Leveraging Cloud Computing for Collaborative Project Management in the Nigerian Construction Sector: Benefits, Challenges, and Prospect (Published)
This study explores the adoption of cloud-based collaborative project management systems in Nigeria’s construction industry. By conducting a comprehensive literature review, the research focuses on the barriers, benefits, and strategies for effective implementation. Despite the recognized advantages of cloud computing, such as improved collaboration, cost efficiency, and enhanced project delivery, challenges such as poor infrastructure, cybersecurity concerns, and limited digital skills hinder widespread adoption. The research highlights the positive impact of cloud technologies on large firms in urban areas while emphasizing the need for broader infrastructural investments and capacity building across the industry. Suggestions include enhancing digital infrastructure, promoting training programs, developing a regulatory framework tailored specifically for cloud computing within the construction sector, and fostering public-private partnerships. The study also suggests future research directions, including exploring the role of SMEs, assessing the integration of emerging technologies, and evaluating the long-term effects of cloud adoption. By addressing these challenges and opportunities, cloud computing has the potential to transform Nigeria’s construction sector.
Keywords: Cloud Computing, Construction industry, Digital Transformation, Nigeria, Project Management
Query Processing in the Cloud for Big Data Applications Benefits and Risks (Published)
The advent of cloud computing has transformed the landscape of big data processing, offering numerous benefits and presenting certain risks. This paper explores the domain of query processing in the cloud for big data applications, elucidating the advantages and challenges associated with this paradigm shift. Benefits: Scalability: Cloud platforms provide elastic resources, allowing big data applications to scale up or down based on demand. This scalability enables organizations to process vast amounts of data without significant upfront investments in hardware. Accessibility: Cloud-based query processing offers accessibility from anywhere, promoting remote work and collaboration, and facilitating data sharing and analysis among global teams. Risks: Data Security and Privacy: Storing and processing sensitive data in the cloud can pose security and privacy risks if not properly managed. Data breaches and unauthorized access are potential concerns. Data Transfer Costs: Transferring large volumes of data to and from the cloud can result in significant costs, particularly when dealing with extensive datasets. Vendor Lock-In: Adopting cloud services can lead to vendor lock-in, making it challenging to migrate to another provider or back to on-premises infrastructure. This paper delves into these benefits and risks in detail, providing insights into strategies for mitigating the associated challenges and making informed decisions when considering query processing in the cloud for big data applications. The balance between reaping the benefits of cloud scalability and managing the associated risks is crucial in the ever-evolving landscape of big data processing.
Keywords: Accessibility, Big Data, Cloud Computing, Cost Efficiency, Managed Services, Query processing, scalability
An Enhanced Cloud Adoption Framework for the Financial Services Industry: Case of Family Bank in Nairobi County, Kenya (Published)
Despite potential commercial advantages of Cloud computing, institutions in the Financial Services industry are still hesitant to adopt the technology. The problem is that these institutions opt to put their IT services to cloud because of diverse requirements and concerns that are unique to their environment. Existing frameworks for cloud adoption are too general and though they seem to address some concerns, no single framework is entirely adequate by itself to be applied effectively in the Financial Services Industry. There is therefore an IT problem that exists due to lack of an integrated adoption framework that adequately addresses cloud computing concerns for institutions in the Financial Services Industry who are considering the cloud decision. It is on this basis that this research seeks to develop an enhanced cloud adoption framework that can guide cloud adoption in the Financial Services Sector. The study concluded that technology context, organizational context, IT skill level and cloud knowledge of non IT employees, environmental context and IT governance structure has a positive impact on the adoption of cloud computing in the financial services industry.
Keywords: Cloud Computing, enhanced cloud adoption framework
A Lightweight Economic Denial of Sustainability (EDoS) Defence in Cloud Network Using Fog Computing (Published)
Fog computing has recently offered benefit able services to Cloud users such as low latency, mobility support, real-time data process, low bandwidth, improved Quality of Service (QoS), and better security. The auto-scaling and measured service characteristics of both Cloud and Fog networks make them vulnerable to cyber-crimes. Consequently, A Economic Denial of Service (EDoS) takes advantage of Cloud users’ vulnerabilities (i.e., software, protocol, IP addresses) to install malware on their device unknowingly. It makes victims captive through a Botnet controller to continuously send unsolicited packets to the data center, which exhausts the Cloud users service subscription (i.e., networking, compute, storage, memory), making the environment financially unsustainable or leading to bankruptcy. “This paper presents EDoS attack challenges and defense approach using Fog network.
Keywords: Cloud Computing, DDoS, EDoS, Fog Network computing, Fog computing
Risk assessment in cloud computing (Published)
The primary purpose is to discuss the risk assessment in cloud computing and the issues which were tangled in multiple functional domains and to understand its current impact. This paper explores the following areas: cloud computing, characteristics of cloud computing, service models of cloud computing, risk assessment in cloud computing etc. There are many more areas, which can be explored in detail, where it can be used to generate better theoretical concepts and applications. This document will examine how the risk assessment methods of the cloud computing which are presently reoccurring over the Internet and discusses some of the issues with the Cloud Computing security features. This article presents some common elements for effective measures and outcomes.
Keywords: Cloud, Cloud Computing, Risk Assessment
Factors Challenging the Adoption of Cloud Computing Application in E-Learning among Polytechnics in Northeastern Nigeria (Published)
The trend of teaching and learning actives is moving fast towards cloud computing application as the universe becoming global village. The aim of this research is to determine factors that are responsible for the challenges of adopting cloud computing application in e-learning system among Polytechnics in the North East, Nigeria. Sampling techniques was used in to gathering data and average coded total was used in data analysis. The findings of the research revealed that cloud computing application is associated with following challenges: delay/denial of service, compatibility issue, ICT infrastructure, lack of trained personnel; breach of trust, poor policy, managerial issue, confidentiality, integrity, inadequate user access and technological bottlenecks. Also, the research shown that academic and IT staff are familiar with cloud computing application. The study recommended among other things using compile application (user will not have access to the address link) for effective security.
