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.

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.

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.

We believe that joining the Cloud Industry Forum shows FrontRange Solutions' commitment to delivering best-in-class Software as a Service solutions as well as working with a wide variety of partners to drive awareness, adoption and best practice in managing cloud-based services and solutions

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.

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.

The cloud is high on the agenda for many CIOs and channel partners. Today Microsoft is witnessing a rapid adoption of Cloud Services, and over the next few years significant implementation is anticipated within the UK. Providing leadership for customers and partners in the development of agreed standards and sharing of best practices in this new era of technology is an important and valuable role in supporting the transition to the cloud

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.

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.

Like with any traditional technology, customers expect the cloud to demonstrate transparency, capability and accountability, and we are confident that our robust and specialised solutions offer the stability needed to encourage businesses to work closely with cloud service providers to become more efficient.

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.

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.

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.

We very much look forward to working with CIF and helping them to succeed in delivering a credible and certifiable code of practice for the cloud industry as well as bringing business, consumers and suppliers of cloud services closer together in a trusted and sustainable marketplace.

As technologies like cloud develop at pace it is vital that pioneers come together and share their knowledge for the future of the industry. The Cloud Industry Forum plays a crucial role in ensuring that the technologies of tomorrow are maintained and developed to the highest standards. The hosting platforms that businesses place their trust in must keep the security of their customers at the top of the agenda and the CIF will encourage this best practice.