A key tenet of cloud computing is that you don’t need to worry about the fine details of the services; that’s the provider’s responsibility. But many companies and individuals get nervous at the thought of vital business data and processes being stored and managed overseas.
Managing director of recently launched local cloud provider Ninefold Peter James says that customer research demonstrating that people didn’t trust overseas cloud services was one of the key reasons his company launched into the market. “Our potential customers have told us that an Aussie cloud is important,” he told Lifehacker at the company’s launch earlier this week. “They want to know where the data is stored, and they don’t want to be subject to the Patriot Act.”
On the other hand, many of us have happily used overseas providers for years (my personal web site has long been hosted in Canada, for instance). Large global companies already have to deal with complex international law, so moving to the cloud may not represent a major complication.
The question of who has legal jurisdiction over cloud apps is bound to come up in our forthcoming TechLines: Cloud Control video panel, which is now less than a week away. Tune in on Lifehacker at midday on February 17 to catch all the insights.
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