The Cloud Computing market constitutes a major economic stake. The success of its development relies in particular on guarantees with regard to data protection. In order to consider all potential solutions, both from a legal and technical standpoint and to guarantee a high level of personal data protection, the Commission informatique et libertés (CNIL) launches a call for Contributions from all stakeholders from 17 October to 17 November 2011.
Cloud Computing is an advanced form of outsourcing characterised by the simplicity of an on-demand service, high flexibility, pay per use, light access from any type of terminal, and lastly, virtualisation and pooling of resources that may be spread out across the world.
The Cloud Computing market constitutes a major economic stake in the IT industry: it is estimated to already account from 6 billion euro on a European scale, and growing at an annual rate of around 20%.
Cloud Computing offers are generally regarded as attractive by clients, both for their price and for their ability to “conceal” from the client’s perspective the complexity of the IT system, hence allowing them to focus on their core business. This inherent opacity of Cloud Computing however raises numerous issues regarding the protection and security of personal data. Far from being novel, such issues are nevertheless exacerbated in a globalised environment where the volatility of data and multiplicity of servers are imbedded into the DNA of Cloud Computing.
Companies wishing to use the services of Cloud Computing providers are in fact highly concerned by the issue of data protection.
This assessment is also shared by public authorities, as attested by the fact that Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission, has pinpointed the issue of personal data protection as a major challenge of Cloud Computing.
Against this backdrop, the Commission informatique et libertés (CNIL) wishes to consider all potential solutions, both from a legal and technical standpoint, in order to guarantee a high level of personal data protection while taking into account the economic stakes linked to Cloud Computing. This Call for Contributions does not however address any Cloud Computing solutions offered to private individuals.
The solutions considered by the CNIL are the subject of this Call for Contributions from all stakeholders (clients, providers, consultants); the consultation procedure is open from 17 October to 17 November 2011.
Following the consultation process, all contributions will be processed to extract the main guidelines to be published subsequently on the CNIL web site, along with any proposals of interest.
