Maryland Government Switches to Google, for Everything

Approximately 54,000 state employees are switching to Google's cloud-based email and scheduling system.

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Maryland has joined the host of other jurisdictions -- including Colorado, Wyoming, Boston and Los Angeles, to name just a few -- that have made the jump to Google.

 

The state's switch to Google, which it's using for email, calendars and document sharing, includes the transition of around 54,000 state employees, making it the largest state in the nation to do so, the Baltimore Sun reported.

Reasons for the transition include the need to send emails to the entire public-sector workforce in one fell swoop -- and the need to replace the state's old, patchy network system. The switch to Google will also save money and encourage coordination throughout agencies.

"What we're looking to do is to help them [state employees] work better together," state CTO Greg Urban told the Sun. Colorado, which made the switch in 2012 for its 30,000 employees, maintains that the transition was well worth it. Employees are now able to quickly reach one another without relying on burdensome physical documents like business cards, and they can share vastly more information with one another more quickly.

“It isn't just email," Kristin Russell, Colorado's secretary of technology and CIO, told the Sun. "It's a very powerful tool."

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Daniel Luzer is GOVERNING's news editor.
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