Atos certifies against the CIF Code of Practice

International digital services company Atos has successfully certified against the Cloud Industry Forum’s (CIF) Code of Practice, demonstrating its commitment to transparency, accountability and capability in the provision of cloud services. According to the Cloud Service Provider (CSP), best practice schemes, such as the Code of Practice, are key if the cloud industry is to arrive at maturity.

Atos is a digital services company with 2013 pro forma annual revenue of €10 billion and 86,000 employees in 66 countries. Serving a global client base, the Group provides Consulting & Systems Integration services, Managed Services & BPO, Cloud operations, Big Data & Security solutions, as well as transactional services through Worldline, the European leader in the payments and transactional services industry.

Commenting on their reasons for certifying, Rob Price, Head of Digital at Atos UK & Ireland, said: “We’ve been actively involved with the Cloud Industry Forum since early 2013 and are fully committed to their Code of Practice. As the industry continues to move and evolve at such pace it’s important that we can publicly demonstrate our adherence to best practice. The next stage in the evolution of the cloud industry hinges on our ability to provide reassurances to the market that we can meet high industry standards, which is why schemes like the Code of Practice are so valuable.

“From the point of view of our business, certification enables our clients and prospects to have confidence in the pedigree of our services and our ethics as a cloud provider. Although the majority of businesses have some degree of experience with cloud computing, there remains a significant amount of uncertainty and doubt which will need to be overcome. This won’t happen overnight, but schemes like the Code of Practice go a long way to helping develop and build that trust,” he continued.

The Code of Practice is a credible, certifiable tool that allows CSPs to demonstrate that they meet specified requirements of transparency, accountability and capability, as prescribed by CIF. Managed by APM Group, it aims to standardise enterprises offering cloud services to provide clarity, transparency and assurance to end users seeking to migrate to the cloud.

Alex Hilton, CEO of the Cloud Industry Forum, added: “At the end of the day, the CIF Code of Practice is all about building trust in the cloud industry between cloud users and cloud suppliers. Organisations seeking to use cloud services need a straightforward way to qualify potential suppliers that will accurately define the services offered and standards of operations and security. We are delighted that Atos has joined the ranks of CSPs that have already certified against the Code of Practice, and we urge other providers to follow suit.”