A systematic review of cloud computing adoption by organisations

© 2021 The Authors. Published by Science Publishing Group. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/ijimseCloud computing represents a paradigm shift in information technology outsourcing. The technology renders numerous benefits such as flexibility, cost reduction and scalability. Also, it presents organisations with the opportunity to conform to environmental management system. Several studies have applied different theories to investigate the factors that affect cloud computing adoption by organisations. However, the results are inconclusive. Therefore, this study systematically reviews factors influencing adoption the adoption of cloud computing by organisations. A total of 174 papers were reviewed from different databases such as Science direct, Emerald and IEEE Xplore. Consequently, 37 of these articles have been considered to come up with the most salient factors based on their frequency. The findings indicated that technology readiness, top management support, relative advantage, competitive pressure, compatibility, complexity and data security are the significant factors that affect cloud computing adoption in organisations. This review consolidates literature and can benefit decision makers in organisations who intend to adopt cloud computing technology. Furthermore, it has laid a foundation for a future part of this work which is conceptualising a model for cloud computing adoption in the upstream oil and gas sector.Nigerian petroleum technology development fund (PTDF

Cloud computing in government organizations: towards a new comprehensive model

Cloud computing is a new information technology paradigm, one which has been adopted in many different sectors. Many developing countries are working on improving e-government to provide services to their citizens that are integrated and effective. Therefore, the Saudi government has made improving e-government a high priority. The aim of this study is to explore significant factors affecting the adoption of cloud computing in e-government services in Saudi Arabia as a case study. After identifying these factors, we propose a new comprehensive model for the Adoption of Cloud Computing in Saudi G-GOVernment (ACCE-GOV) that has been adopted from the Technology Organisation Environment (TOE) framework and the Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory. This research model examines factors of technological context (compatibility, complexity, service quality, security, and relative advantages), organisational context (top management support, organisation size, and technology readiness), environmental context (regulations and competitive pressures), and social context (awareness, trust, and attitude) in regard to the adoption of cloud computing. Ultimately, this study enhances the decision-making of the Saudi government through understanding and highlighting the most important factors that influence the adoption of cloud computing in an e-government context. This is a position paper, reporting on the work in progress. The findings of this study will be useful for the researchers who considers suitability of different methodological approaches for cloud computing adoption and evaluation

Saudi College Students’ Attitudes towards Online Collaborative Learning

Online learning has the potential to expand collaborative learning and teaching. It has tremendous potential in the educational field, as it allows people to access computing services to share and edit data over the Internet. Yet few studies investigate the growing impacts of online learning on students’ learning skills, such as collaborative learning. This study investigates attitudes, factors, and challenges to adopt online applications by Saudi students at King Abdul-Aziz University to support collaborative learning. The hypothesized model was developed through the Technology Acceptance Model of Davis, and the Diffusion of Innovation model of Rogers. Three hundred and six students participated in an electronic survey (138 female and168 male). The findings reveal the students have positive attitudes toward collaborative learning with their classmates (M = 4.07, SD = .78), and have positive attitudes toward adopting online collaborative learning, (M = 3.96, SD = .77). Of the participants, 60.1% use online applications for their learning, and 69.9% preferred the learning style that mix between collaborative and individual learning style. There was a significant relationship between the overall attitudes of the students (M = 3.96, SD = .77), and perceived usefulness of online applications in collaborative learning (M = 4.09, SD = .68), with r (306) = .774, p = .00. Students reported facing three major barriers to adopt online collaborative learning, which are data concerns (M = 3.86, SD = 1.01), privacy issues (M = 3.64 and SD = 1.22), and security issues (M = 3.47 and SD = 1.19). Of three predictors: age, gender, and education major, none were significant predictors of student attitudes towards adopting online collaborative learning (F (3,302) = 1.32, p .05). Given that the online applications can be a very useful solution for education, as it may reduce the costs incurred for the purchase of computers, other equipment, and for employing IT people, it is urgent that universities and administrators start implementing this solution

Cloud computing adoption barriers faced by Saudi manufacturing SMEs

Cloud Computing is arguably the most significant technological development after the Internet. It accelerated technology adoption and gave birth to new business models. More importantly, it is acting as a foundation for new technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Cloud Computing paradigm provides a level playing field for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) as they are able to adopt technologies that were not affordable before. Governments, vendors and business support organisations across the world have a plethora of initiatives to encourage SME adoption of Cloud Computing technologies. Despite these initiatives, many SME decision makers are still hesitant to adopt the cloud. This research reports an engagement with 16 information technology (IT) managers working for Saudi manufacturing SMEs. This paper presents their perceived barriers to migrating their applications to cloud services

