Multi-Cloud Resource Scheduler for Cost Optimization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Businesses incur significant costs by paying for constant access to cloud-based services that are only used during standard business hours, leading to inefficiencies and unnecessary expenses.

Innovation Solution

A multi-cloud resource scheduler system that allows administrators to set start and shutdown times for cloud-based instances, considering individual user needs and providing granularity in availability while maintaining platform integrity, with features for manual and automated scheduling and exception handling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If cloud-based services are kept running 24/7 to ensure constant availability, then service reliability is improved, but operational costs increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice availabilityVSAvoidoperational cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements periodic scheduling of cloud resource availability, allowing services to be activated during business hours and shut down during non-prime hours. This periodic on-demand availability reduces operational costs while maintaining service reliability during periods when users actually need access.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

2Loss of energy

If cloud resources are shut down during non-prime hours to reduce costs, then operational costs decrease, but service availability is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperational costVSAvoidservice availability
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts resource availability based on time-of-day schedules and user needs. Resources are automatically activated before business hours and shut down after business hours, creating a dynamic availability model that optimizes both cost and service availability according to actual usage patterns.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Productivity

If multiple cloud platforms are managed separately, then platform-specific optimization is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveplatform optimizationVSAvoidmanagement complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges management of multiple cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) into a single unified interface. Administrators can manage resources across all platforms through one centralized system, reducing management complexity while maintaining the ability to optimize each platform's specific resources and configurations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The multi-cloud resource scheduler provides universal functionality across different cloud platforms, enabling a single system to manage diverse cloud resources with consistent scheduling policies, user authentication, and resource allocation rules, thereby simplifying cross-platform management.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4152151B1Multi-cloud resource scheduler
Publication Date: 2025.11.19 SAP SE
  • EP4152151B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4152151B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4152151B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Computer-readable media, methods, and systems are disclosed for scheduling a start time and a shutdown time of one or more online resources associated with a multi-cloud resource scheduler. A request from a first user is received to access a multi-cloud resource scheduler associated with one or more online resources. Responsive to the request from the first user, credentials of the first user are validated prior to providing access to the multi-cloud resource scheduler. Based upon validating the credentials of the first user, access to the multi-cloud resource scheduler is provided. Instructions are received from the first user to schedule a start time and a shutdown time of at least one online cloud resource connected to the multi-cloud resource scheduler. An availability of the at least one online cloud resource is established for access by a second user based on the instructions.