Comprehensive Framework for Selecting Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) Using Meta synthesis Approach

IntroductionNowadays, cloud computing has attracted the attention of many organizations. So many of them tend to make their business more agile by using flexible cloud services. Currently, the number of cloud service providers is increasing. In this regard, choosing the most suitable cloud service provider based on the criteria according to the conditions of the service consumer will be considered one of the most important challenges. Relying on previous studies and using a meta-synthesis approach, this research comprehensively searches past researches and provides a comprehensive framework of factors affecting the choice of cloud service providers including 4 main categories and 10 sub-areas. Then, using the opinions of experts who were selected purposefully and using the snowball method, and using the Lawshe validation method, the framework is finalized.Research Question(s)This research aims to complete the results of previous studies and answer the following questions with a systematic review of the subject literature:-What are the components of the comprehensive framework for choosing cloud service providers?-What are the effective criteria to choose a cloud service provider?-What is the selected framework of effective factors? Literature ReviewMany researchers have looked at the problem of choosing the best CSP from different aspects and have tried to provide a solution in this field. In this regard, we can refer to "Tang and Liu" (2015) who proposed a model called "FAGI" which defines the choice of a trusted CSP through four dimensions: security functions, auditability, management capability, and Interactivity helps. "Kong et al." (2013) presented an optimization algorithm based on graph theory to facilitate CSP selection. Some researchers have also provided a framework for CSP selection, such as "Gash" (2015) who provides a framework called "SelCSP" with the combination of trustworthiness and competence to estimate the risk of interaction. "Brendvall and Vidyarthi" (2014) suggest that in order to choose the best cloud service provider, a customer must first identify the indicators related to the level of service quality related to him and then evaluate different providers. Some researchers have focused on using different techniques for selection. For example: "Supraya et al." (2016) use the MCDM method to rank based on infrastructure parameters (agility, financial, efficiency, security, and ease of use). They investigate the mechanisms of cloud service recommender systems and divide them into four main categories and their techniques in four features of scalability, accessibility, accuracy, and trustIn this research, it has been tried to use the models and variables of the subject literature in developing a comprehensive framework. The codes, concepts, and categories related to the choice of cloud service providers are extracted from previous studies, and a comprehensive framework of the factors influencing the choice of cloud service providers is presented using the meta-composite method. MethodologyIn this research, based on the "Sandusky and Barroso" meta-composite qualitative research method, which is more general, a systematic review of the research literature was conducted, and the codes in the research literature were extracted. Then the codes, categories, and finally the proposed model are formed. The seven-step method of "Sandusky and Barroso" consists of: formulation of the research question, systematic review of the subject literature, search and selection of suitable articles, extraction of article information, analysis and synthesis of qualitative findings, quality control, and presentation of findings. Lawshe validation method has been used to validate the research findings. ResultsIn the meta-synthesis method, all the factors extracted from previous studies are considered as codes and concepts are obtained from the collection of these codes. Using the opinion of experts and considering the concept of each of these codes, codes with similar concepts were placed next to each other and new concepts were formed. This procedure was repeated in converting the concepts into categories and the proposed framework was identified. This framework consists of 27 codes, 10 concepts, and 4 categories (Table 1).Table 1: Codes, concepts, and categories extracted from the sourcescategoryConceptCodeNo.TrustSecurityHardware Security1Network Security2Software Security3Confidentiality4Control5Guarantee and AssuranceAccessibility6Stability7Facing ThreatsTechnical Risk8Center for Security Measures9TechnologyEfficiencyService Delivery Efficiency10Interactivity11Hardware and Network InfrastructureConfiguration and Change12Capacity (Memory, CPU, Disk)13Functionality Flexibility14Usability15Accuracy16Service Response Time17Ease of use18ManagerialMaintenanceEducation and Awareness19Customer Communication Channels20StrategicLegal Issues21Data Analysis22Service Level Agreement23CommercialCustomer SatisfactionResponsiveness24Customer Feedback25CostSubscription Fee26Implementation Cost27The lack of a common framework for evaluating cloud service providers is compounded by the fact that no two providers are the same, so that this issue complicates the process of choosing the right provider for each organization. Figure 1 shows the proposed comprehensive framework including 4 categories and 10 concepts covering the issue of choosing cloud service providers. These factors are useful in determining the provider that best matches the personal and organizational needs of the service recipient. The main categories are: trust building, technology, management, and business, which will be explained in the following.Figure 1: Cloud service provider selection framework 5- ConclusionBy comprehensively examining the factors affecting the choice, this research introduces specific areas such as trust building, technology, management, and business as the main areas of cloud service provider selection and add to the previous areas. The category of building trust between the customer, and the cloud service provider is of particular importance. In this research, the concepts related to trust building are: security (including hardware security, network security, software security, confidentiality and control), (availability, stability and stability), and facing threats (technical risk). In 36% of the articles, the concept of trust is mentioned, but in each study, only a limited number of factors affecting this category are discussed. This research takes a comprehensive look at the category of technology, the concepts of productivity (including service delivery efficiency, interactivity), hardware and network infrastructure (including configuration and repair, capacity (memory, processor, disk)), and performance (including flexibility, usability, accuracy of operation, service response time, ease of use). Considering the variety of services on different cloud platforms, service recipients must ensure that the provision of services is managed easily and in the shortest possible time by the cloud provider. The commercial aspect of service delivery deals with the two concepts of customer satisfaction (including responsiveness, customer feedback) and service rates (including: subscription cost and implementation cost), which are of interest to many businesses. The results of this research will help the decision makers of using the cloud space (both organizational managers and cloud customers) in choosing the best cloud service provider to have a comprehensive view of the effective factors before choosing and plan according to their needs

