12 Lakh Govt Officials Swich To Zoho, Replacing NIC System

In a major technological shift, the email system for nearly 12 lakh Central government employees, including staff in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), has transitioned to a platform developed by Zoho Corporation, a Tamil Nadu-based tech firm. Officials confirmed that the move marks the replacement of the long-standing National Informatics Centre (NIC) email service.

The transition is part of a broader initiative to strengthen India's digital self-reliance. The Union Ministry of Education, in an order dated October 3, instructed officials to adopt the Zoho suite, aligning with the government's goal of promoting indigenous technology and building a secure, homegrown digital ecosystem. The suite also replaces open-source tools that were considered less secure for official use.

Security and Data Protection

Government officials said concerns about data privacy and cyber safety were reviewed in consultation with NIC and CERT-In. Regular security audits by Software Quality Systems (SQS) will continue to ensure data integrity. "All necessary measures have been taken to safeguard sensitive government data," a senior official assured.

Former IAS officer K.B.S. Siddhu welcomed the move but cautioned that data protection protocols must be "watertight." He stressed the importance of end-to-end encryption and independent audits of India-based data centres to counter potential cyber threats.

Zoho's Role and the Shift from NIC

Established in 1976 under the Ministry of Electronics and IT, NIC had managed government email infrastructure for decades. Under a seven-year contract awarded in 2023, Zoho has now assumed responsibility, though official email domains will continue to use nic.in and gov.in addresses.

Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu, addressing privacy concerns about the company's messaging app Arattai on October 10, reiterated that Zoho's business model "relies on trust," asserting that user data is not exploited for marketing and that end-to-end encryption is being implemented across services.

Private Email Transition and Background

Some Union Ministers recently announced their shift to Zoho emails on X (formerly Twitter), though officials clarified that this applies only to personal accounts - official communication remains under NIC domains.

The change follows the AIIMS Delhi cyberattack of November 2022, which disrupted operations for weeks and prompted a reassessment of government digital infrastructure. Following this, the Digital India Corporation invited bids in February 2023 for a secure cloud service provider - a process that ultimately led to Zoho's selection.