Cost-Effective Scheduling in Fog Computing: An Environment Based on Modified PROMETHEE Technique

With the rising use of Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled devices, there is a significant increase in the use of smart applications that provide their response in real time. This rising demand imposes many issues such as scheduling, cost, overloading of servers, etc. To overcome these, a cost-effective scheduling technique has been proposed for the allocation of smart applications. The aim of this paper is to provide better profit by the Fog environment and minimize the cost of smart applications from the user end. The proposed framework has been evaluated with the help of a test bed containing four analysis phases and is compared on the basis of five metrics- average allocation time, average profit by the Fog environment, average cost of smart applications, resource utilization and number of applications run within given latency. The proposed framework performs better under all the provided metrics.&nbsp

Une architecture de cloud broker basée sur la sémantique pour l'optimisation de la satisfaction des utilisateurs

Cloud Computing is a dynamic new technology that has huge potentials in enterprises and markets. The dynamicity and the increasing complexity of Cloud architectures involve several management challenges. In this work, we are interested in Service Level Agreement (SLA) management. Actually, there is no standard to express Cloud SLA, so, providers describe their SLAs in different manner and different languages, which leaves the user puzzled about the choice of its Cloud provider. To overcome these problems, we introduce a Cloud Broker Architecture managing the SLA between providers and consumers. It aims to assist users in establishing and negotiating SLA contracts and to help them in finding the best provider that satisfies their service level expectations. Our broker SLA contracts are formalized as OWL ontologies as they allow hiding the heterogeneity in the distributed Cloud environment and enabling interoperability between Cloud actors. Besides, by combining our ontology with our proposed inference rules, we contribute to detect violations in the SLA contract assuring thereby the sustainability of the user satisfaction. Based on the requirements specified in the SLA contract, our Cloud Broker assists users in selecting the right provider using a multi attribute utility theory method. This method is based on utility functions representing the user satisfaction degree. To obtain accurate results, we have modelled both functional and non functional attributes utilities. We have used personalized utilities for each criterion under negotiation so that our cloud broker satisfies the best consumer requirements from functional and non functional point of viewLe Cloud Computing est un nouveau modèle économique hébergeant les applications de la technologie de l’information. Le passage au Cloud devient un enjeu important des entreprises pour des raisons économiques. La nature dynamique et la complexité croissante des architectures de Cloud impliquent plusieurs défis de gestion. Dans ce travail, nous nous intéressons à la gestion des contrats SLA. Vu le manque de standardisation, chaque fournisseur de service décrit les contrats SLA avec son propre langage, ce qui laisse l'utilisateur perplexe concernant le choix de son fournisseur de services. Dans ce travail, nous proposons une architecture de Cloud Broker permettant d’établir et de négocier les contrats SLA entre les fournisseurs et les consommateurs du Cloud. L’objectif de cette architecture est d’aider l’utilisateur à trouver le meilleur fournisseur en utilisant une méthode multi-critère. Cette méthode considère chaque critère comme une fonction d’utilité à intégrer dans une super-fonction d’utilité. Nous proposons d’illustrer chaque fonction d’utilité par une courbe spécifique à lui représentant bien le critère de choix. Nous essayons de cerner la plupart des critères qui contribuent dans le choix du meilleurs service et de les classer en critères fonctionnels et critères non fonctionnels. Les contrats SLA établit par notre broker sont formalisés sous forme d’ontologies qui permettent de masquer l'hétérogénéité et d’assurer l'interopérabilité entre les acteurs du Cloud. En outre, l’utilisation des règles d'inférence nous a permis de détecter les violations dans le contrat SLA établit et de garantir ainsi le respect de la satisfaction client dans le temp

