This book provides an overview of Intercloud technologies, discussing the theory and providing specific examples of how these technologies work. The key value of this book is its unique perspective on cloud architecture, focusing on technology components such as virtualization, on-demand and autonomic management, security, and protocols that will enable Intercloud capabilities. Because the nascent Intercloud assumes a federated relationship amongst cloud providers, this book also addresses the new business issues faced by service providers in the Intercloud. In many ways, the Interclouds’ infancy can be likened to pre-Internet days with the potential to disrupt communications and IT as a whole, and this book will describe a phased plan that illustrates the path to a coherent Intercloud utility.
The plan takes the three primary Cloud service layers (IaaS, PaaS, & SaaS) and adds to them a new dimension paralleling the evolution of today’s networks (and network topology / connectivity paradigms). Intercloud exchange/Market place, service fulfillment, service assurance, billing, identity, security, visibility, control, optimization, application peering and federations are just a few of the many technology and business components analyzed in this book. Early use cases for the new utility include delivery of applications and services via a "public cloud". Also, "private clouds" are illustrated, where an enterprise extends its own data center dynamically in-house. And hybrid clouds are explained, in which private clouds are extended through the services of a provider, eliminating the need to inefficiently build out new capacity for each application and thus leading to a peak utilization strategy.
The authors’ unique knowledge of Cloud technology and infrastructure, as well as experience with the evolution of today’s Internet businesses, makes this book one of the most valuable titles for any IT decision maker and a must-read for anybody involved in the Cloud industry.
