A guide to implementing cloud services

The Australian Government’s policy on cloud computing is that agencies may choose to use cloud computing services where they provide value for money and adequate security, as stated in the April 2011 Australian Government Cloud Computing Strategic Direction Paper1 (the Strategic Direction Paper).   Readers new to cloud computing should read the Strategic Direction Paper which provides an introduction to cloud computing, a definition and an overview of its associated risks and benefits as they apply to Australian Government agencies. The guide supports the Strategic Direction Paper and provides an overarching risk-based approach for agencies to develop an organisational cloud strategy and implement cloud-based services. It is designed as an aid for experienced business strategists, architects, project managers, business analysts and IT staff to realise the benefits of cloud computing technology while managing risks

ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks: a literature review

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation is a complex and vibrant process, one that involves a combination of technological and organizational interactions. Often an ERP implementation project is the single largest IT project that an organization has ever launched and requires a mutual fit of system and organization. Also the concept of an ERP implementation supporting business processes across many different departments is not a generic, rigid and uniform concept and depends on variety of factors. As a result, the issues addressing the ERP implementation process have been one of the major concerns in industry. Therefore ERP implementation receives attention from practitioners and scholars and both, business as well as academic literature is abundant and not always very conclusive or coherent. However, research on ERP systems so far has been mainly focused on diffusion, use and impact issues. Less attention has been given to the methods used during the configuration and the implementation of ERP systems, even though they are commonly used in practice, they still remain largely unexplored and undocumented in Information Systems research. So, the academic relevance of this research is the contribution to the existing body of scientific knowledge. An annotated brief literature review is done in order to evaluate the current state of the existing academic literature. The purpose is to present a systematic overview of relevant ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks as a desire for achieving a better taxonomy of ERP implementation methodologies. This paper is useful to researchers who are interested in ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks. Results will serve as an input for a classification of the existing ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks. Also, this paper aims also at the professional ERP community involved in the process of ERP implementation by promoting a better understanding of ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks, its variety and history

Managing application integration capabilities

Majority of application integration projects fail to accomplish their goal. One of the main reasons for these failures is the lack of management and governance within the organization implementing the application integrations. Strategic and effective utilization of application integrations provides organizations with operational benefits by adding flexibility and reducing complexity of the information system landscape. Such advantages can be critical in current rapidly changing business environment. This thesis studies existing literature and research on application integration implementation and management and compares them with current practice of application integration work. Prior application integration research presents Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) as a prominent solution for organizations application integration problems. EAI is a mere technical solution but rather an organizational integration scenario or a connecting layer between business and technical layers. Few methodologies and frameworks for application integration implementation exist. Articles presenting these approaches have practical implications and recommendations for implementing and managing application integrations within an organization. They include lots of organizational and managerial aspects and observations. Specific frameworks or methodologies for application integration management on the organizational level were not found. An empirical study was carried out as a qualitative study by interviewing nine application integration professionals from five different software providers. Interviews considered three main themes: integration challenges, organizational integration capabilities and integration management. Respondents were asked to reflect their work experience and customer knowledge especially within application integration implementation projects. Most of the challenges and observations from the previous research were present in the results of this study. Management issues were seen having an impact for application integrations from the design phase until the maintenance phase. Five categories of general application integration management categories were presented to help outlining the complex and wide nature of application integration capability management.Suurin osa ohjelmistojen integrointihankkeista ei saavuta tavoitteitaan. Yksi tärkeimmistä syistä näihin epäonnistumisiin on puutteellinen integraatiotyön johtaminen ja hallinta integraatiota toteuttavassa organisaatiossa. Ohjelmistointegraatioiden strateginen ja tehokas hyödyntäminen mahdollistaa organisaatioille toiminnallisia etuja lisäämällä joustavuutta ja vähentämällä tietojärjestelmien monimutkaisuutta. Tällaiset edut voivat olla kriittisiä nykyisessä nopeasti muuttuvassa liiketoimintaympäristössä. Tämä opinnäytetyö tutkii olemassa olevaa kirjallisuutta ja tutkimusta ohjelmistointegraatioiden toteuttamisesta ja hallinnasta sekä vertaa niitä tämänhetkisiin sovellusten integrointityökäytäntöihin. Aiemmat ohjelmistointegraatiotutkimukset erilaisia integraatioratkaisuja vastauksena organisaatioiden sovellusten integrointiongelmiin. Enterprise Application Integration eli EAI ei ole pelkkä tekninen ratkaisu, vaan pikemminkin integraatioskenaario tai yhdistävä kerros liiketoiminnan ja teknisten kerrosten välillä. Ohjelmistointegraatioiden toteuttamiseen on muutamia menetelmiä ja viitekehyksiä. Näitä lähestymistapoja kuvaavissa artikkeleissa on käytännön esimerkkejä ja suosituksia ohjelmistointegraatioiden toteuttamiseen ja hallintaan organisaatiossa. Ne sisältävät erityisesti organisaatioon ja johtamiseen keskittyviä näkökulmia ja havaintoja. Varsinaisia viitekehyksiä tai menetelmiä ohjelmistointegraatioiden johtamiseen organisaatiotasolla ei löytynyt. Empiirinen tutkimus tehtiin laadullisena tutkimuksena haastattelemalla yhdeksää ohjelmistointegraatiotyön ammattilaista viidestä eri ohjelmistotoimittajayrityksestä. Haastatteluissa käsiteltiin kolmea pääteemaa: integraatiohaasteet, organisaation integraatiokyvykkyyttä ja integraatioiden johtamista. Vastaajia pyydettiin pohtimaan työ- ja asiakaskokemuksiaan erityisesti ohjelmistointegraatioiden käyttöönottoprojekteissa. Suurin osa aiemman tutkimuksen haasteista ja havainnoista kävi ilmi myös tämän tutkimuksen tuloksista. Johtamiseen liittyvien ongelmien havaittiin vaikuttavan ohjelmistointegraatioiden käyttöönoton kaikissa vaiheissa, suunnitteluvaiheesta ylläpitovaiheeseen. Tutkimuksen tuloksena esitetään viisi yleistettävää ohjelmistointegraatioiden johtamisen kategoriaa, joiden tarkoituksena oli auttaa hahmottamaan ohjelmistointegraatiokyvykkyyden johtamisen monimutkaista ja organisaation laajuista luonnetta

