GovStack publishes specifications for sovereign cloud infrastructure
The GovStack initiative has presented specifications for the development of sovereign cloud infrastructures. One German project already meets the requirements.
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The GovStack initiative has published specifications for building an independent cloud infrastructure. Governments should be able to build and use their own cloud on this basis. To this end, GovStack is working together with the Sovereign Cloud Stack (SCS) project funded by the German government. The specifications for the cloud infrastructure are part of the initiative's overarching goal. It aims to develop a digital construction kit that governments can use to build their own e-government applications.
SCS software largely meets specifications
A working group within GovStack, to which the SCS project also belongs, developed the specifications for a cloud infrastructure. The requirements include security measures such as data encryption and rights management. The working group also requires scalability and cost monitoring as well as a possible connection to the other systems in the modular system. The software developed by SCS meets most of the requirements and recommendations of GovStack and is available as an open source reference.
The specifications should enable governments to set up their own cloud services and integrate them into their digital strategy. The use should not be limited to official use in a private cloud, but it should also be possible to provide capacities in a hybrid or public cloud. This enables governments to digitally support regional companies. Other blocks in the modular system include electronic signatures or digital directories, for example for personal or vehicle data. In Germany, six federal states recently decided to use the Microsoft cloud.
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GovStack is a flagship project of the German digital strategy. It is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development together with the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The initiative is currently cooperating with five countries to implement a sovereign cloud. The SCS project defines and implements standards for open source clouds. It is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and is part of Gaia-X, a European research project to establish a competitive data infrastructure in Europe.
(sfe)
