While NSA 'maps' the Internet landscape, German tech companies want Cloud cover

In the latest efforts toward warding off foreign hackers, the head of Microsoft Germany is planning to develop Cloud technology that would be offered only within Germany.

Microsoft's current computing centers in the Netherlands and Ireland are becoming more popular with the company's biggest clients, Microsoft Germany head Christian Illek told the German daily Tagesspiegel on Sunday.

"But this is obviously not enough for medium-sized German companies," Illek said.

Cloud computing refers to a storage system, which allows computing devices to share their data within a defined network online. This includes software, firewalls and platforms, as well as memory and technical services.

Considering that the expansion of computer networks has increased security risks for companies, Microsoft Germany wants data to be kept within Germany's own borders and hosted by a data center, which would be subject to German or European law, Illek emphasized.

"The data managementwould be [hosted] by a German partner," he said.

The head of Hewlett-Packard (HP) Germany, Heiko Meyer, had a similar message on Sunday, in which he called for a common Cloud space for Europe, similar to the concept of the EU's economic area.

Meyer told news agency DPA that HP had already submitted plans for "Cloud 28+" to the EU research program Horizon 2020, which is aimed at streamlining European research and innovation to make the 28-member bloc more competitive globally.

The ex-head of German telecommunications Telekom, Ren Obermann, made a similar proposal last year.

Spiegel: 'NSA has access to Telekom'

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While NSA 'maps' the Internet landscape, German tech companies want Cloud cover