The rapid advancement of global technology creates opportunities for higher education institutions, where it is paramount to provide competitive teaching and learning experiences. As such a technology, cloud computing provides scalable solutions that can reduce costs and enhance flexibility. Its adoption provides numerous benefits for higher education in leveraging the enhancements of their operations so that they can focus on their primary educational goals. However, challenges remain, particularly for smaller institutions in developing countries, impeding broader adoption. Although higher education institutions are indeed adopting cloud computing, many are primarily focused on Software as a Service, thereby missing out on a wider array of potential benefits. Therefore, a paradigm shift in approach may be required. A case study approach, informed by a literature review, guided the investigation. Data was collected through interviews, engaging IT technical staff and governance at a higher education institution, from an interpretative perspective. Content analysis guided the careful analyses, coding, and categorization of data to identify patterns and themes, revealing barriers and challenges consistent with existing cloud computing literature. This paper reports on the compilation of cloud computing adoption guidelines for a South African university.