Global Inter-Cloud Technology Forum (GICTF)

The Global Inter-Cloud Technology Forum (GICTF) is a Japanese organization aimed at bringing together the knowledge of industry, academia and government, and supporting R&D and feasibility tests on the technologies related to interworking between cloud systems. Their aim is to promote standardization of network protocols and the interfaces through which cloud systems interwork with each other, and to enable the provision of more reliable cloud services than those available today.

As Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services continue to grow in sophistication and diversity, a paradigm shift is taking place from "owning" to "leasing" IT. As a result, "cloud systems" are expected to penetrate the market rapidly as a social infrastructure on which new value will be created. Services provided by cloud systems (hereinafter "cloud services") are expected to develop into a large market in Japan, which already has a high-speed, broadband network infrastructure in place, because these services not only enable users to employ applications flexibly and securely at low cost but also enable both providers and users to reduce energy consumption.

However, cloud systems have not yet reached the level that would allow their application to mission-critical fields, such as e-government, medical care and finance, in terms of reliability, ability to respond quickly, data quality and security. To achieve reliability and quality high enough to meet the requirements in these fields, it is necessary to interconnect multiple cloud systems via a broadband network and provide a mechanism that would allow them to interwork with, and compliment, each other.

The GICTF will work towards the standardization of network protocols and the interfaces through which cloud systems interwork with each other, promote international interworking of cloud systems, enable global provision of highly reliable, secure and high-quality cloud services, and to contribute to the development of Japan's ICT industry and to the strengthening of its international competitiveness.

The Global Inter-Cloud Technology Forum is undertaking the following activities

Research on cloud system usage technology, cloud system interworking technology, technical trends in cloud network protocols, and trends in standardization activities.

Provision of the basic Architecture needed for establishing Standard Interfaces related to interworking between cloud systems, and cloud network protocols.

Development of Awareness

Compilation of proposals and user requirements with a view to achieving early implementation of interworking between cloud systems
Holding of lectures and symposiums on cloud system usage technology, cloud system interworking technology and other cloud related topics
Information dissemination using the Internet