System and method for providing a cloud computing environment

1 . A system for providing services in a cloud computing environment, comprising:

one or more computers, including a processor and a cloud computing environment executing thereon that operates to provide service instances within the cloud computing environment, wherein each of the service instances provide an application server for execution of software applications;

wherein the cloud computing environment comprises a workflow manager that performs actions defined by workflow operations, to provision tenant environments with one or more service instances and create or personalize the service instances to include requested services as part of the tenant environments;

wherein the cloud computing environment comprises a shared identity manager that supports multiple tenants including associating each tenant with a unique name space schema operating as a tenant schema when subscribing to a requested service, so that each tenant's identity domain is isolated from others of a plurality of tenants;

wherein, in response to an order to create or personalize a service instance to be associated with a tenant environment, the system orchestrates provisioning and deployment of the service instance to the cloud computing environment, within an identity domain associated with the tenant, and associates a database service with the service instance, including that:

the service instance is associated with a schema that is unique to the tenant environment and the service instance and enables the identity manager to manage association of a database service with the service instance, so that the service instance and data base service is isolated from other services instances and database services that are associated with others of the plurality of tenants; and

a service platform defines operations and actions that are required to implement workflow orchestrator service and application lifecycle operations within the context of a tenant environment wherein each type of service platform associated with its own types of actions, including that:

for a first tenant, a first tenant environment and its service instances are associated with a first database service, and a first identity domain namespace and a first tenant schema, by the shared identity manager, wherein the first tenant schema is used in deploying applications for the first tenant to its service instances; and

for a second tenant, a second tenant environment and its service instances are associated with a second database service, and a second identity domain namespace and a second tenant schema, by the shared identity manager, wherein the second tenant schema is used in deploying applications for the second tenant to its service instances; and

for each of the tenant environment service instances, an interface is associated with the service instance as deployed, that enables deployment of one or more software applications to the service instance for execution within its associated identity domain.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the service instances is an instance of a Java cloud service that includes at least one application server instance for running Java-based applications.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein creating and/or updating of the instance of the cloud service includes one or more of creation and/or personalization of a virtual assembly provided by a virtual assembly builder component.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein a workflow orchestrator associates additional resources and services with particular service instances, for use by tenant applications deployed to the particular service instances.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each identity domain represents a slice of a shared identity domain, provisioned for a particular tenant, including that each tenant obtains a separate slice of the shared identity domain, as determined by its associated name space schema.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein for each of the first tenant and second tenant, its unique name space schema operating as a tenant schema operates as an identity domain that provides a persistent namespace for use with a tenant's security artifacts.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the services instances provisioned and deployed to the cloud computing environment include a security service and one or more additional services, including:

for the first tenant, the first tenant environment and its service instances are associated with the first identity domain namespace and a first security service, for use used in deploying applications for the first tenant to is service instances; and

for the second tenant, the second tenant environment and its service instances are associated with the second identity domain namespace and a second security service, for use in deploying applications for the second tenant to its service instances.

8 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a tenant automation solution component that manages processes associated with a customer order, determines whether the order should proceed to provisioning, and interacts with a service deployment infrastructure for service instance creation, to create new services.

9 . A method for providing services in a cloud computing environment, comprising:

providing, within a cloud computing environment, a cloud service that operates to provide service instances within the cloud computing environment, wherein each of the service instances provide an application server for execution of software applications;

wherein the cloud computing environment comprises a workflow manager that performs actions defined by workflow operations, to provision tenant environments with one or more service instances and create or personalize the service instances to include requested services as part of tenant environments;

wherein the cloud computing environment comprises a shared identity manager that supports multiple tenants including associating a tenant with a unique name space schema operating as a tenant schema when subscribing to a requested service, so that each tenant's identity domain is isolated from others of a plurality of tenants;

in response to an order to create a service instance to be associated with a tenant environment, orchestrating provisioning and deployment of the service instance to the cloud computing environment, within an identity domain associated with the tenant, and associating a database service with the service instance, including that:

the service instance is associated with a schema that is unique to the tenant environment and the service instance and enables the identity manager to manage association of a database service with the service instance, so that the service instance and data base service is isolated from other services instances and database services that are associated with others of the plurality of tenants; and

a service platform defines operations and actions that are required to implement workflow orchestrator service and application lifecycle operations within the context of a tenant environment wherein each type of service platform associated with its own types of actions, including that:

for a first tenant, a first tenant environment and its service instances are associated with a first database service, and a first identity domain namespace and a first tenant schema, by the shared identity manager, wherein the first tenant schema is used in deploying applications for the first tenant to its service instances; and

for a second tenant, a second tenant environment and its service instances are associated with a second database service, and a second identity domain namespace and a second tenant schema, by the shared identity manager, wherein the second tenant schema is used in deploying applications for the second tenant to its service instances; and

for each of the tenant environment service instances, an interface is associated with the service instance as deployed, that enables deployment of one or more software applications to the service instance for execution within its associated identity domain.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein each of the service instances is an instance of a Java cloud service that includes at least one application server instance for running Java-based applications.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein creating and/or updating of the instance of the cloud service includes one or more of creation and/or personalization of a virtual assembly provided by a virtual assembly builder component.

12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein a workflow orchestrator associates additional resources and services with particular service instances, for use by tenant applications deployed to the particular service instances.

13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein each identity domain represents a slice of a shared identity domain, provisioned for a particular tenant, including that each tenant obtains a separate slice of the shared identity domain, as determined by its associated name space schema.

14 . The method of claim 9 , wherein for each of the first tenant and second tenant, its unique name space schema operating as a tenant schema operates as an identity domain that provides a persistent namespace for use with a tenant's security artifacts.

15 . The method of claim 9 , wherein each of the services instances provisioned and deployed to the cloud computing environment include a security service and one or more additional services, including:

for the first tenant, the first tenant environment and its service instances are associated with the first identity domain namespace and a first security service, for use used in deploying applications for the first tenant to its service instances; and

for the second tenant, the second tenant environment and its service instances are associated with the second identity domain namespace and a second security service, for use in deploying applications for the second tenant to its service instances.

16 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising providing a tenant automation solution component that manages processes associated with a customer order, determines whether the order should proceed to provisioning, and interacts with a service deployment infrastructure for service instance creation, to create new services.

17 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, including instructions stored thereon which when read and executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform a method comprising:

providing, within a cloud computing environment, a cloud service that operates to provide service instances within the cloud computing environment, wherein each of the service instances provide an application server for execution of software applications;

wherein the cloud computing environment comprises a workflow manager that performs actions defined by workflow operations, to provision tenant environments with one or more service instances and create or personalize the service instances to include requested services as part of tenant environments;

wherein the cloud computing environment comprises a shared identity manager that supports multiple tenants including associating a tenant with a unique name space schema operating as a tenant schema when subscribing to a requested service, so that each tenant's identity domain is isolated from others of a plurality of tenants;

in response to an order to create a service instance to be associated with a tenant environment, orchestrating provisioning and deployment of the service instance to the cloud computing environment, within an identity domain associated with the tenant, and associating a database service with the service instance, including that:

the service instance is associated with a schema that is unique to the tenant environment and the service instance and enables the identity manager to manage association of a database service with the service instance, so that the service instance and data base service is isolated from other services instances and database services that are associated with others of the plurality of tenants; and

a service platform defines operations and actions that are required to implement workflow orchestrator service and application lifecycle operations within the context of a tenant environment wherein each type of service platform associated with its own types of actions, including that:

for a first tenant, a first tenant environment and its service instances are associated with a first database service, and a first identity domain namespace and a first tenant schema, by the shared identity manager, wherein the first tenant schema is used in deploying applications for the first tenant to its service instances; and

for a second tenant, a second tenant environment and its service instances are associated with a second database service, and a second identity domain namespace and a second tenant schema, by the shared identity manager, wherein the second tenant schema is used in deploying applications for the second tenant to its service instances; and

for each of the tenant environment service instances, an interface is associated with the service instance as deployed, that enables deployment of one or more software applications to the service instance for execution within its associated identity domain.

18 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein each of the service instances is an instance of a Java cloud service that includes at least one application server instance for running Java-based applications.

19 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein creating and/or updating of the instance of the cloud service includes one or more of creation and/or personalization of a virtual assembly provided by a virtual assembly builder component.

20 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein a workflow orchestrator associates additional resources and services with particular service instances, for use by tenant applications deployed to the particular service instances.