Characterising and modeling the co-evolution of transportation networks and territories

The identification of structuring effects of transportation infrastructure on territorial dynamics remains an open research problem. This issue is one of the aspects of approaches on complexity of territorial dynamics, within which territories and networks would be co-evolving. The aim of this thesis is to challenge this view on interactions between networks and territories, both at the conceptual and empirical level, by integrating them in simulation models of territorial systems.Comment: Doctoral dissertation (2017), Universit\'e Paris 7 Denis Diderot. Translated from French. Several papers compose this PhD thesis; overlap with: arXiv:{1605.08888, 1608.00840, 1608.05266, 1612.08504, 1706.07467, 1706.09244, 1708.06743, 1709.08684, 1712.00805, 1803.11457, 1804.09416, 1804.09430, 1805.05195, 1808.07282, 1809.00861, 1811.04270, 1812.01473, 1812.06008, 1908.02034, 2012.13367, 2102.13501, 2106.11996

Following (big) data in the smart city: control rooms, expertise and obligatory passage points in Santiago's public transport

Smart cities and big data have been at the forefront of urban discussions and projects over the last decade. Big data has arisen as a critical feature of the smart city to face urban challenges, usually framed by projects and policies promoting a direct relationship whereby more volume, variety, velocity and fine-detailed data will necessarily lead to better-informed decisions and, therefore, to the more effective and efficient government of cities. However, these approaches generally ignore how big data circulates and what it does. In this dissertation, I offer an alternative to previous formulations of big data in the smart city. Accordingly, I aim to analyse how data circulates in Santiago de Chile's public transport and what it does when it circulates. Drawing on the case of Santiago de Chile's public transport, I describe and analyse the emergent configurations, practices and governing techniques which enable big data to circulate. This creates what I call the data dispositif. I work with an experimental "following the data" methodology to identify how data circulation problems and their subsequent solutions emerge in Transantiago after more than ten years of implementation. Accordingly, I find that enabling big data circulation requires taking care of three emerging problems: the problem of control room fragmentation, the problem of experts and expertise, and the problem of translation. I argue that these problems are generative of specific solutions, taking the form of policies, indicators, standards, and new skills, which together produce new arrangements that allow data to circulate in ways beyond the initial operational objectives of public transport

Transforming the Future

People are using the future to search for better ways to achieve sustainability, inclusiveness, prosperity, well-being and peace. In addition, the way the future is understood and used is changing in almost all domains, from social science to daily life. This book presents the results of significant research undertaken by UNESCO with a number of partners to detect and define the theory and practice of anticipation around the world today. It uses the concept of ‘Futures Literacy’ as a tool to define the understanding of anticipatory systems and processes – also known as the Discipline of Anticipation. This innovative title explores: •• new topics such as Futures Literacy and the Discipline of Anticipation; •• the evidence collected from over 30 Futures Literacy Laboratories and presented in 14 full case studies; •• the need and opportunity for significant innovation in human decision-making systems. This book will be of great interest to scholars, researchers, policy-makers and students, as well as activists working on sustainability issues and innovation, future studies and anticipation studies

