Chapter One — 1.1 Background to the Study

Organizations that depend on cloud storage management systems are under increasing pressure to modernize, and Augmented Reality has emerged as one of the more promising avenues for doing so, given its demonstrated impact in related domains.

In practice, however, adoption of augmented reality within cloud storage management systems has been uneven, and its actual impact on decision support is not yet well understood in a rigorous, evaluable way — a gap this study is positioned to address.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Current cloud storage management systems in many organizations struggle with inadequate decision support, often relying on manual processes or outdated architectures that were not designed for today's operating environment. Without a structured approach to integrating augmented reality, these limitations are likely to persist, exposing organizations to inefficiency, risk, and a poor user experience. This study is motivated by the need to design and evaluate a augmented reality-based approach to addressing this problem.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1. To design and implement a augmented reality-based approach to improving decision support in cloud storage management systems.
2. To evaluate the effectiveness of Augmented Reality in enhancing decision support within cloud storage management systems.
3. To identify the key requirements and constraints relevant to deploying augmented reality in this context.
4. To assess user and stakeholder perception of the resulting system.

1.4 Research Questions

1. How can augmented reality be applied to improve decision support in cloud storage management systems?
2. How effective is Augmented Reality at enhancing decision support within cloud storage management systems?
3. What requirements and constraints are relevant to deploying augmented reality in this context?
4. How do users and stakeholders perceive the resulting system?

1.5 Significance of the Study

Beyond its immediate technical contribution, this study offers value to organizations evaluating whether to invest in augmented reality for their own cloud storage management systems, and contributes to the broader literature on applied software technology / IT by documenting a concrete implementation and evaluation case.

1.6 Scope of the Study

As a MSc-level study, its scope is confined to designing and evaluating a augmented reality-based solution for cloud storage management systems, focused specifically on decision support; broader deployment considerations fall outside this scope.