By Richard P. Goldberg

      As Cloud Computing becomes more commonplace, and companies search for seemingly simple, low-cost alternatives to storing, protecting, and providing access to their most sensitive information, the legal and privacy concerns have largely been ignored. This talk addresses the following questions, among others: What legal risks are created when your data is located "elsewhere"—and you don’t know more than that? Can you outsource your data storage and access consistent with your company's privacy policy? Can using Cloud Computing cause you to violate federal, state, or international data-privacy laws? Can you do everything right and still create unreasonable risks to your company? Who will be responsible if—or, more likely, when—something goes wrong? What precautions can you take to solve these problems? And will that be enough?

      This talk is a discussion of the less-obvious legal risks inherent in storing data in the cloud. It focuses on real-world problems—and solutions, if any exist. It is meant to leave you with a greater understanding of the relevant issues, legal risks, potential solutions, and which problems do not have solutions.

      A partial video of my talk can be downloaded here. Video of the subsequent panel discussion can be viewed here.

      An updated version of the presentation slides can be found here.

Presentation: Legal and Privacy Issues in Cloud Computing (partial video)

      If you would like to discuss how these issues could affect your business, or if you would like to discuss any other legal issues, please do not hesitate to contact me.

      Attorney Advertising: This material has been prepared for general informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice.