A boost towards secure and streamlined cloud computing
Easily accessible, scalable and cost-effective, there's no doubt that the rapid rise of cloud-based services has changed computing for consumers and business alike. While the potential benefits of cloud computing are vast, concerns over online security remain a barrier to its full exploitation. Cloud computing involves the remote storage and use of data or software accessed over the web, for example if you have an e-mail account with a web-based service or own a social media account then you've encountered the cloud. However at present, Europe lacks a harmonised approach to cloud computing policy which poses a threat to innovation in the development of cloud technology. The newly launched CloudWATCH project aims to address the pitfalls of EU-wide cloud computing with the provision of standards and best practice for service providers and users across Europe. Although the cloud is not a recent invention, the expansion of its application on countless web-based services has led to firms adopting their own practices and patchwork guidelines in member states, often leading to uncertainty over the legal obligations of service providers. To counter this, the consortium endeavours to evaluate the current cloud computing landscape by working with service providers and end users with a view to assess policies and practice. The team will organise workshops to bring stakeholders together to discuss areas such as choice of service provider and pricing structure, ultimately working towards the development of CloudWatchHUB.eu - a digital platform to promote European smart cloud services, educate users in understanding cloud computing and ensure exposure to best practice for cloud service providers. 'E-Infrastructures are increasingly becoming an important part of modern education and research. Clouds are a core part of this,' said David Wallom, Associate Director of the Oxford eResearch Centre. 'CloudWATCH will support the development of common standards profiles to support user communities' exploitation of cloud computing in the three areas of focus which can be endorsed by Standards bodies,' he continues Should policy intervention prove successful, estimates suggest that cloud computing revenues in the EU could rise to nearly 80 billion by 2020. The research team expects that an EU-wide cloud computing policy would boost innovation in an industry currently threatened by distrust and contradictory practices. Silvana Muscella, Managing Director from Trust-IT Services Ltd said 'Our results are aimed at all cloud providers and users, we want to help accelerate the uptake of cloud across Europe, especially SMEs who can think of CloudWATCH as their information hub on independent practical information on cloud.' Surveys show that 80% of businesses already using the cloud have reported a 10% to 20% reduction in IT costs, whilst many consumers use basic cloud computing services at minimal cost. Though the project seeks to promote the use of cloud computing across the public and private sectors, a vital area of its success depends on overcoming the misinformation surrounding cloud-based technology. CloudWATCH is set to display its work at two events including the EGI Technical Forum in Madrid later this month and a focused networking session at ICT2013 in Vilnius in November.For more information, please visit:CloudWatchHUBhttp://www.cloudwatchhub.eu/Trust-IT Services Ltdhttp://www.trust-itservices.com/
Countries
Italy