Cloud Computing Use Case Discussion Group (ed.) (2010) Cloud Computing Use Cases White Paper Version 4.0

Abstract

The Cloud Computing Use Case group brought together cloud consumers and cloud vendors to define common use case scenarios for cloud computing. The use case scenarios demonstrate the performance and economic benefits of cloud computing and are based on the needs of the widest possible range of consumers.

The goal of this white paper is to highlight the capabilities and requirements that need to be standardized in a cloud environment to ensure interoperability, ease of integration and portability. It must be possible to implement all of the use cases described in this paper without using closed, proprietary technologies. Cloud computing must evolve as an open environment, minimizing vendor lock-in and increasing customer choice.

The use cases:

- Provide a practical, customer-experience-based context for discussions on interoperability and standards.

- Make it clear where existing standards should be used.

- Focus the industry's attention on the importance of Open Cloud Computing.

- Make it clear where there is standards work to be done. If a particular use case can't be built today, or if it can only be built with proprietary APIs and products, the industry needs to define standards to make that use case possible.

A use case that clearly describes a common task and outlines the difficulties in accomplishing it is the best possible justification for any standards effort.

The Open Cloud Manifesto (opencloudmanifesto.org) is a statement of the principles for maintaining openness in cloud computing. Within two months of its announcement, 250 organizations signed on as supporters. This group's activity is done in light of the six principles of the Open Cloud Manifesto:

- Cloud providers must work together to ensure that the challenges to cloud adoption are addressed through open collaboration and the appropriate use of standards.

- Cloud providers must use and adopt existing standards wherever appropriate. The IT industry has invested heavily in existing standards and standards organizations; there is no need to duplicate or reinvent them.

- When new standards (or adjustments to existing standards) are needed, we must be judicious and pragmatic to avoid creating too many standards. We must ensure that standards promote innovation and do not inhibit it.

- Any community effort around the open cloud should be driven by customer needs, not merely the technical needs of cloud providers, and should be tested or verified against real customer requirements.

- Cloud computing standards organizations, advocacy groups, and communities should work together and stay coordinated, making sure that efforts do not conflict or overlap.

- Cloud providers must not use their market position to lock customers into their particular platforms and limiting their choice of providers.

This paper is part of the ongoing effort to make these principles a reality.

Source

Open Cloud Manifesto.

Links

Wayback Machine: http://web.archive.org/web/20100821124042/http://opencloudmanifesto.org:80/Cloud_Computing_Use_Cases_Whitepaper-4_0.pdf