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International In-house Counsel Journal logoInternational In-house Counsel Journal logo

Cloud Computing: Instructions for use

October 2011
Cloud ComputingIT

Abstract

Cloud computing seems to be on everybody’s mouth as the future trend in IT. Notwithstanding the fact that it has been around for some years, it continues to represent a ‘hot topic’ in IT law, and this is, beyond any doubt, due to the fact that even at an Institutional level (both in the US and within EU), there is an awareness that cloud computing could be a driver for digital development – especially at a small and medium sized businesses level –, representing also an opportunity for economic growth: remote access to computing power and data over the Internet can drive down costs through more efficient use of hardware and software. The main worry has to do with security (and the most immediate item on the agenda, when speaking of cloud computing, is certainly data protection and regulatory compliance with the various legislations potentially involved), but there are a number of other interesting issues on the table, such as the ones related to intellectual property rights and principles of contracts (e.g. liability of the service provider). So what does it take, in the end, to draft a contract for the provision of services ‘on the cloud’? Are there that many differences characterising cloud computing in respect of other outsourcing contacts? Are the main problems related to cross-jurisdictional provision of services or are there some issues arising from cloud computing even when the service provider and the customer are based within the same jurisdiction? These are some of the questions to which an answer will be sought in this paper, evidencing that one of the reasons why cloud computing represent such an interesting topic is that it seems to anticipate a number of legal issues that could become central in the future, in the undergoing trend of globalisation of services.

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Author

Sergio Calderara
, , Italy

Sergio Calderara is Chief Contracts Counsle of Almaviva S.p.A. His tasks include supervising all contractual relationships involving any company of the Group, as well as of the Group's mergers and acquisitions. He has previously covered the role of General Counsel of G.Matica S.r.l. and, prior to moving in-house, he has been a practicing in the fields of commercial contracts and corporate law, with a specific focus on the IT industry, as Junior Partner of a medium-large sized independent Italian law firm. He is members of the Board of Directors of Almaviva, lecturer at Luiss University in Rome (postgraduate course level) on subjects relating to IT and Software and an active member of Association Internationale des Jeunes Avocats, where he is President of the Corporate Counsel Commission.

Company

Almaviva S.p.A. is a leading provider of Information and Communication Technology services. Almaviva Group has over 22.000 employees (14.000 in Italy and 8.000 abroad) and offices in Italy, Brazil, China and Tunisia. The group's turnover in 2010 totaled 900 million euros. Almaviva operates in all the most vital sectors of the Italian economy: central and local government, telecommunications, transport, manufacturing, banking and insurance and small and medium enterprises, where it represents the number one IT services provider in several fields (public administration, transportation and territory and environment) as well as for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) services. It is also a leading CRM provider in Brazil and Tunisia.

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