The European Commission has appointed F-Secure CEO Christian Fredrikson to the steering board of its new European Cloud Partnership.
The European Commission announced on Wednesday it has appointed cloud security provider F-Secure CEO Christian Fredrikson to the steering board of its new European Cloud Partnership.
Formed last fall, the new European Cloud Partnership is working toward establishing a digital single market for cloud computing in Europe.
By working closely with the cloud industry, the ECP will help to harness the public sector’s buying power and ultimately play a defining role in shaping the growing cloud market.
The European Commission announced its new strategy last September for “Unleashing the potential of cloud computing in Europe” in which it highlights initiatives to deliver a net gain of 2.5 million new European jobs, and an annual increase of $212 billion by 2020.
Fredrikson has served as president and CEO of F-Secure since November 2011. As a cloud security provider, F-Secure securely stores billions of photos, videos, documents, and other files for millions of end customers globally.
He previously served as head of global sales for network systems at Nokia Siemens Networks.
“It’s an honor to be asked to serve on the board,” Fredrikson said. “As a content cloud provider and an expert in security, F-Secure’s expertise is the safe cloud. We have a job to do in helping to shape the global cloud market. Companies who play the cloud challenge right can create sustainable business value.”
The ECP’s steering board is chaired by Estonian president Toomas Hendrik Ilves, and comprised of tech industry CEOs and government representatives responsible for IT procurement.
The board will give advice to European Commission vice president Neelie Kroes on strategies to use cloud computing as a tool to drive economic growth and cost-efficient public services.
The steering board will take on a range of issues including certification schemes and cloud standards, as well as come up with pilot cloud projects to implement such as eID, smart cities, eHealth and eEducation.
On a related note, the UK government recently launched the third interation of its G-Cloud framework, which is designed to drive competition iand provide more choice for buyers in the UK cloud market.
Talk back: Do you think the European Commission’s ECP will succeed in establishing a single digital market for cloud computing in Europe? Do you think F-Secure CEO Christian Fredrikson is a good choice for a new cloud partnership board member? Let us know in a comment.
About Justin Lee
Justin Lee has been a staff analyst with theWHIR since 2004. He writes about a range of web hosting and IT-related issues facing the industry on the WHIR website, as well the print version of the WHIR magazine. Follow him on Twitter @Justin_theWHIR.
