Mapping non-functional requirements to cloud applications

Cloud computing represents a solution for applications with high scalability needs where usage patterns, and therefore resource requirements, may fluctuate based on external circumstances such as exposure or trending. However, in order to take advantage of the cloud’s benefits, software engineers need to be able to express the application’s needs in quantifiable terms. Additionally, cloud providers have to understand such requirements and offer methods to acquire the necessary infrastructure to fulfill the users’ expectations. In this paper, we discuss the design and implementation of an Infrastructure as a Service cloud manager such that non-functional requirements determined during the requirements analysis phase can be mapped to properties for a group of Virtual Appliances running the application. The discussed management system ensures that expected Quality of Service is maintained during execution and can be considered during different development phases.