Unboxing Trust in Cloud Computing. A Survey Study

Abstract

Cloud computing is a vital change in the way we process and store data. Having data stored inside the cloud, it is not physically present on the user’s hard drive. Therefore he or she is no longer involved in the collection, processes, storage and disclosure of this data (Cavoukian, 2008). This makes the user more vulnerable, especially in the case of sensitive data (Onwubiko, 2010). The present survey tries to unravel the facets of trust in cloud services and the usage of a cloud storage service, Dropbox. Factors from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), privacy and security, reputation, and personal innovativeness were included in a research model and assessed with a questionnaire. The results of the questionnaire analysis show the importance of privacy and security as well as reputation in building trust. The TAM seems to be associated with trust and moderating the influence of trust on the usage of Dropbox. Finally, theoretical assumptions and practical implications of the findings are discussed highlighting the importance of trust in cloud computing and all fields of information system research.

Keywords: Cloud Computing, Trust, Online Trust, Privacy, Security, Dropbox, Technology Acceptance Model

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe100129