Challenges Envisioned in E-Learning on EFL Learners’ Performance: A Case Study in Samtah Campus

E-learning is a process of learning, through electronic technology outside a traditional classroom. It may be a course, a program or a degree delivered completely online. It is a learning environment which uses Information and Communication Technologies as a platform for teaching and learning activities. It has been defined as "pedagogy empowered by technology", though 'digital technology' is more appropriate. It involves the use of electronic devices like PC, laptop etc., to provide learning material and training. The present study was aimed: To investigate the current problems of EFL learners and teachers in e-learning - A questionnaire was administered to EFL learners to identify the problems of e- learning and an open-ended questionnaire was given to the EFL teachers to examine the problems that they have faced while teaching online courses. To study the impact of e-learning on EFL learners’ performance among undergraduate students of Jazan University - The samples chosen randomly from different levels, showed that most of the learners have scored well in online quizzes and assignments, while their scores are relatively low in final exams. To suggest a few perspectives on e-learning to improve the performance of EFL learners - There is a possibility of use of proxy, in online assessment tests and scope for plagiarism, which will be difficult to control or regulate. Hence, the teachers must design the assignments and quizzes in a way to keep check and gauge the level of comprehension among the students; Teachers and learners should be oriented on e-learning and its related hardware/software to motivate adoption of e learning - a modern technology in the education process. Keywords: E-learning, EFL learners, challenges, performance

The Influence of Personal and Organizational Factors on Researchers’ Attitudes towards Sustainable Research Productivity in Saudi Universities

This paper studies organisational and personal factors affecting the behaviour of academic staff in Saudi universities. It seeks to investigate the beliefs of academic staff regarding the use of ICT and other factors to enhance the productivity of their scientific research. Also, this study aims to improve the sustainability of publication in Saudi universities. ICT includes using the library system for accessing research repository databases such as Science Direct, Web of Science, Scopus, etc. and other factors. The authors also developed the Importance Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) for these factors in order to provide guidelines for Saudi universities to build university systems to manage and measure the research productivity of academic staff. In summary, this research identifies factors critical to enhancing research productivity in Saudi universities. This will help to improve the sustainability of publication in Saudi universities. By enhancing the sustainability of publication, the reputation of Saudi universities will be improved and the reputation of academic staff in Saudi universities. As well the sustainability of publication will assist the promote of Saudi academic staff. The results show that personal factors such as personal use of ICT and organisational factors such as job satisfaction, university policy, IT funding, international collaboration and the level of ICT use in the university have positive effects on scientific research productivity among academic staff at Saudi universities.The authors wish to thank Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) under Research University Grant Vot-20H04, Malaysia Research University Network (MRUN) Vot 4L876 and the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) Vot 5F073 supported under Ministry of Education Malaysia for the completion of the research. The work is partially supported by the project of the Grant Agency of Excellence, University of Hradec Kralove, FIM, Czech Republic (ID: 2206-2019) and by the SPEV project, University of Hradec Kralove, FIM, Czech Republic (ID: 2103–2019). This project is also partially supported by the grant TIN2016-75850-R from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness with FEDER funds

Holistic Approach Framework for Cloud Computing Strategic Decision-Making in the Healthcare Sector (HAF-CCS)

