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1 Introduction
IT has grown to become one of the vital organs of any organization. With growing markets and competition, organizations are hard pressed to optimally utilize their IT budgets while gaining maximum benefit at the same time. This applies all the more to organizations whose main business is IT itself. Such organizations need constant analyzing and fine tuning of their IT as this affects their business directly. The emergence of cloud-based computing has proved to be a God-send for organizations aiming to optimize efficiencies and minimize costs along with high scalability of resources to meet fluctuating mission-critical needs . Cloud computing has now evolved and provides much more than just cost and scalability benefits. Organizations have discovered innovative ways of utilizing the unique features that cloud computing provides . However, the impact of cloud computing is not limited to companies. Today, it is utilized by individual consumers as well as service providers who draw great benefits from it . Educational institutions such as colleges and universities have tapped into cloud based email systems and see further potential for cloud computing in other facets of education . For example, educational institutions have massive amounts of data that needs to be stored and maintained for a long duration of time and cloud based servers can prove to be the optimum medium for this purpose . However, the three main forms of cloud computing, namely: a) Infrastructure as a Service or IAAS, Software as a Service or SaaS, and c) Platform as a Service or PaaS , and their impact on academic institutions is a subject that has not been studied extensively. While Rong and Jaatun acknowledged the immense potential of cloud computing, they do not offer a wide spectrum approach towards the impact that this technology has . Similarly, Huang relied on only two case studies to evaluate the cost implications of cloud computing in an academic environment . Further, Hastings mentions that the origin of cloud computing can be traced to the Library Society the world over; however, he does not provide a non-academic perspective . Chen et al. give what may be considered to be the most extensive analysis of cloud computing available today, as he covers the three models of cloud computing as well as the costs related to their implementation .
2 Problem Statement
The benefits of cloud computing have been long discussed and most companies, whether mid-level or corporate giants have awoken to the great possibilities it presents in the realm of IT. Cloud computing is the future of IT is a statement that most people agree with now . A more businesses adopt cloud computing, the technology has grown to become a major influence on economies. Innovation has led to a rapid evolution of cloud computing technology and, as a result, the manner in which IT operates has also changed. Studies on the subject of cloud computing have thus far concentrated upon its past developments and present reach, leaving several gaps on more specific details such as costs pertaining to the models of cloud computing as well as their individual feasibility and effectiveness . Further, most existing studies use an academic focal point when researching cloud computing and tend to overlook the practical impact that it may have on business efficiency and performance. Hence, there is great scope for researches that will assist in filling this information gap and attain a more comprehensive understanding of cloud computing as a total IT solution. A person specializing in the subject of information technology would be more concerned with the clear identification of the benefits as well as the applicability challenges of all the three models of cloud computing .
3 Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to acquire further insights and develop the existing body of knowledge on the subject of cloud computing so as to provide a more detailed and specific understanding of the architectures of cloud computing, their impact and drawbacks, and avoiding a generalized analysis of the same. The study will utilize qualitative research methods to establish the most effective method of implementing cloud computing, the maximum benefit that can be derived from such an implementation, as well as the identification of gaps and areas of growth in the cloud computing industry through the addressing of current and potential challenges. Through this study, the researcher will be able to provide a comprehensive account of cloud computing, which has not been achieved by the current knowledge attained through earlier studies.
4 Research Questions
In order to acquire accurate data that effectively addresses need for a more focused and detail oriented understanding of the impact, applicability and challenges of cloud computing, the following research questions have been drafted:
1. What strategies exist currently that aid in the successful implementation of cloud computing for firms in the marketplace?
2. What effect may the researcher measure on the productivity of firms as a result of the implementation of cloud computing?
3. What are the limitations of implementing cloud-computing solutions in the current marketplace?
5 Research Methodology and Design
This study relies on qualitative research to gather data. Qualitative research seeks to describe the complex nature of humans and how individuals perceive their own experiences within a specific social context . Instead of relying purely on numerical data, this research evaluates feedback taken in narrative form from the subjects through interviews, surveys, observation and questionnaires. As such, this research will focus on the language, beliefs, relationships, emotions, and values of the participants. Firstly, in order to find the answer for research question 1, a review of existing literature will be conducted with the aim of identifying commonalities in earlier studies pertaining to the implantation of the three types of cloud computing architecture and the extent to which such implementations were successful. Through this process, common factors and practices that contributed to successful implementations of different architectures will be deduced. Secondly, in order to find the answer for research question 2, a comparison will be drawn between the tangible gains attained from the implementation of the strategies identified through research question 1, and various firms. Through this process, the actual benefits derived solely from the implementation of these strategies can be identified, controlling for confounding variables. Lastly, in order to find the answer to research question 3, the challenges and limitations to the implantation of the said strategies will be evaluated. The study will rely on a stratified random sampling and cluster method for data collection . Through the completion of these steps, a comprehensive yet detailed view of the applicability of the three cloud computing architectures may be derived.
6 Participants and Data Sources
Both, interviews as well as questionnaires will be utilized for primary data collection. Interviews require a researcher to personally ask questions of respondents and collect their feedback. Depending on the number of questions and the time taken to respond to them, interviews can last anywhere between a few minutes to a few hours. Such a survey can be conducted over the telephone or face to face. The accuracy and reliability of data collected through this method depends on the interviewer’s skill when asking questions as well as the subjects openness and honesty when answering them. Questionnaires require subjects to answer a pre-decided set of questions posed in written or electronic formats. The need for an interviewer is eliminated and anonymity of respondents can be assured. In addition, not having to answer questions posed by a person allows better scope for genuine and frank answers, increasing the accuracy of the data collected.
In this phase, two distinct groups will be formed to collect primary data. The first group will consist of interviewers who will visit companies that have been identified as having successfully implemented one of the cloud computing architectures. Personal, face to face interview with key stakeholders such as employees and clients of the company will be conducted by the group. The responses will be recorded for further analysis and comparison. The second group will administer questionnaires to the general public to gauge their perception on the same lines as the interviews conducted by the first group. The questionnaire will be administered to male as well as female participants . The study will focus on the analysis of the primary data collected by the two study groups that have been deployed. The correlation of cloud computing architecture and other computing environments will form the secondary analysis. An interpretive approach will be adopted in order to understand the circumstances that led to successful implementations and the different perceptions of the participants. The research will also assist in identifying the changes that have taken place since past studies, enabling a more authoritative view of the current and prospective cloud computing environment .
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