Comms minister says cloud key to supporting international trade

Argues the advance of cloud computing is a good illustration of the need for international co-operation around internet services

Communications Minister Ed Vaizey is no longer talking about net neutrality – and how he both agrees and disagrees with the principle – and has instead turned his attention to the benefits of cloud computing.

The minister outlined the technology's potential at the third annual UK-China Internet Forum, held yesterday at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The forum brings together government and business from both countries to discuss commercial opportunities and policy issues related to the internet.

Vaizey, in line with the soon-to-depart government CIO John Suffolk and other IT-savvy members of the Cabinet Office, argued that cloud computing could drastically reduce costs for new companies and transform, for example, the way people use portable devices.

He said: “Access to the networked resources provided by ‘clouds’ enables companies to enter markets without having to meet the capital costs of building their own computer infrastructure.

“What they get instead is a sort of ‘pay-as-you-go’ service tailored to their specific requirements. This is especially significant today, at a time when we are seeing an explosion in the number of portable devices with limited storage capacity.

“Access to clouds enables them to transcend that limitation and provide a level of functionality that would normally be associated with much larger machines.”

But realising the full potential of this technology would require significant change, Vaizey added.

He said ensuring individual privacy and data security, which would be essential for consumer trust and confidence, would need a step-change in co-operation between industry, consumers and governments.

The minister also argued that the advance of cloud computing was a good illustration of the need for international co-operation around the development and maintenance of the internet: “Cloud computing will require international co-operation to ensure the very important developments on the internet that hold great potential for both our countries [China and the UK] are taken forward.”