation of a business system for a user, and is a formula that sums up variables related to each item of system construction, migration, and running. Calculation formula 1012 also corresponds to points at which the specifications of the user's business system can change over time, and in the example of Fig. 4, it corresponds to the contents that define the specifications at each of time points A, B, and C.

[0035] That is, the cost of system construction is calculated by multiplying "A cost" by a coefficient (1-a1) that decreases according to the size of the number of past construction experiences a1 at time series point A at the start time, and "B cost" by multiplying the number of past construction experiences a2 and the number of migration experiences b A→B (Migration from cloud service A to cloud service B), and number of migration experiences b B→C (Transition from Cloud Service B to Cloud Service C) A→B -b B→C ) multiplied by the number of past construction experiences a3 and the number of past migration experiences b B→C (Transition from Cloud Service B to Cloud Service C) B→→C ) and the sum of these values.

[0036] The above "A cost," "B cost," and "C cost" are construction costs of a certain cloud service that is expected to be constructed at time series point A, and are values ​​that can be read out from the cost table 1018 (FIG. 10) and set as construction costs of candidate cloud services for each period (time series points A to C) identified by the configuration consideration server 100. Also, the values ​​of the number of construction experiences and the number of migration experiences are values ​​that can be read out from the construction experience value table 1014 (FIG. 6) and the migration experience value table 1015 (FIG. 7) and set.

[0037] In addition, the transition cost is the unit cost C in the transition form of changing the unit element (unit function) of one product (same cloud service) between time series points A and B. A→B , the number of elements to be changed in the product, d A→B and the migration cost e when migrating between different products (different cloud services) A→B The sum of the number of past migration experiences b A→B The unit cost C in the transition form of changing the unit element (unit function) of one product (same cloud service) between time series points B and C is calculated by multiplying the values ​​by a coefficient that decreases depending on the time series point B. B→C , the number of elements to be changed in the product, dB→C and the migration cost e when migrating between different products (different cloud services) B→C The sum of the number of past migration experiences b B→C The unit cost associated with the change of the unit element (a change of function in the same cloud service) is also a value that can be read from the cost table 1018 (FIG. 10) and set.

[0038] In addition, the running cost is calculated as the running period G corresponding to the time series points A and B. A→B , the running cost per unit period for the target product (cloud service) operated during the period in question f A→B and the running period G corresponding to the time series points B and C. B→C , the running cost per unit period for the target product (cloud service) operated during the period in question f B→C The running cost per unit period is also a value that can be read out and set from the cost table 1018 (FIG. 10). <About the various tables>

[0039] Next, specific configuration examples of various tables used by the configuration consideration server 100 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0040] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the product pattern list table 1013 in this embodiment.

[0041] This product pattern list table 1013 is a table that stores the results of the configuration consideration server 100 identifying combination patterns of cloud services required at each time series point.

[0042] Such a product pattern list table 1013 is a collection of records that link the values ​​of the database type, number of CPUs, memory capacity, disk capacity, and construction cost of the cloud service with time-series points, using an ID that uniquely identifies the cloud service as a key. In the example of Fig. 5, the cloud services listed are "P10," "P20," "P30," "H10," "H20," "H30," "A10," "A20," and "A30," and each is linked with values ​​such as the configuration, function, and construction cost.

[0043] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the construction experience value table 1014 in this embodiment.

[0044] This construction experience value table 1014 is a table in which a business providing managed services stores information about its own cloud service construction experience. This construction experience value table 1014 is a collection of records in which an ID that uniquely identifies the type and configuration of a cloud service is used as a key, and the value of the number of times the cloud service has been constructed is linked. In the example of Figure 6, the experience values ​​for each cloud service, such as configurations "P10" to "P40" of cloud service type "P," are linked.

[0045] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the transfer experience value table 1015 in this embodiment.

