Key factors influencing the adoption of Cloud Computing Technology in the Medical Sciences University libraries

Rogheyeh Eskrootchi, School of Management and Medical Information Science, Iran University of Medical Science, Tehran , Iran; California State University, San Marcos
Masoumeh Khalil Arjmandi, Deputy of Research and Technology, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran
Mostafa Langarizadeh, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mayank Yuvaraj, Central University of South Bihar

Document Type Article

Abstract

Purpose- The aim of this study is to prioritize the key factors influencing the adoption of Cloud Computing Technology in the Medical Sciences Universities’ libraries in Iran.

Design/ methodology/ approach- Firstly, criteria, effective dimensions and factors in implementing cloud computing technology in medical libraries were recognized through literature review integrated with the field experts’ interview. Then, exploratory factor analysis using SPSS was applied to reduce the number of factors to constitute a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire and administered to 150 people. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was utilized, and data was collected through pairwise comparisons questionnaire that was distributed among 20 experts in related fields. Three criteria, five dimensions and 20 factors were identified and concluded that the most important criteria affecting on cloud computing adoption for Universities’ libraries in Iran was expenditure followed by effectiveness and applicability. Based on each criterion, factors were ranked according to their role in implementation of cloud computing technology in medical libraries.

Findings- The outcome of the study showed that technology as a dimension and hardware availability and software availability as factors had the highest effect on the cloud computing adoption in medical libraries in Iran with respect to all three criteria.

Originality/value- The study is the first attempt to study and prioritize the factors responsible for the adoption of cloud computing in Medical Sciences University Libraries using AHP.