BSA President and CEO Robert Holleyman said, “Trust and security are critical issues for cloud computing. But mismatched privacy and security rules are making it hard for data to flow across borders. International service providers are being locked out of local markets. Countries are unplugging themselves from the rest of the world, and it is undercutting economies of scale that could benefit everyone.”

BSA’s Global Cloud Computing Scorecard examines the policy environments of 24 countries that together account for 80 percent of the global information and communications technology market. It assesses their laws and regulations in key areas for cloud computing, such as data portability, cybercrime, and IT infrastructure. BSA first unveiled the report in 2012. This year’s update will be the first research track how the policy environment for the international cloud computing market is changing over time.

“Without the right assurances, consumers lose confidence in online services, but a heavy hand can hurt business growth,” said Holleyman. “One of the best examples of striking the right balance is Singapore. It has jumped way up in the Scorecard rankings by adopting a law that gives consumers confidence their data is protected while allowing businesses flexibility to innovate.”