Patent ID: 7870044

Claim:
A method, comprising: requesting payment of a first fee for access to cloud computing resources, wherein the first fee is a fixed fee; providing access to cloud computing resources via a communications network if the first fee is paid; monitoring computing resource usage levels for the cloud computing resources by determining computing resource demand and available computing resource supply; determining a grid-based batch computing price based on the monitored computing resource usage levels; requesting payment of a fee for grid-based batch computing service, wherein the fee is based on the grid-based batch computing price; providing idle cloud computing resources for grid-based batch computing service if the fee is paid; allocating the idle cloud computing resources for grid-based batch computing service based on the determined available computing resource supply when an idle cloud computing resources level exceeds a first threshold level; determining if at least one grid-based batch computing task is at a termination point; waiting for the at least one grid-based batch computing task to reach a termination point if the termination point has not yet been reached; de-allocating computing resources from grid-based batch computing when the at least one grid-based batch computing task is at a termination point; and wherein cloud computing resources are de-allocated from grid-based batch computing when the idle cloud computing resources level falls below a second threshold level that is no greater than the first threshold level.