[0046] This migration experience value table 1015 is a table in which a managed service provider stores information about its own cloud service migration experience. This migration experience value table 1015 is a collection of records in which the number of migration experiences between cloud services is linked, using an ID that uniquely identifies the type and configuration of the cloud service before and after migration as a key. In the example of Figure 7, the experience values ​​related to migration between each cloud service, such as cloud service types "P" and "H" and configurations "P10", "P20", "P30", "H20", and "H30", are linked.

[0047] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the constraint condition table 1016 in this embodiment.

[0048] The constraint table 1016 stores information about constraints defined by a managed service provider for each cloud service type. The constraint table 1016 is a collection of records that link information about database types (or cloud service types) that are compatible with the constraints defined for a given constraint classification, i.e., that are within the supported range, using a "classification" that uniquely identifies the constraint classification as a key. The example in FIG. 8 indicates that the databases of cloud services compatible with the "Region (Tokyo)" classification are "type A" and "type B," while the databases of cloud services compatible with the "Region (Osaka)" classification are "type A," "type B," and "type C." The table also indicates that the databases of cloud services compatible with the "Migration from Type A" classification are "type B" and "type C," while the databases of cloud services compatible with the "Migration from Type B" classification are "type A," and the databases of cloud services compatible with the "Migration from Type C" classification are "type C." The table also indicates that the databases of cloud services compatible with the "Shrinkable" condition are "type C."

[0049] 9A and 9B show specific examples of cases in which the required specifications shrink or increase over time, i.e., as time passes, as described above. Fig. 9A shows a situation in which the required specifications increase over time from time series point A to time series point B, and from time series point B to time series point C. On the other hand, Fig. 9B shows a situation in which the required specifications increase from time series point A to time series point B, but decrease, i.e., shrink, over time from time series point B to time series point C.

[0050] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a combination list 1017 in this embodiment.

[0051] This combination list 1017 is a combination pattern of candidate cloud services identified by the configuration consideration server 100 of this embodiment. This combination list 1017 is a collection of records that are sets of cloud service candidates that match the specifications required by the user for each pattern at each of the time series points (A to C).

[0052] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the cost table 1018 in this embodiment.

[0053] This cost table 1018 specifies the costs of building, running, and migrating each cloud service. This cost table 1018 is a collection of records that link the costs of building, running, and migrating, as well as the time required for building and migrating, for each condition of the cloud service configuration and migration target, with respect to each state of building, running, and migrating a cloud service. Note that the cost of the "migration" type specifies not only the cost of migrating between different cloud services, but also the unit price for only changing functionality within a single cloud service. <Information processing method: Obtaining interview results>

[0054] Next, the processing flow of the information processing method of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0055] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of the information processing method in this embodiment. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of output in this embodiment. Here, the configuration review server 100 and the user terminal 200 cooperate to show a series of processes for acquiring the system specifications desired or expected by the user and information on time-series changes.

[0056] First, the configuration consideration server 100 distributes, for example, a question screen G1 (see FIG. 13) stored in advance to the user terminal 200 (S10). Meanwhile, the user terminal 200 receives the question screen G1 distributed from the configuration consideration server 100 and displays it on an output device such as a display (S20). The question screen G1 asks about the specifications required by the user at each time series point. In this screen G1, the user inputs the specification region of the business system as well as the specification values ​​required at each time period.

[0057] The user terminal 200 responds to the configuration review server 100 via the network N with the value input by the user on the screen G1 (S21). On the other hand, the configuration review server 100 receives this response from the user terminal 200 and temporarily stores it in the memory 103, for example (S11), and ends this flow. <Information processing method: Main flow>

[0058] Next, the process of identifying a combination of candidate cloud services that meets the specifications at each time point and is also cost-effective from among a number of cloud services based on the input values ​​on question screen G1 obtained from the user in the above flow, i.e., the specifications desired by the user and information on changes over time, will be described with reference to Figures 14 and 15. Figure 14 is a flow diagram showing the flow of the information method in this embodiment, and Figure 15 is a diagram showing an example of output in this embodiment.

