Blog

OPENi API Framework (Part I): Studying the landscape of cloud-based Services

By Iosif Alvertis, Michael Petychakis, & Fenareti Lampathaki (NTUA)

Today, an emerging trend to expose functionalities through publicly available APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) has not only redefined how software and services are delivered, but also indicates how business value is moving towards a thriving high-paced mobile application ecosystem. Along these lines, the OPENi focal research contribution lies on the cloudlet concept and on an open API framework that will be capable of interoperating with any cloud-based service, abstracting the integration challenges to a single open standard without losing any service features.

During the first months of the OPENi project, we docused on an analysis of the underlying state of the art in the cloud-based services landscape in order to provide concrete recommendations and guidelines to drive the forthcoming design and implementation of the OPENi APIs Framework.

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Mobile Cloud Analysis: Introducing the Cloudlet Concept

By Leigh Griffin, Lukasz Radziwonowicz, Dónal McCarthy, Robert Kleinfield and Eric Robson

Attitudes towards computing have changed dramatically in the last ten years with technology becoming affordable and more mobile, bringing about a generation of technology savvy users. The availability of technology is complemented by advances in the underlying network, with consistent connection speeds and coverage reaching saturation levels. This has ensured a smooth experience for users and consequently expectations about what technology can do for a user’s life have risen. This expectation has been facilitated by a multi-billion dollar industry, delivering applications and services for user consumption. This industry has culminated in the rise of modern social networks, instantly connecting friends and family regardless of geographic location and allowing a heretofore unseen level of interaction.  Users are therefore offered a plethora of applications and services to meet their demands. This choice can cause confusion around where their data is stored and what provider may have access to it

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