Cloud Computing: A Way To Rebuild Japan's Infrastructure

The earthquake followed by the 30ft tsunami that hit Japan’s North East did not just destroy physical infrastructure, but it also destroyed computer servers and networks. The result was enormous loss of data and the loss of communications.  For companies, the loss of their servers along with their records has had a devastating impact. Cloud computing provided by computer company Fujitsu, who has a long record in Japan as an innovator of new technology, plans to play a major role in the rebuilding efforts by providing a data storage solution that Japan can use for the future.
Fujitsu has dispatched engineers to businesses and local governments to recover their data and repair their systems. They have also allowed the use of their servers for free giving disaster victim’s access to secure communications, store their data in the cloud, and get systems up and running again. For instance, the federal government has to collect data on the aftermath of the disaster so when they gather the information, they can store it in the Cloud to create a database on such things as where to distribute food and other resources, the number of residents that have lost their homes…etc.
According to reports, “Fujitsu will invest more than £320m this year in building its cloud services.” Fujitsu is betting on “cloud computing”, where users trust the company with all of their information and use the internet to access it In the aftermath of the earthquake, the president of Fujitsu, Mr. Yamamoto, says “he is hoping that the benefits of the cloud technology will convince users to stick with the service and eventually pay Fujitsu a subscription for it.” He has reported that “inquiries from companies and local governments have already tripled from before the quake.” Fujitsu is providing systems to utility companies to help them manage the grid in the disaster area. In the cloud, power companies can monitor the power usage of each of their customers which is essential to building an efficient smart grid.
Japan is currently in a very difficult situation, but Mr. Yamamoto says “we are not defeated in spirit. We will use this step to come together and create a new Japan.”