Public-Private Cloud Federation Challenges

Abstract

This paper provides a brief introduction into emerging user requirements and expectations in the context of large cloud-based infrastructures. Observed cloud usage patterns are used to demonstrate the need for large federated cloud infrastructures, in particular cloud federations bridging the gap between private cloud infrastructures and large commercial public cloud providers. The paper proposes the use of open standards as the best possible way to achieve a working user-friendly large-scale cloud federation and discusses the challenges in assembling and managing such a federation whilst focusing on the differences between private-private and public-private cloud federations in key areas of virtual machine management and authentication, authorization, and identity management.