Trust in Cloud-Based Services: A Framework for Consumer Adoption of Software as a Service

摘要

Guidelines originating from practice suggest the Trust Services Criteria of security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy should be key factors affecting the trust of cloud-based systems. In our study, we test a model of end-user adoption of cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) by integrating the five principles from the Trust Services Criteria with systems risk. Using a survey methodology to collect data and analyzing it with structural equation modeling, we test hypotheses associated with the model. Our results show statistical support for the factors of security, confidentiality, and privacy as influencing consumers' trust in cloud-based services. Additionally, our results demonstrate trust in cloud-based services negatively influences the perceived systems risk, and these two items (trust and systems risk) significantly influence the decision by end-users to adopt a cloud-based system. Overall, our findings support the use of the Trust Services Criteria for assessing consumers' trust in cloud-based services.