Does Pain Result in Gain? Assessing Cloud Service Certifications' Effectiveness

Cloud service certifications (CSCs) gain increasing attention in practice as a measure against the prevailing uncertainties of cloud computing, but demand efforts for passing audit requirements. However, research findings on certifications’ effectiveness are inconclusive. This research-in-progress paper develops a research model to evaluate CSCs’ effects on two certification outcomes suggested by trust theory and signaling theory trust and price premiums while also accounting for trust in certification authority, reputation, personal relevance of using cloud services and self-provided assurance statements. Compared to extant research on certifications, which primarily focuses on privacy and security in e-commerce, CSCs address a novel product category and provide assurances beyond privacy and security, such as availability and interoperability. Furthermore, by investigating price premiums, we focus on a widely neglected certification outcome. Thus, we expect our model to contribute to a deeper understanding of the contextual conditions under which certifications are effective signals and trust-assurances.