Development and Evaluation of a Holistic Framework and Maturity Assessment Tools for Data Governance in Cloud Computing Environments

Cloud computing is an emerging technology that is changing the way that public sector organisations consume Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in different countries. The adoption rate of cloud computing services is still very low to none in many countries. Saudi Arabia, for instance, despite their huge investments in the Digital Transformation, as part of the recent Vision 2030, the loss of governance and control of data is one of their major barriers facing the adoption of cloud computing services. Cloud Data Governance, is not only a Saudi concern, it is actually a worldwide challenge, which is under researched and mostly not practiced. This research attempted, for the first time to unlock this challenge in Saudi Arabia, more specifically, for the Public Sector, by advancing research in this field and proposing means by which Cloud Data Governance programmes can be implemented. In this research, existing data governance frameworks were analysed – these frameworks were limited as they lacked consideration of the cloud computing perspective. Hence, the purpose of this research is to develop a generalised Strategy Framework that can be utilised to design, deploy and sustain an effective cloud data governance programme; it also aims to provide knowledge for organisations that wish to apply a cloud data governance programme, to empower them to control their data in cloud environments. Understanding data governance taxonomy and its key dimensions for non-cloud and cloud computing was an important step in developing the proposed Framework. To support the development of the proposed Framework, the Analytic Theory and concept of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) were adopted. The Framework includes a number of complex operations, therefore, to ensure an effective Cloud Data Governance programme, organisations need to have means by which they can assess their current state and define their requirements. To facilitate this, a Maturity Model was proposed together with an Assessment Matrix. The proposed Framework and Maturity Model alongside the Assessment Matrix, were then validated and evaluated for the Public Sector in Saudi Arabia, as a Case Study. Mixed research methods, Qualitative and Quantitative, were adopted for this purpose, where the State of the Art of cloud adoption, data governance and cloud data governance, in the Saudi Public Sector were all analysed. Moreover, a number of Barriers and Critical Success Factors were identified for the case study. For validation purposes, the Focus Group approach was adopted, with appropriate representations from the Saudi Public Sector. The Structural Equation Modelling was adopted for the evaluation of the proposed Framework, using quantitative results from the questionnaire. The Evaluation of the Assessment Matrix was done by developing a Tool, which allows organisations to identify their levels of maturity for cloud data governance programmes, and define requirements for target levels

Structural Ambidexterity through Bimodal IT – A Literature Review and Research Agenda

Bimodality of the information technology (IT) function is one answer to the changed expectations towards and perceptions of IT’s role within an organization. Bimodal IT aims at leveraging ambidextrous capabilities, allowing to engage in explorative and exploitative activities at the same time. Research interest of this phenomenon is growing, but there is a lack of cumulative knowledge on bimodal IT including research on the related concepts of structural ambidexterity and IT ambidexterity. Through a systematic literature review of 42 papers published in a wide range of academic outlets, we identify and describe four research themes which are summarized in a conceptual model of forms of bimodal IT, antecedents, facilitators and barriers, and outcomes. Furthermore, we discuss the critique the phenomenon is facing in practice and propose a research agenda. The study contributes to both research and practice by synthesizing existing knowledge and providing guidance for further research

Strategies Managers Implement to Ensure Information Technology Infrastructure Services for Overseas Users

