Cloud Computing and Its Influence on Business Continuity Planning

Authors

  • Ishmael Jibril Pwani University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47941/jts.2152

Keywords:

Cloud Computing, Business Continuity Planning (BCP), Scalability, Security Measures, Integration

Abstract

Purpose: The general objective of the study was to investigate cloud computing and its influence on business continuity planning.

Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library.

Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to cloud computing and its influence on business continuity planning. Preliminary empirical review revealed that cloud computing had significantly enhanced business continuity planning by providing increased scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency. The integration of cloud technologies into continuity strategies allowed organizations to manage disruptions more effectively and ensure operational resilience. Despite these benefits, challenges such as security concerns and integration issues were identified. Organizations needed to address these challenges by implementing robust security measures and aligning cloud solutions with existing continuity frameworks. Overall, cloud computing proved to be a valuable asset in supporting business continuity, provided that security and integration issues were properly managed.

Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Resource Based View Theory, Contingency Theory and Dynamic Capabilities Theory may be used to anchor future studies on cloud computing and its influence on business continuity planning. The study recommended several key actions for optimizing cloud computing's role in business continuity planning. Organizations were advised to enhance security measures by adopting advanced encryption and conducting regular audits. Developing comprehensive integration plans to align cloud solutions with existing frameworks was also suggested. Additionally, selecting cloud providers based on rigorous criteria and investing in staff training were emphasized as crucial for effective utilization. Regular reviews of continuity plans and collaboration with providers on compliance were recommended to ensure ongoing effectiveness. Finally, leveraging hybrid cloud models was suggested to balance the benefits of public and private clouds, optimizing continuity strategies.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Armbrust, M., Fox, A., Griffith, R., Joseph, A. D., Katz, R. H., Konwinski, A., ... & Zaharia, M. (2010). A view of cloud computing. Communications of the ACM, 53(4), 50-58. https://doi.org/10.1145/1721654.1721672

Borthick, A. F., & Applegate, L. M. (2020). Cloud computing and remote work: Implications for business continuity. Journal of Information Systems, 34(2), 33-44. https://doi.org/10.2308/JIS-18-068

Brazilian Business Continuity Association. (2021). Annual BCP Survey. Retrieved from https://www.abbc.org.br/en/surveys

Buczak, A. L., & Guven, E. (2020). A survey of data mining and machine learning methods for cyber security intrusion detection. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 22(1), 871-922. https://doi.org/10.1109/COMST.2019.2957666

Business Continuity Institute. (2020). BCI Horizon Scan Report. Retrieved from https://www.thebci.org/reports/horizon-scan-report.html

Business Continuity Institute. (2021). BCI Global Benchmarking Report. Retrieved from https://www.thebci.org/reports/global-benchmarking-report.html

Catteddu, D., & Hogben, G. (2009). Cloud computing: Benefits, risks and recommendations for information security. European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA). Retrieved from https://www.enisa.europa.eu/publications/cloud-computing-risk-assessment

Egyptian Business Continuity Association. (2021). BCP Trends in Egypt. Retrieved from https://www.ebca.org.eg/research

Fiedler, F. E. (1964). Leadership and leadership effectiveness. In Handbook of Social Psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 827-870). Addison-Wesley.

Gartner. (2018). Market Guide for Cloud Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Services. Retrieved from https://www.gartner.com

Global Business Continuity Institute. (2023). Global Trends in Business Continuity Planning. Retrieved from https://www.thebci.org/global-trends.html

Harrison, R., & Wirth, C. (2019). Cloud computing and regulatory compliance: Ensuring data security and privacy. Journal of Cloud Computing: Advances, Systems and Applications, 8(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13677-019-0141-1

Hashem, I. A. T., Yeo, C. S., & Anwar, R. (2015). The role of cloud computing in business continuity planning. International Journal of Information Management, 35(2), 192-200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2014.12.005

Herbane, B. (2013). Business Continuity Management: Time for a Paradigm Shift? Journal of Business Continuity & Emergency Planning, 6(3), 271-286. https://doi.org/10.1057/bc.2013.4

IDC. (2023). Worldwide cloud computing survey. International Data Corporation. Retrieved from https://www.idc.com

Japan Business Continuity Association. (2022). BCP Survey Report. Retrieved from https://www.jbca.or.jp/english/report.html

Kenya Business Continuity Association. (2021). BCP Adoption in Kenya. Retrieved from https://www.kbca.or.ke/research

Li, Y., Xu, L., & Zhang, H. (2021). Emerging trends in cloud computing and their impact on business continuity. Future Generation Computer Systems, 114, 410-421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2020.07.041

Marston, S., Bandyopadhyay, S., Zhang, J., & Ghalsasi, A. (2011). Cloud computing—The business perspective. ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR), 43(3), 1-44. https://doi.org/10.1145/1922649.1922658

Mell, P., & Grance, T. (2011). The NIST definition of cloud computing. National Institute of Standards and Technology. https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-145

Nigerian Business Continuity Institute. (2022). Nigerian Business Continuity Practices Survey. Retrieved from https://www.nbci.org.ng/reports

Rittinghouse, J. W., & Ransome, J. F. (2016). Cloud computing: Implementation, management, and security. CRC Press.

South African Business Continuity Institute. (2022). State of Business Continuity in South Africa. Retrieved from https://www.sabci.org.za/reports

Sultan, N. (2021). Cloud computing for small and medium-sized enterprises: A case study. Journal of Small Business Management, 59(3), 484-499. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsbm.12482

Williamson, O. E. (1975). Markets and hierarchies: Analysis and antitrust implications. Free Press.

Zhang, Q., Cheng, L., & Boutaba, R. (2010). Cloud computing: State-of-the-art and research challenges. Journal of Internet Services and Applications, 1(1), 7-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13174-010-0007-6

Downloads

Published

2024-08-02

How to Cite

Jibril, I. (2024). Cloud Computing and Its Influence on Business Continuity Planning. Journal of Technology and Systems, 6(6), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.47941/jts.2152

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 6 (2024)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Ishmael Jibril

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.