Towards Cloud Computing: A SWOT Analysis on its Adoption in SMEs

Abstract: Over the past few years, emergence of cloud computing has notably made an evolution in the IT industry by putting forward an "everything as a service" idea .Cloud Computing is of growing interest to companies throughout the world, but there are many barriers associated with its adoption which should be eliminated. This paper aims to investigate Cloud Computing and discusses the drivers and inhibitors of its adoption. Moreover, an attempt has been made to identify the key stakeholders of Cloud Computing and outline the current security challenges. A SWOT analysis which consists of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats has also carried out in which Cloud Computing adoption for SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) is evaluated. Finally, the paper concludes with some further research areas in the field of Cloud Computing.