USDA to shift e-mail to Microsoft-based cloud service

Cloud computing moves applications to the Internet, cutting costs and facilitating easier access to information. The USDA said it awarded a contract in May to Dell for Microsoft Online Services, aiming to move all of its e-mail, instant messaging and collaboration applications to the cloud.

Companies just as Microsoft and Google are competing to be the leading provider of cloud-based services to government agencies and other businesses. Last week, the General Services Administration announced it is the first federal agency to move its entire e-mail system to the cloud, using Google products. The agency said it expects to cut its e-mail costs in half over the then five years.

Curt Kolcun, vice president of the U.S. public sector at Microsoft, said the Chicago center is one of the most heavily requested customer-visit sites for the businesses he oversees. The facility is a way to show senior government officials, state governors and other officials a tangible representation of the cloud, Kolcun said.