A Framework for Cloud Computing Adoption by SMEs in Kenya

 Abstract — In Kenya, Cloud Computing (CC) is a current advancement, which offers a substantial opportunity for government, Organizations and Individuals to contract out their Information Technology (IT) requirements from other establishments. New technology amongst SMEs has been noted to be low because of numerous obstacles like information generation, processing and dissemination among SMEs and investors. Capital for setting up and sustaining Information Technology is also a big issue. However, Cloud computing if successfully adopted, it is likely going to solve this problem by offering ready and low cost of entry of IT solutions. This study attempts to investigate the level of cloud computing adoption by SMEs within Kenya by employing and utilizing a questionnaire with a convenience sample of 20 SMEs in Nairobi County that collected quantitative data to assist in determining the most applicable framework. The adapted framework is then validated through statistical analysis that confirmed a largely reasonable level of fit for the manifestations and construct legitimacy performing through convergent and discriminant validity methods. The questionnaire instrument was discovered to be trustworthy and data were analyzed where the outcome showed embracing new technology for doing business in Kenya is generally low hence the need for the Kenyan Government to develop a framework that can support the adoption of cloud computing by SMEs. If most of the Kenyan SMEs could have access to scalable technologies, they could potentially deliver products and services that in the past only large enterprises could deliver, flattening the competitive arena. The developed paradigms ideas ware founded on the Technological- Organizational-Innovations paradigms (DOI) these are paradigms that ware mostly utilized to elucidate cloud computing technology embracement. The systematic method of using literature review was employed to get new ideas on how to develop a framework and adopt cloud-computing technology.