A Framework to support cloud adoption decision-making by SMEs in Tamil Nadu

Cloud computing is a disruptive technology which represents a paradigm shift in the way computing services are purchased and maintained within organisations. Due to its benefits like low capital, scalability and high reliability, the cloud infrastructure has the features and facilities to speed up Information Technology (IT) adoption in developing countries. However, moving data and applications to a cloud environment is not straightforward and can be very challenging as decision makers need to consider numerous technical and organisational aspects before deciding to adopt cloud infrastructure. There are existing models and framework available to support different stages of the cloud adoption decision making process. However, they are developed for technologically developed countries and there has been very little investigation done to determine whether the factors that affect cloud adoption are any different for a technologically developing country like India. This research aims to provide a framework to aid cloud adoption among SMEs in Tamil Nadu, a southern state of the Indian Union. The major contribution to knowledge is the framework, based on Scientific Decision Making (SDM) which has been developed to support SME decision makers at all the different stages of the cloud adoption decision making process. The theories of technology adoption like Diffusion of Innovation (DOI), Technology, Organisation and Environment (TOE) framework along with Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) forms the theoretical underpinnings of the research. The primary data was collected via two web-based questionnaire surveys among SME decision makers from Tamil Nadu. Six determinants of cloud adoption such relative advantage, compatibility, innovativeness, organisation size, external issues and industry type were identified. The findings identify that 12 organisational factor specific to SME location is a very important decision factor while planning cloud adoption. The proposed cloud adoption decision support framework (CADSF) includes two tools namely; cloud suitability assessment and cloud service identification. The framework provides a preliminary structure for developing a knowledge driven Decision Support System (DSS) to support cloud adoption among SMEs in Tamil Nadu. Finally, based on the findings of the research, it is expected with developments to the existing cloud infrastructure, especially the availability of reliable internet and increased awareness, more SMEs in Tamil Nadu would adopt the cloud computing infrastructure

Investigating Cloud ERP Adoption in Australian Higher Education Institutions: A Case Study

Background: Some higher education institutions (HEIs) are constantly under pressure to deliver superior quality education services at low costs through deploying traditional on-premise systems. Cloud-based enterprise resource planning (Cloud ERP) presents an ideal opportunity to lower HEI costs in terms of scalability and pay-per-use features. Adoption of Cloud ERP is, however, still low for the context of HEIs. The successful adoption of Cloud ERP depends not only on the support of system providers but also on understanding Cloud ERP adoption from the client organization perspective. This study explores Cloud ERP adoption in the context of Australian HEIs. Method: This study adopted a case study methodology involving the in-depth semi structured interviews of several key stakeholders. Thematic analysis was used to analyze and interpret interview data. Results: Based on the case study, our findings suggest that this particular Australian HEI was subject to strategic, operational, technological, and financial motives originating from either internal or external locus. Most of the expected motives were realized, except the full flexibility of Cloud ERP. Four major challenges of Cloud ERP implementation were found. Conclusion: This study empirically investigates Cloud ERP adoption in HEIs by identifying the motives, realized benefits and challenges of Cloud ERP adoption, which bridges the research gap of this topic. This study could assist Cloud ERP providers to adjust their marketing strategies to promote the adoption rate of Cloud ERP in HEIs. Understanding the motives, challenges and benefits of IT adoption in HEIs facilitates judicious decision-making prior to selection and minimizes the possibility of the failure of Cloud ERP adoption

Adoption of cloud computing technology for exploration, drilling and production activities: Nigerian upstream oil and gas industry

