Climate change and the impact it has on our lives have forced many governmental and also
non-governmental organizations to conceive of new rules, regulations, and standards to
control CO2 and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Calculating the energy efficiency and
reducing the electricity consumption in data centers are important steps towards greening
the IT in organizations. Several studies have shown that by migrating into the cloud,
companies in most cases could reduce their costs in addition to decreasing their greenhouse
gas emissions.
Unfortunately, lack of guidelines and varying and limited services from different cloud
providers, have made the adoption of appropriate Cloud services a challenge for many
organizations. In this regard, there is a vital need to study and analyze available services
from different cloud vendors and provide enterprises with the best solutions available
regarding their specific business requirements.
This thesis focuses on cloud computing and its efficiency for individual organizations. It
attempts to study the potential benefits of cloud computing by taking the environmental
and energy consumption advantages into consideration.
Cloud Computing is not a new concept and has been a hype term in recent years. Cloud
computing is based on the available technologies and it is all about using a new term for
the existing technologies. But the question is why to create a new name for what already
exists? The answer to this question is closely related to the potential that Cloud computing
has for organizations. It is all about conversion of capital expenditure (CAPEX) to the
operational expenditure (OPEX) and the possible advantages that this conversion could
have for any organization that choses to migrate into the Cloud.
In the following, upon introducing the cloud computing concept and its related technologies,
business functions and processes, information systems available for enterprises are explored.
Later, based on the required business processes and functions of organizations, a
comprehensive market analysis is carried out. For this purpose different cloud providers and
their available services are analyzed.
I developed an ontology for cloud computing based on the market analysis.
This thesis is an attempt to make the process of mapping business processes/functions to
cloud services easier by providing organizations with a matrix of cloud services/business
processes (distribution of market) and an ontology for cloud computing.

Excerpt

CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 2 - CLOUD COMPUTING FUNDAMENTALS

2.1. HISTORY
2.2. DEFINITION
2.3. KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF CLOUD COMPUTING
2.4. CLOUD DELIVERY MODEL (CLOUD SERVICES)
2.5. CLOUD DEPLOYMENT MODEL (CLOUD TYPES)

2.5.1. Private Cloud (Internal Cloud or Corporate Cloud)
2.5.2. Public cloud or external cloud

2.6. CLOUD TECHNOLOGIES

2.6.1. VIRTUALIZATION
2.6.2. SERVICE ORIENTED ARCHITECTURE AND WEB SERVICES
2.6.3. MASHUP AND WEB 2.0

CHAPTER 3 - GREENING THE IT AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

3.1. GREEN IT

3.1.1. ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN DATA CENTERS
3.1.2. HOW ENERGY WILL BE USED IN A DATA CENTER

3.2. MEASURING DATA CENTER EFFICIENCY

3.2.1. SPEC STANDARD

3.2.1.1. SPEC FOR VIRTUAL SERVERS

3.2.2. EPA METRICS
3.2.3. LEED RATING SYSTEM
3.2.4. GREEN GRID POWER EFFICIENCY METRICS
3.2.5. POWER USAGE EFFECTIVENESS (PUE)
3.2.6. DATA CENTER PRODUCTIVITY (DCP)

3.3. MODULARITY OF DATA CENTERS
3.4. ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
3.5. REGULATIONS AROUND THE WORLD

3.5.1. KYOTO PROTOCOL

3.6. CLOUD COMPUTING

CHAPTER 4 - ORGANIZATIONS AS SYSTEMS

4.1 BUSINESS FUNCTIONS

4.1.1 BUSINESS FUNCTIONS ONTOLOGY

4.2. BUSINESS PROCESSES
4.5. BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT
4.6. BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (BPMS)
4.7. BUSINESS PROCESS DISCOVERY
4.8. BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT IN THE CLOUD
4.9. BUSINESS PROCESS CLASIFICATION FRAMEWORKS
4.10. INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN AN ORGANIZATION

