Perceived potential for value creation from cloud computing: a study of the Australian regional government sector

ABSTRACT Cloud computing is gaining increasing interest as an enabling technology for improved productivity, efficiency and cost reduction. It also has the potential to add value to reliability and scalability of organisation’s systems, which would allow organisations to better focus on their core business and strategies. This research paper aimed at exploring the perceived potential for value creation from cloud computing in Australian Regional Governments. Using the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory and Desires Framework (DF), a conceptual research model is devised. The key identified factors that are likely to influence adoption of cloud computing are identified along with the implications to current policies, anticipated benefits and challenges of adoption of cloud computing. The research employed a qualitative approach involving 21 in-depth interviews with Australian local councils’ IT managers. The findings of this research are mapped to the research model factors, thereby presenting and validating a number of value-adding concepts that are expected to contribute to investment decisions on cloud computing adoption.

[1]  Jeffrey Soar,et al.  An investigation of the challenges and issues influencing the adoption of cloud computing in Australian regional municipal governments , 2016, J. Inf. Secur. Appl..

[2]  J. Soar,et al.  An investigation of the main factors to be considered in cloud computing adoption in Australian regional local councils , 2015 .

[3]  J. Soar,et al.  Level of policy for cloud computing adoption in Australian regional municipal governments: an exploratory study , 2015 .

[4]  Jeffrey Soar,et al.  Anticipated Benefits of Cloud Computing Adoption in Australian Regional Municipal Governments: An Exploratory Study , 2015, PACIS.

[5]  Jeffrey Soar,et al.  Collaborative cloud computing adoption in Australian regional municipal government: An exploratory study , 2015, 2015 IEEE 19th International Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design (CSCWD).

[6]  Anthony K. Tsetse,et al.  BARRIERS TO GOVERNMENT CLOUD ADOPTION , 2014 .

[7]  Matthew N. O. Sadiku,et al.  Cloud Computing: Opportunities and Challenges , 2014, IEEE Potentials.

[8]  Muhammad Adeel Javaid,et al.  Cloud Computing Security and Privacy , 2014, SSRN Electronic Journal.

[9]  Benjamin T. Hazen,et al.  Cloud Computing in Support of Supply Chain Information System Infrastructure: Understanding When to go to the Cloud , 2013 .

[10]  Mathews Nkhoma,et al.  Contributing factors of cloud computing adoption: a technology-organisation-environment framework approach , 2013 .

[11]  Hans P. Borgman,et al.  Cloudrise: Exploring Cloud Computing Adoption and Governance with the TOE Framework , 2013, 2013 46th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[12]  Angela Lin,et al.  Cloud computing as an innovation: Percepetion, attitude, and adoption , 2012, Int. J. Inf. Manag..

[13]  V. B. Singh,et al.  E-Governance: Past, Present and Future in India , 2012, ArXiv.

[14]  Will Venters,et al.  A critical review of cloud computing: researching desires and realities , 2012, J. Inf. Technol..

[15]  Gary Garrison,et al.  Success factors for deploying cloud computing , 2012, CACM.

[16]  Farhad Soleimanian Gharehchopogh,et al.  Security Challenges In Cloud Computing With More Emphasis on Trust And Privacy , 2012 .

[17]  Sanjay P. Ahuja,et al.  Availability of Services in the Era of Cloud Computing , 2012, Netw. Commun. Technol..

[18]  Lorraine Lee,et al.  Using cloud computing to manage costs , 2012 .

[19]  K. Seers.  Qualitative data analysis , 2011, Evidence Based Nursing.

[20]  Avinash Sonule,et al.  Development of servers in cloud computing to solve issues related to security and backup , 2011, 2011 IEEE International Conference on Cloud Computing and Intelligence Systems.

[21]  Leslie P. Willcocks,et al.  Business process outsourcing studies: a critical review and research directions , 2011, J. Inf. Technol..

[22]  Jose Benitez-Amado,et al.  Adoption of E-Commerce Applications in SMEs , 2011, Ind. Manag. Data Syst..

[23]  Chinyao Low,et al.  Understanding the determinants of cloud computing adoption , 2011, Ind. Manag. Data Syst..

[24]  Frédéric Thiesse,et al.  The rise of the “next‐generation bar code”: an international RFID adoption study , 2011 .

