Patent ID: 8819234

Claim:
A method for use in supplying data storage services, the method comprising: discovering a set of applications running on an electronic system, wherein an application services system in communication with the electronic system discovers the set of applications for managing life cycle of each application of the set of applications, wherein managing life cycle of an application includes deploying the application, discovering the application, provisioning resources for the application, providing application services, and monitoring the application; based on the discovery, querying a user to identify an application from the set of applications for managing the application; based on the identification, providing an application service to the application identified by the user to support operation of that application, wherein the application service is provided by the application services system to the user, the application service being separate from operating system services and security protection services provided by the electronic system, wherein the application service includes provisioning service, backup service and migration service; managing the application using a user interface provided by the application services system; communicating with a data storage service provider being separate from the electronic system to use resources of the data storage service provider in providing the application service to the application identified by the user, wherein the data storage service provider having the control circuitry supplies mirroring and smart backup; and monitoring the application by monitoring operations of the application and collecting data associated with the application, wherein the application is monitored by the application services system.