A new alliance has launched with a focus on small and medium-sized businesses in the UK.

The UK Cloud Alliance (UKCA) has been set up by cloud computing services company Star.

So far eight partners have announced their involvement in the UKCA including Linux IT, Ubertus, Maindec, Modern Networks, Digirati, Plan B and Total.

"Whilst any customer is welcome to join we find that usually we tend to work with the most innovative businesses that are very forward thinking, especially in their attitude towards technology," Star CEO Ricky Hudson said.

"This is about serving up UK technology to UK businesses because they like being served by local organizations that they can get to know, grow with and trust.

The group has attracted criticism from another cloud group, however, with the Cloud Industry Forum (CIF),which boasts 200 suppliers of IT solutions and 450 end users to date, including Rackspace, Webroot and more recently Interxion, saying membership has only been granted to Star partners.

"Whilst CIF believes the Cloud is a great place for businesses to collaborate and will change the way in which the IT supply chain is structured and operates, recent statements by Star seem to infer that its creation of its cloud alliance is somehow above reproach and only operates in the end user's commercial interest," Cloud Industry Forum chairman Andy Burton said.

Burton said Star's selection of partners meant the UKCA should be viewed instead as a commercial partner programme.

"Apparently a rigorous process was implemented to whittle down literally "thousands" of would-be cloud providers and enablers into a list of just 15 to17 businesses that can meet the needs of the UK SMB market," Burton said.

Burton claimed companies that made the list, however, could be linked to present and past relationships with Star.