Cloud computing adoption: opportunities and challenges for Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises in South Africa

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to determine the opportunities and challenges that lead to cloud computing adoption by SMMEs in South Africa by looking at the factors that influence adoption. The TOE framework is used to contextualize the factors that influence cloud computing adoption and evaluate the opportunities and challenges that are presented by cloud computing to SMMEs in South Africa. An online survey questionnaire was used to collect data from leaders of SMMEs from all geographical regions and business industries in South Africa. A quantitative research approach was adopted to investigate the objectives, and descriptive analysis was used to evaluate the relationships and present the results. The findings of the study show that relative advantage is an important factor in the consideration of cloud computing adoption by SMMEs, while government and regulatory support is perceived as a barrier. Top management support, which has been previously found by other studies to be a significant factor has been found to be insignificant in this study. The study has revealed that cloud computing presents opportunities to SMMEs and improves their competitiveness.