NIST Cloud Computing Reference Architecture Recommendations of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Fang Liu, Jin Tong, Jian Mao, Robert Bohn, John Messina, Lee Badger and Dawn Leaf Special Publication 5 00-292 i NIST Spe cial Publication 500 -292 NIST Cloud Computing Reference Architecture Recommendations of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Fang Liu, Jin Tong, Jian Mao, Robert Bohn, John Messina, Lee Badger and Dawn Leaf Information Techonology Laboratory Cloud Computing Program Information Technology Laboratory National Institute of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, MD 20899 -8930 September 2011 U.S. Department of Commerce Rebecca M. Blank, Acting Secretary National Institute of Standards and Technology Patrick D. Gallagher, Under Secretary for Standards and Technology and Director NIST SP 500 -292 NIST Cloud Computing Reference Architecture ii Reports on Computer Systems Technology The Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) promotes the U.S. economy and public welfare by providing technical leadership for the nation‟s measurement and standards infrastructure. ITL develops tests, test methods, reference data, proof of concept implementations, and technical analysis to advance the development and productive use of information technology. ITL‟s responsibilities include the development of technical, physical, administrative, and management standards and guidelines for the cost -effective security and privacy of sensitive u nclassified information in Federal computer systems. This Special Publication 800 -series reports on ITL‟s research, guidance, and outreach efforts in computer security and its collaborative activities with industry, government, and academic organizations. Certain commercial entities, equipment, or materials may be identified in this document in order to describe an experimental procedure or concept adequately. Such identification is not intended to imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, nor is it intended to imply that the entities, materials, or equipment are necessarily the best available for the purpose. National Institute of Standards and Technology Spe cial Publicat ion 500 -292 Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol. Spec. Publ. 5 00-292, 35 pages ( September 2011 ) NIST SP 500 -292 NIST Cloud Computing Reference Architecture iii Acknowledgments The authors, Fang Liu, Jin Tong, Jian Mao of Knowcean Consulting Inc. (services acquired via US NAVY SPAWAR contract), Robert Bohn, John Messina, Lee Badger, Dawn Leaf of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), wish to thank their colleagues who reviewed drafts of this document and contrib uted to its technical content. The authors gratefully acknowledge and appreciate the broad contributions from members of the NIST Cloud Computing Reference Architecture and Taxonomy Working Group and the Reference Architecture Analysis Team. Trademark In formation All names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. NIST SP 500 -292 NIST Cloud Computing Reference Architecture iv Table o f Contents Executive Summary ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................. vi 1. Introduction ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 1 1.1 Background ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............ 1 1.2 Objectives ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................