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An overview of cloud computing in SMEs

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Abstract

The emergence of the Web in 1990 gave rise to cloud computing; a disruptive innovation in the bird’s-eye view of information technology. Cloud computing essentially sidesteps the need for capital investments in hardware and expensive information technology, yet has many hurdles to overcome. The purpose of this review is to identify the most discussed topics and relevant theories, while also focusing on the influential factors of cloud adoption in small and medium enterprises. This paper provides an investigation of 25 conference papers, articles, and review papers listed in Scopus and 67 articles from popular publications like Emerald Insight, Elsevier, and Sprouts. Articles are comprehended in three stages: (1) word frequency query, (2) cluster analysis, and (3) narrative review. Thus, the research design cumulatively covers 92 articles and uses two review methods; systematic and narrative. The synthesized outcome of the literature identifies four interrelations of topics; cost-services, adoption-factors, technology-business, and cloud-computing, while pinpointing at “policy” as an outlier. Findings highlight the applicability of influential factors such as “cost” and “flexibility” to multiple benefits of cloud computing, both tangible and intangible. The results encapsulate the synthesis of theoretical models (Technological-Organization-Environment framework and Technology Acceptance Model). Other summarizations are their embedded constructs, impediments, and cloud economics. The roles of other stakeholders enhance cluster-wise e-readiness for all-round benefits. Practitioners can leverage cloud benefits to augment successful adoption and diffusion. Researchers can look forward to addressing gaps in the area of policy, risks, and service models to facilitate the business aspect of cloud technology.

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Data availability

Data sharing does not apply to this article as no datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study. This being a literature review article; all publications that are reviewed are provided in the reference.

Notes

  1. Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises of 10 nations; Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. ASEAN is a global ICT primarily engaged in producing ICT hardware and ICT service exports.

Abbreviations

ASEAN:

Association of Southeast Asian Nations

CSP:

cloud service provider

DOI:

diffusion of innovation

IaaS:

infrastructure as a service

ICT:

information and communication technology

IDA:

infocomm and development authority

IDT:

innovation diffusion theory

IT:

information technology

ITBB:

Information Technology and Broadcasting Bureau

JI:

Jaccard’s index

NTP:

National Telecom Policy

PaaS:

platform as a service

ROI:

return on investment

SaaS:

software as a service

TAM:

Technology Acceptance Model

TCE:

transaction cost economics

TCO:

total cost of ownership

TOE:

technological organization environment

TPB:

theory of planned behavior

TRA:

theory of reasoned action

SME:

small and medium enterprises

WTP:

willingness to pay

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Management Faculty, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Lavale, Mulshi Taluk, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India

    Jayalaxmi P Shetty

  2. Xavier Institute of Management, Xavier University, Xavier Square, Bhubaneswar, 751 013, India

    Rajesh Panda

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  1. Jayalaxmi P Shetty
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Contributions

In this review, the authors have taken stock of the most discussed topics and identified relevant theories for cloud adoption. The study has a 2-fold goal; one is to guide the cash-strapped SME towards advancement, through information technology and the other to contribute to the research knowledge bank. JPS carried out the research as her ongoing doctoral thesis under the close supervision of her supervisor and co-author, RP. Both authors read and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jayalaxmi P Shetty.

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Shetty, J.P., Panda, R. An overview of cloud computing in SMEs. J Glob Entrepr Res 11, 175–188 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40497-021-00273-2

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