Based in London, M9 Group was established in 2013 following the merger of IT solutions providers C9 and Microtech Systems. Through its data centre, M9 provides on demand cloud services and hosted infrastructure to a broad range organisations throughout the UK to improve their connectivity and productivity, and offer a truly scalable resource.
Grant Ingram, Head of Business Development at M9 Group, explained: “As a cloud provider, we are constantly striving to deliver cloud services to our customers that have clarity. It’s critical that our customers understand in full what we are offering, where we store data and how we secure it. These points are absolutely fundamental if the CSP/client relationship is to succeed. It is important that we can give our current and potential customers this reassurance, so when we found CIF and its Code of Practice, we found an industry body that shares the same views that we do.
“The Code of Practice provides CSPs with a benchmark to achieve, and throws down the gauntlet to providers of cloud services to drive standards of transparency, accountability and capability. In this industry, it pays to be open and clear about how you conduct your business, but the main beneficiaries are end users who are able to look to certified CSPs and know straight away that they will look after their data. With certification schemes like the CIF Code of Practice, cloud providers know what they need to do to be at the top of their game and, in turn, strive for continuous improvement,” he added.
The use of the CIF certification mark on a vendor’s website serves two clear purposes: it makes a public declaration of professional and commercial intent on the part of the cloud service provider and it provides a visual mark of recognition that engenders confidence in the end user that the organisation is open and professional in its commercial activities.
Richard Pharro, CEO of APM Group, added: “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 very pleased to see M9 Group join the growing ranks of CSPs that have already certified against the Code of Practice, and we would like to congratulate them.”