Cloud computing for dummies? Identifying management assumptions of cloud computing adoption in organisations

Cloud computing (CC) is nowadays a fashionable term that embraces ideas, concepts and technologies which, together, could help organisations improve their information processing capabilities at reduced costs. CC offers distributed, flexible and scalable computing environments for organisations. In times of economic recession and spending cuts, efficiency makings or expansion these features could be very attractive. There are many flavours and configurations of CC term in practice in infrastructure, hosting services and specialised applications. There is a common trend to get into the CC bandwagon which is being advocated by many information technology providers and end customers and recently by mobile telecommunication providers. However, CC seems to be assessed from a short-term and cost-based perspective which could in the long term deliver other benefits. Part of the confusion is also seen as an opportunity, as CC could help companies become flexible whilst reducing their energy consumption costs and investments and thus implement green government policies. There is then a need to clarify existing confusion as to how cloud computing could generate both business value and medium-term benefits beyond capital gains. In this paper we aim to explore existing thinking about CC in order to identify and validate a number of assumptions from managers who are interested in it from different perspectives. We rank and test these assumptions to ascertain their importance and uncertainty, the latter in relation to how managers see their likelihood happening. Our insights indicate that the very same cost-related and short-term assumptions that could bring CC into further existence in organisations might hamper a wider understanding of its potential to address other business and environmental issues. In this regard, we see it as essential to translate government policy into specific action recommendations on how cloud computing can (and should) help companies meeting green targets