Platform Data Models

CloudBlue is a service delivery platform that allows Internet service providers (ISPs) to quickly launch hosting and cloud services, for which it provides complete hosting and cloud infrastructure management.

In this document:

Platform Services

The consumers of hosting and cloud services, called customers in the platform, are SMBs (small and medium-sized business) or individuals, who need web hosting, business email solutions, and various cloud-based application services.

The platform allows the providers to deliver a variety of service types, divided into:

  • Services and resources hosted on premises

  • Services and resources hosted on partner clouds

The platform allows the service provider and its resellers to automate and simplify configuration, management, support, and operational work associated with resource sales, operations, and maintenance. Web-based management tools are used for all of this at different business levels, without needing to understand the underlying systems in detail.

The platform, as a comprehensive hosting and cloud automation platform, provides a full spectrum of integrated management tools to deploy and deliver services to customers and their service users.

  • A single centralized management console for managing offers and service delivery.

  • A multi-tier account management model including the provider, resellers, sub-resellers, and customers.

  • A security system with different levels of permissions for protecting the whole system and its components.

  • A resource (service) and product management system for implementing flexible sales models.

  • A comprehensive billing system.

  • Built-in mechanisms for providing various hosting services, for example, web, FTP, mail, virtual servers, and DNS (registration and hosting).

  • A out-of-the-box customizable online store and marketplace for selling products.

OSS and BSS

The mentioned tools are devided into the following two overarching systems:

  • Operations Support System (OSS) allows service providers to deploy and deliver application services to customers and service users without commercial operations. This system can import application packages, configure application specific services, and deliver them via subscriptions to customers and service users.

  • Business Support System (BSS) integrated with OSS completes the platform functionality by adding the commercial part. It provides tools for creating flexible cloud automation products based on needed sales models. The out-of-the-box online store and marketplace are highly customizable and make the products publicly available. The system automates the full product sale and service delivery life-cycle, including selling products, getting payment, creating subscriptions, delivering services, subscription renewal, and many other operations. It also provides flexible resource upsell and cross-sell.

The next articles introduce the main operations in the platform that are necessary to deploy and deliver application services to end-users. For more detailed guides, refer to the platform documentation.