To manage and communicate with virtual machines in an external cloud regardless of the cloud management scheme of clouds, the cloud management system can utilize an abstraction library. The abstraction library can be configured to abstract out the differences between different cloud management schemes utilized by the cloud management systems and an independent cloud management system of the external cloud.

Methods and systems for abstracting cloud management to allow communication between independently controlled clouds

A decision system and methods for providing customized deployment architectures that take into account the importance of various cloud resources. The decision system can monitor the applications and processes executed in the cloud, and collect utilization information identifying the cloud resources used, the amount of usage, and trends in usage. Resource importance data can then be obtained from the utilization information and/or from other sources, such as a system user. The decision system can then generate customized deployment architectures based on the collected utilization information and the resource importance data.

Methods and systems for cloud deployment analysis featuring relative cloud resource importance

A cloud management system can maintain a set of “virtual groups,” and assign different “virtual groups” to particular computing resources of both local and external clouds. The “virtual groups” can be based on the particular usage (type of virtual machine, application of the virtual machine, function of the virtual machine, and the like) of the members in the groups and/or can be based on the specifications of the computing resources (type and amount of computing resources). When instantiating virtual machines in local or external clouds, the cloud management system can utilize the “virtual groups” to identify and allocate the computing resources.

Methods and systems for flexible cloud management including external clouds

A workflow server can receive requests, each for a business process workflow conforming to a business process model. Each business process workflow can include a set of interdependent tasks. The workflow server can satisfy received requests by assigning tasks to different service providers that provide software services. Each of the tasks can be assigned to corresponding ones of the software services. For each task, the workflow server can also defines an allocated cost per software service, and a time allocation per software service for completing the corresponding one of the tasks. Different service providers, including those assigned to tasks, can receive information for ones of the tasks not directly assigned to them by the workflow server. The different service providers can then bid on these tasks. Wherein when bids are won, tasks for a business process flow can be reassigned based on winning bids.

Dynamically optimized distributed cloud computing-based business process management (bpm) system

A cloud management system can receive rules for altering the virtual machines based on demands on the virtual machines and/or computing resources supporting the virtual machines. The cloud management system can receive data from the internal monitoring agents and/or external monitoring agents and to determine when the conditions of the rules are met. Once the conditions are met, the cloud management system can migrate the virtual machines to an external cloud.

Methods and systems for automated migration of cloud processes to external clouds

Disclosed is a management service that enables a user to establish, monitor, and control cloud computing sessions offered via third-party service providers. In some instances, the management service establishes a market space that allows a user to establish a customized cloud computing session based on computing resources offered by third-party service providers. In some instances, the management service instantiates monitoring mechanisms within the virtual servers of the cloud computing sessions to be able to monitor, assess, and provide reports and alerts pertaining to performance metrics of the various virtual servers. In some instances, the management service also allows a user to remotely transfer services from a first cloud computing session to a second cloud computing session.

Alex Polvi

Papers

Methods and systems for cloud computing management