Strategic Outsourcing to Cloud Computing: A Comprehensive Framework Based on Analytic Hierarchy Process

A common misperception about cloud computing remains that it represents the ideal solution for outsourcing non-core competencies and a simple maneuver that drives costs down. However, the reality may be the complete opposite. The cloud paradigm changes several processes, patterns, practices, and philosophies; so, while the cloud adoption must be considered as a legitimate business strategy, its decision must also be made with a great deal of care. The purpose of this work is to provide organizations with a practical framework for decision-making about the cloud paradigm adoption, as a strategic outsourcing solution. This framework defines the guidelines to map the outsourcing to cloud computing to a comprehensive multi-criteria-decision-making (MCDM) problem, and relies on the analytic hierarchy process methodology providing both simplicity and mathematical rigor to resolve it. The framework is policy-centric and takes account of the organization's contexts, as it is also built on cloud standards and best practices.