Government Cloud

Glossary

"Government Cloud"

This glossary explains various keywords that will help you understand the mindset necessary for data utilization and successful DX.
This time, we will explain the "Government Cloud," a hot topic in the use of IT in society.

What is Government Cloud?

The Government Cloud is a common cloud service environment used by the Japanese government and local governments, which is being developed and popularized by the Digital Agency.
It is inefficient for the national and local governments to procure IT separately, and public institution IT systems also require high levels of security and compliance. Therefore, instead of procuring IT individually, efforts are being made to make it possible to use a common IT system as a cloud service, in order to achieve more efficient and advanced IT utilization.

The problem of poor progress in the use of IT in public institutions

The background to the government cloud initiative is that the current situation is that IT utilization is not progressing well in Japanese public institutions.

There are strict requirements for IT systems

Because these are IT systems related to government administration, which handle government and local government operations and personal information, the requirements are sometimes stricter than those for general system development, and it can be difficult to meet the demands.

For example, sufficient consideration must be given to security. Privacy and human rights must also be taken into account. Even in the event of a disaster, administrative procedures must be maintained, and situations in which data is lost due to system failures must be avoided.

Public sector organizations have specific needs and requirements

Local governments and government ministries often have tasks and requirements that are unique to public institutions. While general packaged software and cloud services are often designed for private companies, they may not be able to cover all of the tasks and needs of public organizations.

Utilizing the cloud is difficult

The use of cloud computing is becoming more common in IT, and public institutions are keen to adopt it as well. Japanese citizens would also like to be able to conveniently access government services via the internet. However, it is not easy to place the IT systems of public institutions on the internet, where they are vulnerable to external attacks.

The current IT system is not in good condition

There is also the problem that the IT systems that have been in operation for a long time in the government and local governments are often in poor condition. In many cases, systems that were created using old technology a long time ago are still being used, and as a result of repeated modifications, it has become impossible to understand the specifications of the current system, and it is said that there are many IT systems that are operating in a black box state.

If the system was developed using old technology and the current specifications are unknown, it will be difficult to modify it to meet new needs, and it will also be difficult to migrate to a new system.

There is not enough budget or manpower.

There are also difficult situations where it is not uncommon for local governments to lack sufficient IT budgets and personnel who can proactively work on advanced IT utilization.

What Government Cloud is trying to solve

In today's world, where digital transformation is becoming more prevalent, we are now in an era where advanced IT utilization is required in all fields. However, the IT systems of local governments are plagued with many problems, making it difficult to take on new initiatives.

The "Government Cloud" concept is to have the Digital Agency develop the "ideal IT system" and provide a common IT infrastructure as a cloud service that can be used by local governments and government ministries.

Just as we are making convenient use of cloud services, we want local governments to be able to utilize the cloud as well.

We use a variety of cloud services on a daily basis. The services we use are not developed by us, and we can use the various convenient functions of cloud services without having to install or operate IT systems.

Similarly, by developing cloud services that have the functions necessary for the government and local governments, local governments will be able to use the cloud services necessary for their operations as needed, without having to develop and operate systems individually.

Meet advanced requirements for security, compliance, availability, etc.

The services provided as part of the Government Cloud are envisioned to be provided in a way that meets the high level of demands placed on the IT systems of public institutions on the cloud service side.

It is envisioned that this will be provided as an IT infrastructure that will ensure high levels of security, respect privacy and human rights, and enable systems that maintain necessary functions and properly preserve data even in the event of a disaster, etc. Each local government will no longer need to meet these requirements individually.

Functions specific to ministries and local governments

There are a variety of business package software and cloud services available around the world. However, most of them are aimed at private companies and are not designed with the needs of Japanese public institutions in mind. As a result, they may not meet the requirements of local governments without additional development, which can be costly.

If a cloud service is provided that has all the necessary functions built in, is updated appropriately to accommodate legal changes, and has functions that are easy to use for residents of each local government in Japan from the start, it will become the IT infrastructure that local governments have been waiting for.

Standardization of specifications for local government systems

Furthermore, if local governments decide on "standard specifications for IT systems" common to all local governments, rather than each deciding on its own individual IT system requirements, it is expected that they will be able to use systems with highly thought-out specifications without each local government having to make individual considerations.

Furthermore, if the system specifications are standardized, the way the system is used will be the same regardless of the local government, making it easier to secure human resources.

It is cloud-native and uses the latest technologies.

The idea is to provide and make available systems that incorporate the latest technologies and best practices, such as cloud-native system architectures, that automatically scale in response to usage loads, and geographically distributed system configurations to prepare for disasters.

Developing a system with such advanced design concepts can be difficult, as it requires highly skilled engineers who are familiar with the latest technology. By providing it as a shared cloud, you can enjoy the benefits of an IT system that employs advanced technology.

Streamlining IT procurement

Compared to the method where each local government individually orders system development, this method allows all local governments to order the IT infrastructure they use together and use it jointly. This is expected to reduce procurement costs compared to the individual IT procurement methods used until now.

Standardization of IT systems, realization of data integration, etc.

Until now, each local government has developed and operated its own IT system, but this has resulted in different IT system specifications for each local government, making it difficult to link systems across local governments.

For example, when considering flood prevention measures, in many cases rivers flow across municipalities, and unless data integration, comprehensive flood prevention measures cannot be implemented.

