Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate which factors that influence cloud adoption and contribute to existing research about cloud computing. Ten hypotheses are derived from the Technological, Organizational, and Environmental (TOE) framework combined with the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) framework. Data was collected using a questionnaire and 91 companies in 17 different countries in several industries participated in the study. The research model was tested using a quantitative approach using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The main factors that were identified as drivers for adoption of cloud computing were: digital strategy, competitive pressure, trading partner support, standardization, firm size and network and collaboration. These findings have important implications and great value to the research field, companies and cloud providers as they could formulate better strategies for a successful cloud adoption. The study also provides a new approach in research about cloud adoption where the type of enterprise system migrated to the cloud is taken into consideration. Findings in this study points towards system specific requirements influencing the adoption rate.