Three-Step Approach to QoS Maintenance in Cloud Computing Using a Third-Party Auditor

Cloud computing is a rapidly evolving service for potential clients who wish to outsource their data storage or subscribe to cloud services. In a data-driven society, every company needs to make cost-effective and responsible decisions in terms of how they handle their sensitive data. Should a company make the decision to use cloud services, they must complete the arduous task of not only choosing the right CSP for that particular firm, but also the constant monitoring of the data being stored and processed externally. In addition, under certain circumstances, there are laws that might prevent the firm from using certain CSPs. When using a cloud service, there is a need for ongoing agreements between cloud service users (CSUs) and cloud service providers (CSPs). Currently, this comes in the form of written agreements known as cloud service agreements (CSAs). CSAs contain information on the quality of service (QoS) that the CSP is promising to deliver to the CSU. However, CSAs can often be inflexible and unmaintained; therefore, there is a need for constant monitoring of the QoS being provided by the CSP. In this paper, we propose a model in which a third-party auditing body (e.g. cloud carriers, cloud brokers, cloud auditors) can assist a CSU in ensuring that they are receiving the promised services from their chosen CSP. To support this model, we propose a three-step approach for customers to evaluate the service-level agreement (SLA) of their CSAs. The three basic steps of our model are: an initial review of any valuable information useful to a CSA, an assessment of specific cloud metrics, and quarterly reevaluations of the CSA. Our proposed model will allow CSUs to be more confident that they are receiving the services they are subscribed to, as well as receiving the best QoS that a CSP can provide. With our model, any IT department, with the assistance of the third party, should be able to monitor and evaluate their cloud services and CSAs.