The document summarizes a research study conducted by the Joburg Centre for Software Engineering on the economic impact of cloud services on small and medium enterprises (SMMEs) in South Africa. The study reviewed literature on cloud computing and its potential benefits for SMMEs, surveyed SMMEs on their cloud usage and concerns, and identified regulatory barriers and opportunities. It concludes with perceptions of cloud computing among SMMEs and implications for economic growth and policy development.

1. J o b u r g C e n t r e f o r S o f t w a r e E n g i n e e r i n g
Research Study on the
Economic Impact of
Cloud Services on
South African SMMEs
Study carried out by JCSE/
LINK Centre @ Wits
June/November 2013

2. J o b u r g C e n t r e f o r S o f t w a r e E n g i n e e r i n g
Contents
• Objective
• Background
• Literature Review
• Survey Highlights
• Hype or Reality?
• Conclusions
• Getting a copy

3. J o b u r g C e n t r e f o r S o f t w a r e E n g i n e e r i n g
Objective
• Academic study
• Improve understanding of potential
economic & other benefits of cloud
for SA SMMEs
• Highlight regulatory/policy
impediments or accelerators
• Answer key questions on SA SMME
experiences

4. J o b u r g C e n t r e f o r S o f t w a r e E n g i n e e r i n g
Background
• Origin & definition of “Cloud”
• Essential characteristics:
• On-demand self-service
• Broad network access
• Resource pooling
• Rapid elasticity
• Measured service
• Service Models (Saas, Paas, Iaas)
• Deployment models (Private, Community, Public, Hybrid)
• Growth predictions

5. J o b u r g C e n t r e f o r S o f t w a r e E n g i n e e r i n g
Literature Review
• Sources “for Africa” – 100 selected
• Schüssler & Urbach/Etro – Jobs
• Moore – Regulation
• KPMG – Australia
• UCT Madisha/Van Belle and Hinde/
Van Belle – SMMEs
• Mohlameane/Ruxwana
• Osterman Research

6. J o b u r g C e n t r e f o r S o f t w a r e E n g i n e e r i n g
Literature Review
• The Open Group
• Australian Institute of Criminology
• The Boston Group
• Vendor-sponsored “reports”
• Brainstorm Round Table
“Paying as little as R79 per month for
access to Microsoft’s Office 365 suite is
palatable to even the smallest business”

7. J o b u r g C e n t r e f o r S o f t w a r e E n g i n e e r i n g
Issues Arising
• Connectivity
• Mobility
• Security
• Policy
• Choice

8. J o b u r g C e n t r e f o r S o f t w a r e E n g i n e e r i n g
Survey of SMMEs
• Demography
• Cloud usage
• Cloud status
• Concerns expressed
• Small business & the Web

9. J o b u r g C e n t r e f o r S o f t w a r e E n g i n e e r i n g
The Takeaways
• Cloud Computing – Hype or Reality?
• Getting the message
• Use cases
• Decision-making
• Risks & Rewards
• Cloud as a utility
• Financial models
• Implementation support
• Transfer of work

10. J o b u r g C e n t r e f o r S o f t w a r e E n g i n e e r i n g
In summary
• Perceptions of SMMEs
• Economic impact
• Privacy and Security
• Policy implications
• Policy/regulatory effects
• The “instant download”

11. J o b u r g C e n t r e f o r S o f t w a r e E n g i n e e r i n g
Report available
• Web site:
http://www.jcse.org.za/research/economic-
impact-cloud-computing-smmes
• E-Mail: adrian@jcse.org.za