Systematic review of Cloud Computing Research

Systematic reviews, as a prime example of evidence-based research, have been able to play a critical role in promoting the scientific level and the growth of cloud market. So far, many systematic reviews have been published in the field of cloud computing, but the fundamental issue is whether these researches are based on a precise process, with a full focus on the issues and challenges of cloud computing, and also have consistent results, or not? Accordingly, in response to this challenge, this research intends to identify, evaluate and synthesize systematic reviews in the field of cloud computing from the methodological and contextual perspectives by conducting a tertiary study for the first time. A systematic review method covering two main steps was used to conduct the research. In the first step, after searching the popular digital libraries between 2011 and 2016, 94 articles were included based on specific criteria. Finally, after qualitative evaluation, 76 papers were qualified using a specific tool. In the second step, based on the thematic synthesis, two main research themes including technology and business in the field of cloud computing were identified and finally, mapping of the concepts and issues related to each area were drawn up and validated using a three-step Delphi method consisting of 12 experts. From the methodological point of view, results of this study showed that over recent years the number and quality of review articles have increased, as well as the use of guidance references and software tools can facilitate the research process. From the contextual perspective, the study also found that the review research has been focused more on technical aspects including cloud security challenges, providing scalable cloud infrastructure according to service levels agreements, and increasing interoperability between services to reduce dependency on cloud vendors. Finally, the study described the need for more review research focusing on business and governance issues of the cloud.