I feel there are some ethical issues with moving to cloud computing. Cloud computing is a very effective way to allow large groups of people all use the same programs. This brings the demand for software to the individual users down. I feel that one possible ethical issue, is the job loss due to this cloud computing. Considering the demand for these products are down, and most likely will stay down if cloud computing picks up popularity, I feel that many people will be losing their jobs because companies will have to downsize. The large corporations will only have to purchase one main software for the client computer, and the users who are all under that client computer will only have to log in through a web page. I think that the ethical issue here is that many people can be losing their jobs.


There are also privacy issues. As companies start using these cloud computing, it makes it for more data that is required to be stored. Some of this data can be personal information about those who are a part of the companies. Holding this data requires some sort of security purposes so that just anyone cannot get personal information about employees. This includes securing data as it is transmitted to and stored in the cloud as well as granting the appropriate access rights regarding who can view the data.


For companies, many people are required to sign NDAs (nondisclosure agreements) and noncompete clauses in employment contracts, legal documents that restrict their ability to share information with other future employers even to the point of disallowing them to join certain companies or continue to participate in a particular industry.


http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/77/walmart.html

Above is an article about Wal-Mart. It talks about the ever expanding company and how it has in a way, "Bought Americans". Wal-Mart has shown the by selling goods for the lowest prices, they can sell the most products because the demand for the cheapest goods is the highest demand. However, there is an ethical issue in this. With Wal-Mart having so many customers and such low prices, many rival companies (and smaller companies for that matter) cannot compete. They have to close down their business and in turn, people are losing their jobs. This is one ethical issue. In relation to cloud computing, Wal-Mart today brings in much of their products from overseas. This means that they must use some form of the internet in order to keep in touch with their international partners.

Wal-Mart uses cloud computing to keep in touch with its partners and with such a large corporation, it must. Cloud computing is a way to bring everyone together, but what I am concerned about is how do they keep all the information, with all the partner companies, and all the employees private. I feel that with such a large organization, cloud computing may bring some places in which peoples personal information can be obtained. This is the ethical issue that cloud computing and Wal-Mart have in common.