Cloud Computing is an evolving information technology paradigm that impacts many sectors in many countries. Cloud Computing offers IT services anytime, anywhere via any device and is applicable to healthcare organisations, offering a potential cost saving of 15% to 37%. This research investigates Cloud Computing as a facilitating technology to solve some of the challenges experienced by healthcare organisations such as the high cost of implementing IT solutions. The purpose of this research is to develop and apply an Holistic Approach Framework for Cloud Computing Strategic Decision-Making in the Healthcare Sector (HAF-CCS) to provide a systematic approach to the adoption of Cloud Computing that considers different perspectives. Although, Cloud Computing is becoming widely used, there is limited evidence in the literature concerning its application in the Saudi healthcare sector. In the thesis, current cloud adoption decision-making frameworks are analysed and the need to develop a strategic framework for Cloud Computing decision-making processes which emphasises a multidisciplinary holistic approach is identified. Understanding the different strategic aspects of Cloud Computing is important and could encourage organisations to adopt this model of computing since the decision regarding whether to adopt Cloud Computing is potentially a complex process; there are many perspectives to be considered, and studying this process requires a multiple perspective framework. The framework developed in this thesis aims to support decision-makers in healthcare organisations by covering five perspectives of Cloud Computing adoption: Organisation, Technology, Environment, Human and Business. The framework integrates the TOE (Technology-Organisation-Environment) framework with the Information Systems Strategy Triangle (IS Triangle) and the HOT-fit (Human- Organisation-Technology) model to support an holistic evaluation of the determinants of Cloud Computing adoption in healthcare organisations. The factors that will affect Cloud Computing adoption in healthcare organisations in Saudi Arabia have been identified using quantitative and qualitative methods, and a case study approach was implemented to validate the framework. The results of the validation showed that the framework can support decision-makers in understanding an organisation’s position regarding Cloud Computing and identifying any gaps that may hinder Cloud Computing adoption. The framework can also provide healthcare organisations with a strategic assessment tool to help in gaining the advantages of Cloud Computing

Information Security Risk Management (ISRM) Model for Saudi Arabian Organisations

This research aimed to investigate the factors influencing information security risk management (ISRM) and develop an ISRM model for large Saudi Arabian organisations. The study employed an exploratory research method following a top-down design approach. The research was conducted in two sequential phases: an interview and a focus group discussion. The research identified 14 factors grouped into the people, process, and technology that influence ISRM in large Saudi Arabian organisations. The proposed model can successfully guide large Saudi Arabian organisations to implement ISRM standards more effectively

Factors influencing cloud computing adoption in Yemen higher education institutions

Cloud-based technology, which is now well established, helps reducing costs and providing accessibility, reliability and flexibility. However, the Yemen Higher educational system has not yet embraced cloud computing due to security and privacy concerns, lack of trust, negative cultural attitudes (i.e. tribalism), and most importantly, little digital devices experience in educational settings as well as lack of knowledge and technical know-how. Thus, this study proposes a conceptual model of cloud computing (CC) adoption in Yemen HEIs by investigating the influence of Technology, Organization and Environment (TOE) factors. In addition, this study investigates the moderating effect of tribalism culture in the relationships between the identified factors and CC adoption. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative approaches. A preliminary study through semi-structured interviews with ten (10) participants from top management of HEIs to refine and confirm the proposed model. The quantitative approach was used to determine the factors that influence CC adoption in Yemen HEIs through a questionnaire survey. Data were collected from 328 respondents in 38 HEIs and analyzed using Partial Least Square (PLS) Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results showed that relative advantage, reliability, compatibility, security, technology readiness, top management support, regulatory policy and competitive pressure have a positive significant impact on CC adoption. However, tribalism culture has a negative significant impact towards CC adoption. The study also found that tribalism culture moderates the relationship between compatibility, reliability, security, relative advantage, regulatory policy and CC adoption. This study contributes to TOE model adoption by including the cultural factor as a moderator towards CC adoption in Yemen HEIs. The study also provides a model and insights for HEIs, technology consultants, vendors and policy makers in better understanding of the factors that influence CC adoption in least developed countries (LDCs), specifically, Yemen

Faculty Perceptions and Use of Web 2.0 Tools in Saudi Arabian Higher Education

This study investigated factors that predict Saudi Arabian faculty members\u27 intentions to adopt and use Web 2.0 tools and to assess faculty\u27s awareness of the educational benefits of Web 2.0 tools to supplement classroom instructions in higher education. One hundred and three faculty members (34 male and 69 female) from a large university in the Western region of Saudi Arabia participated in the web survey. The framework and model for explaining and predicting the contributing factors towards the decision to adopt and use of Web 2.0 tools was the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behavior (DTPB). The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach was utilized to analyze data collected from the web survey. Results indicate that positive attitudes and perceived usefulness are significant predictors of Saudi Arabian faculty members\u27 intentions to use Web 2.0 tools. Moreover, findings indicate that Saudi Arabian faculty members intend to use Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis, and social networking in their future classrooms to improve students\u27 learning, student-student interaction, student-faculty interaction, and students\u27 writing ability. Research implications for administrators and higher educational institutions indicate that professional development programs could be designed based on the significant predictors in the DTPB to support a successful integration of Web 2.0 tools in higher education