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Policy, Technology

Singapore government shows confidence in cloud computing

By Robin Hicks | 6 March 2009

Despite security fears raised by the “G-fail” incident last week, when an overloaded data centre in Europe prevented millions of Gmail users from accessing their accounts, the Singapore government has given cloud computing its vote of confidence.

A spokesperson from the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) told FutureGov that it recognises cloud computing, in which Google provides numerous services for businesses and government, as “an important next paradigm” in information technology.

“The cloud holds good potential for government applications as with the industry sector,” the spokesperson said. “With increasing demand for computing, low-cost virtualisation and long-term cost effectiveness, cloud computing offers new possibilities in applications involving massive data.”

However, the spokesperson added: “Understandably, given that cloud computing is still in its early days, there would be areas that still need to be worked at, such as data security. For instance, the cloud must be able to comply with sector-specific regulatory requirements when handling sensitive data.”

The IDA has been investigating the opportunities presented by cloud computing since July 2008, when the agency teamed up with Yahoo, HP and Intel to create the research initiative, Open Cirrus Cloud Computing Testbed.

“It is important to prepare Singapore well to leverage cloud computing for greater economic reach, impact and competitiveness,” said the spokesperson.

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