Business Software Alliance: Patchwork Of National Laws Halts Cloud Advance

The BSA claims that the future of cloud computing has been slowed by a large number of tech laws and regulations which vary widely from nation to nation. Cloud computing is viewed as the future of most distributed software from e-mail to security to enterprise products from firms like IBM and Oracle. The “cloud” allows most computing activity to go on at remote servers instead of on PCs or servers owned by individual companies.

BSA writes in a new report

A patchwork of conflicting laws and regulations threatens to undercut the full promise of the global cloud computing market, the Business Software Alliance reported today in a study of 24 countries that together account for 80 percent of the world’s information and communications technology. To capture the full economic potential of the cloud, governments need to better harmonize their policies to smooth the flow of data across borders, the study warns.