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.The upstream oil and gas industry, which identifies and produces oil and gas, is essential for the generation of energy. This sector has a fragmented pattern of activities and uses real-time information and accurate results for faster and more accurate decision making. Cloud computing offers information technology (IT) services via the internet and the technology offers several benefits such as flexibility, scalability, cost reduction, real-time information, monitoring, collaboration and timely interpretation of exploration and production data. However, the cloud has not yet penetrated the upstream oil and gas sector. Generally, the adoption of cloud computing in the oil and gas industry is less discussed in academia, let alone the upstream oil and gas sector. This research aims to study the adoption of cloud computing in the upstream oil and gas industry, particularly in Nigeria, which is an emerging economy. The decision to adopt cloud computing for exploration, drilling and production is a complex process. A major outcome of the research is the development of a model consisting of factors influencing decision to adopt cloud technology in the upstream oil and gas sector. In addition, the study develops a prototype decision support system (DSS) based on analytical hierarchy process (AHP) which enables decision makers to select an appropriate cloud service model. The developed prototype DSS is described in appendix A. This research adopted a mixed method approach comprising of semi-structured interview which was used to collect qualitative data using NVivo 11 software, and a questionnaire survey which was used to collect quantitative data which was analysed using the Analysis of a Moment Structures (AMOS) based structural equation modelling technique. The findings of this research confirmed the significant factors for cloud computing adoption for exploration, drilling and production activities. This research has both theoretical and practical implications which reinforce the need for cloud technology adoption in the upstream oil and gas sector. In addition, using the research findings to develop a prototype Decision Support System (DSS) is innovative and would be useful to the Nigerian government, cloud service providers and the upstream oil and gas sector. Finally, the study makes recommendations for upstream O&G based on the findings of the study.Nigerian Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF)

SMEs Adoption of SaaS Cloud Services:A Novel Ontological Framework(Nigeria as a case Study).

The future of Information Technology lies in cloud computing, whose primary objective is to reduce the cost of IT services while increasing production output, availability, reliability, flexibility as well as a decrease in processing time. Owing to few exploratory studies that explain the adoption of cloud services, this research tends to understand the factors affecting cloud service adoption decision by SMEs in Nigeria. Also, it proposes a solution based framework to tackle the identified factors in view of promoting cloud service adoption by Nigerian SMEs. In view of the above, this thesis investigates the reason for slow adoption of cloud services with specific emphasis on Nigeria SMEs. Firstly, the existing literature in cloud service adoption by SME is examined based on Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method. This helps to inform the research gap in relation to cloud service adoption technique. Secondly, the thesis uses a mixed method approach integrating quantitative and qualitative methods to gather data through four stages of data gathering approach. The primary data gathering is based on quantitative (survey) stage 1 and qualitative (Focus Group) stage 2, which involves the studies identifying the cloud service adoption challenges specific to Nigeria SMEs. Furthermore, a solution framework CLOUDSME which includes an ontologically developed Decision Support System(DSS) is proposed to tackle the challenge identified in Primary data gathering stage 1and 2. The proposed framework consists of four phases: The first phase deals with gathering information on how various cloud services address dynamic SME user requirements identified in the primary data gathering stage, this phase forms the building block through which the framework is built upon. The second phase which is the prioritisation phase Adopts Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) approach to deal with the issue of complex comparison, also the third stage of data gathering (quantitative) is performed whereby a group interview is carried-out to compare and assign weights to service provider offering in addressing user requirements using pairwise comparison scale. The Third phase addressing the issue of cloud service ranking. In this phase, the major contribution of this research is introduced, whereby a new formalism is proposed using rational relationships to tackle the issue of rank reversal associated with the traditional AHP approach. The fourth phase of the framework is the development of the ontological proposed DSS which comprises of the information gathered in phase 1, 2 and 3. The proposed DSS promotes cloud service Knowledge management, service recommendation and service ranking toward cloud service adoption decision making by SME managers. The final stage of the research is the validation phase which comprises of construct validation. As well as user opinion and expert opinion and researcher opinion validation based on a survey (Quantitative) which makes up the fourth stage of the data gathering stages. The findings from the user opinion evaluation and validation prove the CLOUDSME has the capability to tackle the slow adoption of cloud services by Nigeria SMEs

Personal Decision Factors Considered by Information Technology Executives: Their Impacts on Business Intentions and Consequent Cloud Computing Services Adoption Rates

