Towards Modelling a Cloud Application's Life Cycle

The success of any cloud-based application depends on appropriate decisions being taken at each phase of the life cycle of that application coupled with the stage of the organisation’s business strategy at any given time. Throughout the life cycle of a cloud-based project, various stakeholders are involved. This requires a consistent definition of organizational, legal and governance issues regardless of the role of the stakeholder. We proffer that currently the models and frameworks that offer to support these stakeholders are predominantly IT focused and as such lack a sufficient focus on the business and its operating environment for the decision-makers to make strategic cloud related decisions that benefit their individual business model. We propose an emerging framework that provides a stronger platform on which to base cloud business decisions. We also illustrate the importance of this approach through extrapolating the subject of security from the initial Business Case definition phase, through the Decision Making phase and into the Application Development phase to strengthen the case for a comprehensive Business-based framework for cloud-based application decision-making. We envisage that this emerging framework will then be further developed around all phases of the Application Life Cycle as a means of ensuring consistency.