Incorporating cloud computing services within Maltese registered business organisations

Abstract

Cloud Computing is an emerging business model which could prove as beneficial to organisations, especially Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs). This research analyses how Maltese registered organisations are incorporating Cloud Computing services within their ICT infrastructure. A thorough look at the available literature is given to identify different Cloud deployment models (Private, Public and Hybrid Cloud), service models (SaaS, PaaS and IaaS), common advantages, disadvantages and issues. The findings from a number of face-to-face interviews were discussed and the perceived benefits and issues were pointed out. The top benefits outlined were: capital expense savings, the ability to scale and the fact that the service provider takes care of all the maintenance required. The most perceived issues related to Cloud Computing are security and vendor lock-ins. Concerns particularly related to the interviewed companies are data location due to the nature of the organisations and compliance with regulations. These findings were then compared and contrasted to a similar study carried out at the European level. In addition, reference is made to the different Cloud Services available to Maltese business organisations to date. To be able to get a more complete picture of the local situation, interviews were also carried out with Maltese Regulators including MFSA and LGA. Finally, a number of recommendations were given and attention was drawn to a number of challenging issues. It can be concluded that Cloud Computing is not suitable for every organisation: choosing a reliable service provider is crucial and having a complete and extensive SLA could avoid future problems. There is still a low take-up rate of Cloud services in Malta but with more awareness more Maltese organisat