Cloud Services Measures for Global Use: The Service Measurement Index (SMI)

The Cloud Services Measurement Initiative Consortium (CSMIC) was formed to address the need for industry-wide, globally accepted measures for calculating the benefits and risks of cloud-computing services. A global team is developing a standard measurement framework, called the Service Measurement Index (SMI). SMI involves the application of consistent, meaningful measures that are designed to enable comparison of current cloud-based services with non-cloud services or cloud services available from multiple providers. Cloud Services characteristics where measures are being documented and tested include: Accountability, Agility, Assurance, Financials, Performance, Security and Privacy, and Usability. The SMI will address a total of 51 attributes. Given concerns in the literature and popular press about provider capabilities, cost, security and data privacy and data loss, as well as the flexibility that moving to cloud services promises, this paper provides examples of measures for these attributes.