Review of Cloud Computing in Low-Income Countries (LICs): Prospects and Challenges

摘要

Background: The term cloud computing refers to the process of receiving computer power including; network speeds, RAM, operating system (OS) and CPU as a service over the internet instead of hosting these computing resources physically within the premises of the company. It is believed that cloud computing has some challenges before, during and after migration but once these inhibitions are removed, the spectrum of benefits is wide. Developing countries are feared to be plagued with all the technological issues and the lack of adequate budget, security and infrastructure further frustrates efforts to adopt cloud computing Objective: The objective of this research is to review the extent of adoption of cloud computing in the Low-Income Countries (LICs) and determine the prospects and challenges involved in its implementation. Methods: To achieve the objective, we conducted a qualitative and systematic review. Sites such as Google Scholar, ITU, most cloud computing sites, Web of Science and Scopus were searched for publications with contents of cloud computing. Selection criteria for articles were based first on global trends in cloud computing, followed by cloud computing in LICs, the prospects and challenges for cloud migration. A well-structured mechanism was applied to extract data and qualitative methods used to analyze them. Results: Searches retrieved over 100 citations which were subjected to rigorous screening to determine the inclusion list. At least a quarter of the records were eliminated as junk URLs and duplicates, leaving 75 articles. Further scrutiny in terms of their titles and abstracts produced 25 directly related to the main topic of research. The cloud computing technology was seen as a major IT breakthrough to provide organizations with cost cutting strategies for running their businesses. The results from the review revealed several benefits of cloud computing but could only be enjoyed when the few challenges are resolved. Conclusion: The study determined that there several benefits involve in migrating to cloud computing and the LICs are finding best ways to adopt. It helps to run businesses more efficiently without worries of physical infrastructure within the premises. Large storage, easy management, backup and recovery operational cost cuts are major benefits, but can be enjoyed when the hindrances are removed.