INTEGRATED CLOUD SERVICE BROKERAGE (CSB) PLATFORM FUNCTIONALITY MODULES

1 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having tangibly embodied thereon and accessible therefrom instructions interpretable by at least one data processing device, the instructions are configured for causing the at least one data processing device to perform a method of enabling a user to:

model a cloud service solution for determining cloud service resource requirements of the cloud service solution;

determine cloud service offerings of one or more cloud service providers that fulfill the cloud service resource requirements;

provision cloud service resources of the one or more cloud service providers for deploying a cloud service solution having cloud service resources that meet the cloud service resource requirements; and

assess effectiveness of the deployed cloud service solution relative to the modeled cloud service solution.

2 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein at least one of enabling the user to model the cloud service solution and enabling the user to determine the cloud service offerings includes enabling the user to compare cloud service resources of a plurality of cloud service providers based upon a standardized resource capacity parameter that is derived dependent upon a plurality of cloud service resource parameters.

3 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 2 wherein cloud service resource parameters include at least two of processor speed, random access memory, storage and bandwidth.

4 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 2 wherein enabling the user to determine cloud service offerings of one or more cloud service providers that fulfill the cloud service resource requirements includes enabling the user to aggregate cloud service offerings from a plurality of cloud service providers.

5 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein enabling the user to provision the cloud service resources includes enabling the user to at least one of configure an application architecture from a single view of the cloud service resources and configure a virtual data center from a single view of the cloud service resources.

6 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5 wherein at least one of enabling the user to model the cloud service solution and enabling the user to determine the cloud service offerings includes enabling the user to compare cloud service resources of a plurality of cloud service providers based upon a standardized resource capacity parameter that is derived dependent upon a plurality of cloud service resource parameters.

7 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6 wherein:

enabling the user to assess effectiveness of the deployed cloud service solution includes enabling the user to compare actual operating parameters of the deployed cloud service solution relative to benchmark operating parameters of the modeled cloud service solution; and

enabling the user to compare actual operating parameters of the deployed cloud service solution relative to benchmark operating parameters of the modeled cloud service solution actual includes enabling the user to display a plurality of pre-configured dashboard views each including at least one actual operating parameter of the deployed cloud service solution and at least one benchmark operating parameters of the modeled cloud service solution.

8 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 wherein:

enabling the user to assess effectiveness of the deployed cloud service solution includes enabling the user to compare actual operating parameters of the deployed cloud service solution relative to benchmark operating parameters of the modeled cloud service solution; and

enabling the user to compare actual operating parameters of the deployed cloud service solution relative to benchmark operating parameters of the modeled cloud service solution actual includes enabling the user to display a plurality of pre-configured dashboard views each including at least one actual operating parameter of the deployed cloud service solution and at least one benchmark operating parameters of the modeled cloud service solution.

9 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having tangibly embodied thereon and accessible therefrom instructions interpretable by at least one data processing device, the instructions are configured for causing the at least one data processing device to perform a method of enabling a user to:

select one or more cloud service providers that offer cloud service resources fulfilling cloud service resource requirements of a cloud service solution;

procure the cloud service resources from the one or more cloud service providers; and

provision the cloud service resources in accordance with the service resource requirements of the cloud service solution.

10 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein enabling the user to perform said selecting, said procuring and said provisioning includes enabling the user to select, procure and provision a set of the cloud services catalog entries that fulfill the cloud service resource requirements of the cloud service solution.

11 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein:

enabling the user to select one or more cloud service providers that offer cloud service resources fulfilling cloud service resource requirements includes enabling the user to aggregate cloud service offerings from a plurality of cloud service providers; and

enabling the user to procure the cloud service resources from the one or more cloud service providers includes enabling the user to pay for the aggregated cloud service offerings in a single transaction.

12 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein enabling the user to provision the cloud service resources includes enabling the user to at least one of configure an application architecture from a single view of the procured cloud service resources and configure a virtual data center from a single view of the procured cloud service resources.

13 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein enabling the user to select the one or more cloud service providers includes enabling the user to compare cloud service resources of a plurality of cloud service providers based upon a standardized resource capacity parameter that is derived dependent upon a plurality of cloud service resource parameters.

14 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein enabling the user to perform said selecting, said procuring and said provisioning includes enabling the user to by select, procure and provision a set of the cloud services catalog entries that fulfill the cloud service resource requirements of the cloud service solution.

15 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein:

enabling the user to select one or more cloud service providers that offer cloud service resources fulfilling cloud service resource requirements includes enabling the user to aggregate cloud service offerings from a plurality of cloud service providers; and

enabling the user to procure the cloud service resources from the one or more cloud service providers includes enabling the user to pay for the aggregated cloud service offerings in a single transaction.

