5.3: Key Principles of Enterprise Cloud Strategy

Industry research and best practices have identified a set of core principles that guide the design of flexible, extensible cloud architectures. In particular, the Cloud Computing Open Architecture (CCOA) framework, proposed by Zhang, Zhou and others, lays out seven architectural principles for building cloud systems. These principles ensure that a cloud environment is not just a collection of siloed services, but rather an integrated, service-oriented, and governable platform that can evolve with business needs. We will discuss each principle in turn, explaining its meaning and importance, and providing examples where appropriate (Figure 5.1 labels each principle in the context of a holistic architecture). The seven principles are:

1. Integrated Ecosystem Management,
2. Virtualization of Cloud Infrastructure,
3. Service Orientation for Reusable Services,
4. Extensible Provisioning and Subscription,
5. Configurable Enablement of Offerings,
6. Unified Information Representation and Exchange, and
7. Cloud Quality and Governance. Together, these create a blueprint for designing an enterprise cloud strategy and architecture.

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