U.S. Army & DoD move to Google Apps to go mobile and reduce costs

Google announced today on its Enterprise blog that the U.S. Army is the latest to go Google with a new program currently rolling out Google Apps and services to over 50k members of the Army and Department of Defense.

According to Google, driving the U.S. Army’s decision to adopt Google Apps is the ability to reduce IT costs and also run Apps on multiple platforms and operating systems through the Army’s existing security and authentication requirements. Another big motivator was the added advantage of Google’s mobile apps:

Mobile technology not only makes the Army more nimble, it is imperative for efficiency while personnel are in the field. Tablets are used by the Army for education and distance learning because they equip personnel with access to training materials anytime, anywhere. A soldier can review a lesson in Google Drive, complete an assignment with teammates in Google Docs, or attend a class via video Hangout, all from their tablet, smartphone or desktop. In addition, Army organizations can set up their own Google Play Private Channel for distributing mobile apps internally.

Google, along with Google Apps Authorized Reseller DLT Solutions and the Army Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems, hopes to roll out Google Apps to more than just the initial 50k U.S. Army and DoD personnel. The company notes that “other DoD organizations can also benefit by buying off the Enterprise Software Initiative (ESI) contract the Army instituted.”