[25]  Frank Teuteberg,et al.  Decision-making in cloud computing environments: A cost and risk based approach , 2011, Information Systems Frontiers.

[26]  Aprna Tripathi,et al.  E-Governance challenges and cloud benefits , 2011, 2011 IEEE International Conference on Computer Science and Automation Engineering.

[27]  Ali M. Al-Khouri,et al.  PKI in Government Identity Management Systems , 2011, ArXiv.

[28]  Ali M. Al Khouri.  PKI in Government Identity Management Systems , 2011 .

[29]  Derek Mohammed,et al.  Security in Cloud Computing: An Analysis of Key Drivers and Constraints , 2011, Inf. Secur. J. A Glob. Perspect..

[30]  J. Steen,et al.  Organizing time: Internationalization narratives of executive managers , 2011 .

[31]  Rajkumar Buyya,et al.  Cloud Computing Principles and Paradigms , 2011 .

[32]  Kalle Lyytinen,et al.  Inter-organizational information systems adoption – a configuration analysis approach , 2011, Eur. J. Inf. Syst..

[33]  Subhajyoti Bandyopadhyay,et al.  Cloud Computing - The Business Perspective , 2011, 2011 44th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[34]  Rama Krushna Das,et al.  Adoption of Cloud Computing in e-Governance , 2011 .

[35]  Mark Ryan,et al.  Cloud computing privacy concerns on our doorstep , 2011, Commun. ACM.

[36]  Kamal Bhattacharya,et al.  Interview with Douglas J. King on “The Impact of Virtualization and Cloud Computing on IT Service Management” , 2010, Bus. Inf. Syst. Eng..

[37]  Siani Pearson,et al.  Privacy, Security and Trust Issues Arising from Cloud Computing , 2010, 2010 IEEE Second International Conference on Cloud Computing Technology and Science.

[38]  Hsin-Chieh Wu,et al.  Determinants of RFID adoption intention: Evidence from Taiwanese retail chains , 2010, Inf. Manag..

[39]  Yu Min Wang,et al.  Understanding the determinants of RFID adoption in the manufacturing industry , 2010 .

[40]  Paul Hofmann,et al.  Cloud computing and electricity , 2010, Commun. ACM.

[41]  Dustin Owens,et al.  Securing Elasticity in the Cloud , 2010, ACM Queue.

[42]  Raouf Boutaba,et al.  Cloud computing: state-of-the-art and research challenges , 2010, Journal of Internet Services and Applications.

[43]  Prashant Pandey,et al.  Cloud computing , 2010, ICWET.

[44]  Alain Yee-Loong Chong,et al.  Factors affecting the Adoption Level of C-Commerce: An Empirical Study , 2009, J. Comput. Inf. Syst..

[45]  S. S. Alam.  Adoption of internet in Malaysian SMEs , 2009 .

[46]  S. Cummings,et al.  A Guide to the Future of Strategy? The History of Long Range Planning , 2009 .

[47]  D. W. Hands.  Economics, Psychology and the History of Consumer Choice Theory , 2009 .

[48]  Albert G. Greenberg,et al.  The cost of a cloud: research problems in data center networks , 2008, CCRV.

[49]  Li Yu-hui,et al.  An empirical investigation on the determinants of e-procurement adoption in Chinese manufacturing enterprises , 2008, 2008 International Conference on Management Science and Engineering 15th Annual Conference Proceedings.

[50]  J. Grimes,et al.  Cloud Computing and Information Policy: Computing in a Policy Cloud? , 2008 .

[51]  Rajkumar Buyya,et al.  Market-Oriented Cloud Computing: Vision, Hype, and Reality for Delivering IT Services as Computing Utilities , 2008, 2008 10th IEEE International Conference on High Performance Computing and Communications.

[52]  Hsiu-Fen Lin,et al.  Determinants of e-business diffusion: A test of the technology diffusion perspective , 2008 .

[53]  Jacob Nørbjerg,et al.  Persistent problems and practices in information systems development , 2007, Inf. Syst. J..

[54]  C. Perry,et al.  Convergent interviewing: a starting methodology for an enterprise research program , 2007 .

[55]  Kenneth L. Kraemer,et al.  The Process of Innovation Assimilation by Firms in Different Countries: A Technology Diffusion Perspective on E-Business , 2006, Manag. Sci..

