The Role of MeitY-Empanelled Cloud in the New BIS Platform

The Role of MeitY-Empanelled Cloud in the New BIS Platform

The Role of MeitY-Empanelled Cloud in the New BIS Platform

The new Manakonline Platform must be hosted on MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology)-empanelled cloud infrastructure — a non-negotiable requirement that shapes the entire cloud architecture of the project.

What Is MeitY Empanelment?

MeitY empanels cloud service providers (CSPs) for use by Indian government departments and agencies. To be MeitY-empanelled, a CSP must meet specific security, data residency, and technical requirements. Empanelled CSPs are listed on the MeitY cloud portal (meghraj.nic.in).

Why MeitY Cloud Matters for BIS

BIS handles sensitive data including manufacturer and importer information, factory inspection reports, test results, and enforcement records. Hosting on MeitY-empanelled infrastructure ensures:

  • Data residency within India — all BIS data stays in Indian data centres
  • Security standards compliance per MeitY requirements
  • Government accountability and audit rights
  • Protection of sensitive regulatory data

CSP Requirements in the Tender

The BIS tender specifies that the CSP or underlying data centre for SaaS platforms must be MeitY-empanelled for both DC (Data Centre) and DR (Disaster Recovery) purposes. Key technical requirements:

  • 99.9% uptime in HA (High Availability) mode across 2+ VM instances
  • Auto-scaling to 1 lakh concurrent users
  • DR site as 100% replica of production environment
  • Secure customer-accessible dashboard for cloud services status

Security Services Required

The cloud platform must provide native or third-party security services including Next-Gen Firewall with IPS/IDS, Web Application Firewall (WAF), DDoS Protection (L3/L4 and L7), Data Encryption at rest with HSM, Automated Security Assessment, and AI-managed services from Indian data centres.

Data Privacy and DPDP Compliance

The new platform must comply with the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023. Consent for processing personal data of all individuals in the system must be captured through the MOP portal itself — ensuring BIS's digital transformation aligns with India's evolving data protection framework.