Code of Practice: Cloud Computing
For small and large companies alike, this is great news: a code of practice for cloud service providers has been laid down and approved by the European Commission.
The European Commission have stated that they have “already addressed specific challenges of cloud computing meaning a faster and more harmonised adoption of the technology by Europe’s businesses, organisations and public authorities, resulting, on the demand side, in accelerated productivity growth and increased competitiveness across the whole economy as well as, on the supply-side, in a larger market in which Europe becomes a key global player.”
As with anything relatively new, certain standards have to be established to create a business environment that is “fit for purpose” and is a level playing field for everybody.
The Cloud Industry Forum’s Code of Practice has now been put on the EC’s ever increasing list of cloud certification schemes. This means that it has passed the stringent benchmark laid down for reliability and service security.
This was first introduced by the Commission as a means of making sure that cloud contracts would guarantee certain levels of service and also it would seem to help encourage spending on cloud services.
The addition of the CIF Code of Practice to the list confirms its value to the Cloud market, as end users seek to establish trust with their chosen CSPs, and means that the Code of Practice is a recognised industry best practice scheme for SME Cloud providers seeking to supply services across Europe. CIF now calls for end users to require the “CIF Certified” COP brand from all their Cloud suppliers.
The Cloud Industry Forum chief, Alex Hilton, said: “This is a major milestone for the Cloud Industry Forum and the broader cloud community. There are no dedicated cloud standards in the market, making it difficult for small business customers to identify trusted advisors.
“We hope this recognition will encourage more users of cloud services to actively seek providers that are CIF-certified, and likewise more CSPs to seek certification. We have taken important steps in providing a foundation in what is a fast changing and, too many, a new technology sector.”
Cloud computing it would seem is unstoppable and is progressing at an incredibly rapid speed. Both young and established companies increasingly rely on the cloud with its ever evolving technology and will continue to do so as trust levels in this new technology are raised by having the Code of Practice in place.
The transparency of the cloud industry and standards of accountability are critical factors that will drive cloud service contracts to even higher levels than they are now.
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