Indian Government migrates 12 lakh Email IDs of Central Government employees to ‘Swadeshi’ platform Zoho Mail

In a big step for India’s digital independence, the government has moved the official email accounts of 1.2 million central employees to a platform created by Chennai-based Zoho. 

This replaces the old system run by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and aims to keep government data secure, under Indian control, and less dependent on foreign technology.

India Moves 12 Lakh Government Emails to Zoho

The migration covers several key ministries and departments, including the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). It marks one of the largest cloud transitions in India’s public sector and reflects the government’s focus on digital self-reliance.

The move is part of the Digital India initiative, aimed at creating secure, indigenous digital infrastructure. 

Reports say the Digital India Corporation initiated the tender in 2023, inviting Indian companies to host and manage government email services. Zoho was chosen for its proven ability to manage large-scale enterprise email hosting securely.

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Why the Government Chose Zoho for Official Emails

Zoho, a Chennai-headquartered global SaaS leader, was selected for its proven expertise in secure, large-scale enterprise email hosting and its strong commitment to privacy.

Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu underscored the importance of local control over technology, stating:

“Technology today can be weaponised against a country like India… The technology has to be within India and subject to Indian law so that Indian laws can apply.”

The new system also integrates Zoho’s office productivity suite, allowing document, spreadsheet, and presentation collaboration within a secure ecosystem. 

This not only enhances efficiency but also discourages reliance on open-source or foreign-hosted tools that may pose data risks.

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Public Response and Security Concerns

Union ministers including Amit Shah and Ashwini Vaishnaw have already made the switch, announcing it publicly on social media. 

“Hello everyone, I have switched to Zoho Mail,” Amit Shah wrote on X, sharing his new official email ID.

While the move has been praised as a landmark in India’s digital sovereignty, cybersecurity experts have called for continued transparency and regular audits. 

Questions around encryption standards and data privacy persist, with some experts noting the importance of end-to-end encryption to ensure sensitive government communications remain fully protected.

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