Towards a Cloud Architectural Decision Framework using Case-based Reasoning and Rule-based Reasoning

Correct decision-making about the cloud platform architecture is crucial for the success of any cloud migration project; bad decisions can lead to undesirable consequences including project delays, budget overruns, application instability, below-par performance and creation of technical debt. Rule-Based Reasoning (RBR), a popular approach for solving clearly defined problems, can be used for cloud platform recommendation if a comprehensive set of requirements are available. However, the responsibility of decision-making is increasingly moving away from the hands of the technical subject matter experts, and into the hands of the business sponsors. Therefore, in this paper, we propose combining Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) with RBR to assist business sponsors in making strategic decisions between public, private and hybrid cloud with a high level of confidence even at the initial stages of the project.