CLOUD COMPUTING : KROES WANTS TO HARMONISE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT.

Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes is convinced that the public sector can play an important role in the development of cloud computing. She announced the creation of a European Cloud Partnership to harmonise the procurement of these services by public authorities, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, on 26 January. The Commission will finance the launch of this initiative in the amount of 10 million, she added.

Cloud computing is a concept that uses the storage and computing capacities of networked computers and servers. It gives users access to data through the internet without the need for specialised installations and infrastructures.

"Public information technology (IT) procurement is large, about 20% of the market," but today it is fragmented with limited impact, explained Kroes. "We can harness this buying power through more harmonisation and integration."

The commissioner called on public authorities and industry to join this European partnership and hopes the first results will be visible in 2013.

In practical terms, the partnership will be established in three stages. The first will develop common requirements for cloud procurement, covering standards, competition and security (eg effective data protection). It will also explore the need to ensure that customers can change their cloud services provider. During the second stage...

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