[0059] In this case, the configuration consideration server 100 identifies a combination pattern of candidate cloud services that satisfies the specifications required for each time period specified by the user, based on the specifications and time-series change information obtained in the above flow and stored in the memory 103, and the information in the product pattern list table 1013 held in the storage device 101 (S30).

[0060] In this case, the configuration consideration server 100 searches for cloud services that satisfy the specifications of database type, number of CPUs, memory capacity, and disk capacity for each time series point from among the cloud services defined in the product pattern list table 1013, and identifies them as candidate cloud services.The configuration consideration server 100 also comprehensively generates patterns in which the candidate cloud services thus obtained are assigned to each time series point, and creates a combination list 1017.

[0061] When identifying the above combination pattern, the configuration study server 100 compares the cloud services that make up the combination pattern and the information obtained from the user (stored in the memory 103) with the information in the constraint table 1016, and excludes cloud services that conflict with the regulations indicated by the constraints. For example, if the area in which the user uses the business system is "Tokyo," only cloud services whose database type is either "type A" or "type B" are adopted as candidate cloud services for the combination pattern.

[0062] Next, for each combination pattern identified in S30 above, the configuration consideration server 100 calculates the construction cost of the candidate cloud service at each time series point, the running cost during the operation period, and the migration cost when migrating the candidate cloud service between each time series point, based on the information on the construction and running costs and the migration costs (S31).

[0063] The calculation of each of these costs is performed by inputting the corresponding values ​​obtained in the processes up to this point and the corresponding values ​​in the cost table 1018 (such as the unit costs for construction, running, and migration, and the period required for migration) for each variable in the calculation formula 1012. Furthermore, as already mentioned in the explanation of the calculation formula 1012, when calculating the construction cost and migration cost, the construction cost and migration cost are reduced to a certain extent depending on the presence or amount of experience the business operator providing the managed service has in construction of the candidate cloud service and migration to the candidate cloud service.

[0064] Furthermore, the configuration consideration server 100 calculates the total cost for each combination pattern based on the construction cost, running cost, and migration cost calculated in the above S31 (S32). This calculation is obtained by executing the above calculation formula 1012.

[0065] Furthermore, the configuration consideration server 100 selects a combination pattern whose total cost satisfies a predetermined standard, and outputs information on the combination pattern (screen G10 in FIG. 15) to the user terminal 200 via the network N, for example (S33), and ends this flow. The example of screen G10 shown in FIG. 15 shows a screen configuration in which patterns "2," "3," and "5" are marked with stars at the left end of the records as patterns with relatively low total costs.

[0066] As described above, the information processing system of this embodiment enables efficient and accurate prompt tuning while maintaining the confidentiality of data for each user of the LLM.

[0067] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications and equivalent configurations within the spirit of the appended claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to configurations including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, part of the configuration of one embodiment may be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment. Furthermore, the configuration of another embodiment may be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, part of the configuration of each embodiment may be added, deleted, or replaced with other configurations.

[0068] Furthermore, the above-mentioned configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be realized in part or in whole in hardware, for example by designing them as integrated circuits, or may be realized in software by a processor interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function.

[0069] Information such as programs, tables, and files that realize each function can be stored in a storage device such as a memory, a hard disk, or an SSD (Solid State Drive), or in a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD.

[0070] In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines that are necessary for implementation. In reality, it can be considered that almost all components are interconnected.

[0071] Furthermore, the various explanations above can be summarized as follows. The following summary may include supplementary explanations and explanations of variations of the above explanations. In the information processing device of this embodiment, the storage device may further store information on the attributes of the user and information on constraints specified for the cloud services, the constraints being at least one of applicable regions, whether migration between cloud services is possible, and whether functional expansion / reduction is possible, and when identifying the combination pattern, the processor may compare information on the cloud services and the attributes of the user that make up the combination pattern with information on the constraints, and exclude cloud services that conflict with the specifications indicated by the constraints.

