The decision cloud in migrating to cloud ERP systems: a developing country perspective

Given the emergence of cloud computing technologies in the late 2000s, cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are becoming the new normal as organisations move their on-premise ERP systems to the cloud. It is the reality for organisations in the industrialised countries which are now considering optimisation in the cloud environment. Developing countries are yet to catch up on their journey to the cloud. Research reveals enthusiasm among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries. Nevertheless, large organisations with extensive investment in 3rd party systems are still skeptical about various issues, influencing their decision-making to shift their ERP systems to the cloud. This case study followed an inductive approach to explore strategic constraints involved in the migration decision. In-depth interviews with the IT decision-makers have revealed two-dimensional strategic constraints: operational and existential. Findings from this study have implications for practice, innovation, and research.