Putting an end to speculation about the government’s choice of Zoho Mail for official communication, Zoho Corporation’s co-founder and CEO Sridhar Vembu clarified that the company was selected by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) only after an exhaustive multi-stage evaluation and nearly 20 security audits of its codebase, infrastructure, and cybersecurity protocols.
“Selection was purely merit-based,” says Vembu
Addressing social media debates about alleged favoritism, Vembu emphasized that Zoho’s selection was not politically influenced but the result of a rigorous, transparent, and competitive process.
“We went through around 15 to 20 independent audits that covered every aspect of our operations — from our code and data centers to our security practices. Only after these reviews did NIC select Zoho,” said Vembu.
He added that the process involved a “competitive bake-off” with multiple contenders, and Zoho’s technical performance and compliance standards ultimately earned it the contract.
MeitY clarifies: Government promotes all Indian software firms
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) also issued a statement affirming that there was no preferential treatment toward any single vendor.
“Our goal is to promote Indian-made products and strengthen the domestic tech ecosystem. There are several capable Indian firms offering similar solutions,” said MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan.
This clarification comes amid growing emphasis on digital sovereignty and India’s effort to minimize dependence on foreign technology for sensitive operations.
Zoho’s growing role in India’s digital infrastructure
Vembu noted that Zoho’s partnership with the government is part of a broader transformation across sectors.
“Zoho’s adoption isn’t limited to government use — we’re seeing strong traction across private enterprises, educational institutions, and other organizations,” he said.
Currently, over 1.5 million government employees have already migrated to the Zoho-powered NIC email system, with the number expected to rise as part of the ongoing digital modernization drive.
The NIC email migration project
The NIC email migration, initiated in 2023, aims to replace legacy systems with a secure, scalable, cloud-based platform. The project caters to more than 3.3 million government users, and Zoho emerged as the preferred vendor after meeting stringent evaluation criteria around reliability, compliance, and cybersecurity.
Driving India’s “Swadeshi Software” movement
The partnership aligns with India’s push for indigenous technology under the government’s “Digital Bharat” and “Make in India” initiatives.
“Recognizing Zoho as a Made-in-India success story aligns with the national movement to empower local technology champions,” said Vembu. “It’s about ensuring India’s data and innovation stay within our borders.”
A milestone for cybersecurity and data sovereignty
The move follows a global data breach earlier this year that exposed over 16 billion login records. In response, MeitY mandated that all officials use the @mail.gov.in domain — a secure NIC-managed platform now powered by Zoho’s infrastructure.
This shift marks a decisive step toward data sovereignty, ensuring that sensitive communication and user data remain under India’s legal and technological jurisdiction.
India’s confidence in home-grown tech
With this landmark partnership, Zoho’s integration into India’s official communication ecosystem highlights a new era of trust in domestic technology. It sets a precedent for Indian firms to play a central role in building secure, scalable, and globally competitive digital systems for governance and enterprise.