Promoting science growth in developing countries: an open science model for Mozambique

Tese de doutoramento em InformaticsIn developing countries, deploying National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) infrastructures is viewed as a determining step for fostering science and education. In Africa, several NRENs initiatives appeared, having as critical success factors: (i) NREN deployment coverage; (ii) NREN sustainability policies; and (iii) the services provided to the enrolled community. Regarding Mozambique, after an initial period with significant difficulties, the Mozambique Research and Education Network (MoRENet) expanded to integrate nearly 160 institutions in the country, although connectivity is the only service provided. Despite the initiatives taken so far, for instance, in science sharing and distance learning, they lack a more comprehensive view on how to steadily stimulate science growth in the country. It is in this context that the motivation for the present work lies, being the main objective defined as devising an evolutive and sustainable model for promoting science growth in Mozambique, which considers and adapts initiatives and best practices worldwide to the scientific and higher education ecosystem of the country. The proposed model targets and interrelates the contexts of open science, science management, distance learning, and technological infrastructures supporting science and education. To sustain the proposed model, the research work carried out: discusses the NRENs panorama in Africa and Mozambique, and analyzes the challenges inherent to providing sustainable services for the NRENs academic and research community; explores and contextualizes successful Open Access (OA) initiatives and directives in the framework of developing countries; identifies the barriers and weaknesses for the improvement of the Mozambican higher education system; and stresses the role of MoRENet and international e-learning collaborations to mitigate the digital divide in education. Finally, proposals for the effective deployment of OA and distance learning strategies to overcome the identified challenges are presented. The thorough debate on the above-mentioned aspects and the proposal for open science in Mozambique are also expected to improve the awareness of science vectors in other developing countries, promoting their development both scientifically and socially.Nos países em vias de desenvolvimento, a implantação de infraestruturas de Redes Nacionais de Ensino e Investigação (National Research and Education Networks - NRENs) é vista como um passo determinante para fomentar a ciência e a educação. Em África surgiram várias iniciativas de NRENs, tendo como fatores críticos de sucesso: (i) a área de implantação das NRENs; (ii) as políticas de sustentabilidade; e (iii) os serviços prestados à comunidade envolvida. Relativamente a Moçambique, após um período inicial com dificuldades significativas, a Rede de Ensino e Investigação de Moçambique (Mozambique Research and Education Network - MoRENet) expandiu-se para integrar cerca de 160 instituições no país. No entanto, as iniciativas tomadas até agora, por exemplo, no acesso à ciência e no ensino à distância, carecem de uma visão mais abrangente sobre como estimular de forma constante o crescimento da ciência no país. É neste contexto que assenta a motivação do presente trabalho, sendo o seu objetivo principal a conceção de um modelo evolutivo e sustentável de promoção do crescimento da ciência em Moçambique, que considere e adapte as iniciativas e melhores práticas mundiais ao ecossistema científico e de ensino superior deste país. O modelo proposto visa e inter-relaciona os contextos de ciência aberta, gestão científica, ensino à distância e infraestruturas tecnológicas de apoio à ciência e à educação. Para sustentar o modelo proposto, o trabalho de pesquisa realizado: discute o panorama das NRENs em África e Moçambique, analisando os desafios inerentes à prestação de serviços sustentáveis; explora e contextualiza iniciativas e diretrizes bem-sucedidas de Acesso Aberto (Open Access - OA); identifica as barreiras e fragilidades para a melhoria do sistema de ensino superior moçambicano; e destaca o papel da MoRENet e das colaborações internacionais de e-learning para mitigar a divisão digital na educação. Por fim, são apresentadas propostas para a implantação efetiva de estratégias de OA e ensino à distância para superar os desafios identificados. O debate aprofundado dos aspetos acima mencionados e a proposta de ciência aberta em Moçambique permitirão ainda sensibilizar outros países em vias de desenvolvimento para os vetores da ciência, promovendo o seu desenvolvimento tanto cientificamente como socialmente

