If we refer to the definition of Cloud computing, its features, such as on-demand service, fast flexibility and the provision of paid services, are not taken into account by Service Virtualization. Service Virtualization can act as a technology that enables the facilitation of these features, but it requires a lot of additional help, such as reporting, billing, demand management and various other business processes and tools.
To make a real distribution of cloud services, one must consider the standardization of offers and their availability through simple portals, providing a security framework, instant reporting, cost information, a billing mechanism based on that used etc.
From another point of view, it turns out that Service Virtualization itself is not a service. It can be used in conjunction with tools and other processes to create an Infrastructure offering as a service.
Service Virtualization now includes not only services, but also database systems, mainframes and other IT assets. It can enable the company a more cost-effective service, a service that is flexible and offers applications in the market faster than the competitor.
Service Virtualization of services allows physical services to be exposed through an intermediary or brokerage application, much like the classic proxy reverser conveys messages to the applications behind them. Brokers are loaded with intelligence and knowledge of what services and businesses are actually exposing. This makes brokers a powerful software tool and not interfering with the brokerage services scenarios of everyday life.
In addition to Service Virtualization, service-oriented architecture and web services are considered basic prerequisites for cloud computing. Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is a model of architecture software, which defines how services are provided and used. But these services are not only used by users but also by other applications and services.
Unlike distribution systems, which are interconnected through the local network, cloud systems integrate heterogeneous resources, which, in theory, can be found in any part of the world where the Internet is available.
The difference between SOA and Cloud computing may be unclear, because they overlap in several areas. Although, they are completely different, they have common overlap problems and common considerations. “Overlap” or the most important overlap occurs near the top of the Cloud computing area, in cloud services, which are possible application components through networks. So putting Cloud in front of SOA is like comparing apples to oranges.