Comparing Security Concerns in the Adoption of Public Cloud Computing Based on Region of Residence

Attitudes to public cloud computing (including perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, security concerns, and acceptance of the technology) have not been measured in light of differences between regions of residence. The purpose of this nonexperimental, quantitative study was twofold: (a) to compare the perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, security concerns, and intention to use public cloud computing among IT managers in the financial sector based on region of residence and (b) to evaluate the extent to which security concerns mediated the relationship between the region of residence and the intention to use public cloud computing. An online survey was conducted among 311 IT managers and professionals in the financial sector, including 145 from the United States and 166 from the Middle East. A modified version of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used to collect data. The theoretical framework was based on the TAM and the IT culture-conflict theory. Independent-samples t tests were performed for each between-group comparison. The mean difference between the two groups (United States vs. Middle East) in perceived usefulness was M = 0.05, t(249.9) = 0.46, p = .65; in perceived ease of use, M = -0.09, t(309) = -0.96, p = .34; in intention to use public cloud computing, M = 0.02, t(250.6) = 0.18, p = .86; and in security concerns related to public cloud computing, M = 1.10, t(229.2) = 7.84, p < .001. Security concerns were significantly stronger in the Middle East than in the United States. However, there was no evidence that security concerns contributed to the slow adoption of, or a reluctance to adopt, public cloud computing in banking or financial organizations. As previous researchers have found that security is a major concern in the decision to adopt public cloud computing, especially in sensitive business sectors such as banking and financial institutions, the findings of this study have presented an anomaly that calls for further investigation. This study was the first in which two culturally different regions of the world were compared regarding security concerns in the adoption of public cloud computing.