The best countries for cloud computing.

• Position: CLOUD

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Japan, Australia, the United States, Germany, and Singapore are the top five countries for cloud computing based on their policy environment, according to the BSA | The Software Alliance (BSA) 2013 Global Cloud Computing Scorecard.

The study rated 24 countries (which together account for 80% of the global information and communications technology market) based on their policies in seven areas:

* Privacy

* Security

* Cybercrime

* Intellectual property rights

* Data portability across borders

* Free trade promotion

* IT infrastructure

Singapore showed the most improvement (up five places from last year) due largely to its introduction of a modern, balanced privacy regime. A late-comer to privacy regulation, Singapore passed its Personal Data Protection Act in October 2012.

"That timing has helped the country develop a regulatory framework that picks and chooses from the best parts of the European Union and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation approaches to privacy regulation and avoids much of the excessive legalese and administrative complexity found in other country's laws," observed BSA in its report.

Singapore took a broad, principles based approach to privacy protection. It contains short sections on notice, consent, security, access, correction, and data retention, all of which are based on international standards.

Brazil improved its ranking by finally passing cybercrime legislation last November. That change alone moved it up two spaces and out of last place. That distinction now...