Patent ID: 8612283

Claim:
A method for evaluating a cost of operating a network infrastructure, comprising: receiving, by a processor, a request to evaluate the cost of operating the network infrastructure in a form of a first plurality of rules, wherein the first plurality of rules is presented in a natural language format; translating, by the processor, the first plurality of rules from the natural language format into a cost model, wherein the translating comprises translating the first plurality of rules from the natural language format into a second plurality of rules comprising a plurality of events, conditions and actions, wherein a rule in the first plurality of rules having a higher salience is translated prior to a rule in the first plurality of rules having a lesser salience, where a salience of each of the rules in the first plurality of rules is defined by a user, wherein the cost model comprises the second plurality of rules; and applying, by the processor, the cost model to determine the cost of operating the network infrastructure.