Determinants of the Decision to Transform Towards Cloud: An Exploratory Analysis of 225 CISCO Case Studies

• Main Authors: Makhlouf, Mohamed, Allal-Cherif, Oihab, Dumas, Nathalie
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: case study; Cloud computing; Clouds; Companies; Computational modeling; Continents; Contingency; contingency factors; Culture; decision; Decision analysis; Determinants; Industries; Information systems; transformation; Transforms
• ISSN: 1530-1605; 2572-6862; 1530-1605
• DOI: 10.1109/HICSS.2016.490

This article aims to identify the determinant contingency factors in the decision to transform to cloud computing. An exploratory study of 225 cases of companies of different sizes and shapes, spread over all continents, was conducted, taking into account the factors of culture, size and structure. The factors of industry, strategy and technology were also considered, as well as managerial cognition. Indeed, the companies studied were chosen in seventeen distinct sectors of economic activities. The contributions of this research are manifold. From the managerial point of view, the 225 case studies that were analyzed led to the identification of factors which may facilitate or hinder the decision to convert to the cloud. From the academic point of view, this work has allowed to enrich the research knowledge with the various contingency factors of cloud computing transformation. From a methodological perspective, this research has overcome an important challenge, the exploratory study of a large number of companies that have adopted cloud computing, in a wide range of industries, and spread over all continents.