Los Angeles eyes Gmail for city workers amid cost, security fears

Los Angeles has moved a step closer to replacing the city's crash-prone email system with a Google (GOOG) enterprise platform that would store data from America's second largest city on Google's servers. The switch is expected to save the city millions over the long term, but recent Gmail outages have stoked concerns -- especially among emergency personnel -- over so-called cloud computing, in which data is stored on remote servers instead of local computers.

The city's Budget and Finance committee late Monday abstained from voting on the measure, but passed it on to a full city council vote as early as next week. The development comes as Google has launched a new ad campaign touting its enterprise business, Google Apps, which includes a host of web-based software applications.