Privacy & security in the Cloud

Privacy and security issues are frequently presented as major inhibitors of cloud adoption. Some of these are operational issues and others relate to regulatory and compliance requirements that vary by industry and location. There is a growing body of guidance that seeks to clarify the implications of these concerns for various parts of the cloud supply chain. This paper provides a review of the business and legal risks associated with cloud computing and critically reviews the guidance available. It pays particular attention to the implications of the PRISM revelations for the development of a cloud marketplace that aims to keep data private and secure. A number of responses to cloud risks are available, including technological fixes and business responses. Each response has its own costs and requirements in terms of organisational capability and the paper evaluates the various responses that potential cloud adopters can use to manage the risks associated with cloud computing

Managing the move to the cloud – analyzing the risks and opportunities of cloud-based accounting information systems

The accounting industry is being disrupted by the introduction of cloud-based accounting information systems (AIS) that allow for a more efficient allocation of work between the accountant and the client company. In cloud-based AIS, the accountant and the client company as well as third parties such as auditors can simultaneously work on the data in real time. This, in turn, enables a much more granular division of work between the parties. This teaching case considers Kluuvin Apteekki, a small pharmacy business whose owner faces critical management decisions on how to embrace this new opportunity to move to the cloud. Students are guided to evaluate the advantages and drawbacks of cloud computing in the specific context of accounting services. Also, the owner must make a set of critical decisions concerning which tasks to outsource The accounting process comprises of several tasks and sub-tasks, adding to the complexity of the decision making problem. The main learning outcome of the case is related to the development of the skills and competencies needed in creating a strong business case for implementing IT-enabled business processes.Non Peer reviewe

Exploring big data’s strategic consequences

Big data multiplies the potential of organizational data engagement and the shaping of enterprise strategy processes. The paper argues that big data qualitatively alters strategic processes by extending managerial possibilities for acting on both structured and unstructured information because the conceptually presumed linear links between corporate strategy, firm structure and information systems design no longer hold. Big data draws organizational information systems into a shifting dynamic of altered forms of information access and use as part of a wider complex loop of interventions and analyses. Big data analyses are for many firms becoming indispensable strategic ploys which themselves alter strategies that further mobilize big data consequences. The paper also argues that the use of big data for directing enterprise activities effects behavioural and political organizational consequences. The paper conclude

Exploring vendor capabilities in the cloud environment: a case study of Alibaba Cloud Computing

Cloud computing has been viewed as an effective enabler for enhanced operational efficiency and flexibility in the present-day intensely competitive business environment. Despite the increased knowledge on cloud computing, very few studies have been conducted to explore vendors' capabilities for service development and delivery. This gap prevents us from developing a full understanding of the service provision process and the actions through which vendors develop cloud services and create value for clients. In this paper, we present an in-depth qualitative case study of Alibaba Cloud Computing, China’s biggest Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) vendor, and identify five important capabilities, namely, cloud platform development, cloud platform deployment, IaaS imitation, IaaS commercialization, and IaaS improvement. We suggest that these capabilities and the associated actions are central to vendors’ adoption of cloud computing, acquisition of knowledge, and delivery and improvement of their cloud service provision. This paper contributes incrementally to the evolving scholarship on cloud computing and also offers useful guidelines for current and aspiring vendors

Networked Heterogeneous Systems in a ROS-Enabled Cloud Environment

It is important in the development of cloud robotics that the challenges presented by transferring computational loads to networked resources are properly addressed. The challenges include network latency, data integrity, security, and privacy. The objective of the present work is to investigate the issues of latency and data integrity in a representative cloud robotics environment. The present work involves setting up a cloud robotics network in an open-source Robot Operating System (ROS) framework and carrying out investigations on the levels of latency and reduction in data integrity as utilization of the network increases. In this study, a virtual datacenter has been set up to provide the foundation on which to build software systems to provide cloud services. Robot Operating System (ROS) framework has been used to facilitate communication among heterogeneous systems in the network. Three types of robots, including the Parrot AR.Drone2.0, the Kobuki Turtlebot 2, and the LEGO EV3 have been implemented in the system. The system has been tested for baseline connectivity and under low- and high-bandwidth conditions to determine the latency and data integrity of the network connections. Additionally, a heterogeneous system consisting of sensor feedback from the AR.Drone2.0 and motor control of the Turtlebot 2 has been built to examine the connection between the devices themselves. Through this study, it has been demonstrated that under low-bandwidth conditions, the network performs reasonably well in the areas of latency and data integrity. However, for high-bandwidth conditions involving image transmission, the network performance deteriorates considerably, both in terms of latency and data integrity. One possible reason is the wireless router used in the current setup. It is also recommended that, especially under high-bandwidth loads, it is necessary for networked systems to perform some portion of their computations on-board and high-bandwidth wireless connectivity to the cloud is facilitated. Ongoing research and future directions are also outlined

