SmartenIT cloud traffic management approach and architectural considerations

The Internet has seen a strong move to support new overlay applications offered over the cloud, which demand for a coherent and integrated control in underlying heterogeneous networks in a scalable, resilient, and cost-efficient manner. A tighter integration of network management and cloud service functionality can lead to cross-layer optimization of operations and management, thus, being a promising approach to offer a large business potential in operational perspectives for all players involved. In this paper the SmartenIT approach is presented, which targets at a cross-layer traffic management by providing incentives to the involved stakeholders, i.e., providers of cloud-based applications, network operators, cloud operators, and end-users, to ensure a QoE-awareness. SmartenIT designs and develops traffic management solutions and mechanisms to meet accordingly special application requirements and to address efficiently load and traffic patterns, exploiting also social information in terms of user relations, interests and behaviour patterns. Additionally, the energy efficiency with respect to both end-user devices and underlying networking and cloud service provisioning infrastructure is tackled to ensure an operationally efficient management. Furthermore, this paper describes three scenarios of major interest to SmartenIT and discusses the possible impact of the SmartenIT approach on metrics of interest associated to each involved stakeholder. Finally, a conceptual architectural framework is introduced and major design axes and describe key functionalities are described; this conceptual architecture constitutes the basis for the development of the SmartenIT architecture.