A network-centric architecture for building the cloud continuum

The growing interest in distributed, context-aware and data-sensitive applications is pushing the evolution of computing infrastructures from centralized to distributed models, which could effectively tackle the execution of complex software frameworks over geographical scale. The concept of cloud continuum that extends computing infrastructures beyond the data center boundary will require new architectural paradigms that overcome the evident limitations intrinsic in mere cloud federation and that enable effective and efficient interaction between the cloud and the physical environment. In this paper, we discuss why and how telecommunication networks could be the most effective infrastructure to create a distributed, pervasive, carrier-grade cloud continuum, by acting as the core federation paradigm for the dynamic and flexible composition of data centers, networks and IoT platforms.