The Resource Based View of Cloud Computing: A Case Study

This case study is designed to explore how a Resource Based View (RBV) can be applied to cloud computing and in turn to determine the factors that affect cloud computing decision making. It further shows how RBV in Information Systems (IS) can identify the key IS resources of an organisation. The literature shows the more that IT infrastructures are being outsourced the more important the IS Human Resources become. These human resources consist primarily of the IS skills held by the organisation. This research was addressed using a single, cross-section, embedded, case study, which used a qualitative research approach. This involved the use of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The questionnaire comes from the IVI Cloud Life Cycle, a subsection of the IT-CMF. The results from these questionnaires helped to shape the semi-structured interview questions. This case study highlights the importance of IS technical skills and suggests that cloud computing decisions should be user centric rather than technology centric. A user centric cloud computing deployment that matches the staff's capabilities will allow them to work more efficiently and help to eliminate some of the wasteful operation duties they must perform.