Maryland transitioning 54,000 state employees to Google Apps for Government

Over the last year Google has been signing up a lot of government agencies to make the switch to Google Apps for email and Google’s other cloud-based apps and services. Today Google and the state of Maryland announced in a blog post that all 54,000 state employees will be transitioning to the Google Apps for Government platform as a replacement for old Microsoft Exchange and Novell mail servers:

With Google Apps for Government, all state government data and emails remain in a secure cloud that is compliant with FISMA standards. With over 50 different CIOs working in different agencies, Google Apps allows Maryland to manage security from one central point. Instead of each agency buying and running its own security systems, now Google lets us secure data on a global, enterprise-wide scale. From a central IT point of view, Google Apps lets us execute mobile device management and data leak prevention across all agencies, as well as track every email and document. Previously, each individual IT department had to install appliances to manage these issues on their own.

Deputy CIO and CTO of the State of Maryland Gregory Urban explains that over 2,000 State Police officers have also adopted Google Apps and currently use Google Drive’s Docs, Forms, and Spreadsheets web apps to file reports for arrests and investigations. “A sergeant’s weekly reporting job that used to take 6-7 hours now takes less than an hour, freeing up officers to focus on more mission critical tasks.”

Over the last year and a half Google has signed up other government agencies in Colorado, Boston, Utah, the US Naval Academy, and more.