Ministry of Science and ICT Promotes Adoption of 'Cloud Quality Measurement Method' as International Standard

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 11th that the Software as a Service (SaaS) quality measurement (draft) proposed by South Korea has been finally adopted as a new project for the establishment of international technical specifications by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

International technical specifications (technical specifications) are established through a simplified procedure compared to international standards for technologies that are still under development or difficult to reach immediate consensus on. The model proposed by South Korea this time also falls under the case of ongoing development, targeting Software as a Service, which is part of cloud services.

The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to first promote the establishment of technical specifications to quickly respond to the rapidly evolving cloud market demand and subsequently pursue ISO and IEC standardization.

While the international technical specifications announced in July this year presented a quality model for Software as a Service (such as performance efficiency and scalability), this project proposes measurement items for quantitatively measuring Software as a Service (in the case of scalability, scale-out and scale-up), the Ministry explained. The new project will be carried out by the ISO/IEC working group until the end of 2025. The overall management is led by Team Leader Kim Hyun-jung of the Korea Information and Communication Technology Association.

Until now, different quality standards have been presented by each country and client company, causing difficulties for software companies in securing diverse customers through overseas expansion. The Ministry of Science and ICT expects that once the quality measurement items for Software as a Service are established as international technical specifications through this standardization project, quality evaluation based on common standards will become possible both domestically and internationally.

In particular, the proposed draft can provide quality objectives for companies developing Software as a Service and serve as a reference for users to select appropriate services. It is expected to contribute not only to quality improvement and user convenience enhancement in providing internationally competitive Software as a Service but also to the revitalization of related industries.

Oh Yong-su, Director of Software Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "An opportunity has been created for us to lead international quality standards for Software as a Service," adding, "Based on this, we will actively support the cultivation of excellent quality Software as a Service recognized in the global market."