Unisys brings Google Apps to GSA

Unisys Corp. has won a General Services Administration contract worth $6.7 million to create a secure cloud-based e-mail and collaboration platform for the agency.

Under the terms of the five-year task order, Unisys will build the platform using Google Apps for Government to allow GSA employees to collaborate and work remotely from any location at any time, a Unisys announcement said.

The award makes GSA the first federal agency to move e-mail to a cloud-based system agencywide, agency officials said.

Unisys will provide transition, data migration, training and cloud-based software as a service for the new environment, which will provide up to 17,000 GSA employees and contractors worldwide with enhanced collaboration services, including e-mail with expanded storage and full access to Google Apps collaboration tools.

The cloud-based solution includes applications such as Google's Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs and Google Sites.

According to GSA, the migration will result in a 50 percent savings over the next five years when compared to current staff, infrastructure and contract support costs.

GSA’s move to cloud-based e-mail and collaboration tools is also part of a governmentwide effort to use more agile, lightweight technology such as cloud computing and shared services to limit the need for expensive, redundant infrastructure.

“GSA’s cloud e-mail award is in step with the [Obama] administration’s ‘cloud first’ strategy and demonstrates that agile, secure, reliable, and cost-effective cloud options exist to rapidly improve agency operations and services,” said Dave McClure, associate administrator of GSA's Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies.

The firm fixed-price task order was a competitive award to Unisys via GSA’s Alliant contract.

The Unisys team includes Tempus Nova Inc. and Acumen Solutions.

Unisys Corp., of Blue Bell, Pa., ranks No. 38 on Washington Technology’s 2010 Top 100 list of the largest federal government contractors.