December 19, 2007

Public Comment Invited on the Draft Report from the Study Group on ASP/SaaS Information Security Measures

Aiming at promoting the provision of ASP/SaaS services with appropriate information security measures and facilitating these services as a sound basis for improved business productivity, the Study Group on ASP/SaaS Information Security Measures (Chair: Prof. SASAKI Ryoichi, Tokyo Denki University) has been holding discussions about the information security measures required for ASP/SaaS services since June 2007.

Recently, it has compiled the results of the discussions as a draft report from the Study Group on ASP/SaaS Information Security Measures and draft guidelines for ASP/SaaS information security measures. Therefore, MIC invites public comment during the period from Wednesday, December 19, 2007 to Friday, January 18, 2008.

[Background]
Amid the increasing dependency on ICT in our everyday lives as well as socio-economic activities due to the advancement of broadband access, the use of new ICT services, such as ASPs (Application Service Providers) and SaaS (Software as a Service), that provide on-demand application software functions over the network has increased. While businesses can enjoy the benefits of ASP/SaaS services, including time saved in putting the systems into operation rather than developing their own systems and the reduced burden of maintenance, operation, and administration of systems, an enormous amount of confidential information, customer information, and other forms of information assets will be accumulated at ASP/SaaS providers and related organizations, which highlights the importance of appropriate information security measures by ASP/SaaS providers.

Aiming at promoting the provision of ASP/SaaS services with appropriate information security measures and facilitating these services as a sound basis of improved business productivity, MIC has convened the Study Group on ASP/SaaS Information Security Measures as a study group for the Director-General for Policy Planning (information and communications) to discuss the information security measures required for ASP/SaaS services since June 2007. Recently, the results of discussions have been compiled as a draft report from the Study Group on ASP/SaaS Information Security Measures and draft guidelines for ASP/SaaS information security measures.

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International Policy Division,
International Affairs Department
Telecommunications Bureau, MIC
TEL: +81 3 5253 5920 / FAX: +81 3 5253 5924