An overview of cloud computing in SMEs

The emergence of the Web in 1990 gave rise to cloud computing; a disruptive innovation in the bird’s-eye view of information technology. Cloud computing essentially sidesteps the need for capital investments in hardware and expensive information technology, yet has many hurdles to overcome. The purpose of this review is to identify the most discussed topics and relevant theories, while also focusing on the influential factors of cloud adoption in small and medium enterprises. This paper provides an investigation of 25 conference papers, articles, and review papers listed in Scopus and 67 articles from popular publications like Emerald Insight, Elsevier, and Sprouts. Articles are comprehended in three stages: (1) word frequency query, (2) cluster analysis, and (3) narrative review. Thus, the research design cumulatively covers 92 articles and uses two review methods; systematic and narrative. The synthesized outcome of the literature identifies four interrelations of topics; cost-services, adoption-factors, technology-business, and cloud-computing, while pinpointing at “policy” as an outlier. Findings highlight the applicability of influential factors such as “cost” and “flexibility” to multiple benefits of cloud computing, both tangible and intangible. The results encapsulate the synthesis of theoretical models (Technological-Organization-Environment framework and Technology Acceptance Model). Other summarizations are their embedded constructs, impediments, and cloud economics. The roles of other stakeholders enhance cluster-wise e-readiness for all-round benefits. Practitioners can leverage cloud benefits to augment successful adoption and diffusion. Researchers can look forward to addressing gaps in the area of policy, risks, and service models to facilitate the business aspect of cloud technology.