During its infancy, the cloud computing industry was the province largely of small and medium-sized business customers. Despite their size, these companies required a professionally run, yet economical information technology (IT) operation. These customers used a total value strategy whereby they avoided paying for essential, yet underutilized, resources (e.g., full-time IT personnel and computing equipment with excess capacity) by outsourcing most, if not all, of their entire IT function. Since that time, the cloud industry has expanded the breadth of its service offerings greatly and the economies of scale have reduced the unit price point. In addition, research suggests other factors are believed to exist that make a decision to execute a wholesale “rip and replace” of legacy systems difficult for today’s IT executives. Accordingly, this study sought to identify factors that affect the decision-making process of IT executives when evaluating conversions of applications to cloud-based solutions. While theories such as diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory, transaction cost theory (TCT), and agency theory influenced this research, motivation theory and the technology, organization, and environment (TOE) framework made the greatest contributions to the foundation of the study. The exploration of personal factors that influence current business intentions to adopt cloud computing services is an important research topic for several reasons. There is an implication of a strong academic and industry interest in the area from the considerable research conducted and published concerning IT strategies related to cloud computing. Most prior research has been limited to the benefits and basic strategies behind cloud computing and related operational and financial considerations. Nuseibeh and Alhayyan’s (2014) recent extensive literature review identified personal factors that contribute to the adoption of cloud computing services as a gap in current research. Prior research has not explored the personal challenges and barriers to broader acceptance of cloud technology. Furthermore, little research has addressed the specific barriers to acceptance or the specific factors considered in the decision-making process. This study found several personal decision factors influence the decisions of IT executives regarding the selection of cloud computing services. Data collected from 189 respondents supported five of the seven hypotheses. These hypotheses state that advancement, recognition and satisfaction from accomplishments, top management support, diminishment of personal image, and pattern of technology readiness have a positive influence on business intentions to adopt cloud computing services. The diminishment of personal image finding in the current study warrants additional research to gain an understanding of its business implications. These results may provide insights into the challenges sales organizations that cloud computing service providers face when attempting to market their offerings. Proposals that include strong, viable provisions for mitigating risks (e.g., assigning an experienced project manager to the migration project, means for ensuring data security, provisions for thorough system and performance testing, etc.) have a greater likelihood of acceptance by IT executives. The constructs in this research also contribute additions to the nomological network (a creation of Cronbach and Meehl [1955]) that may support future research into personal influencers of new technology decisions

What role does corporate governance play in the intention to use cloud computing technology?

This paper aims to investigate the factors which promote the adoption of cloud-based technology. It strives for a better understanding of the impact of corporate governance on the adoption of this technology. This study concentrated on executives in companies where the use of cloud computing may give a competitive advantage. The main contribution of this work is to propose a model for the influence of corporate governance and other factors that determine the adoption of this technology. A questionnaire was prepared after taking into consideration the reviewed literature. The sample consisted of 164 technology companies from Southern Spain that already use the new economic models for digital solutions. The methodology used to analyze the structural model was the Structural Equation Model (SEM). The results of the survey showed the influence of Corporate Governance and the procedures and practices of the organization on the adoption of cloud computing and the associated business model. This study aims to point out the importance of corporate support and Knowledge Management for the correct and successful adoption of this technology and to show the effects on the new business model of billing for the use of available resources. View Full-Tex

Review of the environmental and organisational implications of cloud computing: final report.

Cloud computing – where elastic computing resources are delivered over the Internet by external service providers – is generating significant interest within HE and FE. In the cloud computing business model, organisations or individuals contract with a cloud computing service provider on a pay-per-use basis to access data centres, application software or web services from any location. This provides an elasticity of provision which the customer can scale up or down to meet demand. This form of utility computing potentially opens up a new paradigm in the provision of IT to support administrative and educational functions within HE and FE. Further, the economies of scale and increasingly energy efficient data centre technologies which underpin cloud services means that cloud solutions may also have a positive impact on carbon footprints. In response to the growing interest in cloud computing within UK HE and FE, JISC commissioned the University of Strathclyde to undertake a Review of the Environmental and Organisational Implications of Cloud Computing in Higher and Further Education [19]

Decision Support Tools for Cloud Migration in the Enterprise

This paper describes two tools that aim to support decision making during the migration of IT systems to the cloud. The first is a modeling tool that produces cost estimates of using public IaaS clouds. The tool enables IT architects to model their applications, data and infrastructure requirements in addition to their computational resource usage patterns. The tool can be used to compare the cost of different cloud providers, deployment options and usage scenarios. The second tool is a spreadsheet that outlines the benefits and risks of using IaaS clouds from an enterprise perspective; this tool provides a starting point for risk assessment. Two case studies were used to evaluate the tools. The tools were useful as they informed decision makers about the costs, benefits and risks of using the cloud.Comment: To appear in IEEE CLOUD 201