New Delhi, October 13, 2025 | Tech Desk — Amid ongoing debate surrounding the government’s adoption of Zoho Mail for official communication, Zoho Corporation co-founder Sridhar Vembu has clarified that the company was chosen by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) only after a rigorous and transparent vetting process involving nearly 20 independent security audits of its codebase, data centers, and cybersecurity practices.
“Zoho’s selection was not politically driven,” says Vembu
Addressing concerns about favoritism or political bias, Vembu emphasized that Zoho’s selection followed intense competition and comprehensive evaluation.
“This wasn’t a sudden or politically motivated decision, as some are assuming. We underwent about 15 to 20 audits covering every aspect — our code, data centers, and security practices. Only after these extensive evaluations did the NIC team select Zoho,” he stated.
He added that the selection involved a “competitive bake-off” with several contenders, underscoring that Zoho’s adoption was a merit-based decision grounded in performance and compliance.
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MeitY clarifies: No preference for a single company
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has also reaffirmed that the government does not favor any one vendor but aims to promote Indian-made software solutions across public infrastructure.
MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan stated:
“It’s not accurate to say we’re promoting a single company. Our broader goal is to encourage Indian products and strengthen the domestic tech ecosystem. There are several other Indian firms offering capable solutions.”
Zoho’s presence extends beyond government sector
Vembu further noted that Zoho’s expansion is not limited to the government but is gaining traction across private enterprises and institutions as well.
“It’s not just within the government — we’re seeing widespread adoption across the private sector too,” he said, highlighting Zoho’s growing footprint in enterprise communication and productivity platforms.
Background: NIC email migration project
In 2023, MeitY issued a global tender to migrate the NIC’s legacy email system, which serves nearly 3.3 million government employees, to a secure, cloud-based solution. Zoho emerged as the winning bidder after demonstrating robust security, scalability, and compliance capabilities.
As of now, more than 1.5 million users have already migrated to the Zoho-powered NIC email system, and the onboarding process continues to expand steadily.
Strengthening the ‘Swadeshi Software’ movement
Vembu linked Zoho’s selection to the government’s broader “Swadeshi software” initiative aimed at promoting indigenous technology solutions.
“The recognition of Zoho as a Made-in-India company aligns with the national movement to support local champions. We must promote and back such home-grown enterprises,” he said.
Focus on cybersecurity and data sovereignty
Following the global data leak incident earlier this year that compromised over 16 billion login records, the Indian government instructed all officials to migrate to the @mail.gov.in domain — a secure NIC-managed system powered by Zoho.
The move underscores the Centre’s commitment to data sovereignty, enhanced cybersecurity, and digital self-reliance, ensuring that sensitive government communication remains within India’s jurisdiction.
With this partnership, Zoho’s inclusion in the NIC ecosystem not only reinforces India’s “Make in India” and “Digital Bharat” missions but also establishes a benchmark for trusted, scalable, and secure home-grown technology in public governance.
