SF government chooses Microsoft's cloud for email

Updated to include contract details and comment from SF Department of Technology representative.

The City and County of San Francisco announced it has selected Microsoft Exchange Online to host its 23,000 employee email system. Migration has already begun and will continue over the next 12 months, according to a Microsoft press release.

According to the contract, total payment over a 3-year term is $4,424,913.42.

An SF Department of Technology representative followed up via email with me with the following comment on the bid process:

Solutions from Microsoft, Google, and Lotus Notes were all considered as part of a long internal process that included input from CIO’s from various City departments, with final policy and project approval from the Committee on Information Technology (COIT). At the end, a Microsoft-based solution was agreed upon, and the City solicited and received multiple bids through a competitive process the City has in place for IT procurement.

SF Chief Information Officer Jon Walton:

“By moving to the Microsoft platform, we not only get immediate improvements to our system, but we gain a disaster-resilient system that provides the most modern information tools, with solid support provisions that can scale with the needs of our constituents.".

SF Mayor Edwin M. Lee:

“A key part of serving a community as diverse and vibrant as ours starts with making the right investments in information technology. It is our responsibility to make decisions that are fiscally responsible, forward-looking, and improve the services that city and county employees provide to our constituents.”

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Thumbnail image via kevindooley.