Users’ perception of cybersecurity, trust and cloud computing providers’ performance

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to develop a scale to measure the cloud provider’s performance and it investigates the factors that impact that performance from the users’ perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper proposes a research framework, develops hypotheses and conducts a survey to test the framework.

Findings

The results from both ordinary least square regression and structural equation modeling analyzes indicate that information technology complexity negatively and significantly affects users’ perception of the cloud computing providers’ performance. Additionally, the trust in the supervisor significantly enhances the otherwise insignificant positive relationship between providers’ cybersecurity capability and users’ perception of their providers’ performance.

Originality/value

The research makes important contributions to the cloud computing literature, as it measures users’ perception of the cloud computing provider’s performance and links it with cybersecurity, technical complexity and incorporates both the trust in the client firm’s supervisor and the strength of cybersecurity offered by cloud computing provider.

Citation

Xu, H. and Mahenthiran, S. (2021), "Users’ perception of cybersecurity, trust and cloud computing providers’ performance", Information and Computer Security, Vol. 29 No. 5, pp. 816-835. https://doi.org/10.1108/ICS-09-2020-0153