DBM makes big leap to cloud with Google apps

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) recently hopped on the cloud by subscribing to Google Apps for Business, a cloud-based email and office productivity tools from the Internet search giant.

Photo shows (L-R): Vinzon R. Manansala, division chief for systems development & maintenance division at DBM; Usec. Richard E. Moya, undersecretary/chief information officer of DBM; Reynaldo R. Huergas, president of IP-Converge; and Hernand A. Hermida, VP for service delivery – business solutions group at IP-Converge

The budget department tapped publicly listed firm IP Converge Data Center, although no financial details were disclosed.

As it requires no hardware or software installation and needs only minimal administration, its proponents said the use of Google Apps for Business creates time and cost savings for business and public entities.

Email, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, calendaring and scheduling, groups, intranets and video sharing can be used in one package.

Google also gives each user 25GB for email storage, which 50 times more storage than the industry average, and 99.9-percent uptime reliability guarantee.

It also has several options for accessing information while users are on-the-go, while ensuring the safety and security of the organization’s critical data.

“Through our partnership with IP-Converge, we wish to join several businesses and government agencies in taking advantage of the Cloud Age to improve key areas in our operations, most especially document collaboration. The resulting efficiencies will translate to direct, immediate, and sustainable benefits for the Filipino public through well-delivered services,” DBM Undersecretary and Chief Information Officer Bon Moya said in a statement.

Google Apps also enables full administrative and data control, allowing administrators to customize Google Apps to meet their technical, branding, and business requirements.

However, customers requiring administration support can also contact IP-Converge, which has received training, support and deployment services from Google, as well as access to APIs for integrating Google Apps into customers’ business operations.

“We urge other government agencies like DBM to take advantage of cloud computing and the benefits they stand to gain from taking their operations to the Cloud,” IP-Converge President Rene Huergas said. — Newsbytes.ph