Brussels, December, 12th 2017. In a strong signal that the EU Cloud Code of Conduct (EU Cloud CoC) reaches a high standard for data protection in the cloud, Cisco, Google Cloud and TrustArc have just joined the General Assembly of the EU Cloud CoC as full industry members.
Current members of the EU Cloud CoC – Alibaba Cloud, Fabasoft, IBM, Oracle, Salesforce and SAP – are happy to welcome the new members as one of the first joining the project and look forward to a successful and sustainable collaboration.
This is a substantial development for the EU Cloud CoC. Not only does it mean that a significant number of the global top tier cloud providers support the principles of the EU Cloud CoC, but it also brings together an even larger resource in data protection experts which will work together to further develop the EU Cloud CoC to high data protection standards in advance of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Cloud service providers (CSPs) across Europe and beyond are welcome to declare that their services implement the EU Cloud CoC and thereby unequivocally commit to implementing robust data protection and security policies that will help them be prepared for significant changes in data protection law that GDPR will bring.
“We are delighted to welcome such significant cloud players to the EU Cloud CoC organization. This is the only existing Code which covers both software as a service (SaaS), platforms (PaaS) as well as infrastructure (IaaS) and we are proud that Cisco, Google Cloud and TrustArc, following careful consideration, have chosen to work with us. Their participation will take the EU Cloud CoC capabilities to a new level”, said Jonathan Sage, Government and Regulatory Affairs Executive at IBM and Chairman of the EU Cloud CoC.
“With the upcoming GDPR, the work on the EU Cloud CoC is an opportunity for companies to show an additional firm commitment to the protection of personal data as a solid base to build trustworthy relationships”, added Lorena Marciano, EMEAR Data Protection and Privacy Officer at CISCO.
As the 25 May 2018 deadline approaches for the GDPR to take effect in the EU Member States, cloud providers which express their support of the EU Cloud CoC send a clear message that they are committed to comply with the new Regulation.
Background
The EU Cloud Code of Conduct was founded in February 2017, after four years of close collaboration between the European Commission and the cloud computing community. Founding members are Alibaba Cloud, Fabasoft, IBM, Oracle, Salesforce and SAP. The EU Cloud CoC intends to increase transparency in the European cloud marketplace and those parties which sign up to it will certify that their services adhere to the rigorous European data protection requirements. The EU Cloud CoC is open to all CSPs, regardless of size and from all cloud sectors (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), on the condition that they adhere to the data protection safeguards laid out in EU data protection legislation.
