Google Workspace isn’t just adaptable for government use; it is made for it. With features that meet government data security requirements including FedRAMP certification as well as an unlimited amount of storage to help you stay within budget, it is one of the best solutions for government workers and computer networks.  

DATA PROTECTION

One of the most vitally important features of government computing is privacy and security. Google Workspace provides multiple layers of security for just that reason. Use Google security protocols including double encryption and replication of data or take advantage of multi-factor authentication, CAC/PIV Chrome support, and proactive password watching for devices on your Google Workspace account.

CASE STUDY

The City of Boston moved to Google Workspace in 2014, and they haven’t looked back since. With the variety of features, they are connected, getting work done and submitted on time, and have improved workflow. But most importantly, they are doing it all with a secure system. Their data is safe, and data protection requirements are being met.

“Going Google on such a large scale has many benefits. We gained reliability and security compared to our prior configuration of Microsoft Exchange servers, which required extensive upkeep, upgrades, and patches.

All in all, we’ve securely moved more than twenty million email messages to the cloud. Every city employee — from police, to education, public works, transportation and beyond — has a Google account and a boston.gov email address accessible from any device, anywhere. We are confident Google’s secure, FISMA-compliant cloud environment ensures that city data is safe and private.”

- Bill Oates, CIO of the City of Boston via Google

COLLABORATION

Not only is Gmail with a branded government email addresses for all employees an asset, but there is so much more available with Google Workspace. Google Hangouts can allow team members to hold discussions even when everyone is not in one centralized location. Google Slides can help employees create and present ideas and information within the office or to a wider audience. In addition, there are hundreds of apps that can be easily integrated with Google Workspace to create a fully functioning collaborative office or lab for all of your departmental needs.

CASE STUDIES

According to Google, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration brought a unified Gmail system to their 25,000 employees via Google Workspace. They moved everything to Google Apps for Government, allowing them to fully switch to all of the collaborative tools that Google Workspace has to offer. They have integrated this with their use of environment monitoring and weather forecasting tools. They were incredibly pleased at how well the transition went and are happy to announce that the cost was fifty percent less than it would have been if they had created a solution in-house. That’s fifty percent less that tax payers have to fund.

DOTComm provides centralized IT support and consulting for 70 government agencies in the city of Omaha and Douglas County, Nebraska. They do it using Google Workspace collaborative tools. Whether on site or out helping one of 5,000 government workers, DOTComm employees are always in contact with each other for advice and expertise.

“We turned to Chrome and Google Workspace. Chrome is fast, secure and gives our staff access to thousands of useful extensions. It’s also allowed us to standardize across our desktop and mobile devices. Google Workspace has helped us cut hardware costs and improve collaboration and mobility. With Chrome and Google Workspace, we no longer pay thousands of dollars in annual licensing fees, and we’ve reduced the number of people managing infrastructure from six to one, freeing up the other five people to work on different tasks.

• Vijay Badal, Director of Application Services at DotComm via

Google Workspace for Government

Google Workspace has a set of apps intended specifically to be utilized by government agencies. They meet stringent requirements while offering workers ways to collaborate on projects, submit assignments, stay in touch and up to speed during times of crisis, and manage important documents.

CASE STUDIES

The State of Wyoming uses Google Workspace for Government, according to Google. Their employees are able to assign tasks, route communication through Gmail, add follow-up information to calendars, and keep up with the concerns of their constituents. They also use Google Apps for Government to improve their state’s broadband coverage. They do this, in part, via the help of Google maps to discover areas where broadband is not currently reaching. The rest is done by reaching out to community members and vendors, with a large amount of the communication going through Gmail.

The City of Chicago is also getting the most out of Google Workspace:

"The Google Maps interface was a big selling point in getting dozens of agencies to buy into working with dotMaps. City workers were familiar with the Google Maps interface, and so were immediately comfortable with it. They didn’t need training because they already knew how to use Google Maps’ functionality."

Lawrence Olzsak, IT Director of the Chicago Department of Transportation via   

Google Cloud

Access to Google Cloud and Google Vault means that staff can get work done no matter where they are. Decentralized offices, multiple departments, and even employees out in the field can now all access the same secured documents, make changes, make suggestions, and even share those documents with relevant parties.

CASE STUDIES

The National Institute on Aging uses Google Workspace. They access the Google Cloud Platform via Google Genomics. It allows them to securely store, explore, share, and process large amounts of DNA so that they can learn more about debilitating diseases, what causes them, and what can help.

“Cloud computing allowed us to speed up discovery. We collaborated with Google Genomics to test varying implementations of the standard processing pipeline for exome sequence data on the cohort and population scale. The cloud was really our only option for this.

We used Google Cloud Platform to share data between sites. The partitioning of data in the cloud allows us to have control over who can see what data. We can maintain privacy of individual samples and how they need to be treated in the cloud.”

• Mike Nalls, Ph.D., Scientist, National Institute on Aging via  Google.

COST SAVINGS

With a price of only $5-25 per user per month, Google Workspace can be much more affordable than other more complicated systems. On boarding is short and relatively simple since the majority of people are already familiar with Gmail, Google Docs, Hangouts, Maps, and other features. Google has perfected the transition process, and many government agencies are actually surprised by just how smoothly and quickly it can go. In addition, you don’t have to worry about the costs of programming, upgrading, or managing the backend of the system. It’s already done for you.

CASE STUDIES

The State if Wyoming noticed significant cost savings when they switched to Google Workspace. With paying only $5 per person per month and with the reduction of server purchase and maintenance costs, they were able to save a significant amount. Previously, they had needed 15 full-time workers just to run their system.

DOTComm also noticed the cost savings:

“Chrome is fast, secure and gives our staff access to thousands of useful extensions. It’s also allowed us to standardize across our desktop and mobile devices. Google Workspace has helped us cut hardware costs and improve collaboration and mobility. With Chrome and Google Workspace, we no longer pay thousands of dollars in annual licensing fees, and we’ve reduced the number of people managing infrastructure from six to one, freeing up the other five people to work on different tasks.”

• Vijay Badal, Director of Application Services at DotComm via Google

FINAL THOUGHTS

Google Workspace is an excellent choice for government. For security, collaboration, sharing, and cost savings it cannot be beaten. Because it is so seamlessly integrated and because so many of us already accustomed to using its features, it also saves on manpower and time. That leaves more available workers and hours to focus on the jobs that actually need to be done. Efficiency and effectiveness in government are possible, and Google Workspace and its features go a long way towards making that a reality. It is already working for many cities, states, and government institutions.

Second image: https://marketplace.fedramp.gov/index.html#/product/google-services?sort=productName&productNameSearch=goog