A comparative analysis of cloud computing services using multicriteria decision analysis methodologies

Cloud computing is changing rapidly the way users perceive the use of computer functions and resources as well as the development of more complex business models. A lot of new issues emerged by this ongoing trend, especially by privacy advocates as regards to the way cloud services providers control totally the communication and data exchanged between them and the users. The security status of the stored data offers another reason for concern, because as this new model is gaining popularity rapidly, so does the threat level increases. Cloud computing is however generally considered a reliable way to add features to the existing technical capabilities and increase business capacity on the fly without on the same time making costly new investments in more modern IT infrastructures. It also encompasses subscription-based or pay-per-use services, but at the same time offers an extensive variety of free services as well. This paper focuses on the users’ perspectives towards the 11 most popular free services providers, chosen after a thorough literature review. A questionnaire survey was conducted mainly among the IT academic staffs of the Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, Greece, who are specialized users, in order to determine the cloud computing provider selection criteria as well as the analytical relationships among these criteria. Goal programming techniques assessed the weighs of the selected criteria in order to implement the AHP and PROMETHEE multi-criteria methodologies. The results provided an opportunity to gain insights on users’ demands and expectations and evaluate the level of trust towards these new services. The usefulness and applicability of cloud computing in the modern educational procedure are also evaluated. Moreover, interesting relevant issues for further research are discussed and suggested.