Cloud & Platforms
Cloud gives companies the opportunity to ratio storage and throughput and reduce IT costs. With these benefits, Cloud and Edge become a new standard, replacing traditional on-premise software. With a focus on availability, privacy and security, cloud service providers must balance innovation, cost and risk.
Our customized Cloud contracts reflect that balance with an eye for legal details. So the question arises: to whom does the data belong? What obligations does a cloud provider have upon termination of the contract? Are there sufficient safeguards against vendor lock-in upon exit? What redress options does a customer have? These complex contracts not only revolve around the right to use certain software, but also regulate the services that go with it.
IaaS
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) contracts regulate the outsourcing of IT infrastructure (such as storage and computing power). The big advantage of IaaS is that the cloud provider is responsible for hosting, maintenance and often the support of the provided infrastructure. Based on their extensive experience, our specialized IT/IP jurists work out tailor-made IaaS contracts with a view to collecting various legal and technical aspects.
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BC/DR)
How do you guarantee the integrity of data and applications in the cloud? It goes without saying that sometimes things can go completely wrong with Cloud. In such cases, disaster recovery and backup-as-a-service is an indispensable remedy. As a matter of principle, cloud providers will try to waive liability for data loss by pointing out a shared responsibility between cloud provider and customer. Our specialized team of IT/IP jurists will put in place the necessary care procedures in line with the customer’s strategy and risk tolerance.
PaaS
Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) agreements provide for the rental of platforms on which SaaS applications are developed and hosted. These technical contracts provide the customer, usually a developer, with the necessary IT infrastructure in the form of an online platform. Usually, the customer of a PaaS service wants less control over the underlying infrastructure compared to an IaaS agreement. This allows the customer to focus on his most important task: software development.
Legally, PaaS contracts are governed by various detailed documents such as Terms of Service, an Acceptable Use Policy and SLAs (Service Level Agreements). Key aspects of these documents include the hierarchy of documents, the license as well as the continuity of service. Our specialized team of legal experts is happy to draw up these documents in function of the desired control and flexibility.
SaaS
SaaS or Software-as-a-Service is a form of Cloud computing in which the service provider offers software ‘in the cloud’, and thus also has obligations with regard to account management, service availability and licenses. SaaS contracts can include the distribution or resale of applications. Other SaaS agreements regulate the development of new SaaS software, often supplemented with an SLA. We always pay attention to essential aspects regarding IP and service continuity. For example, we offer clear and understandable SaaS contracts that are in line with the customer’s or supplier’s concerns.