[0072] This makes it possible to efficiently identify the above combination patterns in a way that takes into consideration in advance the compatibility of each condition, such as restrictions on the applicable region (area) of the cloud service, and restrictions on migration and functional expansion / reduction, with each aspect, such as the target user's service usage area, the required (anticipated) specification level, and migration schedule, etc. Ultimately, it becomes possible to more efficiently propose an optimal system configuration that takes into account changes in the specifications required for the system over time.

[0073] In addition, in the information processing device of this embodiment, the storage device may further store information regarding the operator's experience in building the cloud service and experience in migrating between cloud services, which operator provides managed services to the user, and the processor, when calculating the construction cost and the migration cost, may reduce the construction cost and the migration cost to a certain extent depending on whether or not the operator has experience in building the candidate cloud service and experience in migrating between the candidate cloud services.

[0074] This allows managed service providers to calculate various costs based on the possibility of cost reductions according to their business experience, which in turn allows them to more efficiently propose optimal system configurations that take into account changes in the specifications required for the system over time.

[0075] In addition, in the information processing device of this embodiment, the processor may obtain information on the required specifications for the user at each time point via a specified input device or the user's terminal, and store the information in the storage device.

[0076] This allows the situation and expectations of users who desire managed services to be directly confirmed and reflected in each process in this embodiment, which in turn makes it possible to more efficiently propose an optimal system configuration that takes into account changes in the specifications required for the system over time. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 10: Information processing system, 100: Configuration review server (information processing device)

Claims

1. a storage device for storing information on the expected required specifications for a user's system at each time, cloud services used to build the system, costs for building and running the cloud services, and migration costs between two of the cloud services; a processor that executes a process of identifying a combination pattern of candidate cloud services that satisfies the specifications required for each of the periods based on the specifications and each piece of information about the cloud services; a process of calculating, for each of the identified combination patterns, the construction cost of the candidate cloud services at each of the periods, the running cost during the operation period, and the migration cost when migrating the candidate cloud service between the periods based on each piece of information about the construction and running costs and the migration cost; a process of calculating a total cost for each of the combination patterns based on the calculated construction cost, running cost, and migration cost; and a process of selecting, from the combination patterns, a combination pattern whose total cost satisfies a predetermined standard, and outputting information about the combination pattern. An information processing device comprising:

2. The storage device includes: Further retaining information on the attributes of the user and information on constraints defined for the cloud service, including at least one of applicable regions, whether migration between cloud services is possible, and whether functional expansion / reduction is possible; The processor: When identifying the combination pattern, information on the cloud services and attributes of the user that constitute the combination pattern is compared with information on the constraints, and cloud services that conflict with the regulations indicated by the constraints are excluded.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

3. The storage device includes: Further, with respect to the business operator providing the managed service to the user, information is retained regarding the experience of building the cloud service and the experience of migrating between the cloud services; The processor: When calculating the construction costs and the migration costs, the construction costs and the migration costs are reduced to a certain extent depending on the existence or amount of experience of the business operator in building the candidate cloud service and in migrating the candidate cloud service.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

4. The processor: acquiring information on the required specifications at each time point from the user via a predetermined input device or the user's terminal, and storing the information in the storage device; 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

5. The information processing device The storage device stores information on the expected required specifications for the user's system at each time, the cloud services used to build the system, the costs of building and running the cloud services, and the migration costs between two of the cloud services; a process for identifying a combination pattern of candidate cloud services that satisfies the specifications required for each of the periods based on the specifications and each piece of information about the cloud services; a process for calculating, for each of the identified combination patterns, the construction cost of the candidate cloud services for each of the periods, the running cost during the operation period, and the migration cost when migrating the candidate cloud service between the periods based on each piece of information about the construction and running costs and the migration cost; a process for calculating a total cost for each of the combination patterns based on the calculated construction cost, running cost, and migration cost; and a process for selecting, from the combination patterns, a combination pattern whose total cost satisfies a predetermined standard, and outputting information about the combination pattern.

1. An information processing method comprising:

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