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Towards cloud-centric service environments

  • Published:
Journal of Service Science Research

Abstract

Cloud computing has evolved and is expected to grow further into an enormously booming market segment especially for start-ups and SMEs as they can benefit from the concept of “Anything as a Service” (XaaS) without the need to invest significant financial resources in IT capabilities. Through the usage-based models, seemingly infinite resources based on rapid elasticity, multi-user systems, and the ability to access the network anytime and anywhere, organizations can achieve increased cost-effectiveness and efficiency in their business operations. This paper discusses, with a particular emphasis on start-ups and SMEs in the B2B and B2C markets, how e-business value creation drivers such as novelty, efficiency, complementarities and lock-in can leverage and enhance business value in practice. Using the example of the textile and apparel industry, this paper pinpoints how cloud computing can foster an environment in which new opportunities can blossom and added values are created for both businesses and consumers through modern marketing and networking technologies using an inclusive social and technological environment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of e-Business, School of Business, Economics and Statistics, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Andreas Mladenow & Christine Strauss

  2. Secure Business Austria-Security Research, Vienna, Austria

    Natalia Kryvinska

Authors
  1. Andreas Mladenow
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  2. Natalia Kryvinska
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  3. Christine Strauss
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andreas Mladenow.

Additional information

Andreas Mladenow received a master’s degree in Business Administration at the Faculty of Business, Economics and Statistics, University of Vienna. He is a researcher at the e-Business group at the University of Vienna and a doctoral candidate at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. His research focuses on the field of electronic business and collaboration.

Natalia Kryvinska is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the e-Business research group, Faculty of Business, Economics and Statistics, University of Vienna. She received her diploma engineer degree in telecommunications from National University “Lviv Polytechnics”, Lviv, Ukraine, and a PhD in electrical engineering from the Vienna University of Technology, Vien-na, Austria. Her research interests include distributed systems manage-ment, service delivery platforms, and e-Services.

Christine Strauss is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Business, Economics and Statistics, University of Vienna. She holds a master’s degree in business informatics from the University of Vienna and a doctoral degree in economics from the University of Zurich. She is the head of the research group on Electronic Business at the University of Vienna. Her current research focuses on the field of electronic business, with particular emphasis on e-Services.

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Mladenow, A., Kryvinska, N. & Strauss, C. Towards cloud-centric service environments. J Serv Sci Res 4, 213–234 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12927-012-0009-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12927-012-0009-y

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