A computing cloud system comprising: at least one data storage unit (112, 602-606) configured to store information associated with at least one manufacturing execution system, wherein other information associated with the at least one manufacturing execution system is stored at a local computer system associated with the at least one manufacturing execution system; at least one processing unit (110, 612) configured to execute functions associated with the at least one manufacturing execution system, wherein other functions associated with the at least one manufacturing execution system are executed by the local computer system; a service bus configured to direct requests for services to the local computer system or the computing cloud system based on a mapping that allows a mix of local and cloud-based services to be used as if the services were all local to abstract consumers of cloud services from the location services themselves; and at least one communications interface configured to receive information from at least one manufacturing site, to interpret the received information from the at least one manufacturing site, and to provide information relating to the at least one manufacturing site; wherein a delineation between the information stored in the at least one data storage unit and the other information stored at the local computer system and between the functions executed by the at least one processing unit and the other functions executed by the local computer system is a delineation between high level and low level data and functions, the high level data stored in the at least one data storage unit and the high level functions executed by the at least one processing unit, the low level data stored at the local computer system and the low level functions being precise, specific and granular functions executed by the local computer system, wherein each high level function obtains data from a number of low level functions and forms higher-order information about a process, wherein the delineation is based on a model that is selected to allocate processes and data between the local computer system and the computing cloud system, and wherein the delineation is also a delineation between real-time data and functions and non-real-time data and functions. at least one data storage unit (112, 602-606) configured to store information associated with at least one manufacturing execution system, wherein other information associated with the at least one manufacturing execution system is stored at a local computer system associated with the at least one manufacturing execution system; at least one processing unit (110, 612) configured to execute functions associated with the at least one manufacturing execution system, wherein other functions associated with the at least one manufacturing execution system are executed by the local computer system; a service bus configured to direct requests for services to the local computer system or the computing cloud system based on a mapping that allows a mix of local and cloud-based services to be used as if the services were all local to abstract consumers of cloud services from the location services themselves; and at least one communications interface configured to receive information from at least one manufacturing site, to interpret the received information from the at least one manufacturing site, and to provide information relating to the at least one manufacturing site; wherein a delineation between the information stored in the at least one data storage unit and the other information stored at the local computer system and between the functions executed by the at least one processing unit and the other functions executed by the local computer system is a delineation between high level and low level data and functions, the high level data stored in the at least one data storage unit and the high level functions executed by the at least one processing unit, the low level data stored at the local computer system and the low level functions being precise, specific and granular functions executed by the local computer system, wherein each high level function obtains data from a number of low level functions and forms higher-order information about a process, wherein the delineation is based on a model that is selected to allocate processes and data between the local computer system and the computing cloud system, and wherein the delineation is also a delineation between real-time data and functions and non-real-time data and functions.