Centre Moves 12.7 Lakh Official Email Accounts To Zoho

SUMMARY

The 12.7 Lakh email accounts include accounts of 7.45 Lakh central government employees

Through NIC, the government selected Zoho as a master system integrator to provide a robust cloud-based email solution capable of supporting all government users

In October, Zoho said a custom, rebranded version of its email and collaboration suite, Zoho Workplace, will be available for government departments as well as PSUs

The Centre has migrated around 12.68 Lakh email accounts across ministries and departments to SaaS major Zoho’s cloud-based platform.

This includes accounts of 7.45 Lakh central government employees, the electronics and IT ministry (MeitY) told the Lok Sabha.

The migration was carried out by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) which looks after India’s digital administration, including critical services like email for government domains.

Through NIC, the government has selected Zoho as a master system integrator (MSI) to provide a robust cloud-based email solution capable of supporting all government users, MeitY said.

The model ensures professional upgrades, seamless migration of existing accounts, and integration of modern office productivity tools such as word processors, spreadsheets, and presentation software, it added.

The contract with Zoho includes provisions ensuring government ownership of all data and IP generated during the engagement, along with guaranteed continuity and rollback options, where required.

The security architecture of the email platform has been defined rigorously to protect critical government data, MeitY said.

Notably, the NIC came out with a tender, through the Digital India Corporation (DIC), in 2023 to shift collaboration services to a dedicated, secure cloud environment. Subsequently, Zoho was selected to manage and migrate official email and office suite services.

In October this year, Zoho said a custom, rebranded version of its email and collaboration suite, Zoho Workplace, will be available for government departments as well as PSUs. The government employees will have access to Zoho Mail, Zoho WorkDrive, Zoho Meeting, Zoho Cliq, Mobile Device Management, Zoho Writer, Zoho Sheet, and Zoho Show.

Additionally, employees will also get access to Zoho OneAuth and Zoho Contacts for contact management, the company added.

Zoho claimed it adheres to periodic audits of the entire infrastructure, applications, and processes by CERT-IN-empaneled firms designated by NIC.

The Expanding Universe Of Zoho

Earlier this year, amid trade tensions with the US, Zoho came into the spotlight as a homegrown alternative for multiple tech needs with its suite of products and services. While IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw endorsed the SaaS major’s software stack for official use, home minister Amit Shah announced that his email was shifted to Zoho Mail.

Over the years, the Sridhar Vembu-led company has expanded beyond SaaS to enter payments and fintech category. It launched its payments app Zoho Pay and unveiled its point-of-sale devices, a QR soundbox, and other payout capabilities. The roadmap also includes lending, broking, insurance, and investments – a full-stack fintech play.

Besides, amid the clamour for using ‘Made in India’ apps, Zoho’s messaging app Arattai, an alternative for WhatsApp, saw a sharp surge in downloads in September-October this year.

Zoho is also working on sectors like robotics and LLM. In January this year, Vembu stepped down from his role as group CEO of Zoho to take up the role of Chief Scientist.