LA to switch to Google apps

Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) has declared that, in a three-year contract between the two, they have begun working with Google to change the city’s present e-mail and other applications with Google applications.

Advantages of the switch
According to Google’s blog post, LA’s 34,000 employees will shortly be working with Google’s e-mail, and other online services. The concept is called “Cloud Computing”, which implies the joining together of various business ventures which are already using Google’s mail and online applications.

According to Google, Cloud Computing will help the city of Los Angeles make its systems more secure and e-mails more reliable. It said, “The cloud computing system will improve the security and reliability of city email, transitioning from servers in the City Hall basement to hosted, secure data centers.”

Another advantage will be that the employees will be able to coordinate with each other via mails, videos, and through sharing documents in the cloud, all in real-time.

The post said, “Employees will also have a new avenue for collaboration with Google Apps in the cloud: sharing docs, sites and videos and editing them together in real-time as they work on making the city run more smoothly and efficiently and thus better serving Angelenos city-wide.”

Why Google?
The idea to put the city’s whole system in Google’s hands came when the city’s chief technology officer, Randi Levin, and his team at the Information Technology Agency (ITA) decided that their old, rusting system needed a make-over. What they required was something that boosts productivity and is secure at the same time.

Google Apps was chosen from 14 different proposals as it was found to be the most efficient in reaching these goals.

The role of CSC
It is the CSC that will help in the switch, and it will be supported by Google at every step. CSC’s tasks include system integration, end-user services, designing and architecture. Apart from that, they will also have to handle the city’s identity management system.

The company has said, "CSC looks forward to working with Google to support the mission-critical communication and collaboration efforts of Los Angeles' more than 30,000 employees as they focus on improving citizen services through transparency. The City of LA is one of our many customers who are looking to us for guidance and power of choice for different solutions as they transition to the cloud."

Los Angeles is not the first city to hand over its reins to Google. It is following the steps of Washington D.C. and Orlando, Florida.