| dc.description.abstract | The use of cloud computing is currently a hot topic in the research community and the industry. The attractiveness of cloud computing is the capability to run large applications on robust, scalable hardware without needing to own or maintain this hardware. The digital platform has, in a few years, emerged as a key concept to illustrate a new kind of business model, organizational form, and technical architecture (Gawer, 2014). A common software engineering approach in which teams keep producing software in short cycles and ensure that the software can be released at any time is known as continuous delivery (CD) (Chen, 2015). The present research was carried out to investigate cloud computing in the lens of a platform ecosystem. For this, I have chosen a case study on Microsoft Azure cloud ecosystem. The research questions that I am addressing are (1) studying how continuous delivery unfolds into the Azure digital platform and (2) how cloud ecosystems are transformed into digital platforms. I analyzed digital forums where developers discuss software development issues and interviewed professionals in a software consulting company related to the use of the cloud platform as their part of work. I presented my understanding of this research by paying attention to cooperation methodology, value creation, governance, and architecture of cloud platforms. Results show that continuous delivery has made a cost effective and a faster process of development. Moreover, there exist a collaborative decision between developers and clients when coming to decide whether move the application on cloud platform and that they are not entirely willing to change their overall architecture into a cloud service. The results from this analysis contributes to the research of platforms ecosystems in cloud computing. It will also help IT-consultants consider shifting their working method into the cloud by making use of the current platforms available in the market and finding new effective ways of developing within complex systems.
Key words: Cloud computing, platform ecosystem, continuous delivery, Azure | |