A Marketplace Framework for Trading Cloud-Based Services

The importance of marketplace frameworks, where demand and supply for electronic services meet, has gained momentum with the recent technological innovations of cloud computing. In particular the emerging market for cloud and XaaS offerings is, in the current early stage of development, scattered and represented by many single offerings. New intermediaries are required for the consolidation of the available service offerings and for providing a one-stop-shopping opportunity for customers. This paper proposes a new cloud marketplace solution that enables on the one hand an integrated platform for the development and selling of XaaS products and on the other hand a one-stop-shopping for customers interested in services. Service providers can merchandise and sell their products through the marketplace supporting the whole lifecycle of these products. Service consumers are provided with a unique personalized service search and resolution engine, helping them to find and customize the products they need.