Transforming the Future

People are using the future to search for better ways to achieve sustainability, inclusiveness, prosperity, well-being and peace. In addition, the way the future is understood and used is changing in almost all domains, from social science to daily life. This book presents the results of significant research undertaken by UNESCO with a number of partners to detect and define the theory and practice of anticipation around the world today. It uses the concept of ‘Futures Literacy’ as a tool to define the understanding of anticipatory systems and processes – also known as the Discipline of Anticipation. This innovative title explores: •• new topics such as Futures Literacy and the Discipline of Anticipation; •• the evidence collected from over 30 Futures Literacy Laboratories and presented in 14 full case studies; •• the need and opportunity for significant innovation in human decision-making systems. This book will be of great interest to scholars, researchers, policy-makers and students, as well as activists working on sustainability issues and innovation, future studies and anticipation studies

Ecosystemic Evolution Feeded by Smart Systems

Information Society is advancing along a route of ecosystemic evolution. ICT and Internet advancements, together with the progression of the systemic approach for enhancement and application of Smart Systems, are grounding such an evolution. The needed approach is therefore expected to evolve by increasingly fitting into the basic requirements of a significant general enhancement of human and social well-being, within all spheres of life (public, private, professional). This implies enhancing and exploiting the net-living virtual space, to make it a virtuous beneficial integration of the real-life space. Meanwhile, contextual evolution of smart cities is aiming at strongly empowering that ecosystemic approach by enhancing and diffusing net-living benefits over our own lived territory, while also incisively targeting a new stable socio-economic local development, according to social, ecological, and economic sustainability requirements. This territorial focus matches with a new glocal vision, which enables a more effective diffusion of benefits in terms of well-being, thus moderating the current global vision primarily fed by a global-scale market development view. Basic technological advancements have thus to be pursued at the system-level. They include system architecting for virtualization of functions, data integration and sharing, flexible basic service composition, and end-service personalization viability, for the operation and interoperation of smart systems, supporting effective net-living advancements in all application fields. Increasing and basically mandatory importance must also be increasingly reserved for human–technical and social–technical factors, as well as to the associated need of empowering the cross-disciplinary approach for related research and innovation. The prospected eco-systemic impact also implies a social pro-active participation, as well as coping with possible negative effects of net-living in terms of social exclusion and isolation, which require incisive actions for a conformal socio-cultural development. In this concern, speed, continuity, and expected long-term duration of innovation processes, pushed by basic technological advancements, make ecosystemic requirements stricter. This evolution requires also a new approach, targeting development of the needed basic and vocational education for net-living, which is to be considered as an engine for the development of the related ‘new living know-how’, as well as of the conformal ‘new making know-how’

Enterprise Experience : Experience Design as Business Strategy – Company X Case Study

The objective of this study was to gather information about the need to focus on designing for Enterprise Experience (EX) in the era of digital transformation of businesses such as telecom operators or TELCO. The aim of the study was to define the concept work around the notion of Enterprise Experience (EX) and further highlight internal requirements of designing for EX. This study was carried out as an internal project. The data were collected in two-fold. First, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six internal experts representing respectively expertise from Business, Technology and Design. Second, Company X organisational diagnostic was described based on maturity assessment of its use of design and collaborative processes. Data was analysed through content analysis, and presented to identify the frame of potential improvement. The theoretical section explored the foundations of enterprise experience, in relation to Experience Design, Human Centered Design and by further explaining its triadic foundation in human behavioural psychology, Enterprise Architecture and Business Design. We further highlighted the rising value in integrating Design as a strategic element in the tech industry, and established a summary of the best practices observed from the field based on a set of selected companies. Finally, we exposed the meaning of the design ladder assessment and other maturity assessment and presented how they could be utilised to draw an organisational diagnostic. The empirical part consists of understanding Company X current capabilities in relation to the application of the EX framework. Key findings were that despite the effort to create a UX team, due to our current level of maturity and the lack of clear strategic consideration of Design the EX framework application was compromised. The results suggest that to fully support our company vision and further implement the EX frame-work, Company X would beneficiate in investing more into Design. More specifically, Company X would benefit investing in design capabilities that would further sustain strong collaboration required in the application of EX framework. Starting by creating a design unit, with design operation in charge of developing design system and creating a design thinking culture across the organisation. Further research is required to fully support the measurable impact of integrating Design as a strategic element of the company business’s strategy