Transformation to Cloud Services Sourcing: Required IT Governance Capabilities

The sourcing of cloud services is a relatively new type of service delivery model in which an organization gets access to IT services via a cloud service provider that is delivering services over the web to many users on a pay per use or period basis. Even though the importance of IT governance is often underlined, there is limited literature available regarding the required IT governance capabilities that public sector organizations need to have in place to successfully implement and manage a cloud service delivery model. Using an existing governance framework of IT core capabilities as basis, the required cloud computing capabilities are investigated using interviews and studying reports. The analyses helped to identify 16 discriminating capabilities that are essential when effectively implementing and managing cloud services in the public sector. Different factors, including the cloud service and deployment model, the strategic intent underlying cloud sourcing, the degree and complexity of cloud sourcing and the IT governance structure, were found to influence the relevance of cloud capabilities and the relevance might also change over time.