[56]  Jan Schilling.  On the Pragmatics of Qualitative Assessment , 2006 .

[57]  James C. Spohrer,et al.  A research manifesto for services science , 2006, CACM.

[58]  Andrew E. Smith,et al.  Evaluation of unsupervised semantic mapping of natural language with Leximancer concept mapping , 2006, Behavior research methods.

[59]  Ling Liu,et al.  Agyaat: mutual anonymity over structured P2P networks , 2006, Internet Res..

[60]  Hsiu-Fang Hsieh,et al.  Three Approaches to Qualitative Content Analysis , 2005, Qualitative health research.

[61]  Susan K. Lippert,et al.  Utilization of information technology: examining cognitive and experiential factors of post-adoption behavior , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management.

[62]  Karthik N. S. Iyer,et al.  Predicting the level of B2B e-commerce in industrial organizations , 2005 .

[63]  Yogesh Kumar Dwivedi,et al.  Investigating the Research Approaches for Examining Technology Adoption Issues , 2005 .

[64]  Kenneth L. Kraemer,et al.  Post-Adoption Variations in Usage and Value of E-Business by Organizations: Cross-Country Evidence from the Retail Industry , 2005, Inf. Syst. Res..

[65]  Laurie J. Kirsch,et al.  Deploying Common Systems Globally: The Dynamics of Control , 2004, Inf. Syst. Res..

[66]  Robert G. Fichman,et al.  Going Beyond the Dominant Paradigm for Information Technology Innovation Research: Emerging Concepts and Methods , 2004, J. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[67]  Sheena Asthana,et al.  Allocating resources for health and social care: the significance of rurality. , 2003, Health & social care in the community.

[68]  Gordon B. Davis,et al.  User Acceptance of Information Technology: Toward a Unified View , 2003, MIS Q..

[69]  Marianne Bradford,et al.  Examining the role of innovation diffusion factors on the implementation success of enterprise resource planning systems , 2003, Int. J. Account. Inf. Syst..

[70]  Kenneth L. Kraemer,et al.  Electronic business adoption by European firms: a cross-country assessment of the facilitators and inhibitors , 2003, Eur. J. Inf. Syst..

[71]  Kenneth L. Kraemer,et al.  Environment and Policy Factors Shaping Global E-Commerce Diffusion: A Cross-Country Comparison , 2003, Inf. Soc..

[72]  Young-Gul Kim,et al.  The critical success factors for ERP implementation: an organizational fit perspective , 2002, Inf. Manag..

[73]  I. Ajzen.  Perceived behavioral control, self-efficacy, locus of control, and the theory of planned behavior. , 2002 .

[74]  Ying Ki Kwong,et al.  B2B e-Commerce in emerging economies: i-metal.com's non-ferrous metals exchange in China , 2001, J. Strateg. Inf. Syst..

[75]  Patrick Y. K. Chau,et al.  A perception-based model for EDI adoption in small businesses using a technology-organization-environment framework , 2001, Inf. Manag..

[76]  Magid Igbaria,et al.  Determinants of intranet diffusion and infusion , 2001 .

[77]  C. Perry,et al.  Qualitative Marketing Research , 2001 .

[78]  K. Cameron,et al.  Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture: Based on the Competing Values Framework , 1999 .

[79]  James Y. L. Thong,et al.  An Integrated Model of Information Systems Adoption in Small Businesses , 1999, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[80]  S. Gopalakrishnan,et al.  Theories of organizational structure and innovation adoption: the role of environmental change , 1998 .

[81]  Sten Jönsson.  Institutions and Organizations , 1997 .

[82]  C. Slappendel.  Perspectives on Innovation in Organizations , 1996 .

[83]  J. Bradley.  Methodological Issues and Practices in Qualitative Research , 1993, The Library Quarterly.

[84]  I. Ajzen.  The theory of planned behavior , 1991 .

[85]  F. Damanpour.  Organizational Innovation: A Meta-Analysis Of Effects Of Determinants and Moderators , 1991 .

[86]  Robert W. Zmud,et al.  The Influence of a Convergence in Understanding Between Technology Providers and Users on Information Technology Innovativeness , 1991 .

[87]  R. Zmud,et al.  Information technology implementation research: a technological diffusion approach , 1990 .

