# Ontologies in Cloud Computing--Review and Future Directions
## 5 Results and Discussion
### Discussion  
**RQ1:** How has the ontology in cloud computing evolved?  
This study has been carried out using a comprehensive review approach of studies that address ontology trends in cloud computing. Our investigation reveals that: Cloud computing has positioned itself as the major technological advancement of the moment, attracting attention from various research areas. It evolved from previous technologies and computing areas like service-oriented architecture (SOA), virtualization, and grid computing. As expected, it comes with its inherent advantages and disadvantages [83]. Cloud computing operations have found expression in semantic web rules. It is common knowledge to see ontology applied in various software engineering environments like Change Control, Process Support, and Requirement Engineering. Most are limited to only web applications [84]. As a concept that must meet the changing needs of software users, it must be maintained constantly and evolve continuously according to the domain or knowledge space [85].  
**RQ2:** Which Area Has Dominated the Use of Ontology in Cloud Computing?  
From Table 5, it is clear that cloud security and compliance have benefited more from ontologies in cloud computing. Especially as security has become an integral aspect of cloud business consolidation, this is based on the distinct groups' perspectives, including researchers from academia, business policy decision makers, and governmental organizations. The similarities in these various viewpoints provide a clear indication of the crucial nature of security and legal impediments for cloud computing, including data confidentiality, reputation fate sharing, service availability, and provider lock-in.  
**RQ3:** In which area has the ontology been least deployed in cloud computing?  
Table 5 shows that ontologies has been the least employed in business process compliance. It is also very clear that ontologies enjoyed relative attention in many software areas in traditional computing. At the same time, that cannot be said for its applications in the cloud. From studies carried out in the course of this work, it is clear that many application areas of software engineering have yet to enter the cloud market; the traditional/legacy applications overshadow them (Figure 5).  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline \hline
**Area of Application** & **No. of Studies** & **Specific Studies** \\ \hline * Business process compliance & 6 & 4.30, 4.31, 4.32, 4.33, 4.34, 4.35 \\ * Cloud security and compliance ontology & \(11\) & 4.19, 4.20, 4.21, 4.22, 4.23, 4.24, \\  & & 4.25, 4.26, 4.27, 4.28, 4.29 \\  * Cloud interoperability & 4 & 4.15, 4.16, 4.17, 4.18 \\  * Cloud service discovery and selection & 9 & 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, \\  * Cloud service description and selection & 5 & 4.10, 4.11, 4.12, 4.13, 4.14 \\   Total & 35 & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 5: Summary of some selected studies per initiatives.  
**RQ4:** Problems and future directions in ontology and cloud research.  
The evolution, usage, and deployment approaches of cloud computing provide the basis for the problems and the future directions in ontology and cloud research which are discussed under two broad areas: business process compliance and cloud computing.