The cloud computing code of practice developed by the Institute of IT Professionals (formerly known as the New Zealand Computer Society) is likely to be picked up by the organisation’s Australian counterpart and may even travel further afield.

Australia’s itNews reports Australian Computer Society president Nick Tate recommended adapting a version of the code for cloud providers on the other side of the Tasman. It goes on to say the code is also being discussed as a starting point by computer societies in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. The Dominion Post goes a step further saying the locally developed code could go global.

The code is an 18-page downloadable PDF containing voluntary guidelines about the information cloud computing providers should give customers. It includes telling them where servers and back-up systems are located and what happens when a customer stops paying for service.

Other information cloud companies should be willing to make available is the identity of the businesses’ ultimate owner and clearly setting out rules for disclosing data breaches and other problems.

Gen-i is one of the local companies supporting the code, which has also been given a tick by international cloud companies including Google and Salesforce.com. We think disclosing this kind of information is an important step to winning customer confidence in cloud computing, it’s something we take seriously.