16th October 2012 - With cloud adoption rates in the UK set to soar over the next 12 months, particularly in the SME market, CIF Certification will be key to encouraging end user confidence and gaining market share, says APM Group, the Cloud Industry Forum’s (CIF) independent certification partner.

According to the latest research from the Cloud Industry Forum (CIF), overall cloud adoption in the UK currently stands at a healthy 61 percent. Of the 39 percent of organisations not currently using cloud services, around 1 in 4 (26 percent) plan to do so in the coming year. Moreover, fully 80 percent of cloud users expect to extend their use of the cloud over the next 12 months. Of these users, and future users, 78 percent see value in working with a Cloud Service Provider (CSP) that has signed up to an industry Code of Practice (CoP).

This, according to Richard Pharro, CEO of APM Group, presents a real opportunity for CSPs to capture market share, assuming that they can prove their credentials and adherence to best practice:

“With such a large contingent of non-cloud users expecting to make the transition during the coming year there is clearly a great deal of new business to be won. That said, end users still hold legitimate concerns over security, privacy and data protection, hence the preference to use CSPs that have been certified against an industry standard.

End users are looking for reassurance from their Cloud Service Providers that their data will be safe and secure in the cloud,” Pharro continued. “But in a market of online delivery models with many new vendors, how can a potential customer have confidence that the company with which they wish to work will provide a secure, stable, and effective solution within a framework that enables them to keep control of their data throughout the contract and after it expires?

“Here, the CIF Code of Practice is an invaluable tool. By certifying against the Code, CSPs can publically demonstrate their commitment to best practice, thereby differentiating their services from their competitors, and engender confidence in the end user that the services being offered meet specified requirements of transparency, accountability and capability,” he concluded.

The CIF 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, transparency and assurance to end users seeking to migrate to the cloud.

Full details of the Cloud Industry Forum Code of Practice can be found here: www.cloudindustryforum.org

Notes to Editors

About The APM Group Limited
APM Group Limited is a global business providing accreditation and certification services. Through an international network of Partner Organisations and Accredited Organisations they help end users develop their professional skills and organisations improve their processes through the adoption of worldwide best practice and international and national standards.

The APM Group is the only organisation offering professional qualifications in Programme and Project management with third party independent accreditation through the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

The APM Group holds UKAS accreditation for three international standards, ISO/IEC17021, ISO/IEC17024 and ISO/IEC Guide 65 (BS/EN ISO45011). They also offer certification of their clients to ISO/IEC9001 and hope to receive approval to offer ISO/IEC27001 to these clients shortly.

The APM Group also offers a Registration scheme for Registered Certification Bodies for the itSMF/APMG ISO/IEC20000 scheme.

APM group works closely with the Cabinet Office, part of UK HM Government, and the official publisher TSO (The Stationery Office Ltd), in running global accreditation schemes in PRINCE2®, MSP®, M_o_R®, P3O® and ITIL.

Other partners include CESG, itSMF and the UK's Chartered Management Institute.

For further details about The APM Group's qualification, certification and endorsement schemes visit: www.apmgroupltd.com or call +44 (0)1494 458948.

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