Government Multi-Cloud: A New Model for Secure Interoperability (Guest blog from Hitachi Solutions)

This blog was written by Jesmond Giordmaina, Head of Cloud, Hitachi Solutions

Increasingly, the UK public sector faces a multi-cloud problem. This diversity is unavoidable but hinders innovation, leaving data in silos that block secure, joined up services.

Hitachi Solutions, working with Microsoft, have developed the Secure Multi-Cloud Connector (SMCC). This connector opens new opportunities by enabling departments to securely connect the right application to the right cloud at the right time, improving services for citizens while maintaining the highest levels of security and trust.

A new reality: Government in a multi-cloud world

Every corner of government now runs on a mix of platforms. Central departments such as HMRC, the Home Office, and Defra span AWS, Azure, legacy systems, and shared services. Programmes like Synergy and Matrix are bringing multiple departments together on platforms such as Workday and Oracle.

This diversity is inevitable, driven by legacy investments, procurement choices, and the fact no single provider can meet every need. But it creates a familiar challenge: valuable data and applications scattered across environments that do not naturally work together.

Without safe ways to connect them, government faces costly compromises: duplicated systems, rekeyed information, and lost opportunities to use low code or AI because data stays locked in a single cloud.

The real challenge is not the platform or technology mix itself, but secure interoperability. Connecting these environments is essential to unlock value, but it cannot come at the expense of trust, security, or control. This raises the critical question…

Why is secure interoperability difficult?

Sensitive public sector data must be protected at all times. Connecting it across environments means getting security right from the start: strong access controls, end to end encryption, and a complete audit trail. In government, the challenge is magnified:

Organisational boundaries are designed to act as safeguards, but they often mean teams lack visibility into each other’s systems
Technical boundaries arise because departments use their own technology stacks and security standards
Cloud boundaries are reinforced by providers who prefer to keep customers within their ecosystems, resulting in vendor lock in

Without the right approach, these barriers block innovation. Locked data cannot connect to low code tools like Microsoft Power Platform or emerging AI such as Microsoft Copilot. Valuable opportunities for automation, insight, and productivity are lost because the data sits behind walls that are too difficult, or too risky, to cross.

These barriers may feel uniquely complex to government, but other sectors have faced similar challenges. Finance was there just a few years ago, and the way it overcame those silos offers a useful parallel.

The parallel: learning from Open Banking

Finance faced the same challenge. Banks, fintechs, and regulators held data in separate systems, with customers caught in the middle. Early connections were insecure, often using fragile workarounds like shared passwords.

The solution was Open Banking: a common standard for secure, API based data sharing between organisations. By establishing a repeatable model, it broke down silos, enabled competition, fuelled innovation, and gave customers more control, all while maintaining security and trust.

Government can take inspiration from this success. The parallels are clear, but the challenge is even greater:

A wider variety of data, from tax records to geospatial datasets
Many more organisations, each with their own governance models
No single regulator with the authority to enforce interoperability

That is why policy alone will never be enough. What government needs is a secure and repeatable technical model for connecting across clouds and organisational boundaries.

The Secure Multi-Cloud Connector (SMCC): A proven model

This is where the Secure Multi-Cloud Connector (SMCC) comes in. Developed by Hitachi Solutions and already proven in high security environments, SMCC provides exactly the model government needs.

SMCC enables private, zero trust connectivity between cloud platforms, particularly demonstrated between Azure and AWS, without ever exposing systems to the public internet. Data remains under the control of its department, moving only when and where policy allows. Access is authorised from end to end, and every interaction is logged for assurance.

Equally important, SMCC creates a repeatable integration pattern. It can be applied across services and consumed by both high-code and low-code applications, from enterprise systems to Microsoft Power Platform and emerging AI tools.

With SMCC, interoperability becomes a managed capability rather than a risky, one-off project. Departments can:

Connect live data across platforms for AI, analytics, and automation
Avoid duplication and re keying of information
Use the right tool for the job without vendor lock in
Maintain full control over access, usage, and auditability

SMCC does not just solve a problem for one department. It provides a pattern others can follow. Just as Open Banking became the standard for secure data sharing in finance, SMCC can become the reference model for secure multi-cloud interoperability across government.

Security isn’t an obstacle to interoperability. It is the foundation that makes it possible.

By adopting a standard model, departments gain more than security. They gain faster adoption, reduced risk, and the confidence that citizen data is being protected while enabling better services.

Making interoperability real

Multi-cloud is here to stay. The question is how to connect environments without compromising security or trust. The Secure Multi-Cloud Connector provides a proven, repeatable model that makes this possible. By adopting it, departments can unlock innovation, use the right tools for the job, and deliver joined up services that citizens expect, all while keeping sensitive data under full control.

Just as Open Banking reshaped finance, SMCC can set the standard for secure interoperability across government. The opportunity now is for departments to move first, adopt the model, and lead the way in building connected, trusted services. If your department is ready to unlock interoperability, protect citizen trust, and deliver joined up services, explore the Secure Multi-Cloud Connector with Hitachi Solutions.

Get in touch:

Website: https://www.hitachi-solutions.co.uk/hitachi-solutions-secure-multi-cloud-connector/

Email: [email protected]