Algebraic Specifications of Computing as a Service with Applications to Cost Analysis

Cloud computing is a new technology paradigm in which software, development platforms and infrastructure are delivered as a service. The most attractive aspect of cloud technology is its elasticity, enabling scalable infrastructure to suit usage requirements over fine-grained measurements of time. By deploying their service on the cloud, the service provider alleviates the need for large initial investments of physical hardware. Infrastructure is provisioned whenever it is needed. As a result, the operating costs incurred by the service provider can be difficult to quantify. We develop an algebraic specification of computing as a service from the perspective of the service provider. Modelling key aspects of the infrastructure and the way it is provisioned, we quantify monetary costs based on the rental of virtual hardware and the volume of data processed.