INVESTIGATION OF THE ROLE OF SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENTS IN WEB SERVICE QUALITY

Context/Background: Use of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) is crucial to provide the value added services to consumers to achieve their requirements successfully. SLAs also ensure the expected Quality of Service to consumers. Aim: This study investigates how efficient structural representation and management of SLAs can help to ensure the Quality of Service (QoS) in Web services during Web service composition. Method: Existing specifications and structures for SLAs for Web services do not fully formalize and provide support for different automatic and dynamic behavioral aspects needed for QoS calculation. This study addresses the issues on how to formalize and document the structures of SLAs for better service utilization and improved QoS results. The Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is extended in this study with addition of an SLAAgent, which helps to automate the QoS calculation using Fuzzy Inference Systems, service discovery, service selection, SLA monitoring and management during service composition with the help of structured SLA documents. Results: The proposed framework improves the ways of how to structure, manage and monitor SLAs during Web service composition to achieve the better Quality of Service effectively and efficiently. Conclusions: To deal with different types of computational requirements the automation of SLAs is a challenge during Web service composition. This study shows the significance of the SLAs for better QoS during composition of services in SOA

Conceptual model for cloud ERP adoption for SMEs

The Small and Medium Enterprise industry is experiencing a major transformation towards cloud ERP systems. These systems can organize, and maintain data remotely, accept a pay-as-you- use method and enhance related information through a cloud computing platform. Hence, this makes the cloud ERP system crucial for their sustainability and enables them to become competitive in the market. However, the adoption rate of cloud ERP among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) has been recorded as slightly low compared to other enterprise systems like Customer Relationship Management. This could be attributed to unclear adoption factors among SMEs and the lack of a theoretical model that can enhance the predictive power to adopt a cloud ERP system. To address this gap, the objective of this study is to develop a conceptual model by which to investigate the broad factors which influence or inhibit the adoption of cloud ERP, the model based on TOE, DOI and FVM. Thus, this model intends to help SMEs managers understand and increase predictive capacity on cloud ERP adoption. The model has been constructed using four dimensions, namely; task, technology, organization and environmental. Findings from this study are projected to be able to instruct SMEs decision-makers on the factors that will lead to successful adoption. The proposed model will be a critical lens for decision-makers on cloud ERP adoption

A framework for QoS driven user-side cloud service management

This thesis presents a comprehensive framework that assists the cloud service user in making cloud service management decisions, such as service selection and migration. The proposed framework utilizes the QoS history of the available services for QoS forecasting and multi-criteria decision making. It then integrates all the inherent necessary processes, such as QoS monitoring, forecasting, service comparison and ranking to recommend the best and optimal decision to the user

Efficient Decision Support Systems

This series is directed to diverse managerial professionals who are leading the transformation of individual domains by using expert information and domain knowledge to drive decision support systems (DSSs). The series offers a broad range of subjects addressed in specific areas such as health care, business management, banking, agriculture, environmental improvement, natural resource and spatial management, aviation administration, and hybrid applications of information technology aimed to interdisciplinary issues. This book series is composed of three volumes: Volume 1 consists of general concepts and methodology of DSSs; Volume 2 consists of applications of DSSs in the biomedical domain; Volume 3 consists of hybrid applications of DSSs in multidisciplinary domains. The book is shaped upon decision support strategies in the new infrastructure that assists the readers in full use of the creative technology to manipulate input data and to transform information into useful decisions for decision makers

Towards a Sustainable Future - Life Cycle Management

This open access book includes a selection of contributions from the Life Cycle Management 2019 Conference (LCM) held in Poznań, Poland, and presents different examples of scientific and practical contributions, showing an incorporation of life cycle approach into the decision processes on strategic and operational level. Special attention is drawn to applications of LCM to target, organize, analyze and manage product-related information and activities towards continuous improvement, along the different products life cycle. The selection of case studies presents LCM as a business management approach that can be used by all types of businesses and organizations in order to improve their sustainability performance. This book provides a cross-sectoral, current picture of LCM issues. The structure of the book is based on five-theme lines. The themes represent different objects that are focused on sustainability and LCM practices mainly related to: products, technologies, organizations, markets and policy issues as well as methodological solutions. The book brings together presentations from the world of science and the world of enterprises as well as institutions supporting economic development