[88]  Fred D. Davis.  Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology , 1989, MIS Q..

[89]  Fred D. Davis,et al.  User Acceptance of Computer Technology: A Comparison of Two Theoretical Models , 1989 .

[90]  E. Rogers,et al.  Innovations and Organizations , 1988 .

[91]  R. Weber.  Basic Content Analysis , 1986 .

[92]  D. Faust.  A Needed Component in Prescriptions for Science , 1982 .

[93]  D. Suchman.  Exchange with China , 1979 .

[94]  I. Ajzen,et al.  Belief, Attitude, Intention, and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research , 1977 .

[95]  C. Brodsky.  The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research , 1968 .

[96]  E. Rogers.  Diffusion of Innovations , 1964 .

[97]  Mengxiang Li,et al.  Cloud Computing Services Adoption in Australian SMEs: a Firm-Level Investigation , 2016, PACIS.

[98]  San Murugesan,et al.  Fostering Green IT [Guest editors' introduction] , 2013 .

[99]  Saudi Arabia,et al.  Cloud Based E-Government: Benefits and Challenges , 2013 .

[100]  Sameer Goel,et al.  Challenges of Technology Infrastructure Availability in E- Governance Program Implementations: A Cloud based Solution. , 2012 .

[101]  Gustaf Juell-Skielse,et al.  Cloud enterprise resource planning adoption: Motives a barriers , 2012 .

[102]  Jeffrey P. Baker,et al.  The Technology–Organization–Environment Framework , 2012 .

[103]  Sang-Hyun Park,et al.  Assessing and Managing an Organization's Green IT Maturity , 2012, MIS Q. Executive.

[104]  Goran D. Putnik,et al.  Virtual and Networked Organizations, Emergent Technologies and Tools , 2012, Communications in Computer and Information Science.

[105]  Tiago Oliveira,et al.  Literature Review of Information Technology Adoption Models at Firm Level , 2011 .

[106]  Dinesh Kumar Saini,et al.  Cloud Computing and Enterprise Resource Planning Systems , 2011 .

[107]  Mervat Adib Bamiah,et al.  Challenges and Benefits for Adopting the Paradigm of Cloud Computing , 2011 .

[108]  John C. Henderson,et al.  Preparing for the Future: Understanding the Seven Capabilities of Cloud Computing , 2010, MIS Q. Executive.

[109]  Frank Gens,et al.  Cloud Computing Benefits, risks and recommendations for information security , 2010 .

[110]  George Feuerlicht,et al.  Next Generation SOA: Can SOA Survive Cloud Computing? , 2010 .

[111]  Kai H. Lim,et al.  Knowledge Management Systems Diffusion in Chinese Enterprises: A Multistage Approach Using the Technology-Organization-Environment Framework , 2009, J. Glob. Inf. Manag..

[112]  Ryan T. DiGaudio,et al.  Climate Change and Migration , 2009 .

[113]  M. Conner,et al.  THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOUR , 2008 .

[114]  R. Briggs,et al.  Association for Information Systems , 2007 .

[115]  Jan Schilling.  On the Pragmatics of Qualitative Assessment Designing the Process for Content Analysis , 2006 .

[116]  Carl E. Landwehr,et al.  Basic concepts and taxonomy of dependable and secure computing , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing.

[117]  K. Hubbard,et al.  B2B e-commerce , 2001 .

[118]  G. Gaskell,et al.  Individual and Group Interviewing , 2000 .

[119]  Raul Espejo,et al.  Giving Requisite Variety to Strategic and Implementation Processes: Theory and Practice 1 , 2000 .

[120]  W. Richard Scott,et al.  The institutional construction of organizations : international and longitudinal studies , 1995 .

[121]  Icek Ajzen,et al.  From Intentions to Actions: A Theory of Planned Behavior , 1985 .

[122]  M. Patton.  Qualitative research and evaluation methods , 1980 .

[123]  Paul D. Leedy.  Practical Research: Planning and Design , 1974 .

[124]  Rajkumar Buyya,et al.  Article in Press Future Generation Computer Systems ( ) – Future Generation Computer Systems Cloud Computing and Emerging It Platforms: Vision, Hype, and Reality for Delivering Computing as the 5th Utility , 2022 .