Method and system for intelligently leveraging cloud computing resources

A system comprising:

• a multi-cloud management module that resides and executes on a physical server and that is configured to receive a user-initiated request for a cloud-based computing resource associated with any one of a plurality of clouds configured for use with the multi-cloud management module, wherein the multi-cloud management module provides a common administrative interface for provisioning cloud-based computing resources associated with any one of the plurality of clouds having heterogeneous administrative interfaces;
• and
• a dispatcher configured to dispatch a user-initiated request to one of a plurality of cloud adapters, wherein each cloud adapter is associated with a particular cloud and is configured to generate, based on the user-initiated request, one or more provisioning commands compatible with the particular cloud with which the cloud adapter is associated, wherein the one or more provisioning commands are sufficient to direct a cloud management module of the particular cloud to provision the requested cloud-based computing resource on the particular cloud,
• wherein the user-initiated request corresponds to a non-cloud-specific message, and wherein to generate the one or more provisioning commands includes to translate the non-cloud-specific message into a cloud-specific message, and
• wherein each cloud adapter is configured to generate the one or more provisioning commands by evaluating a plurality of business logic, wherein the non-cloud-specific message is translated into the cloud-specific message according to at least one of privileges information, conditions information and scheduling information in the plurality of business logic, wherein the conditions information determines when a third-party cloud-based computing resource is to be used instead of an enterprise-maintained computing resource, and wherein the scheduling information determines when a third-party cloud-based computing resource is to be used instead of an enterprise-maintained computing resource.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions thereon, which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

• receiving, at a multi-cloud management module, a user-initiated request for a cloud-based computing resource associated with a particular cloud, wherein the multi-cloud management module provides a common administrative interface for provisioning cloud-based computing resources associated with a plurality of clouds having heterogeneous administrative interfaces;
• generating, based on the user-initiated request, one or more provisioning commands compatible with the particular cloud and sufficient to direct a cloud management module of the particular cloud to provision the requested cloud-based computing resource on the particular cloud;
• and
• communicating the one or more provisioning commands to a cloud management module of the particular cloud so as to enable the cloud management module of the particular cloud to provision the requested cloud-based computing resource for use by the requesting user,
• wherein the user-initiated request corresponds to a non-cloud-specific message, and wherein generating the one or more provisioning commands includes translating the non-cloud-specific message into a cloud-specific message, and
• wherein generating the one or more provisioning commands includes evaluating a plurality of business logic, wherein the non-cloud-specific message is translated into the cloud-specific message according to at least one of privileges information, conditions information and scheduling information in the plurality of business logic, wherein the conditions information determines when a third-party cloud-based computing resource is to be used instead of an enterprise-maintained computing resource, and wherein the scheduling information determines when a third-party cloud-based computing resource is to be used instead of an enterprise-maintained computing resource.