Distributed Systems
We Make Services Valuable
The Distributed Systems (DSY) research group focuses on scalable and reliable implementation of sophisticated IT-based services. We address questions such as:
- What architecture best suits your specific cloud application?
- Which service model (IaaS, CaaS, PaaS, FaaS, ...) ensures optimal implementation of an application?
- Which tools are needed for development, operation and monitoring of the services?
- How to offer applications "as a service" (SaaS)?
- How to monetize modern IT services?
- How to integrate the "physical world" into complex IT services?
The research group is engaged in international projects within the EU research framework and works closely with partners from the private sector on innovative products within Innosuisse funded or directly financed projects.
The knowledge gained from applied research and development is transferred to students of computer science courses in the following modules:
Research Topics
Cloud Computing

The Init Cloud Computing Lab (ICCLAB) is dedicated to the automated deployment, operation and usage of configurable, highly scalable and resilient IT resources on a pay-per-use basis. In addition to infrastructure virtualization, this includes platform services for automated application delivery, scalable back-end, and monitoring of services and applications.
Service Prototyping

The Service Prototyping Lab (SPLAB) addresses the implementation and validation of complex services in cloud or post-cloud environments. In addition to the migration of existing services to the cloud, the main focus is on modern application architectures (Cloud Native Applications, Microservices, Serverless), the provisioning of tools for optimal implementation, the experimental validation of concepts and their monetization (Cloud Accounting and Billing).
Cloud Robotics
The Init Cloud Comupting Lab (ICCLAB) also addresses the integration of robotic applications into complex networked services. The usage of elastic cloud services allows to extend the capabilities of robots (computing power, context information, artificial intelligence, ...) as well as to manage and coordinate them. Programming frameworks and automation services enable developers to integrate robots into services without having in-depth knowledge at device level.
Projects
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Actionable Insights and Business Intelligence based on Applied Sciences Messaging Patterns
Researchers in an applied sciences context, including at Zurich University of Applied Sciences, have no adequate means to gain insights into their past e-mail and chat communication. Usually this communication archive is a treasure - a hidden gem - when trying to remember contacts, project opportunities, ...
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RACCOON – Rapid Application-Centric Composition and Online Orchestration iNvestigation
The RACOON project explores novel methods to compose online applications across the engineering lifecycle. In particular, it extends beyond the state of technology in user-friendly cloud application design, implementation and deployment. Furthermore, it investigates application scenarios for turning such methods ...
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ARIES: Exploiting User Journeys for Supporting Mobility as a Service Platforms
Emerging Mobility As A Services (MAAS) are pushing the boundaries of DevOps practices and processes, with new challenges to handle for both practitioners and researchers. MAAS providers such as BOND (Bike ON Demand start-up in Switzerland) employ DevOps innovations to sustain the evolution of future MAAS services ...
Publications
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Brunner, Sandro; Blöchlinger, Martin; Toffetti Carughi, Giovanni; Spillner, Josef; Bohnert, Thomas Michael,
2015.
Experimental evaluation of the cloud-native application design [paper].
In:
2015 IEEE/ACM 8th International Conference on Utility and Cloud Computing (UCC).
4th International Workshop on Clouds and (eScience) Application Management (CloudAM), Limassol, Cyprus, 7-10 December 2015.
IEEE.
pp. 488-493.
Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-3782
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Anghel, Ionut; Bertoncini, Massimo; Cioara, Tudor; Cupelli, Marco; Georgiadou, Vasiliki; Jahangiri, Pooyan; Monti, Antonello; Murphy, Seán; Schoofs, Anthony; Velivassaki, Terpsi,
2015.
GEYSER : enabling green data centres in smart cities [paper].
In:
Energy efficient data centers : third international workshop, E2DC 2014, Cambridge, UK, June 10, 2014, Revised Selected Papers.
3rd International Workshop on Energy Efficient Data Centers (E2DC 2014), Cambridge, United Kingdom, 10 June 2014.
Springer.
pp. 71-86.
Lecture Notes in Computer Science.
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15786-3_5
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Edmonds, Andrew; Bohnert, Thomas Michael; Toffetti Carughi, Giovanni,
2015.
In:
7th Cloud Control Workshop, Nässlingen, 9-11 June 2015.
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Edmonds, Andrew; Dudouet, Florian; Erne, Michael,
2015.
Reliable cloud-applications : an implementation through service orchestration.
In:
International Workshop on Automated Incident Management in Cloud (AIMC'15), Bordeaux, France, 21-24 April 2015.
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Spillner, Josef; Beck, Martin; Schill, Alexander; Bohnert, Thomas Michael,
2015.
Stealth databases : ensuring user-controlled queries in untrusted cloud environments [paper].
In:
2015 IEEE/ACM 8th International Conference on Utility and Cloud Computing (UCC), Limassol, Cyprus, 7-10 December 2015.
8th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Utility and Cloud Computing (UCC), Limassol, Cyprus, 7-10 December 2015.
IEEE.
pp. 261-270.
Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-3775