Whether we know it or not, we all use the global ''cloud'' for many of the critical things we do each day on our computers, tablets and mobile phones. This cloud, which is a set of powerful servers that can perform global computing services, will increasingly host Australia's and America's future. So now is the critical time to understand and embrace it.

Over the past decade, new technologies have revolutionised the ability of every person on Earth to generate, store, and retrieve unprecedented amounts of data. In fact, more than 90 per cent of all data that exists today was generated in just the past two years, and that pace is accelerating.

By 2015, most data will be in the cloud, where each of us can access it safely and cheaply. Already, just by tapping a few keys, we can Skype with overseas friends, get a satellite picture of a storm heading our way, buy a new iPad, or read the great works of the world's libraries.

And this is only the beginning. Australia, with its high-speed national broadband network, is poised to lead the Asia-Pacific in taking advantage of this next big wave of innovation, as long as we act together now to ensure a healthy cloud atmosphere.

By their nature, cloud services are not bound by borders. A cloud service provider located in Sydney or Silicon Valley has direct, immediate access to more than 1 billion broadband consumers in any part of the globe.