News

U.S. Government Agency First To Go Google Cloud

The General Services Administration is moving e-mail and collaboration tools to the cloud, becoming the first federal agency to move e-mail to a cloud-based system agencywide, GSA officials said.

• By Rutrell Yasin
• 12/02/2010

GSA officials expect the migration to the cloud to reduce inefficiencies and lower costs by 50 percent over the next five years.

The agency has awarded Unisys Corp. a $6.7 million, five-year task order under the Alliant Governmentwide Acquisition Contract. Unisys has partnered with Google, Tempus Nova, and Acumen Solutions. GSA will use Google Apps for Government , a suite of cloud computing applications, which received Federal Information Security Management Act  certification and accreditation from the government in July. The Google Apps platform consists of Google Docs, Gmail, spreadsheets, a video tool, and Google Sites.

At the time, industry observers anticipated intensified competition between Google and Microsoft to provide cloud-based e-mail service and productivity applications to the federal community.

The contract provides for an easily accessible suite of services, including e-mail and collaboration tools, to support a more mobile work force. While several agencies have moved sub-entities' e-mail systems to the cloud, GSA is the first to utilize a cloud-based system for e-mail agencywide, officials said.

"Cloud computing has a demonstrated track record of cost savings and efficiencies," GSA CIO Casey Coleman said in a prepared statement. "With this award, GSA employees will have a modern, robust e-mail, and collaboration platform that better supports our mission and our mobile work force, and costs half as much."

GSA's move to cloud-based e-mail and collaboration tools is also part of a governmentwide effort to utilize more agile, lightweight technology such as cloud computing and shared services to limit the need for expensive, redundant infrastructure.

"GSA's cloud e-mail award is in step with the administration's ‘cloud first' strategy and demonstrates that agile, secure, reliable, and cost-effective cloud options exist to rapidly improve agency operations and services," said Dave McClure, associate administrator of GSA's Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies.