ASSESSMENT OF BEST FIT CLOUD DEPLOYMENT INFRASTRUCTURES

• US 20140317166A1
• Filed: 03/06/2014
• Published: 10/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HCL Technologies Limited
• Original Assignee: Gravitant, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Iyoob, Ilyas, Modh, Manish Mahesh, Grandhe, Kishor
• Granted Patent: US 9,733,985 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0629 for generating comparisons
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/50 Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/062 related to network traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/78 Architectures of resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A system configured to facilitate brokering hybrid cloud services selects information requests for characterizing an information technology application. The system responses to the information requests and determines a plurality of sets of the responses each used for deriving a value of a respective one of a plurality of factor functions. The system determines a plurality of assessment results each derived using values for of a respective set of the factor functions. Each one of the assessment results characterizes a respective aspect of deploying the information technology application within a cloud environment.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

selecting information requests for characterizing an information technology application;

receiving responses to the information requests;

determining a plurality of sets of the responses each used for deriving a value of a respective one of a plurality of factor functions; and

determining a plurality of assessment results each derived using values for of a respective set of the factor functions, wherein each one of the assessment results characterizes a respective aspect of deploying the information technology application within a cloud environment.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the assessment results include:

a parameter characterizing a state of being prepared for operation in the cloud;

a parameter characterizing a degree of improvement derived by operating in the cloud; and

a parameter characterizing a recommended deployment model.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein determining the recommended deployment model includes determining:

a parameter characterizing an ability for the application to share resources within the cloud environment; and

a parameter characterizing a degree of commoditization of resources utilized by the application within the cloud environment.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

at least one of the factor functions has a weighting structure associated therewith; and

the weighting structure includes a plurality of weightings that are each applied to a response used in the factor function associated therewith for allowing a value of the at least one of the factor functions to be selectively weighted on a per-response basis.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the assessment results include:

a parameter characterizing a state of being prepared for operation in the cloud;

a parameter characterizing a degree of improvement derived by operating in the cloud; and

a parameter characterizing a recommended deployment model.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein determining the parameter characterizing the recommended deployment model includes determining:

a parameter characterizing an ability for the application to share resources within the cloud environment; and

a parameter characterizing a degree of commoditization of resources utilized by the application within the cloud environment.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein:

at least one of the factor functions has a weighting structure associated therewith; and

the weighting structure includes a plurality of weightings that are each applied to a response used in the factor function associated therewith for allowing a value of the at least one of the factor functions to be selectively weighted on a per-response basis.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein:

at least one of the assessment results includes a theoretical portion and a practical portion;

the theoretical portion is based on the responses to the information requests; and

the practical portion is based on deployment considerations identified through a respective assessment of one or more other applications using the method and a subsequent deployment of the one or more applications in a cloud environment in accordance with the respective assessment thereof.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein:

at least one of the factor functions has a weighting structure associated therewith; and

the weighting structure includes a plurality of weightings that are each applied to a response used in the factor function associated therewith for allowing a value of the at least one of the factor functions to be selectively weighted on a per-response basis.

10. A method of assessing an application deployable in an information technology system, comprising:

receiving, by a system configured to facilitate brokering cloud services, a request to assess an application with respect to deployment within a cloud environment;

outputting, by the system configured to facilitate brokering cloud services in response to receiving the request, a collection of information requests generated by the system for characterizing considerations to be used in assessing deployment of the application within a cloud environment;

determining, by the system configured to facilitate brokering cloud services, a theoretical assessment result derived using responses to a respective set of the information requests; and

applying, by the system configured to facilitate brokering cloud services, a practical adjustment to the theoretical assessment result to adjust for deployment considerations identified through a respective assessment of one or more other applications using the method and a subsequent deployment of the one or more applications in a cloud environment in accordance with the respective assessment thereof.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein determining the theoretical assessment result includes:

receiving information characterizing an application executable within an information technology system;

generating a value for a plurality of factor functions that each characterize considerations associated with deployment of the applications within a cloud environment, wherein each one of the factor function values is generated using a respective portion of the application characterizing information;

deriving the theoretical assessment result using a respective set of the factor function values; and

each one of the assessment results characterizes a respective aspect of deploying the application within a cloud environment.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the theoretical assessment result is one of:

a parameter characterizing a state of being prepared for operation in the cloud;

a parameter characterizing a degree of improvement derived by operating in the cloud; and

a parameter characterizing a recommended deployment model.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein:

at least one of the factor functions has a weighting structure associated therewith; and

the weighting structure includes a plurality of weightings that are each applied to a response used in the factor function associated therewith for allowing a value of the at least one of the factor functions to be selectively weighted on a per-response basis.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the theoretical assessment results is one of:

a parameter characterizing a state of being prepared for operation in the cloud;

a parameter characterizing a degree of improvement derived by operating in the cloud; and

a parameter characterizing a recommended deployment model.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium has tangibly embodied thereon and accessible therefrom instructions interpretable by at least one data processing device, wherein the instructions are configured for causing the at least one data processing device to perform a method comprising:

receiving information characterizing an application executable within an information technology system;

generating a value for a plurality of factor functions that each characterize considerations associated with deployment of the applications within a cloud environment, wherein each one of the factor function values is generated using a respective portion of the application characterizing information; and

determining a plurality of assessment results each derived using a respective set of the factor function values, wherein each one of the assessment results characterizes a respective aspect of deploying the application within a cloud environment.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the assessment results include:

a parameter characterizing a state of being prepared for operation in the cloud;

a parameter characterizing a degree of improvement derived by operating in the cloud; and

a parameter characterizing a recommended deployment model.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 wherein determining the parameter characterizing the recommended deployment model includes determining:

a parameter characterizing an ability for the application to share resources within the cloud environment; and

a parameter characterizing a degree of commoditization of resources utilized by the application within the cloud environment.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein:

at least one of the factor functions has a weighting structure associated therewith; and

the weighting structure includes a plurality of weightings that are each applied to a response used in the factor function associated therewith for allowing a value of the at least one of the factor functions to be selectively weighted on a per-response basis.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18 wherein the assessment results include:

a parameter characterizing a state of being prepared for operation in the cloud;

a parameter characterizing a degree of improvement derived by operating in the cloud; and

a parameter characterizing a recommended deployment model.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 wherein determining the parameter characterizing the recommended deployment model includes determining:

a parameter characterizing an ability for the application to share resources within the cloud environment; and

a parameter characterizing a degree of commoditization of resources utilized by the application within the cloud environment.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein:

at least one of the factor functions has a weighting structure associated therewith; and

the weighting structure includes a plurality of weightings that are each applied to a response used in the factor function associated therewith for allowing a value of the at least one of the factor functions to be selectively weighted on a per-response basis.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein:

at least one of the assessment results includes a theoretical portion and a practical portion;

the theoretical portion is based on the responses to the information requests; and

the practical portion is based on deployment considerations identified through a respective assessment of one or more other applications using the method and a subsequent deployment of the one or more applications in a cloud environment in accordance with the respective assessment thereof.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22 wherein:

at least one of the factor functions has a weighting structure associated therewith; and

the weighting structure includes a plurality of weightings that are each applied to a response used in the factor function associated therewith for allowing a value of the at least one of the factor functions to be selectively weighted on a per-response basis.