Moving to the cloud corporation: how to face the challenges and harness the potential of cloud computing

Cloud technology is being adopted by corporations around the world. Its introduction brings not only challenges but also huge opportunities and potential. Moving to the Cloud Corporation outlines everything that a manager needs to know in order to make strategic decisions about cloud technology. This sharp and easy-to-read book explores the future potential of cloud over the next ten years, including the profound implications that it can have for businesses and their employees if it is managed correctly, alongside the fundamentals of cloud technology, from its introduction through to implementation and management. Based upon a wealth of research and data from a survey of over 1,000 business and IT executives, this book also features over 45 interviews with key international cloud providers, integrators and users, which provides a deep insight into the progress of the cloud so far and supports the need for a new operating model. This is the essential guide for managers who want to understand the impact and implications that cloud technology can have on a business over the next ten years

Impact of Cloud Computing on Business Process Outsourcing - Case: Accounting in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

Cloud computing is a model for providing on-demand access to a shared pool of computational resources in a cost-efficient and convenient manner, involving minimal interaction with the cloud provider. Within the last eight years cloud computing has evolved from a promising, emerging technology to a credible alternative for fulfilling organizations' IT needs. Previous research has addressed a variety of issues including cloud sourcing and implementation in organizations. However, there is a gap in our understanding when it comes to the implications of cloud-based information systems on business process outsourcing (BPO). The objective of this dissertation is to contribute to the understanding of how the introduction of cloud-based-information systems affects BPO arrangements. The context of this research is professional business-to-business (B2B) services outsourcing by small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). This setting is depicted as an outsourcing triangle, which includes a client company, a professional service provider, and a cloud-based information system. The four essays included in this dissertation investigate the implications of cloud computing from the perspective of the three sides of the triangle. The first essay seeks to understand factors behind cloud computing adoption in organizations. The second and third essays investigate the outsourcing patterns of client companies and BPO decision-making in the context of cloud-based information systems. Finally, the fourth essay addresses changes in the organization of professional service providers. The main theoretical contributions of the dissertation include (1) a revised cloud computing adoption framework, (2) a conceptualization of the outsourcing continuum, (3) an enhanced understanding of transaction costs in the cloud context, and (4) a framework of virtual organization for professional B2B service providers. For practitioners, this dissertation offers a set of guidelines for the implementation of cloud-based information systems in BPO arrangements, and the reorganization of work to suit the technology

Critical Success Factors in the Offshore Business Process Outsourcing of Debt Collection to India

This research identifies critical success factors for the offshore business process outsourcing of debt collection to India. It develops a critical success factor model for offshore debt collection incorporating the new concept of Opaque Indifference. Opaque Indifference is a series of constructed states eliminating negative cues for debtors dealing with offshore debt collectors. The research contributes to the existing literature by applying information systems outsourcing theory to the offshore business process outsourcing of debt collection

The role of digital infrastructures in performances of organizational agility

Organizational agility has received much attention from practitioners and researchers in Information Systems. Existing research on agility, however, often conceptualizes information systems in a traditional way, while not reflecting sufficiently on how, as a consequence of digitalization, they are turning into open systems defined by characteristics like modularity and generativity. The concept of digital infrastructures captures this shift and stresses the evolving, socio-technical nature of such systems. This thesis sees IT in large companies as digital infrastructures and organizational agility as a performance within them. In order to explain how such infrastructures can support performances of agility, a focus on the interactions between IT, information and the people using and designing them is proposed. A case study was conducted within Telco, a large telecommunications firm in the United Kingdom. It presents three projects employees regarded as agile. A critical realist ontology is applied in order to identify generative mechanisms for agility. The thesis develops a theory of agility as a performance within digital infrastructures. This contains the central generative mechanism of agilization – making an organization more agile by cultivating digital infrastructures and minding flows of information to attain an appropriate level of agility. This is supported by the related mechanisms of informatization and infrastructuralization. Moreover, the concept of bounded agility illustrates how people in large organizations do not strive for agility unreservedly, instead aiming for agility in well-defined areas that does not put the business at risk. This theory of agility and the concept of bounded agility constitute the main theoretical contributions of this thesis. It also contributes clear definitions of the terms ‘information’ and ‘data’ and aligns them to the ontology of critical realism. Finally, the proposed mechanisms contribute to an emerging middle range theory of organizational agility that will be useful for practitioners