Cloud services catalogs are a centralized resource to both discover and leverage private or public cloud services. An outgrowth of service registries and repositories from the days of SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture), this new and improved technology provides a single gateway for service access for applications and end users. The listed services typically include application functionality or data for use either by end users or in applications. As a result, enterprises are able to reuse these cloud services across applications, and they may exist on any number of platforms including private and public clouds.

Enterprises that lack cloud services catalogs are missing out on the advantages of centralized control, centralized discovery, and centralized access; and these services become distributed and unmanageable pretty quickly. Not surprisingly, effective governance becomes the single most important reason that cloud service catalogs exist for enterprises.

Enterprises looking to build cloud services catalogs soon learn that the path to success is complex. It’s complex both because of the diversity of available services, as well as how enterprises interact with those services. Yet, the good news is that the technology you deploy in support of this initiative will strip complexity from the development process. The catalog itself shields users and administrators from dealing with the underlying management – including automation – of cloud services.

Cloud Finish provides solutions for the following cloud pillars.