GSA Certifies Google Apps for Government Cloud
Government Data to Reside on U.S. Servers Google announced Monday that its Google Apps is the first suite of cloud computing applications to win Federal Information Security Management Act certification and accreditation from the General Services Administration.Kripa Krishnan, Google Apps for Government technical program manager, wrote in a blog posted on Google's website that GSA had reviewed the documentation of its security controls and issued an authorization to operate, a official confirmation of its FISMA certification and accreditation.
The GSA confirmed Google's cloud computing C&A was a first for the agency, but other federal agency have accredited other cloud providers. "Each agency issues their own C&A and other agencies already have FISMA certs in place for cloud services," Sahar Wali, GSA associate administrator for communications and marketing, said in response to an inquiry. "Also, we have been in communications with other companies who are currently in the process to get C&A for GSA."
Krishnan wrote that Google Apps for Government stores Gmail and calendar data in a segregated system located in the continental United States, exclusively for its government customers. Other applications will follow in the near future. The suite is a community cloud - as defined by the National Institute for Science and Technology - to support the needs of our government customers.
