A system comprising: type definition circuitry configured to: assign a first type specifier to a first component type that a first service provider is able to instantiate and run in a first virtualized hosting region provided by the first service provider; assign a second type specifier to a second component type that a second service provider is able to instantiate and run in a second virtualized hosting region provided by the second service provider; property linking circuitry configured to: link a first set of technical properties to the first component type; and link a second set of second technical properties to the second component type; property translation circuitry configured to: establish a translation correspondence between the first set of technical properties for the first component type and the second set of technical properties for the second component type; and type mapping circuitry configured to: translate the first component type into the second component type according to the translation correspondence, for instantiating and running the second component type in the second virtualized hosting region provided by the second service provider instead of instantiating and running the first component type. type definition circuitry configured to: assign a first type specifier to a first component type that a first service provider is able to instantiate and run in a first virtualized hosting region provided by the first service provider; assign a second type specifier to a second component type that a second service provider is able to instantiate and run in a second virtualized hosting region provided by the second service provider; assign a first type specifier to a first component type that a first service provider is able to instantiate and run in a first virtualized hosting region provided by the first service provider; assign a second type specifier to a second component type that a second service provider is able to instantiate and run in a second virtualized hosting region provided by the second service provider; property linking circuitry configured to: link a first set of technical properties to the first component type; and link a second set of second technical properties to the second component type; link a first set of technical properties to the first component type; and link a second set of second technical properties to the second component type; property translation circuitry configured to: establish a translation correspondence between the first set of technical properties for the first component type and the second set of technical properties for the second component type; and establish a translation correspondence between the first set of technical properties for the first component type and the second set of technical properties for the second component type; and type mapping circuitry configured to: translate the first component type into the second component type according to the translation correspondence, for instantiating and running the second component type in the second virtualized hosting region provided by the second service provider instead of instantiating and running the first component type. translate the first component type into the second component type according to the translation correspondence, for instantiating and running the second component type in the second virtualized hosting region provided by the second service provider instead of instantiating and running the first component type.