Gnawing the knuckle that knocks it
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Google dismisses Microsoft FISMA allegations
CLOUD SOFTWARE HOUSE and hosting outfit Google has dismissed accusations by Microsoft that it intentionally misled the US government over compliance with Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) certification.
Microsoft had claimed that Google Apps for Government is not FISMA certified, since a separate application would be needed in addition to certification of Google Apps. But Google said "these allegations are false", that it "takes the government's security requirements seriously" and that it has "delivered on our promise to meet them".
Google said it received FISMA authorisation for the standard version of Google Apps from the General Services Administration (GSA) in July 2010 and that it does not need a separate application for the government version of its software, since it is the same as Google Apps Premium Edition with two additional security enhancements relating to data location and segregation of government data.
Google said that the GSA indicated that Google Apps for Government could be incorporated into the company's existing FISMA certification and that a separate application was not required. Google also pointed out that a description of the government version was submitted to the GSA earlier this year, suggesting that it is well aware of the software.
Google backed up its claim by sharing a quote from the GSA, which said, "we're actually going through a re-certification ... with the 'Apps for Government' product."
The company said its documentation detailing its FISMA authorisation is readily available for government agencies to review and claims that it has been very transparent about the entire affair. It added that it regularly informs GSA of changes to its system and updates it documentation to highlight these changes. µ
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The article left out an important detail : "The system remains authorized while the changes are evaluated by the GSA."
So Google Apps for Government is FISMA certified during the re-certification.
"we're actually going through a re-certification ... with the 'Apps for Government' product."
"going through" means that it's not done. There is no almost with FISMA it either is or is not and right now it is not. Microsoft wasn't the first to ding Google on this, the Department of the Interior was as stated in the document. The information that Microsoft put out there is from a court case that Google filed because they didn't get selected for a contract that Microsoft won. They contested the award and in doing so have brought a negative light on themselves. This sort of response is just going to make people more leary of using them in government. They should eat the crow, call it a lesson learned, and move forward. If continue into a public squabble over this, they'll certainly not do themselves any favors.