Asia Cloud Computing Association

Founded in 2010, the Asia Cloud Computing Association (ACCA) is the apex industry body representing the cloud computing ecosystem across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. As a not-for-profit organization, it serves as a vendor-neutral voice for stakeholders including cloud service providers (CSPs), system integrators, and tech-focused enterprises. The organization is currently on hiatus.

The ACCA’s mission is to accelerate cloud adoption throughout Asia by fostering a trusted market environment and advocating for a safe, consistent, and pro-innovation regulatory framework. To this end, the ACCA acts as a bridge between the private sector and governments, providing expert input on public policy debates regarding data sovereignty, cybersecurity, and digital trade.

Published Research Reports

The ACCA is widely recognized for its “flagship” research, which benchmarks digital readiness and provides policy recommendations for specific sectors.

All reports are accessible via the links provided throughout the page.

Their primary publications include:

1. The Cloud Readiness Index (CRI)

Launched in 2011, this is the ACCA’s most prominent biennial report. It assesses APAC economies (usually 14 markets) across parameters like connectivity, cybersecurity, and government policy to rank their preparedness for cloud adoption.

Cloud Assessment Tool: A whitepaper on a framework divided in categories, criteria and levels to assess cloud computing efforts.

Key Iterations: 2011, including the Cloud Map, 2012, 2014, 2016 (and Japanese version), 2018, and 2020.

Focus: Tracking how nations like Singapore, Hong Kong, and New Zealand lead the region while identifying infrastructure gaps in emerging markets.

2. Financial Services Industry (FSI) Reports

The ACCA has a dedicated focus on the highly regulated banking and finance sector, including a report on Safe Cloud Principles for the Financial Services Industry.

“Better on the Cloud” Series: Published in 2015, 2018, and 2021 ( and Japanese version), these reports analyze the regulatory landscape for financial institutions using cloud services, focusing on data localization and risk management.

Asia’s Financial Services “Ready for the Cloud”: A report on the securities regulations impacting Cloud in Japan and 2016 update.

The Network Separation Rule in South Korea (with Korean version): A study with impact, improvements and recommendations to improve regulation for South Korea’s financial sector.

Focus: Providing a roadmap for regulators to harmonize outsourcing guidelines to help banks leverage AI and blockchain.

3. Data and Governance Handbooks

The association produces “how-to” guides for policymakers to ensure safe data flows.

AI Governance Handbook: A practical guide for the AI lifecycle, introducing shared responsibility frameworks between cloud providers and users.

Data Localization Typology: A report clarifying the impact of data residency requirements on cross-border economic activity.

Data Analytics to Bridge Knowledge Gaps: A whitepaper on supply and demand for Big Data Analytics in Asia Pacific.

The Impact of Data Sovereignty on Cloud Computing: A study on data sovereignty regulations in 14 Asian countries.

4. Sector-Specific and SME Research

SMEs in Asia Pacific: A study of 14 markets looking at how small and medium enterprises can overcome barriers to cloud adoption.

SMEs Attractiveness Index: This Index provides an evaluation of the attractiveness of cloud computing to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by ranking the 14 Asia Pacific economies.

Concept Notes on Sustainability: Recent research exploring how cloud-enabled technologies support United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as affordable energy and food security.

5. Cloud Computing for the Public Sector

From Vision to Procurement: Recent research exploring principles for adopting Cloud Computing in the public sector.

6. Case Studies

Cross-Border Data Flows: A review of the regulatory enablers, blockers, and key sectoral opportunities in five Asian economies (India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, and Vietnam)

Renewable Energy and Data Centres in APAC: A review of policy enablers in Japan, Australia and India.

7. Regulating For A Digital Economy

The Importance of Cross-Border Data Flows in Asia: A policy paper analysing how cross-border data flows are critical to economic development and trade.

8. Healthcare

Towards Better Patient Outcomes and Staying Well: A research exploring the promise of Cloud Computing for the healthcare industry.

Leadership and Secretariat

The ACCA was led by the Executive Director, and supported with a secretariat team from Access Partnership.