Therefore, it is being envisaged that consideration will be given to enabling data integration between local government systems. Furthermore, it is being envisaged that the Government Cloud will also provide a "data integration platform" that will enable collaboration between local governments as needed.

If this is realized, it will become possible to smoothly carry out initiatives that transcend local government boundaries, which was previously difficult.

However, the actual government cloud is (at the time of writing)

It's a wonderful idea, but I don't think I've ever heard of such a concept becoming a reality in the news. Or, some of you may have wondered whether such a common platform could actually be developed. In fact, that's true, and unfortunately, at this point it is still just a concept and has not yet been realized.

What does "certified as a government cloud" mean (at the time of writing)?

You may have heard news about AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Google Cloud being certified as government clouds, or seen news about Sakura Internet being certified as a Japanese cloud service provider. Unfortunately, however, this does not mean that these cloud service providers have begun offering the cloud services outlined above.

It is not that Sakura Internet has started providing the services described above, but rather that they have been authorized to "create" services that use Sakura Internet as a foundation and meet the Government Cloud concept.

But that doesn't mean nothing is going on

It's a bit of a disappointing situation, but it doesn't mean that nothing is going on.

For example, efforts to standardize system specifications for local governments do not seem to be progressing smoothly, but efforts are still being made.

⇒Unification and standardization of mission-critical business systems of local governments | Digital Agency

The author predicts that standardization will probably not be easy and will be difficult (because it is considered to be "something that is inherently very difficult"). It may not be possible to achieve standardization of specifications, and it may only result in a certain degree of commonality. However, considering that in the past, each local government system was "simply disjointed," efforts are certainly being made to improve things.

How to face the "dirty reality" of IT

Government clouds are admirable ideals, but the reality is that they are quite difficult. This situation is not limited to public institutions, but is a down-to-earth situation that many people face when "tackling something with IT." In fact, it is probably almost the same as what is happening in the organization or industry you belong to.

These days, people are saying things like "We should work on DX," and efforts are being made in various fields to introduce new technologies and new systems, and to transform businesses based on digital. Sometimes very impressive plans and goals are set, but when people actually start working on them, they often don't go as expected.

A way to face the harsh reality

If "situations like this" are common regardless of the field, then it can be said that "working in IT" depends on how you can deal with such down-to-earth situations.

If new initiatives cannot be completed all at once, there will be no choice but to gradually combine "new IT" with "currently used IT systems." I think a realistic approach would be to introduce the new system in parts, get feedback from the workplace, and proceed with system development through trial and error.

In this case, the ability to flexibly link and utilize "currently available IT assets" and "new IT" depending on the situation will become a prerequisite for IT transformation.

"Connecting" technology that can link a wide variety of new and old systems and data

This may seem like a difficult request that requires system development skills, as it involves integrating systems as needed and building them through trial and error, and it may seem difficult for you to do.

In such situations, no-code solutions that can connect various clouds, systems, and data can be useful. For example, the use of connecting technologies such as "EAI," "ETL," and "iPaaS," such as "DataSpider" and "HULFT Square," can be used.

Can be used with GUI only

Unlike regular programming, there is no need to write code. By placing and configuring icons on the GUI, you can achieve integrated processing with a wide variety of systems and data.

Being able to develop using a GUI is also an advantage

No-code development using only a GUI may seem like a simple compromise compared to full-scale programming. However, development using only a GUI allows "on-site business personnel to take the initiative in their own work." The same goes for what should be linked with what. The people who know the business best are the people on the front lines.

Full-scale processing can be implemented

There are many products that claim to be "developable using only a GUI," but problems like "it's easy to create, but you can only do simple things," "when I tried to execute a full-scale process, it couldn't process and crashed," or "it didn't have the high reliability or stable operation capacity to support business operations, which caused problems" often occur.

Even if a service appears to be easy to use and modern at first glance, if it cannot adequately process even slightly large amounts of data, it is no match for big data.

"DataSpider" and "HULFT Square" are easy to use, but they also allow you to create processes at the same level as full-scale programming. They have the same high processing power as full-scale programming, as they are internally converted to Java and executed, and they have a proven track record of supporting corporate IT for many years.

What is necessary for a "data infrastructure" to successfully utilize data?

To fully support actual business operations, high processing power is required to process large amounts of data. At the same time, flexible and rapid trial and error led by the field is also essential.

Generally, when high performance and advanced processing are required, the tool tends to be difficult to program and use, while when ease of use in the field is required, the tool tends to be easy to use but has low processing power and can only perform simple processing.

No need to operate in-house as it is iPaaS

DataSpider can be operated securely on a system under your own management. With HULFT Square, a cloud service (iPaaS), this "connecting" technology itself can be used as a cloud service without the need for in-house operation, eliminating the hassle of in-house implementation and system operation.

Are you interested in "iPaaS" and "connecting" technologies?

The key to successfully implementing "cloud utilization," "in-house data utilization," and "business automation" is to establish a "data integration platform" that can be developed in-house by your company.

Try out our products that allow you to freely connect various data and systems, from on-premise IT systems to cloud services, and make successful use of IT.

The ultimate "connecting" tool: data integration software "DataSpider" and data integration platform "HULFT Square"

"DataSpider," data integration tool developed and sold by our company, is a "connecting" tool with a long history of success as the foundation supporting various companies' business systems. "HULFT Square," a data integration platform, is a "connecting" cloud service developed using DataSpider technology.

We offer a free trial version and hold online seminars where you can try out the software for free, so we hope you will give it a try.

Free product introduction seminar