Cloud Computing Adoption in Iran as a Developing Country : A Tentative Framework Based on Experiences from Iran.

Abstract: The employment of the right technology in an organisation can provide major competitiveadvantages. Not only in organisations, but at a higher level, governments are seeking for newtechnologies to enhance their services while minimising the costs. Although, there might beno precise definition for cloud computing, the tremendous advantages and benefits of this newtechnology has turn cloud computing to the hottest topic in Information Technology.The remarkable effects of cloud computing in economy have already stimulated thedeveloped countries to deploy this technology in national level. Nonetheless, the adoption ofcloud computing could transform the workflow in the organisations. Therefore, in order toensure the smooth transition with minimal casualties, preparations needs to be done and aclear road map has to be followed.However, the approach to cloud adoption process in developing countries can be entirelydifferent. While it has been pointed out that cloud computing can bring more advantages todeveloping countries, it adoption can be profoundly challenging. Consequently, a set offundamental and yet vital preparation are required to facilitate the process of cloud adoption.Moreover, a definite framework that is formed based on the current state of the country isabsolutely necessary.In this research, we focus on the process of cloud adoption in Iran as a developing country.We start by providing a comprehensive background on cloud computing by studying itsaspects, features, advantages and disadvantages and continue to identify the vital cloudreadiness criteria. Next, we conduct an empirical study in order to assess the state of cloudreadiness in Iran by performing interviews, observations and discussions. Finally, after weanalyse our data from the empirical study, we present our results by presenting a clear and definitive framework for cloud adoption in Iran.