Determinants of Cloud Computing Adoption among SMEs in Sri Lanka: A Meta Theoretical Framework

Cloud Computing has recently emerged as a noteworthy milestone in the area of information and communications technology (ICT) systems development. In particular, Cloud Computing improves reliability and scalability of ICT systems, which allows small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to scale down its ICT infrastructure while improving performance. Yet, there remains a dearth of literature that explicitly addresses the determinants of Cloud Computing adoption by SMEs. This paper aims to address voids in extant literature by developing a meta theoretical framework by assimilating two dominant theories in technology adoption literature. Following the pragmatism research paradigm and mixed methods research design, a face-to-face questionnaire survey was conducted as the main research strategy. Data stemmed from 142 SMEs in Sri Lanka were used to test the proposed framework using PLS-SEM. Twenty semi-structured interviews were initially used to validate the measurement scales before the main survey was undertaken. At the end, a supplementary qualitative phase was included with eight follow-up interviews to further discuss the findings of PLS-SEM analysis. Relative advantage, complexity, training and education, top management support, competitive pressure and trading partner support were identified as significant determinants.