Facilitating consistent management across compute resources in the data center and in private, public or hybrid clouds is critical to the industry's success. The Cloud Industry Forum will help build trust with customers looking for secure, stable, and effective cloud computing solutions so that they can monitor and manage service delivery with confidence. The Cloud Industry Forum's Code of Practice initiative is a fundamental step to encourage transparency and best practices in cloud computing.

The traditional model of delivering software and it services has gone beyond the on-premise model. Our industry has changed as has the market. As we move towards a new business model end users need the confidence that only an authoritative code of practice can bring.

Cloud computing is the future of computing and is rapidly becoming fully mainstream. The Cloud Industry Forum (CIF) and its code of practice will help ensure that the highest standards are maintained. As well as ensuring CIF members are appropriately skilled and regularly assessed, businesses will appreciate the peace of mind as well as a clearly defined industry standard with which they can assess their suppliers, and undertake Cloud implementations with the highest confidence and trust. Outsourcery fully endorses the principles of CIF and is proud to be a founding member.

Organisations seeking to use cloud services need a straightforward form of certification or 'code of practice' for potential suppliers that will accurately define the services offered, standards of operation and security

The CIF Code helps further EuroCloud's strategy to develop an industry-wide framework for customer confidence in the quality and integrity of cloud delivered services.

Cloud computing presents end users with the opportunity to do more with less, however there is still work to be done in driving trust in cloud based services. We fully support CIF’s messaging, which is to assist business users in identifying and investing in secure, reliable services, and our company values go hand-in-hand with this aim. CIF educates the end user on how to identify the most suitable and cost-effective services for them and we in turn endeavour to provide our customers with low-cost, high-quality services.

We recognise CIF’s Code of Practice as an important part of industry self-regulation and are delighted to work with CIF to encourage and achieve best practice.

CIF membership and certification to the CIF Code of Practice provide us with additional market credibility. UNIT4 has, for several hundred organisations, successfully installed multi-tenant cloud solutions and a growing number on hybrid, virtualised cloud computing models that are reaping substantial cost savings. Prospective and existing clients can rest assured that UNIT4’s cloud offerings provide them with choice and flexibility to support their business.

Alex Hilton,

Managing Director

The cloud industry forum aims to bring together like minded organisations determined to deliver common standards in security, privacy and interoperability that our end users can have faith in.

The rapid adoption of cloud computing has seen cloud-based services become a central part of business strategy, with its ability to deliver flexibility and drive down cost being two of the main benefits for end users. This partnership further reflects our commitment to the cloud and more importantly our cloud-based customers.

Intellect, the UK High Tech Trade Association, welcomes the introduction of the Cloud Industry Forum, which addresses the need for Cloud Service Providers to establish themselves as responsible organisations offering services to customers at all levels in the UK. The idea of providing assured business information to equip customers will provide a valuable extra check to support the selection of suppliers and encourage the wider adoption of proven services. Thus bringing added value to all players in this fast growing marketplace.

In my 20+ years working in the IT industry this is the first accreditation programme I've actively participated in, which can and will deliver real and quantifiable assurances to the end user around Cloud services. Such assurances have been inherent with other professional services bodies for many years now - so this is long overdue. Trust and Transparency are values which are at the core of ChannelCloud UK/Ireland and therefore becoming a member of the CIF has been a natural progression for us.

As an industry we must build trust with customers ensuring they can rely on secure, stable, and effective cloud computing solutions. It's about helping users make decisions about which model is best for them and giving them security in the choices they make

Access to the networked resources provided by 'clouds' enables companies to enter markets without having to meet the capital costs of building their own computer infrastructure. What they get instead is a sort of 'pay as you go' service tailored to their specific requirements.

We fully support CIF’s goal, which is to assist business users in identifying and investing in secure and robust Cloud services. We have been focused on delivering innovative new technology to provide secure search for the cloud, so we are aware of the importance of best practice in this sector. We understand the value of Cloud Industry Forum’s messaging and we are delighted to be joining them in championing their Code of Practice.