Microsoft also said it was close to getting FISMA certification for its BPOS services. It has already achieved the certification for its data centers and expects to complete the process for the applications within a month or so, Kulcon said.

The Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) is a stringent security standard that some federal agencies are required to comply with. Google Apps is already FISMA certified.

Microsoft also complained about some instances where it says government agencies have used Google services unfairly or in ways that could compromise security.

For instance, Microsoft maintains that the General Services Administration (GSA), which awarded a contract to Google Apps last year, changed its contract during the bid process to allow for data to be stored outside of the U.S. To Microsoft, that appeared to be a concession that would allow Google to win the contract.

Microsoft is also complaining about what it calls a lack of full support for the OpenDocument Format in Google Docs, which is used at least informally by some government agencies. When Google Docs renders documents created in ODF, it alters them by, for example, changing page numbers, said Curt Kolcun, vice president of Microsoft's U.S. Public Sector group. Microsoft was subjected to intense pressure around the globe by government agencies that insisted it support the open document standards.