CIF Code of Practice gives Rise a boost

APM Group, the Cloud Industry Forum’s (CIF) independent certification partner, has announced that Rise has successfully re-certified against the CIF Code of Practice, having initially gained the certification in late 2011.

Rise, a Gloucester-based provider of cloud infrastructure and hosted services, supplies complete cloud service packages for channel partners to either resell, or offer as a white label service under their own brand. The company became a member of CIF in 2011 and actively supports and participates in its Code of Practice.

The Code of Practice, initially launched in 2010 following an extensive period of public consultation and piloting, is a credible, certifiable tool that allows CSPs to demonstrate that they meet specified requirements of transparency, accountability and capability. It aims to standardise enterprises offering cloud services to provide clarity and assurance to end users seeking to migrate to the cloud.

According to James Henigan, Managing Director at Rise, the primary benefit of certification relates to the issue of trust, which, he suggests, is desperately lacking in the industry. He said: “In the early days of cloud, vendors thought that if they made enough noise then consumers would find them but that’s not how many small and mid-sized businesses buy IT. They’re aware of the cloud, but are often confused about what it delivers, how they can take advantage of it, and with whom they can safely entrust their data. Ultimately end users are looking for clear guidance, or a benchmark, to measure suppliers against. The CIF Code of Practice is an essential tool in building trust between CSPs and end users, and, as such, is an initiative that Rise is fully committed to.”

He continued: “Since certification in 2011, we have seen a distinct increase in the confidence levels of customers and prospects alike. With so many cloud providers in the market, CIF’s Code of Practice demonstrates that we have been independently recognised as a being a responsible, credible and accountable cloud provider. The big benefit for us is that our customers can immediately see that we are a trustworthy provider – a benefit that is felt throughout the business.”

Richard Pharro, APM Group’s CEO, added: “The Code of Practice is clearly gaining momentum and heading toward maturity, as evidenced by the number of CSPs that have gone through the initial certification and subsequent re-certification processes. By achieving the certification for a second term, Rise has demonstrated its commitment to best practice in the cloud and we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate them.”