Infrastructure as Code Strategies and Benefits in Cloud Computing

Hybrid and multicloud infrastructure implementation without automation and versioning strategy can negatively impact organizations’ productivity. Organization leaders must ensure that infrastructures are implemented using the infrastructure as code (IaC) strategy because implementation solutions, including automated and DevOps procedures, provide assets for repeatable infrastructure implementation use cases. Grounded in the disruptive innovation theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry study was to explore strategies solution architects use to implement IaC architecture using repeatable assets with DevOps procedures in cloud computing. The participants were seven solution architects in the information technology (IT) industry within the United States who have successfully implemented IaC in hybrid and multicloud within the past 3 years in cloud computing with DevOps procedures. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, a focus group, and IT industry documents. The data analysis processes were analyzed using thematic analysis Eight themes emerged: IaC benefits, IaC cloud computing models, IaC cloud service providers, IaC configuration best practices, IaC DevOps practices, IaC implementation tools, IaC Kubernetes platforms, and IT infrastructure design practices. A specific recommendation is for organizational leaders to implement the IaC approach as it offers sustaining and disruptive innovation benefits, in addition, space agencies such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA), et al., could use this study in their mission infrastructures. The implications for positive social change include the potential to make the user application offerings affordable as it supports IT innovation in hybrid and multicloud globally

Electronic Government Adoption Based on Citizen-Centric Approach in Regional Government in Developing Countries: The Case of Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI)

In the latter part of the 20th century ICT has been broadly employed in an effort to enhance the quality of service provision to the public. In the light of this, both public and private sectors have recognised the necessity of adopting technology and its applications in their potential. However, using ICT facilities for development facing various factors such as; establishing technical infrastructures, users and employees’ awareness, legal framework for interactions with public authorities, security, privacy, trust, digital divide, along with organizational issues should be taken into consideration. Therefore, all these challenges should be considered and discussed if continuing progress is to be maintained because missing a few issues and only discussing some of them will lead to a waste of resources. Currently, most of the developing countries suffer from the lack of transparency, accountability, and increasing corruption in government administration. E-government has appeared as a potential solution to reduce the level of corruption by enhancing the services to its citizens effectively and efficiently. Furthermore, e-government has the potential to enhance and organise the relationships between stakeholders which include; citizens, government, and business. So, thriving implementation of e-government will improve accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness of government institutions and also may decrease corruption at both federal and regional levels. This research proposes a novel e-government stage model based on the citizen’s participation of improvements in the delivery of governmental services. In other words, find the importance of putting citizens’ insights and their requirements in the context of e-government development along with the potential use of a multi-channel delivery of services. It is expected that the model will enable more transparent and effective communications with businesses. Thereby, reducing bureaucracy and by implication, may result in a reduction in corruption. To accomplish this, the researcher investigates in the literature to find out the existing models and experiences in the area of e-government in order to identify the drawbacks reasons and limitations of the failure. The researcher also set out to investigate and analyse iii one of the well established e-government stage models, to identify possible opportunities to adopt for use in regional government in developing countries. The proposed model has been evaluated by adapting the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) decision making method and integrating it with the SWOT analysis method. SWOT factors were identified through interviews with experts from various ministries in the KRG. The proposed model were evaluated by adopting a qualitative case study strategy such as IT projects, taking the expert’s opinion of the proposed model by using qualitative method. Moreover the researcher, by using a qualitative case study strategy such as the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), observes the proposed model in various government institutions in the KRI. The analysis of pragmatic data leads to a narrative inclusive model for e-government initiatives in the public sector that can be assisted in different ways. The advantage of this model is to decrease the uncertainty of e-government implementation in the public sector by recognising the consequence of the institutional readiness, adoption processes, the needs of ICT tools, and the factors that influence the implementation process. The model might also assist policy makers in government to offer a clear vision for e-government. Ultimately, any conclusions could be useful to other researchers in the developing world who are seeking to explore the potential of similar initiatives