8.2.1. Cloud computing economics Research topics will include pricing strategies for cloud computing providers, and issues in industrial organization such as revising the boundary of the firm with altered transaction costs. There are many different potential pricing policies available to providers, such as a flat fee, a pay-per-use fee, or a two-tier mix of flat and pay-per-usage fee [2]. These can be analyzed in conjunction with capacity investment decisions and QoS guarantees. Researchers can examine which of these policies are best suited for a company given a particular market structure. Researchers can draw from the wealth of extant literature on pricing web services [48] and pricing of grid computing resources [58]. Research methodologies might include industrial organization and game theory. Recently, the IaaS provider Enomaly opened Spotcloud, a cloud computing clearinghouse and marketplace for cloud service providers to sell their unused cloud capacity to sellers looking for cloud services at the best possible price. Amazon too allows for selling its unused cloud capacity at spot prices. Such modelsneed to be examined. The effect of cloud computing on corporate culture will play an important role in its eventual success or failure. Researchers in this topic will find several points of contact with the IT outsourcing literature.
8.2.3. IS policy issues in cloud computing IS policy issues will cover a broad swath of topics, from data privacy and data security to data ownership and audit [54], and organizations will look towards IS researchers for a set of principles and guidelines in these sensitive areas. Some specific areas where IS departments will look for guidance include (1) managing and implementing a consistent IS policy across multiple cloud computing providers [34]; (2) managing the move of software subscription, which traditionally is the domain of the IS department, to individual departments that require the cloud application instances; and (3) developing IT audit policies that are consistent with local, regional, national and international regulations