- Cloud services have a defined lifecycle.
- A management program has to touch on each of the six different stages in that lifecycle:
- Phase 1. The definition of the service as a template for creating instances
- Tasks: creation, updating, and deletion of service templates.
- Phase 2. Client interactions with the service, usually through an SLA (Service Level Agreement) contract
- Task:manages client relationships and creates and manages service contracts.
- Phase 3. The deployment of an instance to the cloud and the runtime management of instances
- Tasks:creation, updating, and deletion of service offerings.
- Phase 4. The definition of the attributes of the service while in operation and performance of modifications of its properties
- Task:perform service optimization and customization.
- Phase 5. Management of the operation of instances and routine maintenance
- Task:monitor resources, track and respond to events, and perform reporting and billing functions.
- Phase 6. Retirement of the service
- Task:data protection and system migration, archiving, and service contract termination.