Problem: Practical industry advancements associated with cloud computing in the contextof supply chain rapidly proliferate. However, there is a lack of academic research that investigatesthe application of this technology from a theoretical standpoint. A significantpart of the literature explores the perceived advantages and disadvantages related to the decision-making process of the adoption of the specific technology, rather than the perceivedbenefits and challenges when the cloud has been already adopted and used. Furthermore,absent from the literature is a thorough understanding of the cloud-based applications inthe industry of 3PLs, and the perceived benefits and challenges not only from the userχsside but from the supply side as well. The research is limited referring to critical aspects ofcloud computing applied on 3PLs within a theoretical basis. Thus, in this study, the authorsaim at filling these gaps by exploring what types of cloud-based services are applied on3PLs, what are the perceived benefits and challenges from the 3PLs perspective as well asfrom their cloud providers/IT companies. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate what cloud-based services are used inthe 3PL industry as well as the challenges and benefits perceived by the cloud providers of3PL firms and by the 3PL firms that use this technology. In order to gain a thorough understandingof this usage and grasp the full picture within the focal industry, the research isfocusing on the perspectives of three cloud providers and three 3PLs that use and/or providecloud based services. Method: : This is a qualitative study. The authors are making use of a case study strategywith six investigated companies. The majority of the data is gathered from semi-structuredinterviews, while documentary secondary data concerning basic companiesχ information,have been collected as well. The analysis of the findings is based on the revision of the settedapriori codes by the authors. A cross-analysis between 3PLs and cloud providers ofthose firms is being conducted in order to identify the perceived challenges and benefits ofcloud by both, within the 3PL industry. Conclusion: The findings of this thesis demonstrate Software as a Service (SaaS) and moreprecisely, transportation administration (TA) software, as the most prevailing cloud-basedsystem applied in the 3PL industry nowadays. It has been revealed that 3PLs benefit fromcloud technology in terms of cost savings, strategic flexibility, access to leading-edge IT resourcesand security, whereas the challenges faced are related to performance and strategicaspect. Furthermore, the authors identify and propose the different phases of cloud computingimplementation in the 3PL sector. Lastly, a model of perceived challenges and benefitsof cloud in 3PLs firms has been compiled and presented.

Cette thèse cherche à traiter des sujets de l’adoption de cloud et la décision de cloud. Elle analyse des déterminants de l’adoption, discute des services de cloud et compare des fournisseurs de cloud. Cloud computing a des dimensions à la fois techniques et organisationnelles. Jusqu’à présent, la dimension organisationnelle a reçu peu d’attention, et cloud computing a été essentiellement considéré d’un point de vue technique. Cependant, la “cloudification” des systèmes d’information pose de nombreuses questions économiques et managériales qui doivent être évaluées. Il est donc important d’enrichir notre compréhension des phénomènes liés à la "virtualization" de l’information, à travers un examen de leurs caractéristiques multidimensionnelles. En général, cette thèse démontre que l’utilité perçue, la facilité d’utilisation perçue, la complexité et la compatibilité sont des facteurs clés de l’adoption du cloud, le savoir-faire informatique joue également un rôle important dans le processus de la décision ; la plupart des petits fournisseurs de cloud ont des performances plus stables et plus performantes que les grands fournisseurs de cloud, la performance du processeur ayant un impact significatif sur le prix. Cette thèse contribue beaucoup aux dimensions théoriques et managériales de la recherche sur cloud, mais il y a plus de travail de recherche à faire du point de vue de l’adoption de cloud et de la prise de décision dans le cloud. La recherche future se concentrera sur les limites de la recherche. / This dissertation addresses cloud computing adoption and decision-making issues. It analyzes adoption determinants, discusses cloud services, and compares cloud providers. Cloud computing has both technical and organizational dimensions. Until recently the organizational dimension has received little attention, and cloud computing has essentially been considered from a technical perspective. However, the "cloudification" of information systems poses many economic and managerial questions that need to be evaluated. It is therefore important to enrich our understanding of phenomena related to the "virtualization" of information, through an examination of their multidimensional characteristics. Overall, this dissertation finds that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, complexity and compatibility are key factors for cloud adoption, It know-how plays also an important role in the decision process; most small cloud providers have more stable and better computing performance than large cloud providers, the performance of CPU impact price significantly. This dissertation contributes a lot to the theoretical and managerial dimensions of cloud computing research, however, there exists more research work to do as the aforementioned research limitations from the perspective of cloud adoption and cloud decision-making. Future research will focus on the limitions of the research.

Digitalization has been going on for a long period of time and has affected large parts of society. Accounting is one of the areas where digitalization has been crucial for efficiency and improved systems. Cloud-based accounting systems, offered by various cloud providers, are one of these systems that has been affected. Collection of data has taken place through a qualitative structure with a multiple case study design, all interviewees have been involved in decision-making around cloud-based accounting systems. By using the service model, TAM-model and TOE-framework, an analysis has been made based on cloud services and what they offer. Based on previous research and the collected data, the service model shows that the advantages of implementing cloud-based accounting systems are cost savings and flexibility. Previous research mentions that the disadvantages of implementation are aspects regarding security and privacy which the collected data partly confirms, however it also shows that developments have taken place in the area. The TAM-model examines factors that influence the acceptance and adoption of cloud- based accounting systems based on usability and ease of use. Previous research and collected data show a positive correlation between these variables and cloud-based accounting systems. The TOE-framework includes factors that influence technology use and technology adoption of cloud-based accounting systems based on technical, organizational and environmental aspects. Previous research and collected data show a positive correlation between these aspects and cloud- based accounting systems.

The usage of cloud computing in order to move away from local servers and infrastructure have grown enormously the last decade. The ability to quickly scale capacity of servers and their resources at once when needed is something that can both be a price saver for companies and help them deliver high end products that will function correctly at all times even under heavy load to their customers. To meet todays challenges, one of the strategic directions of Attentec, a software company located in Linköping, is to examine the world of cloud computing in order to deliver robust and scalable applications to their customers. This thesis investigates the usage of cloud services in order to deploy scalable applications which can adapt to usage peaks within minutes.

Migration to the cloud has been a popular topic in industry and academia in recent years. Despite many benefits that the cloud presents, such as high availability and scalability, most of the on-premise application architectures are not ready to fully exploit the benefits of this environment, and adapting them to this environment is a non-trivial task.Therefore, many organizations consider a gradual process of moving to the cloud with Hybrid Cloud architecture. In this paper, the author is making an effort of analyzing particular enterprise case in cloud migration topics like cloud deployment, cloud architecture and cloud management.This paper aims to identify, classify, and compare existing challenges in cloud migration, illustrate approaches to resolve these challenges and discover the best practices in cloud adoption and process of conversion teams to the cloud.

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