Technology Slice Blog

Google Gets GSA Contract - Google Inc.'s online software won a key endorsement from the federal government Wednesday, as the General Services Administration said it will use the company's Gmail, word processing and other applications for the agency's more than 15,000 employees. The GSA selected Google's offerings, called Google Apps, over technology from rival Microsoft Corp., whose Outlook email and other Office applications are used in most government offices and businesses. The two technology giants already compete to win contracts from companies as well as state and local governments, which hope to cut costs by switching to Web-based software from programs installed on their own computers. The GSA move gives Google's applications a beachhead in the federal government. It also affirms the broader concept of Web-based software, sometimes known as cloud computing. The GSA described its effort as the first agency-wide use of cloud-based email in the federal g...