Overview
The Software Product Certification Scheme of STQC is a comprehensive and umbrella certification framework designed to assess and certify all categories of software applications, including:
Web-based applications
Thick client / desktop applications
Embedded software
Cloud-based and SaaS applications
The scheme is aligned with national quality and security objectives and aims to provide holistic assurance of software products used across Government, industry, and critical sectors.
Need for the Scheme
While STQC currently operates multiple certification and testing schemes for software, these schemes address specific and limited attributes, such as:
Common Criteria (CC): Limited to software product security
EPS: Covers Functional, Security, and Performance aspects
Website Certifications: Excludes software application evaluation
As a result, a unified framework covering all essential quality attributes of software products is presently not available.
The proposed Software Product Certification Scheme addresses this gap by providing an integrated and standardized evaluation mechanism.
Scope of Certification
The scheme covers a comprehensive set of software quality attributes, including but not limited to:
Functional Suitability
Performance Efficiency
Compatibility & Interoperability
Usability & Accessibility
Reliability & Availability
Security
Portability
Privacy & Data Protection
This ensures end-to-end quality assurance of software products across their lifecycle and deployment environments.
Contact Details
For further information, clarifications, or engagement under the Software Product Certification Scheme, please contact:
Shri Gautam Prasad
Head – Software Certification
Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC)
Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India
Email: gprasad[at]stqc[dot]gov[dot]in
