Factors influencing cloud computing readiness in small and medium enterprises.

M. Tech. Business Information SystemsBusiness innovation driven by technology is widely seen as a key driver to transform enterprises and in particular, the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Any organization eager to improve competitiveness, retain sustainability and cost effectively will require new and better technologies with great capabilities. However not all organizations are ready to adopt these innovative technologies, largely because new and rapidly changing technologies come with new and unique challenges. The emergence of cloud computing paradigm in recent years is rapidly gaining momentum as an alternative to the traditional approach to provide or consume Information Technology (IT) services and resources. It is a significant trend with the potential to increase agility and lower costs of IT. Although, embracing this paradigm promises several benefits to an organization, an effective adoption and implementation of cloud computing in an organization requires these organizations to understand different factors. Current literature have shown that there are inadequate guidelines to guide SMEs in developing economies to determine a company's degree of readiness to adopt technological innovations such as cloud computing to transform the operations of the organisation. The purpose of this study is to investigate factors influencing cloud computing readiness in South African small and medium enterprises