Cloud-Based Knowledge Management
The success of organizations mainly depends on constant investment in learning and obtaining new knowledge that creates new businesses and improves existing performances. “The knowledge is considered as strategic company’s resource, the source of competitive advantage and business success in the 21st century.” Many people believe that success of the organization depends on well-disposed knowledge management system (KMS), which is responsible for enhancing internal and external knowledge in the organization, implementing and evaluating strategies of knowledge, and overall corporate performances. “The use of knowledge management process increases the effectiveness of decision-making processes, as well as the level of operational efficiency, flexibility, commitment and involvement of employees.” The primary purpose of knowledge management is taking advantage of intellectual capital and knowledge workers to improve organizational efficiency. A number of studies found that cloud computing can impact organizational performance through the mediation of KM competency.
According to Rasheed and et al. ( 2014), cloud computing has a great capability for providing knowledge management services that these services can be used to enhance decision making, profitability, response time to key issues, productivity, market share, share price, and competitive advantage. Cloud computing is now emerging as useful tools for assisting organizations’ knowledge management efforts. The three cloud service models; infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), software as a service (SaaS); help organizations to develop new models of knowledge management systems, to collaborate with other organizations and to facilitate knowledge exchange. Cloud computing provides a variety of hardware and software services over the internet, hence, offering flexibility, scalability, and obviating the need to invest a lot in expensive hardware and software licenses. Cloud computing provides opportunities for organizations to take advantage of new developments in IT technologies at affordable costs. Cloud–based knowledge management system reduces organization’s expenses and provides more powerful functional capabilities.
There have been several studies on the optimal architecture of knowledge management system in an organization. For example, Hvizdova (2011) designed a new model of an optimal knowledge information systems architecture which is called the knowledge base cloud. The basic knowledge base cloud compounds consist of information systems, IS modules, relationships and connectors, best practices, data-information-knowledge, know-how, access privileges, rules, process architecture and organizational structure. This approach helps companies deal with the knowledge information systems integration issues. This unique model drives the positive effects of knowledge management initiatives and supports the added value and competitive advantage which these managerial approaches create.
By Mojgan Afshari
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