Virtual cloud bank: consumer-centric service recommendation process and architectural perspective for cloud service brokers

A paradigm shift from a PC-centric to a cloud computing environment has occurred because of rapid and continuous improvements in the IT environments. With the expansion of cloud computing, various types of cloud services are emerging, collectively known as XaaS (that is, “everything as a service”), including Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service. Therefore, an intermediation entity known as a CSB (cloud service broker) is required that interrelates cloud service providers and cloud consumers. However, CSBs remain an active research area in industry and academia. With the diversification of cloud services and the emergence of services with similar functions, the role of the CSB to recommend cloud services that meet the requirements of various consumers has become increasingly important. In this paper, to allow CSBs to provide appropriate cloud services from consumer-centric perspectives, we propose a CSB named the virtual cloud bank that includes a process for recommending cloud services and architectural aspects. Our proposed approach can be utilized as a reference model for a consumer-centric CBS for provisioning cloud services. Therefore, if CSB developers apply and extend the proposed well-defined architectural elements and recommendation approach, this is expected to help accelerate the growth of the cloud computing market.