Using Cloud Brokering Services for an Opportunistic Cloud Offering

• US 20120116831A1
• Filed: 11/09/2010
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Greenspan, Steven L., Hadar, Eitan
• Granted Patent: US 8,396,771 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.22
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method comprises publishing descriptions available from a plurality of publishing parties. The descriptions describe a plurality of published services available for a requesting party to request. The method receives requests to broker a transaction from the requesting party, associates a requested service to one of the published services, and facilitates a transaction for the one of the published services.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

publishing descriptions for a plurality of published services, the descriptions available from a plurality of publishing parties;

receiving a request to broker a transaction from a requesting party, the request indicating a requested service, the requested service selected from the plurality of published services;

associating the requested service to one of the published services; and

facilitating the transaction for the one of the published services.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a selected publishing party associated with the one of the published services comprises one of a service provider and a consumer and the requesting party comprises the other of the service provider and the consumer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating an account balance for the requesting party by;

determining whether the transaction is a consumer transaction or a provider transaction of the requesting party;

if the transaction is a consumer transaction, deducting the amount owed for the transaction from the account balance; and

if the transaction is a provider transaction, crediting the amount earned from the transaction to the account balance.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating a brokerage fee for the transaction.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the requesting party belongs to a consortium associated with a selected publishing party associated with the one of the published services; and

allowing the transaction only if the requesting party belongs to the consortium associated with the selected publishing party.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the requested service to the one of the published services only if the one of the published services meets or exceeds a service level requested by the requesting party.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of published services comprises active services and dormant services and the requested service comprises one of the dormant services; and

the facilitating the transaction for the one of the published services further comprises facilitating negotiations to activate the one of the dormant services.

8. A system, comprising:

one or more processors operable to;

publish descriptions for a plurality of published services, the descriptions available from a plurality of publishing parties; and

an interface operable to;

receive a request to broker a transaction from a requesting party, the request indicating a requested service, the requested service selected from the plurality of published services; and

the one or more processors further operable to;

associate the requested service to one of the published services; and

facilitate the transaction for the one of the published services.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein a selected publishing party associated with the one of the published services comprises one of a service provider and a consumer and the requesting party comprises the other of the service provider and the consumer.

10. The system of claim 8, the one or more processors further operable to:

calculate an account balance for the requesting party by;

determining whether the transaction is a consumer transaction or a provider transaction of the requesting party;

if the transaction is a consumer transaction, deducting the amount owed for the transaction from the account balance;

if the transaction is a provider transaction, crediting the amount earned from the transaction to the account balance; and

applying a brokerage fee to the account balance.

11. The system of claim 8, the one or more processors further operable to associate the requested service to the one of the published services only if the one of the published services meets or exceeds a service level requested by the requesting party.

12. A computer-readable medium storing logic when executed by a processor configured to:

publish descriptions for a plurality of published services, the descriptions available from a plurality of publishing parties;

receive a request to broker a transaction from a requesting party, the request indicating a requested service, the requested service selected from the plurality of published services;

associate the requested service to one of the published services; and

facilitate the transaction for the one of the published services.

13. The logic of claim 12, wherein a selected publishing party associated with the one of the published services comprises one of a service provider and a consumer and the requesting party comprises the other of the service provider and the consumer.

14. The logic of claim 12, further configured to:

calculate an account balance for the requesting party by;

determining whether the transaction is a consumer transaction or a provider transaction of the requesting party;

if the transaction is a consumer transaction, deducting the amount owed for the transaction from the account balance;

if the transaction is a provider transaction, crediting the amount earned from the transaction to the account balance; and

applying a brokerage fee to the account balance.

15. The logic of claim 12, further configured to associate the requested service to the one of the published services only if the one of the published services meets or exceeds a service level requested by the requesting party.

16. A method, comprising:

determining resource availability for a computing system of an enterprise;

comparing the resource availability to a maximum requirements threshold;

if the resource availability exceeds the maximum requirements threshold, offering services associated with one or more idle resources to consumers external to the enterprise;

detecting when the resource availability falls below the maximum requirements threshold; and

ceasing to offer the services to consumers external to the enterprise.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising adjusting the price offered for the services based on the resource availability.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

detecting under-utilization time periods for which the resource availability regularly exceeds the maximum requirements threshold; and

offering services for the under-utilization time periods according to a regular schedule.

19. A method, comprising:

requesting a requested service from a brokering system;

obtaining the requested service from a service provider associated with the brokering system; and

incorporating the requested service into an existing service to create a custom service.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

requesting the brokering system to publish the custom service; and

providing the custom service to consumers associated with the brokering system.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

requesting the brokering system to publish the custom service;

providing the custom service to consumers associated with the brokering system;

receiving a utilization rate for the custom service;

determining whether the utilization rate falls below a minimum utilization rate for a selected time period; and

instructing the brokering system to cease offering the custom service if the utilization rate falls below a minimum utilization rate.