Google snaps up biggest single email client in the world

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GOOGLE has snatched what is believed to be its biggest single client in the world - the NSW Department of Education - away from its rival Microsoft to claim up to 1.3 million new users of its free email product.

The NSW Director-General of Education, Michael Coutts-Trotter, said the department had exploited its size to get the best deal for students and teachers, who will each receive customised Gmail accounts.

"Our new email contract was so big that global players like Google were prepared to put together a world-class package of services for the children and young people in NSW public schools," he said.

The acting Minister for Education, John Hatzistergos, said the new system would cater for 1.3 million users and be in place by the end of the year.

The $9.5 million, three-year contract with the Google partner SMS Management and Technology will displace the department's previous $30 million contract with Microsoft partner Unisys, which ran over five years.

View: Brisbane Times

(1 reply) #1 GrimReeper on 31 Jul 2008 - 08:33

Maybe this way they will actually use there school email more since it will be 5GB or whatever its up to and not like 5MB lol.

#1.1 +Yuxi on 31 Jul 2008 - 14:36

I wish our school did that, right now we each get 4MB

(4 replies) #2 guruparan on 31 Jul 2008 - 09:20

I like gmail...but i hate it bcos it reads the contents of my email & shows up the Ad!!

Anyway i use hotmail as my primary email for more than 8 yrs :-D

And main feature i miss in gmail is the "folder" option!!...

#2.1 seamer on 31 Jul 2008 - 09:28

Pay for a corporate account ($50/year/user?) and you can disable the ads.

#2.2 Magallanes on 31 Jul 2008 - 14:03

(seamer said @ #2.1)

50 (without any discount) x 1.2 million users = 60 million dollar x year is around the price of 4 F-16 (missiles sold separately).

so yes, is plausible.

#2.3 +M2Ys4U on 31 Jul 2008 - 21:07

1) The adverts are created by a computer; no human actually reads your e-mails. And, IMO, they're far less obtrusive than the OMG SHOOT THE MONKEY AND WIN banner ads.

2) Folders are labels.

#2.4 +macf13nd on 01 Aug 2008 - 11:05

"but i hate it bcos it reads the contents of my email & shows up the Ad!! "

go and read a book or something. your presence pains me.

(1 reply) #3 Guol on 31 Jul 2008 - 09:34

I currently go to high school in NSW and the current email system is very slow and annoying to use, not to mention the fact that the email address is annoyingly long.
I think this should be a great change. Looking forward to the 5GB of space for sure.

#3.1 matt_hobbs05 on 01 Aug 2008 - 01:42

I wouldn't get too excited about a change in the length of the email addresses if I were you. I have a feeling that they will still be keeping the same domains, and not switching to @gmail.com addresses.

Also, from what I've been told by younger siblings, Internet access at most high schools these days is fairly pathetic at peak times, so I wonder how they are going to cope with the extra external traffic? (Not as bad as when I was at school though; we had several computer labs and all staff sharing two 56k modems)

But it's definitely a good step by the NSW Education Department.

#4 brent3000 on 31 Jul 2008 - 10:06

people use the school email?

(2 replies) #5 +Nashy on 31 Jul 2008 - 10:12

Wow, what a surprise, an Aussie state governent doing it on the cheap.

#5.1 Majesticmerc on 31 Jul 2008 - 11:05

Getting the best deal for your money is good business practice, not just "doing it on the cheap". The likelihood is that if Microsoft had offered a better package, they would have taken that, but Google offered what they wanted for less.

#5.2 Gerry on 31 Jul 2008 - 11:10

(2 replies) #6 thealexweb on 31 Jul 2008 - 10:51

This is a clear message to Microsoft and Yahoo, improve or face been overtaken.

#6.1 +Antaris on 31 Jul 2008 - 11:00

Improve?

Exchange/Outlook has been dominant in the business market for years, alongisde Domino/Notes. Just because Googlemail is what is being used, what reference does this have on offerings from Microsoft or Yahoo.

IMO, Googlemail doesn't match the quality, fidelity, and functionality of offerings from Microsoft, not to mention the much missed Groupware functionality of Exchange.

#6.2 TruckWEB on 31 Jul 2008 - 11:06

(Antaris said @ #6.1)

It's for schools!! Do they really need Groupware functionality? And I know that money is not flowing so wildly for schools, so anything to save some money is good. I just hope the saving they did will go back to the kids in one way or another.

(1 reply) #7 TruckWEB on 31 Jul 2008 - 11:03

Google GMail for $9.5 million/3years -VS- $30 million/5 years for Microsoft.

Google did it for cheap. This should be a eye opener for MS...

#7.1 zarniwoop on 31 Jul 2008 - 11:58

What a no-brainer, good to see some educational institutions looking at cutting budget for more important things while at the same time upgrading.

(6 replies) #8 Little Charlie on 31 Jul 2008 - 12:51

OK..I GIVE UP! What is NSW?

#8.1 tsupersonic on 31 Jul 2008 - 12:55

Google search it man! New South Wales

Last edited by tsupersonic on 31 Jul 2008 - 14:06

#8.2 Quick Reply on 31 Jul 2008 - 13:13

haha very funny, it's actually North South West.

#8.3 ambushed on 31 Jul 2008 - 13:26

(Quick Reply said @ #8.2)

WTF?

New South Wales is an Australian state. Wiki

#8.4 Majesticmerc on 31 Jul 2008 - 13:30

(tsupersonic said @ #8.1)

Google search it man! North South Wales

Fail

#8.5 tsupersonic on 31 Jul 2008 - 14:07

(Majesticmerc said @ #8.4)

#8.6 Majesticmerc on 31 Jul 2008 - 14:19

You sunk my battleship

#9 xtravgnt on 31 Jul 2008 - 13:09

Sucks to be that sales rep who had the contract for all these years, not only did he probably just lose a good chunk of his income, pretty sure the big bosses are not pleased with the results one bit.

(1 reply) #10 C_Guy on 31 Jul 2008 - 14:41

It's not always about the money. You get what you pay for. Too bad no one thought of the children in this situation. Very sad.

#10.1 Majesticmerc on 01 Aug 2008 - 07:16

I'm sure that, given that it is the DoE, that they ARE thinking about the children. The likelihood is that Google offered the cheaper deal, which must have satisfied what the DoE wanted, and MS offered what the DoE wanted and More for a much larger price. They get more than they asked for from MS, and they didn't need it all, so they decided not to go for the more expensive deal. It's simple business.

Besides, the money saved can go towards the Children that they "Aren't Thinking" about.

(1 reply) #11 majortom1981 on 31 Jul 2008 - 15:07

Why are they paying for this? We are using the same product for free, here at the library.

#11.1 seamer on 31 Jul 2008 - 18:45

Branding, actual customer support, services like postini are included.

YEs, all our free accounts get that. Right.

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