Cloud computing access gateway and method for providing a user terminal access to a cloud provider

A cloud computing access gateway, comprising:

• a processor configured to,
• store a plurality of cloud providers and information associated with a corresponding cloud computing service provided by each of the plurality of cloud providers;
• provide an interface with a user terminal;
• receive a service request indicating a cloud computing service from the user terminal;
• analyze the received service request to identify the cloud computing service;
• search for one or more of the plurality of cloud providers whose corresponding cloud computing service matches the cloud computing service requested by the user terminal;
• determine a best one of the one or more of the plurality of cloud providers based on a configuration of the cloud computing service defined by a user of the user terminal;
• provide an interface with the best cloud provider;
• when the user terminal and the best cloud provider adopt different interface definitions, translate the received service request into another service request in conformity with an interface definition of the best cloud provider;
• transmit the service request to the best cloud provider;
• receive a result of the service request from the best cloud provider,
• translate the received result into another result in conformity with an interface definition of the user terminal;
• send the result to the user terminal;
• monitor an availability of the best one of the cloud providers;
• and
• select a next best cloud provider from among the one or more of the plurality of cloud providers if the best one of the cloud providers is determined to be unavailable during the monitoring.