The City Council of Los Angeles today voted unanimously to switch from Novell GroupWise over to Google Apps. This is a $7.25 million dollar contract that will span over 5 years and include 30,000 users. The migration to the new system is planned to start next June with a limited pilot.
While this might not be the biggest contract Google have landed, it is still a major break. If the city of Los Angeles puts their seal of approval on Google Apps, many other cities are likely to follow suit. Another reason why this is important is because it includes branches of the city, such as the law enforcement. If these branches approve the security of the new system, it will significantly boost the credibility of Google Apps.