Risks and rewards of cloud computing in the UK public sector: A reflection on three Organisational case studies

被引:35
作者
Jones, Steve [1 ]
Irani, Zahir [2 ]
Sivarajah, Utha Asankar [3 ]
Love, Peter E. D. [4 ]
机构
[1] Conwy Cty Borough Council, Informat Technol Dept, Bodlondeb LL32 8DU, Conwy, Wales
[2] Univ Bradford, Sch Management, Emm Lane, Bradford BD9 4JL, W Yorkshire, England
[3] Brunel Univ London, Coll Business Arts & Social Sci, Brunel Business Sch, Uxbridge UB8 3PH, Middx, England
[4] Curtin Univ Technol, Sch Built Environm, GPO Box 1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
关键词
Cloud computing; Risks; Rewards; Case studies; Public sector; Local government authority; E-GOVERNMENT; KEY ISSUES; INFORMATION-TECHNOLOGY; KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT; INSTITUTIONAL THEORY; IS/IT BENEFITS; ADOPTION; MODEL; OPPORTUNITIES; INNOVATION;
D O I
10.1007/s10796-017-9756-0
中图分类号
TP [自动化技术、计算机技术];
学科分类号
0812 ;
摘要
Government organisations have been shifting to cloud-based services in order to reduce their total investments in IT infrastructures and resources (e.g. data centers), as well as capitalise on cloud computing's numerous rewards. However, just like any other technology investments there are also concerns over the potential risks of implementing cloud-based technologies. Such concerns and the paucity of scholarly literature focusing on cloud computing from a governmental context confirm the need for exploratory research and to draw lessons for government authorities and others in order to ensure a reduction in costly mistakes. This paper therefore investigates the implementation of cloud computing in both a practical setting and from an organisational user perspective via three UK local government authorities. Through the qualitative case study enquiries, the authors are able to extrapolate perceived rewards and risks factors which are mapped against the literature so that emergent factors can be identified. All three cloud deployments resulted in varying outcomes which included key rewards such as improved information management, flexibility of work practices and also posed risks such as loss of control and lack of data ownership to the organisations. These findings derived from the aggregated organisational user perspectives will be of benefit to both academics and practitioners engaged in cloud computing research and its strategic implementation in the public sector.
引用
收藏
页码:359 / 382
页数:24
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