Application requirements with preferences in cloud-based information processing

The use of cloud services is typically regulated by a Service Level Agreement (SLA) that defines the specific parameters of the service that will be provided by a Cloud Provider. The ability of users to negotiate a SLA that meets their requirements is a key issue in cloud computing. In this paper, we illustrate an approach for allowing users to specify their requirements and preferences over these requirements, and to consider them in the definition of a SLA.