Trusted Intermediary for Cloud Usage Verification
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Users of cloud computing services face challenges in verifying the accuracy of resource usage reports due to the remoteness of data processing environments and the involvement of multiple parties, leading to concerns about billing transparency.
Innovation Solution
A computer system that collects information on resource usage by services, generates a description of usage, and creates a signed response to verify the validity of this information, using a private key to ensure proof of usage, thereby addressing concerns about billing transparency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If cloud computing providers host data processing environments remotely to deliver computing resources, then service delivery capability is improved, but user trust and verification of resource usage becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a trusted third-party intermediary service that acts as a mediator between cloud users and cloud providers. This intermediary collects resource usage data directly from the cloud infrastructure, verifies it through cryptographic signing, and provides authenticated usage reports to users. This resolves the trust issue by inserting a neutral party that both sides can rely on, eliminating the need for users to directly trust remote cloud providers.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by collecting and cryptographically signing resource usage data at the time of usage, before billing occurs. This advance verification and signing of usage data creates provable evidence that can be later presented to users, ensuring trust is established before any potential disputes arise about billing accuracy.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple parties are involved in cloud service delivery to provide comprehensive resources, then resource availability is improved, but transparency and accountability of resource usage becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the verification and reporting functions into a single unified trusted intermediary service. This consolidation simplifies the complex multi-party verification process by combining data collection from infrastructure providers, validation of usage, cryptographic signing, and report generation into one integrated system that produces a single source of truth for all resource usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the trusted intermediary continuously monitors resource usage, verifies it against service level agreements, and provides real-time or near-real-time authenticated reports back to users. This continuous feedback loop ensures transparency throughout the service delivery process rather than仅提供 post-factum billing information.
Data Source
AI summary
Managing a service is provided. Information is collected about use of a set of resources by the service. A request is received to verify information regarding a selected portion of a period of time during the use of the set of resources by the service. A description of the use of the set of resources by the service during the selected portion of the period of time is generated using the collected information in response to receiving the request to verify the information regarding the selected portion of the period of time during the use of the set of resources by the service. A response to the request is created using the generated description of the use of the set of resources by the service during the selected portion of the period of time as proof of validity of the information.