4.10.1 Office Automation (OA) and Personal Information Management Systems (PIM)
4.10.2. Transaction Processing Systems (TPS)
4.10.3. Functional Area Information Systems (FAIS)
4.10.4. Enterprise and Inter-organizational Information Systems (IOS)

CHAPTER 5 - COMPREHENSIVE MARKET ANALYSIS
CHAPTER 6 - CLOUD ONTOLOGY

6.1. WEB ONTOLOGY LANGUAGE (OWL)
6.2. PROTÉGÉ- A SEMANTIC EDITOR
6.3. CLOUD ONTOLOGY

6.3.1 DEFINING CLASSES
6.3.2 OBJECT PROPERTIES

6.4. SEMANTIC REASONER

CHAPTER 7 - MOVING INTO THE CLOUD

7.1. CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE MOVING INTO THE CLOUD

7.1.1. CLOUD COMPUTING BENEFITS
7.1.2. CLOUD COMPUTING CHALLENGES AND RISKS
7.1.3. SECURITY ISSUES IN CLOUD COMPUTING

7.1.3.1. SECURITY ADVANTAGES
7.1.3.2. SECURITY CHALLENGES

7.1.4. INTEGRATION WITH LAGACY SYSTEMS

7.2. CLOUD ADOPTION DECISION MAKING

7.2.1 CLOUD DECISION AND AHP

CHAPTER 8 - EVALUATION OF THE WORK

8.1. FIRST USE CASE
8.2. SECOND USE CASE

CHAPTER 9 - CONCLUSIONS
CHAPTER 10 - APPENDIXES

10.1. APPENDIX I
10.2. APPENDIX II

Objectives and Key Themes

This thesis aims to provide a solution for mapping business processes and functions to appropriate cloud services. It investigates the potential benefits of cloud computing, considering environmental and energy consumption aspects. A key element is the development of a cloud ontology to facilitate the exploration of available services.

Cloud Computing and its efficiency for individual organizations
Greening IT and environmental impact of data centers
Mapping business processes/functions to cloud services
Development and application of a cloud computing ontology
Strategies for cloud migration decision-making

Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1 - Introduction: This chapter introduces the context of the thesis, highlighting the increasing reliance of businesses on IT solutions and the challenges associated with cloud migration. It emphasizes the need for a comprehensive study mapping business processes to available cloud services, laying the groundwork for the development of a cloud ontology.

Chapter 2 - Cloud Computing Fundamentals: This chapter defines cloud computing, tracing its evolution from utility computing and grid computing. It details key characteristics (on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, measured service), delivery models (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS), and deployment models (private, public, hybrid, community). The chapter also explores underlying technologies such as virtualization, SOA, web services, mashups, and Web 2.0.

Chapter 3 - Greening the IT and Environmental Issues: This chapter focuses on the environmental impact of IT, particularly data centers, and the role of cloud computing in reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions. It examines various metrics for measuring data center efficiency (PUE, DCiE, SPEC, EPA, LEED, Green Grid), the modularity of data centers, and relevant international regulations such as the Kyoto Protocol. The chapter explores how cloud computing can contribute to a greener IT landscape through resource sharing and optimization.

Chapter 4 - Organizations as Systems: This chapter views organizations as systems that transform inputs into outputs, analyzing business functions and processes as integral parts of this transformation. It discusses business process management (BPM), BPM systems, process discovery, and the role of BPM in the cloud. Different frameworks for classifying business processes (APQC, eTOM, and the Business Function Ontology – BFO) are explored, providing a foundation for the market analysis in the following chapter. Various information systems within organizations (OA/PIM, TPS, FAIS, IOS) are categorized.

Chapter 5 - Comprehensive Market Analysis: This chapter presents a comprehensive market analysis of available cloud services, categorized using a matrix based on business functions/processes (derived from BFO, APQC, and eTOM frameworks) and cloud providers. The analysis details the distribution of SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS services across different providers, highlighting provider specialization in various business functions and process areas. This analysis forms the basis for the cloud ontology developed in the subsequent chapter.

