IBM Cloud® compliance: MeitY

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is a Government of India agency that promotes digital transformation initiatives for government and public sector organizations. The agency is also responsible for formulating policies, strategies and frameworks for the use of electronics and information technology.

To harness the benefits of cloud computing and accelerate proliferation of cloud adoption across departments and agencies while optimizing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) spending, the Government of India embarked upon an ambitious Government India (GI) Cloud initiative known as ‘MeghRaj’.

MeitY undertakes empanelment of cloud service providers (CSPs) that must comply with empanelment criteria and undergo an audit performed by the Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) Directorate. Upon successful completion of MeitY empanelment, CSPs can participate in government and public sector cloud procurement programs.

MeitY empanelment requires that cloud services offered are hosted within India and that data is limited within the boundaries of India. Also, the cloud service provider must maintain compliance with global standards such as ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018 and ISO 20000.