Description

Enterprises have come to rely on clouds for dynamic resource scaling, always-on availability, and low-cost service provisioning. For cloud services, downtime can quickly cripple workflow, reduce productivity, and translate into lost business. From time and money spent on last-minute repairs to damaged reputations, service interruptions are increasingly expensive. To reduce the likelihood of a service interruption, platform developers are beginning to incorporate features for boosting the reliability of cloud infrastructure. Due to architectural differences and contradictory design terminologies, it is difficult to compare cloud platforms’ strategies for ensuring high-availability services. The purpose of this research is to allow for apples-to-apples comparisons by (1) reviewing cloud architectures (2) identifying the tenants of high availability computing, and (3) creating a taxonomy of strategies for assuring high availability cloud services. The proposed taxonomy is used to compare two cloud computing platforms. Implications for theory and practice are provided.

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Strategies for Ensuring High Availability Cloud Services

Enterprises have come to rely on clouds for dynamic resource scaling, always-on availability, and low-cost service provisioning. For cloud services, downtime can quickly cripple workflow, reduce productivity, and translate into lost business. From time and money spent on last-minute repairs to damaged reputations, service interruptions are increasingly expensive. To reduce the likelihood of a service interruption, platform developers are beginning to incorporate features for boosting the reliability of cloud infrastructure. Due to architectural differences and contradictory design terminologies, it is difficult to compare cloud platforms’ strategies for ensuring high-availability services. The purpose of this research is to allow for apples-to-apples comparisons by (1) reviewing cloud architectures (2) identifying the tenants of high availability computing, and (3) creating a taxonomy of strategies for assuring high availability cloud services. The proposed taxonomy is used to compare two cloud computing platforms. Implications for theory and practice are provided.