NTT Data has become the latest addition to the steering committee of the Open Data Center Alliance (ODCA).

The move gives the US$14bn IT integration and consulting subsidiary of the NTT Group a leadership role in an organization that has been developing technological standards for delivering cloud-based IT services.

ODCA chairman Marvin Wheeler said the alliance now had more than 300 members and had become a leading voice for the IT industry.

“It is exciting to see industry leaders like NTT Data signing up to help set the direction for development and implementation of cloud computing through the work of the alliance,” Wheeler said.

NTT Data is the world’s eighth largest IT services provider, according to ODCA. The company will be the third IT services provider on the steering committee, mostly made up of end users.

The other two providers are Terremark and Capgemini, while the rest of the members include companies such as BMW, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Lockheed Martin and Disney. The alliance also has a technical advisor: Intel.

Companies that are members of the ODCA collectively spend more than $100bn on IT every year.

The alliance formed in 2010 with the goal of creating a set of standards for cloud delivery end users require.