Cloudy outlook for businesses

Cloud computing may be a way of saving costs but how can firms be sure data is kept safe and complies with the law?

According to Google the future is in the cloud – soon we may all have information about us kept there, wherever "there" is. Organisations no longer have to store data, including personal data, on their own servers in their own premises; economies of scale coupled with relatively straightforward technology mean that if there is storage space available for the data I control and process over there, somewhere, I can store it over there, using space on a server that would otherwise be left empty.

Very simply, that is what the "cloud" is and enables. It is not (yet) any server that we can use to store our data, but any server that is opened up to us, under a cloud computing agreement. And the cost saving, inevitably, is very attractive to the company whose data storage needs exceed its ability, or willingness, to invest in ever bigger data storage for sole use.

The data security implications have been a cause for concern in the European Union, which is involved in regulating the way our private information is handled. Data protection law requires businesses to protect personal data from unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction and damage. In addition, personal data must not be transferred outside the European Economic Area unless it goes to a country that has adequate protection for the rights and freedoms of individuals in relation to the way it is processed and stored.

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Source: guardian.co.uk
By: Adam Rose