Cloud supply chain resilience

Abstract

Cloud computing is a service-based computing resources sourcing model that is changing the way in which companies deploy and operate information and communication technologies (ICT). This model introduces several advantages compared with traditional environments along with typical outsourcing benefits reshaping the ICT services supply chain by creating a more dynamic ICT environment plus a broader variety of service offerings. This leads to higher risk of disruption and brings additional challenges for organisational resilience, defined herein as the ability of organisations to survive and also to thrive when exposed to disruptive incidents. This paper draws on supply chain theory and supply chain resilience concepts in order to identify a set of coordination mechanisms that positively impact ICT operational resilience processes within cloud supply chains and packages them into a conceptual model.