Information technology (IT) has become a critical success factor for businesses. IT leaders’ potential failures in implementing IT strategies aligned with the business objectives may negatively impact the success of organizations in the current global market. Grounded in the technology-organizational-environmental (TOE) framework, the purpose of this qualitative, pragmatic inquiry study was to explore the IT strategies used by IT managers of multinational companies in the United States to implement IT infrastructure services to businesses for overseas users in developing countries. The participants were nine IT leaders with experience or who have implemented IT strategies for organizations in the United States with businesses in developing countries. Data were collected using semistructured interviews. Through thematic analysis, six themes were identified: (a) hybrid cloud and on-premises adoption, (b) IT infrastructure redundancy or failover process, (c) development of standardized IT best practices, (d) IT infrastructure strategies by region, (e) measurement of the IT infrastructure services, and (f) external factors impact the adoption of IT infrastructure strategies. A key recommendation is for IT leaders to have cloud file services such as Microsoft 365 or One Drive, allowing employees to work from anywhere. The implications for positive social change include the potential to guide IT managers’ decisions that can lead to the long-term sustainability of businesses, thereby improving the socio-economic lifestyle of individuals in the United States and developing countries

Blockchain Technology for Viable Circular Digital Supply Chains: An Integrated Approach for Evaluating the Implementation Barriers

Blockchain technology (BT) is creating a new standard for all business operations. It can assist businesses in handling the complexity of circular digital supply chain management. Despite this optimistic view, several barriers hinder its implementation. In this regard, this study contributes to Industry 4.0, Circular Economy, the viability with a critical emphasis on its potential ramifications and influence on the future agenda while using BT technology in supply chain (SC). In addition, the research reduces the knowledge gap by investigating and ranking the key barriers to the deployment of BT in viable circular digital supply chains (VCDSCs) and studies their interdependencies and causal relationships. The barriers to BT adoption in VCDSC are identified through a thorough literature review and considering viability performance. These barriers are then classified using the AHP method. DEMATEL is then employed to examine the cause/effect, correlation, and connection among the 14 barriers selected barriers from the AHP classification to estimate each barrier's overall degree of impact over the others. This paper identifies and analyses the BT adoption barriers in VCDSC as well as examines how the key barriers interact. As a result, according to the AHP/DEMATEL method, the most prominent influencing barriers to the BT implementation in VCDSC are “Data transparency”, “Market competition”, “Missing infrastructure”, “Lack of standardization”, “Complex protocol”, “Lack of industry involvement”, “Financial constraints”, “Missing infrastructure”, “Data transparency” and “Interoperability”. The outcomes offer a potential path for identifying important barriers as well as insight into the implementation of BT in SC while integrating different capabilities such as viability, sustainability, and circular economy principles. Managers and researchers will benefit from this research by gaining an understanding of the challenges that must be prioritized and examined for BT to be implemented successfully in VCDSC. The use and implementation of Blockchain-enabled VCDSC continue to face challenges despite an increase in relevant practice and research. Despite the benefits of blockchain technology, managers struggle to apply such technology in the context of their company. In this respect, this paper uses an integrated AHP-DEMATEL for categorizing the BT barriers as well as the interrelationship between them. In this respect, this paper presents a The BT barriers studied are those related to the use of BT in SC while integrating different paradigms such as viability, digitalization, and circular economy. While many studies look at the barriers to BT adoption, none of them has ever included the viable capability, which means the ability to "react agilely to positive changes, be resilient to absorb negative events and re-cover after disruptions and survive at long-term periods". The study concludes with insightful comments based on the findings and suggestions for eradicating those obstacles and their associated effects

Cloud Computing Implementation Organizational Success in the Department of Defense

The DoD tends to implement user based IT systems without quantifying whether those systems would be properly utilized by the target populous. Focus is generally emphasized on mission enhancement rather than looking at how or if it will be utilized by organizations. There would appear to be no reason for cloud computing to be implemented with the same disregard for acceptance and success. The day of large amounts of data is here and needs to converge with what this thesis investigates, the factors that positively influence organization acceptance and success of cloud computing specifically in the DoD so that is can properly maintain, utilize and store that data. This research focused in depth on that utilization

A cloud based framework for e-government implementation in developing countries

Cloud Computing technology is achieving a significant cost saving, business agility, and high scalability. However, it is a relatively new technology and its successful implementation in the governmental organizations needs careful consideration due to data sensitivity. Successful adoption of cloud-based solutions is the key for realizing the expected benefits of cloud computing technologies in the public agencies. The aim of this research is to develop a strategic framework to adopt cloud-based solutions in the public sector to improve e-government processes in developing countries. The purpose of the developed framework is to reduce the time and cost of the processes that contain interaction among governmental agencies and citizens through adopting cloud-based solutions. The framework was formulated based on the collected data analysis and the conclusions from experts' interviews. This study provides detailed guidelines to a successful launch and implementation of cloud-based solutions for e-government initiatives in the public sector