A win / win - "Google Apps for Gov"

Google's launch of Google Apps for Gov is a huge step in the right direction for End-Users (and the budget). Until now, it seems the gov has merely been dipping its toes in the Web2.0 waters. Use of Social media has skyrocketed, but full on adoption of new age web capabilities is a rarity. This may be the belly flop off the high dive needed to serve as a catalyst.

A few key points on Google Apps for Gov:

1. FISMA certification, a private cloud based on US soil and additional security measures.
2. At $50 per user per year, this is huge savings in licensing fees of traditional enterprise capabilities (HW and SW).
3. Google Apps and its WYSIWYG characteristics are well suited to more than meet the needs of most government agencies (fed, state and local).
4. Google Apps use readily enables hardware agnostic as well as mobile use.
5. Rapid adoption and integration of new apps such as Google Wave, Marketplace apps.
6. The Navy is already using Google Apps (on a .com) for InRelief - one can only wonder if more .mil adoptions will occur.
7. Is Chrome OS next?
8. Microsoft is shaking in their boots.

This is a win / win situation. Gov budgets are tight and gov Knowledge Workers are disgusted with outdated and out paced software tools (read MS Office, MS SharePoint, MS Exchange, MS etc). This capability is now wide open for the .gov domain and may very well take over the landscape - I would not be surprised if swarms of government entities rapidly adopt this solution.

For more details, read PC World's story.