Do you fuss about which country your business data is stored in? Does it makes a difference whether your data is stored in a cloud in India, Canada, or Australia? However, you might have to reconsider, because using a data center in a foreign country can turn out to have major consequences. Laurens van Reijen, Managing Director of LCL, explains.

Laurens van Reijen, Managing Director of LCL: "I often come across companies that don't really care where exactly their data is being stored. 'Why pay more if there is a cheaper choice just as good abroad', I hear them say.

However, there are definite advantages to choosing a Belgian data center. For a start, Belgian data centers - logically - have to comply with Belgian laws. Say, for example, hackers access confidential information or compromise your website, you can report this to the Federal Computer Crime Unit (FCCU), a specialized department of the federal police force that is dedicated to combat computer crime. This legal protection is not offered when your data is stored in a foreign country. And at this moment there are no European regulations yet on this subject. In addition, there is the risk that some data centers in foreign countries have an obligation to pass on all data to the American government. No such obligation exists for companies who have their data stored in Belgium. So if you are thinking about storing your data in a foreign country, my advice would be to think twice!"