1. Cloud Industry Forum
Self Certification
Background
The Cloud Industry Forum (CIF) is an independent trade membership
body representing Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and technology
companies, which aims to:
 Champion and advocate the adoption of Cloud Services by businesses and
individuals.
 Raise industry standards and bring greater transparency and trust to doing business
in the Cloud with its Code of Practice for MSPs.
 Give end users the tools and information required in order to make informed
business decisions about adoption of the Cloud.
In June 2015, CIF surveyed 250 UK-based organisations. When asked about their biggest
concerns during the decision-making process to move to the Cloud, 70 per cent cited
data security and 61 per cent data privacy, both up from the 2014 figures of 61 per cent
and 54 per cent respectively. There has been an even more marked increase in those
worried about losing control/manageability of their IT systems; in 2014, just 24 per cent
cited this as a concern, compared with 40 per cent today.
The primary issues relate to trust; the CIF Code of Practice clearly addresses these
concerns as suppliers are required to address key questions and provide evidence to the
certification body to substantiate claims. The Code covers 3 main areas.
 Transparency: Specified information must be made publicly available (e,g, ownership,
board, locations) or during contracting process (e.g. migration paths, licensing and
provisions for data protection and business continuity). Commercial terms in particular
must be clear, including disclosure of fully burdened pricing, contract periods and
renewal processes.
 Capability: Suppliers complying with the Code are required to have documented
management systems and resources in place to deliver specified capabilities such
as service levels, information security management (including data protection), data
management and service continuity.
 Accountability: The executive(s) of the service provider are required to make binding
commitments to the Code of Practice, including complaint resolution procedures with
customers for code related practices.
CIF - SELF CERTIFICATION
www.cloudindustryforum.org
CIF Certification
now formally
recognised by
EU Commission
through CCSL
Bringing greater
transparency and
trust to doing
business in the
Cloud with its Code
of Practice for
MSPs

2. CIF - SELF CERTIFICATION
www.cloudindustryforum.org
Benefits
In short the CIF self-certification mark is a“trust mark”for
buying and selling Cloud Services, helping end users to
identify trustworthy and capable Cloud suppliers.
MSPs benefit from:
 Winning additional business through their credibility
especially with large customers by having a CIF Code of
Practice self-certification mark.
 Improved business delivery as the audit process helps
identify capability gaps that can easily be remedied
through standard business process improvement.
 The opportunity to secure independent validation
that their products or services meet recognised quality
standards.
MSP clients benefit from:
 An increase in trust through assurance the organisation
meets the code requirements.
 More choice from quality providers as MSPs have
demonstrated appropriate management processes and
level of openness, transparency and accountability.
 Access to industry information and guidance through
the CIF website and comfort that the CIF self-certified
company has appropriate business practices.
 Clarity on how complaints can be raised, dealt with and
escalated should there be
any concerns.
Effort and costs
The effort required from a MSP depends on the maturity
of the organisation’s management systems. Although all
applications have to be completed within six months of
registration, some have completed the process in as little as
three weeks.
With annual fees ranging from £500 for organisations with
a turnover of up to £1m, to £2,500 for organisations with a
turnover of up to £25m, CIF self-certification is open to all
MSPs.
To assist with the application process, a‘get you going’
consultancy day is available.
The CLOUD INDUSTRY FORUM and CIF words and associated logos are trade marks. © Cloud Forum IP Limited 2013. All rights reserved
NOTICE: This document is intended to provide general information in relation to the Cloud Industry Forum’s Code of Practice journey for
Certification. It is not intended to be comprehensive and should not be acted or relied upon as being so. Professional advice appropriate to
specific circumstances should always be obtained. 02/2014.
The effort required
from a MSP depends
on the maturity of
the organisation’s
management systems
Contact info@cloudindustryforum.org to find out how to apply