Cloud Federator Mediates Multi-Provider Interoperability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cloud service options lack seamless interoperability between different providers, requiring users to manage multiple accounts, interfaces, and payment strategies, and do not allow for automatic migration or interaction beyond basic services.
Innovation Solution
A federated customer profile service that enables seamless access to multiple cloud services by using a Cloud Federator, which provides a standardized interface and automatic migration, leveraging open standards like SAML for identity management and AI for service selection and payment processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple cloud service providers are used, then service diversity and functionality are improved, but system complexity and user management burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cloud broker as an intermediary component that mediates between the user and multiple cloud service providers. The cloud broker abstracts the complexity of managing multiple cloud accounts, credentials, and interfaces by providing a unified access point. It handles authentication, authorization, and service coordination across different cloud providers, thereby maintaining service diversity while reducing the perceived system complexity for users.
Solution Approach 2:
The cloud broker is designed with universal functionality to work with multiple different cloud service providers simultaneously. It implements a standardized interface that can adapt to various cloud platforms, enabling a single system to perform multiple functions across different cloud environments. This multi-functionality allows the system to access diverse cloud services through a common mechanism, resolving the contradiction between service diversity and system complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple cloud accounts are managed manually, then access to different services is achieved, but user time and operational effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cloud broker implements self-service functionality by automatically managing cloud account credentials, authentication tokens, and service connections. Instead of requiring users to manually configure each cloud account and maintain credentials, the system autonomously handles these tasks. The broker can automatically provision accounts, manage security credentials, and coordinate service access, thereby reducing user time investment while maintaining comprehensive service access capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring and caching authentication credentials and service connection parameters before they are needed. The cloud broker establishes and maintains ready-to-use connections to multiple cloud services, storing authentication information and service configurations in advance. When a user needs to access a cloud service, the broker can immediately utilize the pre-established connections, eliminating the need for users to spend time on manual setup and configuration.
3Adaptability or versatility
If proprietary interfaces are used by each cloud provider, then service specificity is improved, but interoperability and seamless access deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The cloud broker dynamically changes and adapts its interface parameters to match the specific requirements of different cloud service providers. It implements parameter transformation capabilities that convert standardized internal representations into provider-specific protocols and formats. This allows the broker to maintain a consistent internal interface while seamlessly adapting to various external cloud interfaces, thereby preserving service specificity while ensuring interoperability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the interface architecture into distinct layers: a standardized internal interface layer handled by the cloud broker, and multiple adapter layers for different cloud providers. Each adapter segment handles the proprietary interface requirements of a specific cloud provider independently. This segmentation allows the core system to work with a unified interface while individual segments handle the complexity of proprietary interfaces, achieving both service specificity and ease of operation.
Data Source
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AI summary
A Cloud federator may be used to allow seamless and transparent access by a Cloud Client to Cloud services. Federation may be provided on various terms, including as a subscription based real-time online service to Cloud Clients. The Cloud federator may automatically and transparently effect communication between the Cloud Client and Clouds and desired services of the Clouds, and automatically perform identity federation. A Service Abstraction Layer (SAL) may be implemented to simplify Client communication, and Clouds / Cloud services may elect to support the SAL to facilitate federation of their services.