As the Japanese government migrates government information systems and core local government systems to the Government Cloud, NEC offers its Government Cloud Operations Support Services as part of NEC BluStellar Scenario for government agencies. This paper outlines the positioning and overview of this service and also introduces the related Public Cloud Migration and Operations Support.

1. Introduction

In Japanese government agencies, the migration of government information systems to the cloud has been advancing under the Cloud-by-Default Principle, established under the Basic Policy for the Use of Cloud Services in Government Information Systems announced in June 2018. Following the establishment of the Digital Agency in September 2021, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud Platform (known as Google Cloud as of 2021) were adopted to support the Government Cloud in October of that year. Furthermore, the Act on Advancement of Government Administration Processes That Use Information and Communication Technology mandated that such agencies migrate their information systems to the Government Cloud.

Given these trends in the public sector, NEC’s public business has continued to evolve the solutions offered to customers. In the 1990s, NEC primarily provided hardware centered on Advanced Comprehensive Operating System (ACOS), its proprietary mainframe computer family. Since 2010, NEC has shifted to delivering systems integration (SI) using open hardware and program products. Today, NEC also offers cloud-based services, evolving its solutions for customers in response to technological advances and environmental changes. In line with the aforementioned migration of government information systems to the cloud, NEC has developed solutions compatible with the Government Cloud and has begun offering services under NEC BluStellar Scenario.

This paper provides an overview of the NEC BluStellar Scenario’s Government Cloud Operations Support Services, a solution developed for government agencies against the backdrop of these changes affecting government information systems.

2. Positioning of the Government Cloud Operations Support Services

Fig. 1 summarizes the evolution of IT infrastructure in government agencies from the perspective of migrating from on-premises systems to the Government Shared Platform, and subsequently to the Government Cloud.

Traditionally, infrastructure setup involving hardware and middleware was performed separately for each system, making it difficult to standardize these processes as common services. However, with the Government Cloud, organizations can now leverage not only public clouds from hyperscalers such as AWS, but also shared cloud services for building cloud environments. This shift enables the use of configuration templates based on Infrastructure as Code (IaC), allowing system environments to be defined and provisioned programmatically. NEC has extensive experience migrating a wide range of business systems to the Government Cloud, and drawing on the expertise gained through these migrations, NEC has systematized common tasks and IaC-based environment provisioning as part of its Government Cloud Operations Support Services. By utilizing this service, government agencies can smoothly implement modern system architectures—leveraging managed services and a suite of tools available on the Government Cloud to accelerate business application development. It is anticipated that more than 1,000 government systems will migrate to the Government Cloud by 2030, and this service is expected to play a key role in supporting those migrations.

As shown in Fig. 2, the migration to the Government Cloud is progressing not only among national government agencies but also among local governments. The Act on the Standardization of Local Government Information Systems requires local governments to renew their information systems for 20 specific administrative tasks in accordance with standard specifications presented by the respective ministries or agencies in charge of legal systems. In conjunction with these updates, local governments are expected (on a best-effort basis) to consider migrating to the Government Cloud. While some local governments will continue to utilize existing data centers, the majority plan to migrate to the Government Cloud. NEC Government Cloud Operations Support Services are already being used by local governments migrating to the Government Cloud.

Modernization is strongly recommended for migration to the Government Cloud. Other cloud migration approaches include server migration via cloud lift, service utilization through cloud shift, or a combination of both. Selecting the optimal migration approach in accordance with the characteristics of each information system will be required for any future system renewal (see Table). The NEC Government Cloud Operations Support Services support both cloud lift and cloud shift migrations.

Table Comparison of cloud lift and cloud shift.

3. Overview of NEC Government Cloud Operations Support Services

NEC Government Cloud Operations Support Services provide the following three services: Government Cloud template application support, NEC sample template provision, and Government Cloud operations.

3.1 Government Cloud template application support service

We assist customers with the initial setup of their Government Cloud accounts and apply the required templates and other items mandated for the Government Cloud. For projects without prior experience in building Government Cloud templates, we provide support to ensure templates are properly implemented.

3.2 NEC sample template provision service

We provide a rich lineup of NEC sample templates, created using the AWS Cloud Development Kit (AWS CDK), a software development framework. Customers can select and apply the most suitable templates based on their needs and environments. These templates can be utilized in scenarios such as those below.

Scenario 1: Seeking a smooth migration to the Government Cloud

Using the basic environment building template (Fig. 3), customers can quickly set up the basic environment—such as Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), AWS Transit Gateway, AWS Network Firewall, and more.

Scenario 2: Building a container environment in the Government Cloud

The Government Cloud requires modernized, serverless applications. By leveraging the benefits of using the cloud such as autoscaling with serverless or containerized applications, organizations can optimize costs and flexibly handle system loads. As shown in Fig. 4, by utilizing the container template, customers can rapidly build a serverless container execution environment using AWS Fargate and Amazon ECS.

Scenario 3: Connecting to Government Solution Services (GSS)

Government agencies have a dedicated line network that connects ministries and agencies, known as GSS G-Net (the new inter-ministerial network). The Government Cloud supports connectivity to the GSS G-Net, and NEC offers a GSS connection template that consolidates the services and knowledge needed to make these connections. Environments can also be deployed together with other templates.

3.3 Government Cloud operations services

NEC leverages its system operations know-how on the Government Cloud to provide the following operations services:

As shown in Fig. 5, after a customer files an application and completes an intake form, use of NEC Government Cloud Operations Support Services can begin in as little as five days. This feature is made possible by standardizing the services within NEC BluStellar Scenario.

4. Public Cloud Migration and Operations Support

NEC also offers similar services for migration to general public clouds. Security in public clouds is ensured through proper configuration and management. Conversely, improper configuration or management can increase security risks. While the cloud offers the advantage of easy deployment, maintaining security requires advanced expertise. Therefore, detailed verification and consistent measures by skilled and certified engineers are essential. By leveraging the accumulated knowledge from numerous migration projects, including those involving the Government Cloud, NEC offers services that can address security-related challenges.

NEC Public Cloud Migration and Operations Support has the following three features:

5. Conclusion

According to estimates by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, Japan’s aging population is expected to reach its peak in 2043. Meanwhile, the working-age population (ages 15 to 64) is projected to decrease by approximately 12 million by 2040. This decline directly impacts the number of personnel available to perform administrative tasks and makes it essential for government agencies and local governments to leverage the use of digital technologies and establish environments requiring fewer personnel. One of the digital foundations required for this is the Government Cloud. Through solutions such as NEC BluStellar Scenario’s Government Cloud Operations Support Services presented in this paper, NEC will continue to support the cloud migration of government agencies and local governments, thus contributing to sustainable administrative operations and the creation of future social value.

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