Cloud in the Polish energy sector

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In its latest report, consulting firm EY highlighted the problem of cloud computing in the Polish energy sector, which still lacks adequate rules and regulations to facilitate the use of the cloud. Although current regulations do not prohibit this solution, there are still no successful examples of its use. As indicated in the report, the energy sector needs appropriate regulations encouraging its use on a wider scale, such as in other business sectors (e.g. banking).

Relevant legal regulations

Ernst & Young’s report “Cloud Computing in Regulated Industries: Finance and Energy. Challenges 2021” compares the current situation of the Polish energy sector to that of several years ago in other economic sectors. The industry is still waiting for appropriate legal regulations that will not only facilitate the implementation of cloud computing, but will also encourage its use on a wider scale. In the report, EY gives examples of other business sectors, such as banking, insurance, public administration or health, where regulations explicitly indicate the possibility̨ to use cloud technology.

“There is no factual or legal reason to believe that cloud computing will be legally banned in the energy sector in the future. On the other hand, existing regulations and guidelines applied in other regulated sectors may be treated by the energy sector as an example of good practice,” reads the report. – reads the report.

The impulse to encourage the use of cloud computing in the energy sector may also be examples of successful implementations. Some time ago we wrote the article “Tauron and Lotos as an example for the energy sector in terms of cloud computing adoption”, in which we described examples of cloud adoption by the Polish energy sector leaders, such as Tauron and Lotos. One such example is still not enough for other participants in the sector, who are waiting for implementation on a larger scale.

Safety is also important

Among other barriers, the security aspect is also mentioned, especially the security of critical infrastructure. On the other hand, the report indicates that outsourcing data to third-party cloud providers can increase the level of data security – among other things, because customers also receive network security services as part of cloud services.

EY also highlights that the energy sector cites maintaining data security as one of the most important challengeś associated with the cloud.

The report is based on a qualitative study of participants in regulated markets and is the result of direct interviews with representatives of the financial and energy sectors.(PAP)