Keywords: Adoption, Application, Cloud Computing, E-learning, Nigeria, challenging, polytechnics northeastern
21st Century Medical Records (Published)
Computer science, information technology and Engineering are changing the face of Medicine in our generation. The dividing line between Computer science, information technology and Engineering as per medicine/biology and medicine is becoming thinner and thinner by the day (will be minimal in the nearest future). Computer science and engineering, information technology and biology are bridging this gap. Bioinformatics, comes in to do the magic in combining biological sciences with informatics; aimed at bringing out basic life features with successful computational medicines, information technology and skills in applying vast amount of biological information in genomics, proteomics , molecular medicine, clinical decision support and informatics, predicting functional structures (DNA,-RNA-proteins-lipids-carbohydrates), medical records or electronics health records or health care information systems, Bio-identification or identity management, Biomedical intelligence, Clinical Data Analysis, forensic analysis, crop improvement, veterinary science, diagnostics and drug designing /new pharmacology techniques. This has helped to reduce time of medical diagnosis, treatment and healing/cure. It’s already reviewing new ways of looking at medical sciences. This paperwill focus on 21stCentury medical records with the hope of a better and professional management of patient’s medical information/history; compared with present realities, integrated with cloud computing/distributed systems (to make treatment to be more efficient for the good of man). This will help reduce error in treatment to the barest minimum; bringing out the best in our healthcare providers.
Keywords: Bioinformatics., Cloud Computing, Medical Records
Telecommuting Model for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMES) In Kenya (Published)
The aim of this study was to use adaptive structuration theory as a tool to come up with Telecommuting model that can be adopted by SMEs in Kenya. A survey was done to understand the extent of telecommuting and the available technological tools in the Kenyan SMEs. Data from this survey indicates that most of the workers have reliable and fast internet access away from the office and reliable information support team. These employees also reported improvement in quality and efficiency in terms of service delivery. This was attributed to the time available to concentrate on their tasks unlike in the office where there could be interruptions or meetings. A representative microfinance was chosen to understand the organizational structure and the information technology infrastructure available in a typical Kenyan SME. Results showed that the SME had both the IT infrastructure and personnel in place. Based on these findings, an AST derived model was developed and tested. Our study shows that adoption of the developed AST derived telecommuting model could lead to increased productivity, efficiency and quality of work. Findings from this study would assist stakeholders use the available infrastructure and personnel to allow formal telecommuting.
Keywords: Adaptive Structuration Theory, Cloud Computing, Small and Medium Enterprises, Telecommuting
Barriers for Adoption of Cloud Computing In the Palestinian Industries (Published)
Cloud computing is a term that refers to sources and computer systems available on demand through the network, which can provide a number of computer integrated services without being restricted by local resources. Organizations seek to reduction of in-house data centers and the delegation of a portion or the entire information technology infrastructure, applications, and support tasks to a cloud computing vendors. Palestinian industries respond quickly to adopt a proven ICT products and services supported by accessible telecom infrastructure. This study aims to investigate barriers for adoption of cloud computing in Palestinian industries. A survey instrument has been conducted in order to accomplish the research objectives. Data were collected from 68 ICT experts of the selected organizations in Palestine which was constituted the sample size. The results show that the most obstacles were security issues and insufficient financial support. It also show that SaaS was the most cloud computing service that currently utilizes in organizations. Furthermore, data storage and E-mail were the most cloud computing applications that frequently use by Palestinian ICT professionals in their organizations. This study would like be an incentive to the Palestinian institutions overcomes these barriers. The study could be one of the primary steps for fully utilizing of cloud computing in the Palestinian institutions.
Keywords: Barriers for Adoption, Cloud Computing, Palestinian industries, Palestinian institutions
A Study of Undergraduate Use of Cloud Computing Applications- Special Reference to Google Docs (Published)
The world has been witnessed with many technological revolutions. One of them is the computing technologies. The world is able to do many things with the utilization of this innovation. There have been many revolutions such as mainframe computers, super computers, web technologies, Internet, grid computing, utility computing, etc even in the computing technologies throughout the history of the world. Cloud computing is another evolutions in the field of computing where computing is delivered as hosted services over the Internet and it has been evolved from the earlier computing technologies by the integration of some of them and removing the obstacles encountered in them as a new technology to the world. Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce.com, are some of the organizations who provide this technology to organizations and personal users. Google provides a service called Google Docs, a widely used example of cloud computing. Even though many studies have examined the overall concept of cloud computing, no previous research has analyzed students’ usage and acceptance of Google Docs in a university setting. The purpose of this paper is to focuses on the factors influencing the use of Google docs as one of the SaaS offering of cloud computing services. The Theory of Planned Behavior was used as the theoretical model for this research in examining what factors influence students to use Google Docs. The interviews (n=20) and surveys (n=316) were deployed to gain a better understanding of this phenomenon. By using hierarchical regression analysis and a correlation matrix to analyze the data, it was found that all three constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior (Attitude, Subjective Norm, and Perceived Behavioral Control) are significantly and positively correlated with intention to use Google Docs. Further, it was found that Affect, which measures a person’s emotional responses, is also a significant predictor of Behavioral Intention. The findings of this research could be used by multiple stakeholder groups to better understand the factors influencing the usage of Google Docs.
Keywords: Cloud Computing, Google Docs, Theory of Planned Behavior