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Reducing energy consumption is increasingly gaining attention in the area of Cloud computing, as means to reduce costs and improve corporate sustainability image. ASCETiC is focused on providing novel methods and tools to support software developers to optimise energy efficiency and minimise the carbon footprint resulting from developing, deploying and running software in Clouds. At the same time, quality of service, experience and perception are still taken into account, so energy efficiency will complement them and boost Cloud efficiency at several dimensions. ASCETiC primary focus is to relate software design and energy use, which will depend on the deployment conditions and the correct operation of the software by means of an adaptive environment. This paper presents specific objectives for the project, as well as requirements, business goals and architecture for the resultant Open Source Cloud stack providing energy efficiency at software, platform and infrastructure Cloud layers.

The Internet is constructed by means of complex business interconnection agreements among multiple networks. However, the most commonly used agreements do not contain explicit Quality of Service reference. In this study a business rationale for Assured Service Quality (ASQ) inter-network services is presented and potential business models for their realization are proposed and analyzed. It is argued that ASQ products and business models could greatly enhance the health of the Internet interconnection ecosystem. A business model design framework that encompasses the key strategic decisions that would enable ASQ provisioning and generic collaboration is also provided. This framework is then elaborated using a number of off-net content delivery scenarios. Conclusions are hence drawn on the role of ASQ and ASQ-driven business models for the sustainable development of the "Future Internet".

Part 2: Economics and Technologies for Inter-Carrier Services; International audience; In order for the Network Service Providers (NSPs) to provide end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS) at the inter-domain level different coordination models have been proposed by ETICS project. In this work we present and analyse the plausible alternatives of those models and we compare them with each other in terms of information asymmetry issues. We show that different information sets affect the total service provision and we present a basic model analysis on information issues by means of game-theoretic models.

Even though the new and advanced technologies can provide benefits for business their wide adoption in industrial settings requires always clear evidences how, and under which conditions these technological advantages can be turn into business benefits. The economic, business and legal factors should not be underestimated but rather examined in detail together with the technological context. Based on this statement, this paper presents a number of valuable conclusions and hands-on advice for new players that wish to enter the market by adopting Grid technology. The authors discuss the main challenges to be dealt with, provide a set of business advice and suggestions and place this discussion in the context of new architectural paradigms such as Cloud computing. The paper has been built on the experience of a business and legal consultancy team with the responsibility of assisting the adoption of Grid technologies in the EU.

A business model (BM) establishes a framework for the transformation of economic inputs (e.g. resources and technological knowhow) into economic outputs (e.g. goods and services) required by customers in a market (Chesbrough and Rosenbloom 2002). In simpler terms, a business model describes the way the business expects to make money by interacting with customers and other players in the market. Such a model can also be thought of as a mediator between technology development and value creation. The ultimate role of the business model is to ensure that the technological core delivers value to the customer. In order to achieve this, a number of factors and functions must be analysed and specified, such as the value proposition of the new product, the target market, the potential value chain for the delivery of the product or service, an estimation of the cost-structure, and profit potential (Peterovic et al. 2001, Weill and Vitale 2001). A well articulated BM is the foundation of the company’s business plan. The business plan serves as a decision-support tool and includes the additional level of detail that needs to be identified and proved (as well as can be prior to execution) in order for the business to attract money from potential investors. It specifies measurable goals, the reasons why they are believed to be attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals (Siegel et al. 1993, Wikipedia 2009a). It may also include background information about the company and a marketing plan. As it becomes apparent, both are to a great extent related and equally important; without a good business model, a business plan cannot be brought to effect and vice versa.