The involvement of records managers in cloud computing decisions: A cross-sectional study of New Zealand records managers

Research problem: Cloud computing has become an important topic in many organisations, due to the benefits it can provide to businesses and their operations. This increased interest in cloud computing is also reflected in the records management profession. However, records managers using cloud computing need to be aware of many factors that could negatively affect control of their records, and be able to manage these potential implications. This study aims to discover the level of involvement that records managers have in decision-making relating to cloud computing, and also to determine how informed records managers are about the implications of cloud computing. Methodology: The research design used was a cross-sectional study, with an online web survey being distributed to members of the NZRecords mailing list (an e-mail list for the New Zealand recordkeeping community). Results: The results of this study highlight that records managers have low levels of involvement in cloud computing decision-making, and mostly do not believe that their opinions will influence decisions about cloud computing in their organisations. The findings of the survey reveal awareness of the potential implications of cloud computing is high, although more resources and training should be made available to these records managers, especially in the area of portability and interoperability of records in the cloud. Implications: Requests are made for additional training resources to be made available. Suggestions are made for further research into the factors affecting records managers’ involvement in cloud computing decisions.