Patriot Act, not products

Microsoft Australia's chief research officer, Greg Stone, says local CIOs need to be aware the Patriot Act is an industry-wide issue that shouldn't be associated with only one product launch.

While Microsoft and its popular Office 365 service is an easy example to cite when discussing the reach of the Patriot Act, local Cloud service subscribers can't overlook the fact that it is a law that applies to all US companies, so US-based Cloud providers doing business in Australia are in the same boat.

Short list of US-based Cloud

Here is a short list of US-based Cloud and outsourcing providers housing Australian business and government information:

It is as well important to note the Patriot Act applies to all forms of data, not just perceived "Cloud storage". A SaaS app or social network is such as susceptible as a backup service.

The story is obvious enough

The story is obvious enough. Interest in public Cloud services among consumers and enterprises is white hot right now, however there is little discussion around laws like the Patriot Act and what that might mean for US companies doing business all around the world.

Last week's Office 365 launch undoubtedly put the spotlight back on the Patriot Act, however in terms of business risk for CIOs, it's no different to using Google Apps or outsourcing to IBM. High-profile Cloud app launches just make it more newsworthy.