Reverse Auction Platform for Cloud Resource Allocation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cloud computing systems lack an efficient mechanism for clients to dynamically and cost-effectively select and deploy computing resources from multiple vendors, leading to suboptimal resource allocation and increased overhead in managing bids and payments.
Innovation Solution
A reverse auction system is introduced, where an intermediary manages the bidding process between clients and vendors, allowing clients to specify bid constraints and payment information, and vendors can submit bids for executing software applications on their computing resources, with the system automatically selecting the winning bid and facilitating payment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If cloud computing systems allow clients to select computing resources from multiple vendors, then resource allocation flexibility improves, but the complexity of managing bids and payments increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system that manages the reverse auction process between clients and vendors. This intermediary handles bid collection, evaluation, and payment coordination, thereby maintaining resource allocation flexibility while reducing the complexity burden on individual clients and vendors.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the bidding parameters from traditional forward auctions to reverse auctions, where vendors bid to provide services rather than buyers bidding to purchase. This parameter change simplifies the management complexity by standardizing the bid structure and evaluation criteria while maintaining versatility in resource selection.
2Ease of operation
If a reverse auction system is introduced to manage bidding between clients and vendors, then overhead for clients is reduced, but the complexity of the system architecture increases
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediary system acts as a mediator that absorbs the architectural complexity, providing clients with a simplified interface. Clients interact only with the intermediary, which handles all complex bid management, vendor coordination, and payment processing, thereby reducing client overhead while managing system complexity centrally.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements automated bid evaluation and winner selection algorithms that operate without manual intervention. The intermediary automatically processes vendor bids, evaluates them against client requirements, and selects winning bids, reducing the need for complex manual management procedures.
3Adaptability or versatility
If vendors can submit bids for executing software applications, then market access for smaller vendors improves, but the time required to process and evaluate bids increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system standardizes bid parameters and evaluation criteria to enable automated processing. By defining clear, structured bid formats and evaluation metrics, the system can quickly process and compare multiple vendor bids without manual intervention, thereby reducing bid processing time while maintaining fair market access for all vendors.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediary system automatically evaluates vendor bids using predefined criteria and algorithms, eliminating the need for manual bid review processes. This automated self-service evaluation mechanism reduces processing time significantly while ensuring consistent and fair evaluation of all vendor submissions.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for software application management includes receiving, from a client device, a software application, obtaining a software application manifest for the software application, and transmitting the software application manifest to multiple vendors. Each of the vendors includes computing system resources for hosting the software application. The method further includes receiving bids from the vendors, selecting, from the bids, a winning bid, and transmitting the software application and payment information to the vendor of the winning bid.