A Handle on Cloud Computing

  A Law.com/ Corporate Counsel Lexis link surveys some ideas about cloud computing’s becoming an ever-bigger part of the future with all types of corporations  jumping on the proverbial bus, and a big question to be looking at being “is this bus of the future secure? Is it reliable? Is it safe?”

  “Some experts think that cloud computing could cut corporate IT costs by half,” the article’s introduction says. “Because of their scale, cloud providers can ostensibly pay for the best in technology and expertise, which translates into better reliability and security than a company could manage in-house. Clouds also add flexibility, with usage-based fee structures and the ability to scale performance up higher than any typical corporate IT department could even dream of. But with such a formidable upside, there needs to be a considerable downside for cloud adoption to be even debatable, and, Unfortunately, there is.”

  The article briefly overviews corporate considerations such as hacking/leaks & security, how backups & contingencies are planned & managed, and knowing the relevant laws to ensure corporate interests are protected contractually in a field that’s diverse and constantly changing, involving work that will be new to most lawyers.

  The thing of it is, though, is that, while this article is directed toward corporations and presumably larger organizations, some – maybe all – might also be worthwhile reads for smaller groups such as partnerships or even solo practitioners.