EC Calls For Greater Cloud Data Security

The cloud needs better security and data protection if businesses are to adopt it on a large scale, the European Commission has said.

Speaking at the Université Paris-Dauphine on Friday, European Commissioner for the digital agenda, Neelie Kroes, called for clear and ‘cloud-friendly’ rules to improve data privacy and help ICT companies understand exactly what is allowed and what is not.

“Cloud computing is more than simply a technical challenge. By putting our personal data on remote servers, we risk losing control over that data,” she said. “Fundamentally, the Commission believes that we need further research to enhance the security features of these technologies.”

Backbone of digital future

Kroes went on to speak of the benefits of cloud computing, stating that “free movement of personal data within the EU is another way to help to complete the Digital Single Market in Europe”. She said that cloud computing could become “one of the backbones of our digital future”, and had the potential to deliver “the better economy and better living that digital technologies make possible”.

The EC has now started working on a cloud computing strategy, and will be asking members of the EU to contribute their input in the first half of 2011. This will look at ways of ensuring that people’s fundamental rights and freedoms are well addressed in the digital era, according to Kroes.

A recent poll of eWEEK readers found large divisions in the amount of trust businesses have in the cloud. Nearly a fifth of the votes cast were by people unwilling to put any of their applications in the cloud, while others were only willing to trust the cloud with certain application, such as email and storage.

As part of a move to tackle this lack of trust, the Cloud Industry Forum (CIF) has launched a Code of Practice for cloud service providers, as part of its effort to make the delivery of cloud services more transparent and accountable.

“The initiative’s prime driver is that there is a lot of hype about the cloud, and sometimes its benefits can get lost in all the noise,” said said Andy Burton, Chairman of CIF and CEO of Fasthosts, speaking to eWEEK Europe. “This area is attracting a lot of investment, but we recognise that a lot of the technical messages from the various suppliers can be difficult for the consumer to understand and translate.”