In trying to streamline the processes of communication, coordination
and bringing the organization together, the Department of Education has
decided to switch to Google solutions. Being a department that serves
the entire archipelago, Google Apps were the natural choice. An member
of the staff can now access their files, calendars and reach other
members of the organization no matter where they may find themselves.
They will also no longer have to use their personal emails
for official functions, plus their Gmail accounts will sync with all the
other cloud apps the organization has chosen to use, such as Google
Calendar, which allows easy coordination of work or class schedules,
meetings and events online, Google Drive/Docs – an integrated service
that provides a single place to store, access, create, edit, and share
documents, files, and folders of all types, Google Sites , which lets
users develop and customize rich websites and embed Google Docs, Google
Calendars, videos, and other media with no HTML required and Google
Groups which will let the department create mailing lists and discussion
forums to easily and efficiently sharing documents, calendars, sites,
and media with specific groups.
As the first nationwide deployment of Google Apps, DepEd’s
leap into the cloud is a visionary one. The move sees them joining seven
of the eight Ivy League universities and 72 of this year’s top 100 US
Universities (as determined by 2013 U.S. News and World Report’s
ranking) that have gone Google too. It’s a great, practical and
progressive step forward, and we’re all quite optimistic it’ll work
great.
