Cloud Computing (document anglais)

In the evolution of computing technology, information

processing has moved from mainframes to personal

computers to server-centric computing to the Web. Today,

many organizations are seriously considering adopting cloud

computing, the next major milestone in technology and

business collaboration. A supercharged version of delivering

hosted services over the Internet, cloud computing

potentially enables organizations to increase their business

model capabilities and their ability to meet computing

resource demands while avoiding significant investments in

infrastructure, training, personnel, and software.

In fall 2010, a Google executive testified before a U.S.

congressional subcommittee that more than three million

businesses worldwide were customers of its cloud service

offerings. Gartner Inc. predicts that cloud computing will be

a $140 billion industry by 2014.

Technological advancements in system virtualization, system

resource management, and the Internet have led to cloud

computing’s emergence as a viable alternative for meeting

the technology needs of many types of enterprises, with the

following benefits resonating with executives:

• Instantaneous computing resource fulfillment;

• Greater value from technology expenditures at lower costs;

• Common technology platforms that can facilitate

standardization; and

• Decreased need for internal technology support personnel.

As with any new opportunity, cloud computing entails

commensurate risks. It brings to organizations a different

dimension of collaboration and human interaction, new

organizational dependencies, faster resource fulfillment, and

new business models.

The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway

Commission’s (COSO’s) Enterprise Risk Management –

Integrated Framework establishes a common language and

foundation for organizations to assess and oversee risks

from a holistic perspective. Citing a timeless statement

made in that publication

1

: “Enterprise risk management

enables

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