Big Data as a Service: A Neo-Metropolis Model Approach for Innovation
Hong-Mei Chen, Rick Kazman, Serge Haziyev, Valentyn Kropov, Dmitri Chtchourov · 2016
Big data as a Service (BDaaS) provides a viable alternative to circumvent many obstacles in implementing a big data strategy. Many BDaaS vendors are providing cloud platforms utilizing microservices and DevOps technologies to enable big data analytics for organizations that seek cost-effective and elastic deployments. However, existing models of BDaaS are mostly proprietary, closed-world operations and this can limit the potential for innovation. In this article, we argue for a new model called the Neo-Metropolis model -- a variant of the Metropolis model -- that offers an organized, coherent set of open-world innovation opportunities for vendors as well as for the platform's edge customers. We identify Neo-Metropolis model characteristics and illustrate Neo-Metropolis principles for developing BDaaS using a case study of Cisco's Intercloud Analytics platform. The implications of the Neo-Metropolis model are far beyond just BDaaS and it is foreseen to be an important model for future service platform development.