World Economic Forum: EU gears up for cloud

Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes outlines EU strategy for cloud computing

In a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos yesterday, Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes said the EU must be "cloud active".

"Normally I prefer clearly defined concepts. But when it comes to cloud computing I have understood that we cannot wait for a universally agreed definition," said Kroes.

"This is a complex situation and nobody is likely to have all the answers. And cloud computing, in some form, will happen anyway. But the EU has a role to play: we can make it happen smoother and faster," she added.

Kroes said governments must ensure that effective data protection and the requirements of the EU single market do not "clash" with cloud computing.

"I have started work on an EU-wide cloud computing strategy. This goes beyond a policy framework," Kroes said. "We can deliver cloud computing by research and innovation to bring about better clouds. Along the way we can modernise our computing infrastructure and give our SMEs a new platform for innovation."

The strategy will cover three areas:

The legal framework: This relates to all laws and other rules that have a bearing on the deployment of cloud computing in public and private organisations, such as data protection and privacy regulations. It also concerns users' rights and protections under the law.

Technical and commercial fundamentals: Kroes wants to see more research into the security and availability of cloud services. The European Commission also intends to play a stronger role in the standardisation of application programming interfaces and data formats, as well as template contracts and service level agreements.

The market: A series of pilot projects will aim to develop common approaches to cloud deployment across member states.

A final document combining analysis and a plan of future actions will be made available in 2012, and Kroes invited cloud providers and users to Brussels for a "series of intense consultations in the spring".