New Delhi: The government has transferred 12.68 lakh official email accounts to a Zoho-based system in an attempt to enhance the security of data and the adoption of indigenous technology. Migration is done by mobilising the ministries and departments of the Centre through the National Informatics Centre (NIC). Among them, 7.45 lakh of accounts are held by the employees of the Central government, as the data provided in the Lok Sabha shows.
MeitY notified Parliament that Zoho was the successful tender winner as the Master System Integrator in 2023. The platform provides a cloud-based email service that is developed with high security provisions and terms of ownership of data by the government. The move coincides with the general momentum of the Centre to lessen its reliance on foreign digital services.
Zoho platform ensures data ownership and security
Jitin Prasada, the Minister of State of Electronics and Information Technology, indicated that the contract guarantees that all the data and intellectual property created on the platform will be retained by the government. He further stated that continuity and rollback mechanisms are also present in the agreement. Nevertheless, MeitY did not reveal the overall cost of the migration and recurrent costs of software licences and infrastructure.
The email system provides encryption of data stored and data transferred. It also has multi-factor authentication, geo fencing, IP restrictions and anti-spoofing. The platform will guarantee 99.9% uptime and will have disaster recovery locations in different seismic areas of at least 500 km.
The migration is encouraged when ministers and senior leaders propagate the application of the expanded range of applications provided by Zoho. Swadeshi alternatives to Google and Microsoft services are being promoted using tools like Arattai, Zoho Mail and productivity software. Official briefings have also been used by IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to point out their usage.
Zoho Standard, Business and Enterprise plans are all-inclusive, such as calendar, task management and safe file sharing. The change is perceived by the government as the way toward the creation of a more stable and independent digital environment.