Abstract

Following concerns of security compliance, levels of latency due to traffic congestion and inconsistent application execution with regards to the use of the public cloud services, gave rise to a recent trend which necessitated the concept of de-clouding which is also known as cloud repatriation. This gave the inspiration for this research topic. Given the complexities surrounding the subject matter, a case study approach was adopted in getting an in-depth knowledge on the subject by first determining the veracity of the claim and to understand why businesses were embarking on cloud repatriation. Some other issues related to de-clouding such as the oscillatory tendencies of decentralisation and centralisation of computing models, the CAPEX vs. OPEX issues in relation to the inappropriate cases the public cloud was offered for, and why the on-Premises cloud is a better solution in many cases.

Furthermore, a comparative analysis was carried between on-premises infrastructures and the public cloud in relation to cost, performance, and security. A cursory look was given to policy issues surrounding the cloud as well as the concerns of deskilling and outsourcing in cloud computing. Additionally, the concept of Homomorphic encryption as it had to do with guaranteeing the data privacy, data security and data integrity with the aim of determining the best option of Homomorphic encryption to deploy was also reviewed.

Lastly, a qualitative approach was adopted in addressing the workload placement optimization problem by deductively extrapolating data from existing proven literatures to design a workload application placement model which was designed on a webpage to educate and guide small and medium scale businesses in optimizing their workload allocation given the different cloud option available in the market to meet the needs of the organisation. A collection of findings was documented in the concluding part of this research with recommendations proffered.

De-clouding in small and medium enterprises