MOSIP on AWS: Transforming digital identity for modern governments

According to the World Bank’s Identification for Development (ID4D) initiative, approximately 850 million people globally don’t have official identification. This prevents citizens from access to essential services including healthcare, education, and social benefits. To address these challenges, Atos and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have collaborated on an innovative cloud-based digital identity system using the Modular Open-Source Identity Platform (MOSIP), making these systems more accessible, secure, and scalable than ever before.

The need for digital identity systems

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally transformed how we approach identification systems, accelerating the need for contactless solutions across various sectors. According to industry data, the integration of biometric technology plays a vital role in this digital transformation. The global biometric technology market is projected to grow from USD $34.27 billion in 2022 to USD $150.58 billion by 2030. Government agencies and citizens recognize the importance of preventing fraud and enhancing data security while ensuring reliable identification methods that promote trust and accessibility in our increasingly digital world.

Figure 1: Biometric identification at point of sale

The MOSIP solution on AWS

MOSIP—established in 2018 at the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore—is a not-for-profit initiative helping governments implement digital ID systems. Governments can rely on the platform’s robust, scalable architecture to build effective civil registries and service delivery systems, forming the foundation for digital economies. Successful implementations in multiple governments across Africa demonstrate MOSIP’s ability to facilitate essential services through secure and accessible digital identity systems.

Challenges with on-premises digital identity systems

As various levels of governments throughout the world strive to implement reliable and secure identification systems in service of their mission to provide constituent services, they’re faced with several challenges from maintaining on-premises digital identity systems. There are operational challenges, implementation and social challenges, and technical challenges they must address before finding success.

High infrastructure costs create significant barriers to entry, and limited scalability struggles to handle growing population needs. These systems often face security vulnerabilities, complex maintenance procedures, and integration difficulties with existing government systems.

Figure 2: On-premises systems require specialized maintenance

Organizations must maintain specialized IT staff, manage complex backup procedures, and handle high maintenance costs. Manual processes can introduce errors in identity verification, while ensuring 24/7 system availability remains challenging.

New system deployments face resistance from traditional system users and require extensive training. Privacy concerns, regulatory compliance, and digital literacy barriers affect system adoption. Additionally, ensuring inclusion for remote and marginalized populations presents ongoing challenges.

Benefits of a cloud-based digital identity system

A cloud-based digital identity system offers benefits to governments and their agencies on multiple fronts. They’ll discover operational and financial benefits, improvements to security and accessibility, and integration and business continuity advantages.

Cloud deployment of MOSIP on AWS transforms service delivery through auto scaling capabilities and high availability. The pay-as-you-go model eliminates large upfront investments, and automated scaling handles population growth efficiently. AWS managed services reduce infrastructure costs and eliminate routine maintenance tasks.

The platform enables government services across remote regions through standard internet connectivity, with built-in disaster recovery. AWS provides comprehensive security features, including encryption and identity management, to help meet regulatory requirements and minimize risk management costs.

Strong integration capabilities allow seamless connection with existing government systems and future services. Automated backup enables business continuity without additional investment. This cloud-based approach accelerates implementation timeframes, reduces operational complexity, and provides enterprise-grade security and performance for modern digital identity systems.

Hybrid deployment solutions

To address government requirements, four deployment models are available:

1. Hybrid deployment – Separates production and nonproduction environments
2. Split security model – Maintains key management and backups on premises
3. Sensitive data protection – Keeps citizen data on premises and uses cloud for other services
4. AWS Outposts – Provides full AWS capabilities within government data centers

Cost optimization

The implementation of MOSIP on AWS offers significant cost advantages compared to traditional on-premises deployments. Based on our analysis using AWS Pricing Calculator, we’ve identified three deployment tiers plus a foundational layer that accommodates different scale requirements.

The foundational infrastructure layer costs approximately $4,000 per month and provides essential shared services, including networking, security, and DevOps tools. This includes Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (Amazon VPC) configurations, AWS Transit Gateway gateways, VPN connectivity, AWS Network Firewall firewall, and development tools such as AWS CodeBuild and Amazon Elastic Container Registry (Amazon ECR), forming the backbone of any MOSIP deployment, regardless of scale.

The following table compares three different scalable deployment tiers. All costs are approximate and can vary based on specific requirements, Region, and actual usage patterns.

Cost comparison with on-premises

Traditional on-premises MOSIP implementations typically require the following budget considerations:

• Initial infrastructure investment: USD $2–3 million (estimate)
• Data center setup and maintenance: USD $500,000–750,000 annually (estimate)
• Specialized IT staff: USD $250,000–400,000 annually (estimate)
• Hardware refresh cycles every 3–5 years: USD $1–1.5 million (estimate)

The cloud-based approach eliminates approximately 60–70 percent of upfront costs and reduces ongoing operational expenses by 40–50 percent. Implementation time is reduced from 12–18 months to 3–6 months, accelerating time to value. The pay-as-you-grow model enables organizations to only pay for resources they use, with the ability to scale up or down based on demand.

Government impact

The MOSIP on AWS solution enables:

• Improved public service delivery
• Enhanced citizen inclusion
• Stronger data security
• Better resource utilization
• Scalable population coverage

This cloud-based approach transforms digital identity from a resource-intensive requirement into an efficient public service enabler, which means governments can focus on citizen services rather than infrastructure management.

For governments seeking to modernize their identification systems, MOSIP on AWS provides a compelling solution that combines cost-effectiveness, scalability, and security. The platform’s successful implementations in multiple countries demonstrate its reliability and effectiveness in serving diverse population needs, making it an ideal choice for governments committed to digital transformation and improved citizen services.

Conclusion

In part two of this blog post series, we will dive deep into the technical architecture of MOSIP on AWS, exploring the intricate details of its deployment models, security frameworks, and integration patterns. We’ll examine the specific AWS services that power this solution, detailed infrastructure configurations, and best practices for implementation. Stay tuned for an in-depth technical exploration of how governments can use this innovative platform to build robust digital identity systems.

References

• Future of Government Awards 2023 celebrate use of technology to transform people’s lives