Google’s Cloud Services Pass Government Security Requirements

…This means that local, state and even federal government agencies can start using Google’s cloud to be more productive – pun intended? Google is the first company of its kind to receive the necessary accreditations from the U.S. gov’t to deploy cloud services software on such a large scale like gov’t IT architecture. Not even Microsoft has been able to pass the fed’s security standards, and I’m pretty sure most gov’t agencies use Microsoft software.

This means that any gov’t agency can now communicate and collaborate using many, if not all of the services under the Google Apps umbrella (Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sites, Chat, etc.) similar to how a great deal of civilians use the services to increase organization, productivity and communicate with the rest of the world.

If you are not familiar with gov’t IT policies, without getting too deep, let’s just say as an employee, getting your hands on a gov’t laptop to take back and forth can be a pain…with good measure of course. The information stored and subsequently at risk on your typical gov’t gadget, including mobile devices, is enough for agencies to enforce some serious IT policies. I am pretty sure federal gov’t employees are still feeling the effects from a stolen government laptop that held more than 1,200 Social Security Numbers.

Well imagine if all of the information wasn’t on gov’t laptops, but somewhere in the cloud? All an employee would need is access to the cloud via their ID badge scanned by the laptop and a serious password pattern. Since Google’s cloud services have just been green-lit by the feds, it’s safe to say that Google’s security measures were raked over the coals to ensure government information remains in the hands of the government.

Let me stop right here an make sure to point out that Google’s cloud services may not be ready, or even want to handle top-secret, sensitive, code-fuchsia gov’t information. But the idea that the U.S. government is attempting to lead the way in cloud computing by allowing civilian companies like Google to come in and enhance some of its current productivity and collaboration practices means that the future of cloud computing as a whole looks pretty bright.

About the Author
Terrance Gaines is a husband, father and self-proclaimed Technology Evangelist who shares tech news, reviews, tips and tricks on his blog BrothaTech.com as well as other sites and in print media. You can also find him talking "all things tech" on Twitter @BrothaTech.
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