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Wise for NZ Govt to keep its cloud Kiwi

The New Zealand Government has moved another step closer in its plans to adopt cloud computing.
Written by Darren Greenwood, Contributor

Last week, New Zealand's Minister of Internal Affairs Chris Tremain announced a "cloud first" policy for government procurement.

A request for proposal is just weeks away, and it seems that New Zealand is already a world leader in cloud computing, with our government working well with industry.

A Cloud Computing Code of Practice, released here in May, is now being touted as a template for Asia-Pacific.

The announcements from last week noted an onshore policy, keeping data stored here in New Zealand, at least for now.

This is a very wise move.

There are many concerns about using the cloud, with security and privacy being paramount among them. Even Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has worries about who will "own" such data.

Despite the odd security breach with one government agency, people will feel more assured that their data is being stored in New Zealand.

The Kim Dotcom case has also highlighted the dangers of storing data overseas. If Uncle Sam wants to access data stored in America, he can, but not if it is stored in New Zealand.

There is also the fact that New Zealand must support this new industry in order to create jobs here — for all those involved in the cloud's supply chain.

Major investments are being made in data centres, and it makes sense to keep as much of that work here as is economically possible.

Indeed, if the New Zealand Government cannot support New Zealand business, who else can?

The government is to be commended for taking its lead with cloud computing, and by noting the concerns with security, it is also wise to proceed with caution.

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