Challenges Emerging from Future Cloud Application Scenarios

The cloud computing paradigm encompasses several key differentiating elements and technologies, tackling a number of inefficiencies, limitations and problems that have been identified in the distributed and virtualized computing domain. Nonetheless, and as it is the case for all emerging technologies, their adoption led to the presentation of new challenges and new complexities. In this paper we present key application areas and capabilities of future scenarios, which are not tackled by current advancements and highlight specific requirements and goals for advancements in the cloud computing domain. We discuss these requirements and goals across different focus areas of cloud computing, ranging from cloud service and application integration, development environments and abstractions, to interoperability and relevant to it aspects such as legislation. The future application areas and their requirements are also mapped to the aforementioned areas in order to highlight their dependencies and potential for moving cloud technologies forward and contributing towards their wider adoption. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Peer-review under responsibility of Institute of Communication and Computer Systems.