摘要:AbstractThe evolution of information technology (IT) – related to Web, servers and data – and their capabilities have brought cloud computing to the forefront. While cloud computing in recent years has energized the information systems professional community, it has now embarked on information systems research arena as a prevalent topic for integrated information and systems. Organizations of all sizes are keen on understanding this intriguing yet potentially risky IT artifact as they see it to be a game changer in terms of the way their current and future computing needs could potentially be met. However, they also are skeptical and concerned about the security, trust and privacy issues related to its adoption. In this study we identify the roles of security and trust in cloud computing environments from the perspective of organizations who would entrust their private information to the cloud computing providers. We compare cloud computing and banking since to both security and trust is of vital importance for their service users and providers. For any new technology such as cloud computing trust is not easily established, it gradually builds based on providers’ reputation for good performance and security, earning users’ trust over time. The clients must trust the cloud providers just like they would be willing to trust banks to put their money into them. Similarly, the cloud providers must demonstrate that they are reliable and trustworthy. Therefore for widespread adoption of cloud computing, we contend that customers should be able to store their data in the cloud with same confidence as they store their money and other valuables in the banks today. To help study and address the roles of security and trust further, we provide technological, regulatory, and behavioral recommendations for consideration.