Exploring the challenges involved in migrating from an on-premises ECM solution to a SaaS based ECM

Purpose: The objective of this research is to investigate the challenges that are acting as barriers to the adoption of a SaaS based ECM solution, mainly from an Information Technology viewpoint, in the wake of ‘cloud first’ policy that had been launched by the New Zealand government with the intent to maximize efficiencies across the public sector.  Methodology: Qualitative research was chosen for this research and outputs from the semi-structured interviews are compared with literature in order to highlight the commonalities and potentially highlighting any additional ones that exist with regards to the challenges that are associated with the adoption of a cloud based ECM service.  Practical Implications: This research will help organizations that have on-premises ECM solutions in making informed decisions through being aware of the challenges that act as barriers to adopting a SaaS based ECM solution through migrating from an on-premises ECM application.  Originality/Value: ECM in the context of a service based offering has been relatively little discussed in the literature. This research adds to the literature by examining ECM through the lens of cloud computing and investigates the challenges that are influencing its adoption.