Adoption of Big Data Solutions: A study on its security determinants using Sec-TOE Framework

Big Data Solutions (BDS) refers to innovative solutions designed to perform searching, mining and analysis of high volume of data. While BDS is being actively adopted by pioneering and leading organizations due to its prospective benefits, many organizations are still divided on the need to adopt it. Security issues related to big data’s characteristics are among the hindering factors cited by non-adopters. Thus, it creates opportunities to study on the security related issues pertinent to BDS adoption. In this preliminary study, Technology-Organizational-Environmental (TOE) framework was adopted and adapted to fit the security factors being studied. Data were collected from 25 respondents through an anonymous online questionnaire and descriptive analysis was performed. The results reveal that an organization’s intention to adopt BDS can be positively influenced by perceived compatibility, top management support, information security culture and organizational learning culture. Whilst, the non-adopters are negatively influenced by perceived complexity and risks in outsourcing. One factor was found to have inconclusive outcome to both adopters and non-adopters (security and privacy regulatory concern), suggesting that it may not have any significant effects in organizational intention to adopt BDS.