Sophos joins National Standing Committee on Cloud Computing

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – 7 March 2012 – IT security and data protection company Sophos has announced that it has joined the National Standing Committee on Cloud Computing (NSCCC). The committee will advise the Australian government on policy surrounding cloud computing to ensure Australia’s long term ability to keep up with demand in the global digital economy.

Sophos will join a panel of representatives at executive level from Federal and State government agencies, industry leaders, as well as members from the research community and advocacy groups. The committee was established by public policy network Global Access Partners (GAP) and is chaired by Keith Besgrove, the First Assistant Secretary, Digital Economy Services Division, Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.

Key objectives of the National Standing Committee includes discussing national and global opportunities for Australian business and consumers in the adoption of cloud computing technology; coordinating a dialogue between key stakeholders on the issues and driving practical outcomes. The members will meet regularly throughout the year and provide an annual report to the Federal government advising on the most appropriate measures for comprehensive cloud computing adoption.

Lisa Middlebrook, NSCCC Deputy Chair feels the committee’s work will be invaluable to the enablement of comprehensive cloud solutions in Australia.

“The establishment of the NSCCC is a significant step in the development of cloud computing in Australia. This committee will create a briefing paper for Senator Stephen Conroy and his cabinet colleagues, and will be a driving force behind the legislation surrounding cloud technology.  The addition of companies such as Sophos, means that we have front line industry expertise and experience that will help bring a balanced approach to the dialogue,” Middlebrook said.

The National Standing Committee will continue the conversation to a wider group, with an annual one-day workshop will to bring together a broad group of industry, government and civil society representatives to participate in constructive and informed discussion.

Managing Director of Sophos ANZ, Rob Forsyth explains the significance of joining the NSCCC panel.

“The NSCCC will enable a detailed discussion about the pros and cons relating to the broad adoption of cloud solutions. As the implementation of new technology is moving at a very fast rate, we have a responsibility to Australian business and consumers to provide guidance on how this technology can best be deployed to improve the Australian economy’s technological efficiency and competitiveness,” Forsyth said.

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About Global Access Partners
GAP is a network which initiates high-level discussions at the cutting edge of the most pressing commercial, social and global issues of today. Through conferences, missions, advisory boards and the online think tank, Open Forum, facilitates real and lasting change for stakeholders, partners and delegates, sharing knowledge, forging progress and creating input for Government policy.

About Sophos  

More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, mobile and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.

Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.au.

Media Contact:

Anthia Crosby

Espresso Communications

+61 2 9904 4177

anthia@espressocomms.com.au