A systematic review of cloud computing adoption by organisations

Abstract

Cloud 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.