Book excerpt: This authoritative text/reference describes the state of the art in requirements engineering for software systems for distributed computing. A particular focus is placed on integrated solutions, which take into account the requirements of scalability, flexibility, sustainability and operability for distributed environments. Topics and features: discusses the latest developments, tools, technologies and trends in software requirements engineering; reviews the relevant theoretical frameworks, practical approaches and methodologies for service requirements; examines the three key components of the requirements engineering process, namely requirements elicitation, requirements specification, and requirements validation and evaluation; presents detailed contributions from an international selection of highly reputed experts in the field; offers guidance on best practices, and suggests directions for further research in the area.