LG CNS, an internet technology solutions unit under LG Group, said Tuesday that it has become the first IT service provider here to obtain public cloud security certification from the South Korean government.

The certification, granted by the state-affiliated Korea Internet and Security Agency, is a prerequisite for providing cloud services to Korea’s government agencies and public institutions. 

Companies seeking the certification must pass KISA’s 117 management, physical and technology standards across 14 areas including data protection policy, data protection mechanisms and data encryption.

Having obtained the certification, LG CNS is now legally able to begin providing its cloud services to Korea’s government agencies, which are seeking to adopt expanded cloud services, the company said.

Cloud services targeting the public sector have been growing quickly in Korea.

In 2015, the Korean government announced plans to expand the proportion of cloud services provided by the private sector to public agencies to around 40 percent by 2018.

In line with the plans, the number of Korean public agencies using such cloud services rose from 23 in 2016 to 114 in 2017, according to a 2018 survey on public agency cloud usage rates co-conducted by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

LG CNS currently provides everything from cloud consulting and design to setup and operations as a one-stop service. It has also sealed a strategic partnership with public cloud leader Amazon Web Services to offer integrated cloud services for clients.

By Sohn Ji-young (jys@heraldcorp.com)