Evaluation Criteria to Run Scientific Applications in the Cloud - Cloud Computing with e-Science Applications - page 2

Summary
In this chapter, we will present a brief explanation of the services and imple-
mentation of models of cloud computing in order to promote a discussion of
the strong and weak points of each. Our aim is to select the best combination
of the models as a platform for executing e-science applications.
Additionally, the evaluation criteria will be introduced so as to guide the
user in making the correct choice from the available options. After that, the
main public cloud providers, and their chief characteristics, are discussed.
One of the most important aspects of choosing a public cloud provider
is the cost of its services, but its performance also needs to be taken into
account. For this reason, we have introduced the cost efficiency evaluation
to support the user in assessing both price and performance when choosing
a provider. Finally, we provide a concrete example of applying the cost effi-
ciency evaluation using a real-life situation and including our conclusions.
1.1 Introduction
To create a service to execute scientific applications in the cloud, the user
needs to choose an adequate cloud environment [1, 2]. The cloud computing
model has several possible combinations between the service and imple-
mentation models, and these combinations need to be analyzed. The public
cloud providers offer an alternative to avoid the up-front costs of buying
machines, but it is necessary to evaluate them using certain criteria to verify
if they meet the needs of the users. This chapter provides a discussion about
these aspects to help the user in the process of building an e-Science service
in the cloud.
1.2 Cloud Service Models
According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
definition [3], there are three cloud service models, represented in Figure 1.1.
They present several characteristics that need to be known by the user. All
three models have strong and weak points that influence the adequacy for
use to create an e-Science service.
The characteristics of the service models are presented and discussed in
this section.