Such assurances are essential if cloud computing is going to live up to its potential for businesses. Microsoft is lobbying Congress to create new laws designed to offer protection for data stored in the cloud and to enact stiffer penalties for hackers who attempt to illegally access it. Microsoft hopes that government support for cloud computing will spread globally so that data can be safe wherever it is stored within the global business infrastructure. Companies around the world that provide outsourced cloud storage will be held accountable by the same laws thet govern U.S. firms. “We need a free trade agreement for data.” says Brad Smith, senior vice president and general counsel at Microsoft.