by saying that it received FISMA certification for the service last year but had since changed the name of the service and added two enhancements. FISMA sets out a process for recertification when vendors make changes to their products, and Google is working through that recertification process now, it said. Google argues that the service remains authorized during the recertification process.

The dispute indicates how important government deals are for both companies.

Both have won deals across the country to use their hosted services. Google has won deals to supply hosted services to the U.S. General Services Administration as well as agencies in Washington, D.C.; Orlando; the state of Wyoming; Larimer County, Colorado; the New Mexico attorney general; and Multnomah County, Oregon.

Microsoft has signed some large government deals as well, including with the USDA; New York City; agencies in California; the state of Minnesota; the city of Alexandria, Virginia; and Colorado's Department of Labor and Employment.

The IDG News Service