Opportunities for strategic alignment of IT to business with the adoption of cloud computing: Case studies in large organizations

This paper shows the adoption of cloud computing (CC) as a tool to promote strategic alignment of Information Technology (IT) to business. Using elements from literature on CC as the benefits brought by its adoption and on strategic alignment of information technology to business, the article reveals how the emerging technology of CC has the ability both to influence and enable new business strategies, such as opening new market opportunities for organizations. Through a multiple case study were identified as the adoption of CC was able both to support and shape business strategies, but also to promote integration between infrastructure and processes business and IT infrastructure and processes. Opportunities for strategic alignment could be observed with the CC adoption to meet a specific need of one company and also as a result of a more general strategy of the organization adopting it as a model for services delivery.