ITU launches bid to standardise the cloud

Cloud computing has become a popular way of keeping IT costs down

Telecoms standards body the International Telecommunciations Union has launched a new group designed to help formalise standards around cloud computing.

The Focus Group on Cloud Computing will help to enable "a global ecosystem" where interoperability between systems enables the secure exchange of information, said the ITU.

The group will assess current standards activity in the space on a global scale, and look at where it can introduce new standards in the future.

The ITU was at pains to point out the tremendous acceleration in uptake of cloud computing services as more businesses capitalise on its ability to accelerate and streamline application deployment without upfront infrastructure costs.

"Cloud is an exciting area where there are a lot of protocols to be designed and standards to be adopted that will allow people to best manage their digital assets," said Malcolm Johnson, director of the ITU's Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau.

"Our new Focus Group aims to provide some much needed clarity in the area."

Vladimir Belenkovich, chairman of the Focus Group on Cloud Computing, added that its will also try to identify the potential impact on standards development in other fields such as next-generation networks, transport layer technologies, information and communication technologies, climate change and media coding.

A first brief phase will determine standardisation requirements and suggest how these may be addressed within ITU study groups, said the ITU.

The group will then work to developing the standards necessary to support the global rollout of fully interoperable cloud computing solutions.