CLOUD COMPUTING STRATEGY AND ADOPTION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF SAUDI ARABIA

In today's environment, information technology is constantly evolving and getting updated to meet the fast pace of the world. The impact of this rapid development can be felt across the organization as a whole, in both public and private sectors. One such technology, which has taken the world by storm is cloud computing. Cloud computing has emerged as a vital platform as is playing a pivotal role in defining IT strategies. Cloud computing can help public and private organizations to improve the efficiency of business processes, reduce the footprint of IT operations, and improve overall profitability and business success. The application of cloud computing service is the fastest means of revolutionizing an organization's IT. It offers the benefits of reduced cost, increased flexibility, structural agility, and scalability, based on both the size and growth of the related business. The current study focuses on the scope of future implementation of cloud computing services at Saudi Arabian universities. Cloud computing has the potential to rapidly accelerate the trajectory of modernization of the educational system of Saudi Arabia. Through the application of cloud computing technology, IT department can handle high volume of data and manage the university's maintenance needs as well as technical growth. Cloud computing also enables IT department to effectively manage various educational systems like labs, research facilities, computer learning systems, libraries, etc. Cloud computing can help the University to reduce its budget expenses and decrease the total number of computer licenses required. The various departments of the University can also easily access various educational resources by using cloud computing. So, developing countries like Saudi Arabia should embrace the cloud computing to share resources and reduce expenditures. This will help to promote collaboration among the Saudi Universities and can improve the nation's ability to generate proficient research.