Examining the Challenges of Cloud Data Management Usage in the South African Construction Industry

The construction industry globally is undergoing a significant digital transformation driven by innovative technologies such as cloud computing. Despite the numerous benefits of using cloud computing services, there are still some notable barriers to its full-scale adoption in the construction industry. Hence, the paper aims to examine the barriers of cloud data management (CDM) usage within the South African construction industry (SACI). The study adopted a quantitative research methodology using a closed-ended questionnaire that was distributed to construction professionals and IT experts with construction experience based in the Gauteng province in South Africa, and 104 responses were recorded. Principal component analysis (PCA) and descriptive statistical procedures were used to analyse the data as part of the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using the computer program SPSS. The study revealed the diverse range of barriers that significantly affect the effective adoption of CDM to be privacy concerns, lack of awareness, data security, and risk of data breaches in data centers of cloud service providers categorized into clusters like ‘Operational and regulatory’, ‘Data security and privacy’, ‘Technological proficiency’, ‘Standardization and reliability’, ‘Infrastructural and Organizational’ and ‘Economic, Trust and Compliance’ from the EFA analysis. To address the obstacles, CDM service providers can drive the usage of these services through establishing targeted awareness educational programs working closely with construction professionals, and the collaborative approach between built environment stakeholders and cloud providers can help tailor improved regulatory framework to the SACI’s needs.