Stand up if you’re in favour of cloud computing!

Posted September 22, 2011 at 9:00 am by Eelco van Beek in Cloud Computing.

Recent research by Computer Profile among 4300 people in charge of IT shows only 6.7% of Dutch public bodies uses cloud applications. Doubts on data security appear to be the main objections. By propagating this message – consciously or not – the public sector has a negative influence on adoption of cloud solutions in the Netherlands.

It doesn’t have to be that way. According to Vivek Kundra, Obama’s former CIO for the US, there is no ‘security issue’. Kundra regularly indicated concerns on cloud security were somewhat exaggerated and public bodies should be comfortable with leaving their data in the cloud. His view is shared and expressed by Steve van Roekel, the new CIO.

Kundra has highly prioritized adoption of cloud computing by the American government in the last three years. His efforts to eliminate doubts on the use of cloud computing resulted in more American public services at least considering the possibilities of cloud applications. For example, according to CIO Richard Spires, the American Home Office is looking for a cloud computing provider to manage public websites for US Citizenship and Immigration Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. These are important websites which contain very valuable and confidential information.

With their token of faith in cloud computing, Spires and Van Roekel send a very important message. Spires reinforces his words by predicting use of public clouds by ministries will only grow, and other American public services will eventually switch to the cloud.

But that’s the US, land of unlimited possibilities and of seizing opportunities. The Netherlands exercise, by tradition, somewhat more restraint, to put it subtly. The Dutch government lacks people as Kundra and Van Roekel, who openly speak in favour of adoption of cloud computing and in doing so, advocate this technology.

Indeed, we find the opposite to be true: in April of this year, Donner, Minister of the Interior, said the government will not start using external cloud services. With this the Netherlands, usually among the global top 10 of technologically advanced countries, takes a big retrograde step. Apparently, cloud computing cons ‘currently overall outweigh pros’. Only a limited number of cloud computing providers is supposed to be ‘mature enough’ to be suitable for governmental purposes. Plus there would be security and privacy risks related to use of external cloud services.

This is contrary to the aforementioned American stand. To make this an endless argument takes things too far; obviously both governments have a right to (express) their opinion. Just as Jitscale, a Dutch company that has years of experience in cloud computing and knows all ins and outs and has offices both in the Netherlands and the US, has a right to its opinion. Which is: “In the hands of expert people cloud computing is secure. Regardless of sector or sensitivity of data.” That is why Jitscale offers Mr Donner a year of secure, fast, highly available facilitation of a major public platform based on cloud computing services against minimal costs. This to ensure the Netherlands maintains that pioneering role.