Brussels, 27/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is considering a cloud computing strategy so that the European Union is not only familiar with this new way of handling information but becomes proactive - “not just 'cloud-friendly' but 'cloud active'”, in the words of Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes. At the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday 27 January, Kroes set out the stages to be covered in the making of a genuine European cloud computing strategy.
Cloud computing sees business outsource the digital resources to outside companies which provide enormous storage and calculating capacity. The advantages are clear: companies no longer have to invest in costly servers and software which are not used to the full extent of their capacities, but pay an outside company to carefully handle data. The disadvantages are equally great: in giving information to an external company, businesses endanger the confidentiality of their data. Given the huge interest among companies for this type of management and its benefits, the European Commission takes the view that it is essential to develop a policy which signposts the way towards safe, smart procedures. The strategy envisaged by Kroes contains three broad areas: 1) the legal framework - this concerns data protection and privacy and should include the international dimension; 2) technical and commercial fundamentals - the Commission wants to extend its research support and focus on critical issues such as security and availability of cloud services and wants to play a stronger role in technical standardisation, data formats and template contracts; 3) the market - the Commission will support pilot projects aiming at cloud deployment, with the involvement of public sector partners. The Commission is planning a series of intense consultations with cloud providers and cloud users in Brussels in the spring to develop an effective strategy. (I.L./transl.rt)