Cloud brokerages will be required to help firms unlock the potential of next generation networks, according to Gartner Group which claims that firms will use several types of brokers and platforms to enhance delivery and service value.
The role of such brokerages will be to negotiate the relationships between the Cloud service consumer and Cloud service provider, including integrating the various services that will make up a user’s Cloud environment. "The future of Cloud Computing will be permeated with the notion of brokers negotiating relationships between providers of Cloud services and the service customers," said Gartner research Frank Kenney. “In this context, a broker might be software, appliances, platforms or suites of technologies that enhance the base services available through The Cloud. Enhancement will include managing access to these services, providing greater security or even creating completely new services.”
Gartner idenitified three different types of brokerages. The first is a Cloud service intermediation broker which will add value on top of the services being delivered, with those services including identity management and access management. Such services will be delivered through providers such as AT&T, Verizon and Virgin Media. The second class will be aggregation brokers which will be used to combine multiple services into one or more new services. The aggregation broker will ensure the integration, movement and security of the data between the user and providers. Finally, Cloud service arbitrage will be similar to Cloud service aggregation, except that the services being aggregated won’t be fixed.
“What sits between you and The Cloud will become a critical success factor in Cloud computing as Cloud services multiply and expand faster than the ability of Cloud consumers to manage or govern them in use,” said Gartner analyst Daryl Plummer. “The growth of service brokerage businesses will increase the ability of Cloud consumers to use services in a trustworthy manner. Cloud service providers must begin to partner with Cloud brokerages to ensure that they can deliver the services they promote.”
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