The Cloud Industry Forum (CIF) has established a formal partnership with UK analyst house Bloor Research. Working together, the two parties are developing a range of end user-focused initiatives, including events, research, how-to guides, e-learning courses, and structured guidance workshops for Cloud adoption. These initiatives are designed to help organisations refine and develop their Cloud migration strategies.
The partnership centres on CIF’s recently-launched Individual Membership Programme, which aims to not only provide industry professionals with on-going resources pertinent to Cloud computing, but will also provide a market-recognised and vendor-independent accreditation programme. Bloor is also contributing to the development of a set of e-learning modules that support the accreditation scheme. The resources and accreditation align with CIF’s 21 step Cloud Adoption Roadmap, which has been developed in conjunction with Bloor to help organisations de-risk Cloud adoption projects through structured, best practice guidance. Both organisations will promote these propositions to their community of subscribers.
The programme will be supported by a range of joint end user-focused master classes and events, the first of which will be held in early 2016. CIF Individual members will benefit from the expertise of Bloor’s subject matter experts, as well as access to Bloor research papers, discounts on consultancy & advisory services and Cloud Service Providers guides, to help make their journeys to the Cloud more successful.
Alex Hilton, CEO of CIF, commented: “The rapid rise of Cloud computing has created a new imperative for CIOs and IT departments to ensure that they have the correct knowledge and skills to manage their migrations. Having access to vendor-independent advice and best practice frameworks is critical, and in joining forces with Bloor on our accreditation scheme and e-learning programme, we are in a strong position to provide that. Our combined reach and expertise will benefit the membership of both parties, broadening the scope of both organisations so that we can help to deepen end users’ understanding of Cloud computing and further the adoption of Cloud services in the UK market.”
Richard Rose, Bloor’s President, added: “The Cloud Industry Forum has established itself as one of the leading independent sources of knowledge about Cloud-based solutions in the UK for both Cloud Service Providers and end user organisations. When the opportunity to partner with them arose we recognised the potential for both our clients and the market immediately. The e-learning and accreditation scheme, which will be supported by practical Master Classes and launched later this year, will provide answers and practical advice to address the issues that end users regularly encounter on the journey to the Cloud. They will therefore be immensely valuable for any business seeking to take advantage of the delivery model.”
