Indian Government Migrates Over 1.6 Million Email Accounts to Zoho Cloud at Significant Cost
The central government has moved 16.68 lakh official email accounts to Zoho’s cloud platform with an expenditure of 180 crore rupees to strengthen data security and digital sovereignty
The Indian government has successfully migrated more than 16.68 lakh official email accounts to Zoho’s cloud platform, a move aimed at creating a secure and centralized email system for ministries and departments. According to the Electronics and Information Technology Ministry, the migration has so far cost around 180.10 crore rupees.
The entire migration was carried out through the National Informatics Centre, which selected Zoho as the master system integrator after a competitive bidding process on the Government e-Marketplace. The evaluation process included shortlisted companies and government user groups testing proofs of concept before finalizing the platform.
Officials say the initiative is designed to ensure that the government retains complete control over data and intellectual property. By hosting emails on a cloud platform developed with data security and digital sovereignty in mind, the government aims to minimize risks associated with external email providers while maintaining operational efficiency across departments.
The cost per email account ranges between 170 to 300 rupees per user per month, depending on mailbox storage, which varies from 30GB to 100GB. Payments are calculated based on the number of accounts migrated.
This migration shows significant progress compared to December when Parliament was informed that around 12.68 lakh email accounts had been shifted, including 7.45 lakh accounts of central employees. The rapid increase to 16.68 lakh accounts reflects the project’s accelerated expansion and growing adoption across government departments.
Experts note that the move to Zoho cloud could enhance not only security but also administrative efficiency, as centralized management allows IT teams to monitor usage, implement compliance standards, and ensure smooth communication across the government. The step underscores India’s commitment to building indigenous and secure digital infrastructure for public services.
