A LEADING technology lawyer has said there is a “tension within Government policy” over cloud computing which is damaging Ireland’s potential to benefit from the new technology.

“On the one hand, you have the Government espousing cloud computing, we want to become a global hub and attract foreign business,” said Philip Nolan, a partner with law firm Mason Hayes+Curran, “but on the other hand, we have certain components of the Civil Service, some of those who are involved in formulating overarching purchasing policies for all public bodies, who are opposed to uptake of cloud computing solutions on quite a principled basis.”

The Centre for Management and Organisation Development (CMOD), formerly part of the Department of Finance and now part of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, oversees technology policy for the public service as well as approving all major IT spending.

“There would certainly seem to be elements within CMOD that would seem to be not disposed to the uptake of cloud solutions,” said Mr Nolan.

Robert Baker, managing director of Baker Networks, which resells Google’s suite of cloud computing services, put it more bluntly.

“A minister would turn up now if Met Éireann announced a cloud but the Government is banned from buying it,” he said.

Mr Baker cited the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin, which stated that it could not go to a public cloud solution because “the Chief State Solicitor’s Office have advised that issues such as data protection, confidentiality and security and liability are not necessarily dealt with in a manner that would be necessary for public sector responsibilities”.

The programme for government, agreed by Fine Gael and Labour in March, states: “We will make Ireland a leader in the emerging IT market of cloud computing by promoting greater use of cloud computing in the public sector.”

A spokeswoman for the Department of Public Expenditure said: “The public service is working with a wide range of cloud providers to determine appropriate approaches which, in addition to considering security issues, is also examining and trialling matters such as reliability, capability, technology openness and commercial models.”

In relation to the advice issued by the Chief State Solicitor’s Office, she said “proper legal consideration” of contracts was standard procedure for all procurement and not confined to cloud computing.