Measuring the adoption of cloud computing in technology companies through a cloud maturity model

Abstract

Cloud computing has emerged in the market delivering promises held since decades ago by movements like “grid computing” or “utility computing”. Nevertheless, research on cloud computing has typically had a focus on the technology around cloud computing, leaving a gap between technology related research and holistic research that includes business and socioeconomic aspects. Such gaps in knowledge are reflected in the challenges organizations face when they begin to adopt cloud computing. There is a need for tools that allow organizations to assess their cloud readiness and devise a roadmap towards an effective use of cloud computing. This work proposes a simplified maturity model to assess cloud readiness in enterprises. The simplified maturity was tested during a study in which a set of technology companies participated to assess their cloud maturity. The results obtained validate the simplified maturity model, and provide insight into the status of cloud adoption.