Egged on by Microsoft, the government is taking a closer look at Google and an Apps-related security certification called FISMA, which is required for some government contracts. “Google has
maintained that Google Apps for Government was FISMA-certified,” reports
Business Insider.
“Microsoft uncovered a court filing where the U.S. Department of Justice said it's not.” This week, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) conducted a hearing into the matter, which sought more
information from David McClure from the General Services Administration, which reportedly certified some Google Apps platforms. “According to press reports the Department of Justice notified
Google in December of 2010 that its Apps for Government was not in fact FISMA compliant,” Carper explained. Business Insider, meanwhile suggests the FISMA issue is a distraction from the main
legal case. In essence, “Google is accusing the Department of Interior of choosing Microsoft's products without giving Google Apps fair consideration,” BI writes. “But all along,
Google had said that it was FISMA certified. Now, it turns out that it wasn't.”