The General Services Administration will move its email system to a Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) cloud-based service, the agency said Dec. 1 when it announced a $6.7 million task order deal with Unisys to migrate the agency to Google Apps for Government.

Doing so should reduce email costs by half over a five-year period, GSA Chief Information Officer Casey Coleman later told reporters during a Dec. 3 press call. GSA picked Google and Unisys over rival Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT). Tom Rizzo, senior director of Microsoft Online Services, blogged Dec. 1 that the company is "disappointed" with GSA's decision.

In switching to email services with the cloud, GSA will not know where the machines supporting its email services will physically be located, Coleman said, adding that it doesn't really matter. Security controls "are applicable and going to be monitored regardless of location," she said. "Information security is about much more than where your server sits."

"In the contract it stipulates that data can't be used or released and all key individuals must go through background checks," she added. "We also put in the contract that should GSA end the contract, the vendors are required to remove from their all government data from their servers."

Google Federal Enterprise Director Mike Bradshaw wrote in a blog post that its services will comply with the Federal Information Security Management Act.

Coleman said GSA did not seriously consider utilizing a government cloud service provider since none yet exists ready to service cross-department customers. The Army announced in October it is moving its email service into a cloud provided by the Defense Information Systems Agency.

For more:
- go to the GSA announcement
- read Google's blog about the announcement, and Microsoft's reaction

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