16 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein enabling the user to provision the cloud service resources includes enabling the user to at least one of configure an application architecture from a single view of the procured cloud service resources and configure a virtual data center from a single view of the procured cloud service resources.

17 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein enabling the user to provision the cloud service resources includes enabling the user to:

create a plurality of resource groups defining at least one of a virtual data center (VDC) and an application, wherein each one of the resource groups includes one or more VDC resources and wherein each one of the VDC resources is associated with a respective set of resource group specification parameters; and

display at least one of an architectural layout of the VDC and an architectural layout of the application, wherein enabling the user to display the architectural layout of the VDC includes creating a visual depiction of the one or more VDC resources of each one of the resource groups and the application, wherein enabling the user to display the architectural layout of the application includes creating a visual depiction of the VDC resources of each one of the resource groups and the VDC.

18 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein enabling the user to create each one of the resource groups includes enabling the user to:

define a virtual machine instantiation representing one of the VDC resources of a particular one of the resource groups;

specify a quantity of instances of the virtual machine instantiation; and

associate the virtual machine instantiation with the set of resource group specification parameters associated with the particular one of the resource groups.

19 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein at least one of enabling the user to display the architectural layout of the VDC and enabling the user to display the architectural layout of the application includes:

enabling the user to view a plurality of resource view selections that each correspond to a respective one of the resource group specification parameters; and

enabling the user to configure the visual depiction of the one or more VDC resources dependent upon a selected one of the resource view selections.

20 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein:

enabling the user to select one or more cloud service providers that offer cloud service resources fulfilling cloud service resource requirements includes enabling the user to aggregate cloud service offerings from a plurality of cloud service providers; and

enabling the user to procure the cloud service resources from the one or more cloud service providers includes enabling the user to pay for the aggregated cloud service offerings in a single transaction.

21 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein enabling the user to select the one or more cloud service providers includes enabling the user to compare cloud service resources of a plurality of cloud service providers based upon a standardized resource capacity parameter that is derived dependent upon a plurality of cloud service resource parameters.

22 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having tangibly embodied thereon and accessible therefrom instructions interpretable by at least one data processing device, the instructions are configured for causing the at least one data processing device to perform a method of:

maintaining a collection of cloud service providers that each offer one or more cloud service resources;

associating each one of the cloud service resources of each one of the cloud service providers to at least one cloud services catalog entry of a cloud services catalog; and

instantiating a cloud service solution by enabling a set of the cloud services catalog entries that fulfill cloud service resource requirements of the cloud service solution to be designed, procured and provisioned.

23 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22 wherein:

at least one of the cloud service resources of a particular one of the cloud service providers is a virtual machine (VM);

the VM comprises a plurality of cloud service resource components;

associating each one of the cloud service resources includes mapping each one of the cloud service resource components to a respective cloud services catalog entry associated with the VM.

24 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23 wherein causing the at least one data processing device to perform one or more operations for instantiating the cloud service solution includes causing the at least one data processing device to perform one or more operations for comparing cloud service resources of a plurality of cloud service providers based upon a standardized resource capacity parameter that is derived dependent upon a plurality of cloud service resource parameters.

25 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22 wherein:

the cloud services catalog includes information defining a capacity configuration for at least one cloud service resource component of a particular one of the cloud service providers; and

instantiating the cloud service solution includes applying the capacity configuration to at least one of the cloud services catalog entries.

26 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22 wherein causing the at least one data processing device to perform one or more operations for instantiating the cloud service solution includes causing the at least one data processing device to perform one or more operations for comparing cloud service resources of a plurality of cloud service providers based upon a standardized resource capacity parameter that is derived dependent upon a plurality of cloud service resource parameters.

27 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22 wherein instantiating the cloud service solution includes at least one of configuring an application architecture from a single view of the cloud service resources and configuring a virtual data center from a single view of the cloud service resources.

28 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 27 wherein:

at least one of the cloud service resources of a particular one of the cloud service providers is a virtual machine (VM);

the VM comprises a plurality of cloud service resource components; and

associating each one of the cloud service resources includes mapping each one of the cloud service resource components to a respective cloud services catalog entry associated with the VM.

29 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22 wherein instantiating a cloud service solution includes:

creating a plurality of resource groups defining at least one of a virtual data center (VDC) and an application, wherein each one of the resource groups includes one or more VDC resources and wherein each one of the VDC resources is associated with a respective set of resource group specification parameters; and

displaying at least one of an architectural layout of the VDC and an architectural layout of the application, wherein displaying the architectural layout of the VDC includes creating a visual depiction of the one or more VDC resources of each one of the resource groups and the application, wherein displaying the architectural layout of the application includes creating a visual depiction of the VDC resources of each one of the resource groups and the VDC.