Cloud Boundary Access Mediation for Off-Cloud Resource Contention
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Cloud-based applications accessing off-cloud network resources can cause resource contention, unpredictable performance, security risks, and increased costs due to unfettered access, leading to potential SLA violations and inefficient resource usage.
Innovation Solution
Implement a network management system to enforce policies and apply usage constraints, such as data shaping, rate-limiting, and queuing, to regulate access of cloud applications to off-cloud network resources, ensuring compliance with quality of service requirements and optimizing resource utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If cloud-based applications are allowed unfettered access to off-cloud network resources, then applications can freely access and collect data from network resources, but resource contention and unpredictable performance occur
Solution Approach 1:
A network management system is introduced as an intermediary between cloud-based applications and off-cloud network resources. This mediator enforces usage policies, applies rate-limiting, and manages access requests, thereby maintaining application access freedom while preventing resource contention and ensuring predictable performance through controlled resource allocation
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts resource allocation and access rates based on current network conditions, resource utilization, and policy requirements. Rate-limiting parameters and queue priorities are adjusted in real-time to maintain performance predictability while allowing flexible access patterns
2Productivity
If multiple cloud applications access the same off-cloud resources frequently, then data collection purposes are met, but resource contention increases
Solution Approach 1:
The network management system consolidates access requests from multiple cloud applications to the same off-cloud resources. By merging duplicate or redundant requests and batching access operations, the system maintains data collection efficiency while reducing the total quantity of resource usage and preventing resource contention
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies rate-limiting that allows partial access to resources based on priority and current load conditions. High-priority applications receive fuller access while lower-priority applications receive limited access, optimizing data collection efficiency without overwhelming off-cloud resources
3Ease of operation
If cloud applications access off-cloud resources without constraints, then application functionality is maintained, but security risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The network management system serves as a security intermediary that inspects, filters, and controls all access requests to off-cloud resources. It enforces security policies, validates authentication credentials, and monitors for malicious patterns, thereby maintaining application functionality while blocking security threats before they reach off-cloud resources
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements preemptive security measures by establishing access policies and authentication mechanisms before applications can access off-cloud resources. Security violations are prevented in advance through policy enforcement and monitoring, rather than responding to threats after they occur
4Adaptability or versatility
If unrestricted access to off-cloud resources is permitted, then cloud applications can operate freely, but costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The network management system applies rate-limiting that allows cloud applications to access off-cloud resources up to defined thresholds, but restricts excessive access. This partial action approach maintains necessary application flexibility while preventing cost-prohibitive resource consumption by limiting the volume of access operations
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors resource usage patterns and provides feedback to adjust access rates and allocation. By tracking actual usage versus cost thresholds, the system dynamically adjusts access flexibility to maintain application functionality while optimizing cloud infrastructure costs through informed resource management
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure describes techniques for managing and/or regulating access, by applications executing in a cloud environment, to network resources operating outside of the cloud environment. In one example, this disclosure describes receiving, from a first application executing in a cloud environment, a first request to be delivered to an off-cloud network resource; receiving, from a second application executing in the cloud environment, a second request to be delivered to the off-cloud network resource; and managing, based on a policy, delivery of the first request and the second request to the off-cloud network resource.