**6. Conclusion and future work**

Cloud computing, as a catalyst for innovation, will not just be more innovative than we imagine, but it will be more innovative than we can imagine. Essentially, cloud computing refers to ICT services that are now instantly, unconditionally and on-demand available to everyone, from data processing and storage to software applications. The cloud has already become a go-to resource for some businesses with proprietary lock-in, and the trends indicate that this model is set for major development provided certain standards and compliance policies (e.g. data act) are taken in a timely manner. The experience of enterprises to date points to cloud computing being used at different levels according to the institutions concerned. Indeed, many researchers, research institutes and federal government agencies have adopted this technology in Europe. In the UK, specific data privacy, jurisdiction, contractual clauses and security pose a threat in that regard.

In the interest of fostering the emergence of cloud computing technology, this chapter advocates actions such that when choosing cloud services most cloud users cannot find an appropriate cloud service matching their individual requirements when they are using a given cloud service for the first time. Research emphasis is laid on parameters important to guide users in cloud service selection to provide a guide in choosing the appropriate strategy to mitigate cloud lock-in, and the author presents a state-of-the-art review of existing works in interoperable, portable and standard cloud migration techniques. These parameters provide a set of common functionality to all cloud services built using the cloud platform. Where skills or training in regard to cloud computing is concerned, the author surveyed DevSecOps tools, technology stack, programming languages like Kotlin and technical considerations pertaining to SDN, Edge, multi-cloud and Guardrails in dealing with the cloud lock-in parameters. The ICT sector in Europe is characterised by the very rapid development of mobile cloud computing (MCC) telecommunication networks. At the same time, however, UK businesses are seeking business process management (BPM) solutions whereby they can catch up on the deployment of context-aware services.

Against this background, in today's business marketing the main types of cloud services are cloud hosting services, object storage services, cloud database services, cloud engine services, block storage services, cloud caching services, online application services, load balancing services and cloud distribution services. The evidence shows that the implementation of strategies relating to contracts, selection

## *Perspective Chapter: Cloud Lock-in Parameters – Service Adoption and Migration DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109601*

of vendors and developed awareness of commonalities and dependencies among cloud-based solutions has greatly reduced the risks of cloud lock-in. Cloud computing could go a long way to mitigate ICT lock-in risks through a market oligopoly provided the corresponding technology is implemented on solid standard bases that inspire confidence in interoperability, portability and integration. To this end, enterprise decision-makers and leaders are in agreement CYNEFIN framework adheres to international requirements in terms of disorder as it pertains to heterogeneity of cloud technology ecosystem. Similarly, the deployment of vendor-neutral services with ensured business continuity, rapid elasticity and secure data storage in line with international standards organisations (like NIST, ENISA, CSA, SNIA, The OpenGroup, TOGAF, OASIS) constitutes the strong pillar of cloud computing for Europe. In conclusion, the study presents technical and policy recommendations related to regulation, SLA, contracts on cloud computing, the implementation of open (sourced) APIs, standardisation and the cross-border data plan. The main objective of these policy measure(s) is to ensure a harmonious and sustainable development of cloud products and services in the UK.

In future work, the author identifies opportunities for cloud platforms to support more secure, interoperable, portable, automated and systematic authentication within and between cloud-hosted components. This research has been mainly focused on solutions to avoid vendor lock-in making it an active area of study for circa 2023 and beyond.
