Cloud Industry Forum launches membership scheme for IT and Cloud professionals

The Cloud Industry Forum (CIF), the industry body whose aim is to raise standards and improve transparency in the Cloud sector, has introduced a new membership scheme targeting IT and business professionals alike.

The new membership programme is in final stage development with some services already available. Due to demand, CIF are offering early access with discounted fees for early adopters. The new scheme, aims to not only provide industry professionals with on-going resources pertinent to Cloud computing, but also provide a market-recognised and respected certification and an accreditation programme.

Individual members will be given direct access to a range of assets including the latest market research on trends and issues affecting the Cloud computing industry, as well as Buyer’s Guides, Service Guides and information on Cloud procurement and management best practices. The CIF has also developed a “Cloud Adoption Roadmap” as a framework to help its members identify key milestones in the Cloud adoption journey.

The Certification Scheme – scheduled for launch in 2015 – comprises of three levels of certification – Basic, Advanced Tech and Commercial. The Scheme itself has been designed for those who work in IT operations, IT management and IT Directors, as well as line of business personnel such as legal and procurement and members of the Board. The Scheme will encompass Research & Strategy, Situational Assessment, Preparation steps, Adoption best practices and cloud management.

Alex Hilton, CEO of CIF, stated: “We have decided to extend our membership programme to encompass individuals working in the field, and not just the vendor community. For us there was a missing element in the services we offer the market and educating and informing the very people who work at the ‘coal face’ of cloud computing was a logical next step.

“With Cloud computing seeing a huge increase in adoption since 2010 – by some 61.5 per cent according to our own research – what is clear is that not only is Cloud here to stay, but it is now permeating throughout the overwhelming majority of organisations, regardless of whether or not they have the skills in place to manage it,” he added.

“With this new membership programme – aimed at both the individual or even as a corporate package – we aim to provide a one-stop-industry-shop for IT professionals, business leaders and those involved in the Cloud procurement process.”

Alex continued: “The launch of the accreditation and certification scheme is aimed at providing a respected accreditation for those looking to reskill to take advantage of the Cloud computing revolution.”

To set this in context, the Cloud Industry Forum research found that the majority of organisations (85 per cent) operate on-premise servers or data centres. The existence of on-site technology is also a direct influence on the evolution of IT strategy based on historical investment. However it is this co-existence of on-premise and Cloud services that has lead to a Hybrid IT environment for the majority of organisations. As a result CIF has launched this new membership programme for professionals to gain access to the latest trends and information on Cloud computing.
Certification programmes will be announced later in the year.