India's Digital Sovereignty: Government Ministries and States Switch to Indigenous Zoho Mail Platform

Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed that the government's decision to implement Zoho was made nearly three years ago.

New Delhi:

In a strategic shift toward digital self-reliance, multiple state governments are preparing to migrate their official email systems to Zoho Mail, following the central government's recent transition from the National Informatics Centre (NIC) platform.

According to officials, this transition aligns with a broader initiative aimed at promoting indigenous technology solutions and strengthening cybersecurity across governmental networks.

The central government has successfully completed the migration of email services for approximately 12 lakh employees from NIC to Chennai-based Zoho.

This shift comes as a response to growing cybersecurity challenges. Officials indicated that the transition is expected to significantly enhance data security and resilience.

Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw explained that the government had planned the Zoho implementation approximately three years ago, with a phased rollout beginning in select ministries.

"We first implemented it in the Ministry of Electronics two and a half years before widespread adoption. Subsequently, it was deployed in Railways, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, and eventually extended to all central government employees," the minister stated.

He noted that employees now utilize Zoho's comprehensive suite of productivity tools, which include alternatives to Google Docs, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and various internal communication applications.

"We evaluated both global and Indian organizations across multiple parameters. Initially, Google scored 8.9, Microsoft 8.8, and Zoho 8.6. We challenged Indian companies to improve, and within six months, Zoho enhanced its security features. Following the tender process, Zoho submitted the strongest bid and was selected," Vaishnaw elaborated.

Gujarat's government has already completed its migration to Zoho Mail, with other states expected to follow suit shortly.

While the government's email domains (nic.in and gov.in) will remain unchanged, data processing and hosting operations have been transferred to Zoho's cloud infrastructure. The company was awarded a seven-year contract in 2023 after a competitive bidding process.

Established in 1976 as a division of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), NIC has traditionally served as the government's primary technology provider, delivering digital infrastructure and services to both Central and State governments.

Regarding security concerns, the ministry emphasized that Zoho's systems underwent rigorous testing by multiple agencies, including NIC, CERT-In (Computer Emergency Response Team-India), and Software Quality Systems (SQS), which continue to conduct regular audits of the platform.

The government's decision to transfer its extensive email infrastructure to an Indian company represents a significant advancement toward digital sovereignty. Officials added that the adoption of Zoho's made-in-India suite aligns with India's ambition to become a "product nation" driven by homegrown innovation.