Cloud Computing and the New Role of IT Service Providers in Lebanon: A Service Dominant Logic Approach

Abstract

The ascent of Cloud Computing (CC) technology shall impact traditional IT and IT service Providers on many levels; for IDG Cloud Computing Survey [32], 60% of all IT infrastructure spending are Cloud-base, with both public and private cloud adoption growing. In fact, the world economy is moving from being products based to depending on services (Barqawi et al. in J Bus Ind Market 31(7):928–940 [10]) and CC confirms this trend by installing a service logic (Gronroos in Eur Bus Rev 20(4):298–314 [21]), in which the definition of “service” has evolved from a value offered to a value co-created. Therefore, the service dominant logic of Vargo and Lusch (J Mark 68:1–17 [12]) provides an excellent theoretical framework for studying the new role of IT service providers in the cloud era. Using qualitative interpretive multiple case study approach, this article discusses CC value co-creation opportunity for IT service providers in Lebanon by identifying their new role in fixing the CC roadmap from a service dominant logic.