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This is unreal. The Los Angeles Police Department has learned that the FREE Google email services is costing the department US$7 million. You read that right, $7 million for 20,000 email accounts or $250 for each email account.
Further, the LAPD can’t use it yet because Google can’t provide assurances of e-mail privacy and also because Google has not been able to meet the June 30 implementation deadline, reports the Wall Street Journal. As a result the city had to incur $415,000 in costs over the full fiscal year due to the delays and this was in addition to the $135,000 the city had already paid Google. The city was previously spending $60,000 per quarter for a similar system from Novell.
The City of Los Angeles decided to forgo using Microsoft software to use Google’s free email, word processing and spread sheet software to run the city’s operations. It made sense because it was supposedly free and saving money during these economic hard times was a priority. However, when the June 30, 2010 deadline approached Google did not come through.
“Google comes in with this sweetheart deal that was supposed to be state of the art … and obviously they haven’t performed,” said Councilman Dennis Zine.
“We’ve had a lot of technical issues… We underestimated the amount of time it was going to take,” said Randi Levin, City of Los Angeles, Chief Technology Officer.
Google spokesman Andrew Kovacs said that “the city government’s migration to the cloud is the first of its kind, and we’re very pleased with the progress to date.”
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You get what you pay for. In the case of LA, $7M for nothing because it was supposed to be free…
Comment by loves to fly — August 3, 2010 @ 8:56 PM
Anyone that has to say "Do no evil" is EVIL!
Comment by James T — August 3, 2010 @ 10:07 PM
Who is evil now?
Comment by sdsdf — August 3, 2010 @ 10:08 PM
Maybe the LAPD should taser a few Google staffers?
Comment by FuzzyKitty32 — August 3, 2010 @ 11:32 PM
Don't tase me, bro.
Comment by Peter — August 4, 2010 @ 2:59 AM
I guess my knowledge of English is not that great. I thought when something is free it means that the cost is $0. I must have missed the class in which free really meant it will cost you $7Mln.
Comment by Guest — August 4, 2010 @ 5:26 AM
The City of LA has publicly declared that Google Apps had security & feature gaps that were slowing them from full migration, but this is the 1st time I've seen a cost tied to a client's migration to GAPE. In talking to others, this is something they like to sweep under the rug!
Comment by @nsirota — August 9, 2010 @ 3:24 PM
This is the real Alvino L. Hill, I,m Only letting the L.A.P.D. know that KOBE and Will are still trying to (fuck my shit up). Tell KOBE and Will to stay the hell out of any of my business, quit calling places I work at, and places I hang out at . They have already fuck up my compromise, so tell them stay the hell away from me . I,m going to end up killing one of them if they keep this up. I don,t need shit from them, and they are classified to me as my (groupies) and they have already fuck up any visit and they are more establish than me.
Comment by Alvino L. HILL — May 11, 2011 @ 8:04 AM