Chapter 6 - Cloud Ontology: This chapter describes the development of an OWL-based ontology for cloud computing. The ontology's structure, classes (including BusinessFunctions and Processes, CloudServiceName, Cloud Taxonomy, Hosting Services, Cloud OS, and IaaS), object properties, and the application of a semantic reasoner (HermiT and Fact++) for knowledge inference and consistency checking are detailed. The ontology aims to improve navigation and retrieval of information within the large cloud service ecosystem.

Chapter 7 - Moving into the Cloud: This chapter explores the considerations for organizations migrating to the cloud. It examines the benefits (cost reduction, improved agility, reduced energy consumption), challenges (security, legacy system integration, data governance), and risks associated with cloud adoption. Various decision-making strategies for cloud migration are analyzed, including the balanced scorecard approach and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for application portfolio assessment.

Keywords

Cloud Computing, Ontology, OWL, Business Process, Business Function, SPARQL, Green IT, Energy Efficiency, Data Centers, Cloud Migration, SaaS, PaaS, IaaS.

Frequently Asked Questions: A Comprehensive Language Preview of Cloud Computing

What is the main focus of this thesis?

This thesis focuses on mapping business processes and functions to appropriate cloud services. It investigates the benefits of cloud computing, considering environmental and energy consumption, and develops a cloud ontology to facilitate the exploration of available cloud services. The thesis also explores strategies for making cloud migration decisions.

What are the key themes explored in the thesis?

Key themes include cloud computing efficiency for organizations, green IT and the environmental impact of data centers, mapping business processes to cloud services, developing and applying a cloud computing ontology, and strategies for cloud migration decision-making.

What are the core chapters and their respective content?

The thesis is structured as follows: Chapter 1 (Introduction) sets the context; Chapter 2 (Cloud Computing Fundamentals) defines and explains cloud computing concepts; Chapter 3 (Greening IT and Environmental Issues) focuses on the environmental impact of IT and the role of cloud computing in reducing energy consumption; Chapter 4 (Organizations as Systems) views organizations as systems and analyzes business functions and processes; Chapter 5 (Comprehensive Market Analysis) provides a market analysis of cloud services; Chapter 6 (Cloud Ontology) details the development of an OWL-based ontology for cloud computing; Chapter 7 (Moving into the Cloud) explores considerations for cloud migration; Chapter 8 (Evaluation of the Work) presents use cases; Chapter 9 (Conclusions) summarizes findings; and Chapter 10 (Appendixes) provides supplementary information.

What is the purpose of the cloud ontology developed in this thesis?

The cloud ontology, developed using OWL (Web Ontology Language), aims to improve the navigation and retrieval of information within the large cloud service ecosystem. It facilitates the mapping of business functions and processes to available cloud services.

What aspects of cloud computing's environmental impact are discussed?

The thesis discusses the environmental impact of data centers, focusing on energy consumption and CO2 emissions. It examines various metrics for measuring data center efficiency (PUE, DCiE, SPEC, EPA, LEED, Green Grid) and explores how cloud computing can contribute to a greener IT landscape through resource sharing and optimization. International regulations, such as the Kyoto Protocol, are also considered.

What are the key challenges and benefits of migrating to the cloud?

The thesis explores both the benefits of cloud migration (cost reduction, improved agility, reduced energy consumption) and the challenges (security, legacy system integration, data governance) and risks involved. Decision-making strategies, including the balanced scorecard approach and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), are analyzed.

What types of cloud services are discussed?

The thesis discusses various cloud service models including SaaS (Software as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), and IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), and considers their deployment models (private, public, hybrid, community).

What methodologies are used in this research?

The thesis employs a mixed-methods approach. It includes a comprehensive market analysis using a matrix based on business functions/processes and cloud providers, and the development of a cloud ontology using OWL. Decision-making strategies such as AHP are also utilized.

What keywords best describe the content of this thesis?