“Cloud Computing SaaS Assessment” (CCSaaSA): measuring and evaluating Cloud Services end-user perceptions

Abstract

The mechanics related to the success of an Information System (IS) are not yet fully clear and what more noteworthy, is that the complex mechanisms that interact within an organization, and which determine in time its success or its failure, are in continuous evolution and subjected to constant research and analysis by academics. The DeLone & McLean model (D&M) suggests the user “use and satisfaction” of an Information System as an important aspect to evaluate for its impact into the organization. For this purpose the “Computing SaaS Assessment” (CCSaaSA) has been created, and in this research it is presented with the intention of capturing and evaluating the “user satisfaction” and “user use & intention to use” of a cloud service introduction within a company. The CCSaasA is result of an integration process of three methodologies: EUCS (End-User Computing Satisfaction), TAM (Technology Acceptance Model), and SERVQUAL (Services Quality). These methodologies have been revisited and updated in the terminology, in order to capture as much as relevant information for the preliminary assessment of a generic SaaS (Software as a Service) from the end-users perspective. Due to the fact that SaaS (software as a Service) is normally offered for free evaluation periods, the proposed solution could be cost-effective and economical to implement. At the same time the CCSaaSA, when administered after a reasonable period of time during the software lifecycle, highlights trends of considerable interest to the acceptance of the SaaS and also the more complex interrelationship inside the global business dynamics. The proposed questionnaire has been integrated in the DeLone & McLean model view in order to emphasize the potentials of this simple instrument which is seen as a precursor measure of net benefits for the organization. This study wants to propose the CCSaaSA as a single method of measures, easily detectable, without analyzing the technical complexity of cloud computing, which could be useful in supporting decisions when adopting a SaaS solution or during the software lifecycle. The CCSaaSA has not yet been tested or validated, however, it condenses in it some of the most accepted theories on Information Systems, and applies them in a cloud computing environment. As a result the CCSaaSA can be used as an overall effective ex-ante and ex-post user-benefit measurement instrument.