Rentokil rolls out Google email to 35,000 users

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Rentokil has signed up to use Google Apps in the largest ever deployment of the hosted, cloud-based system.

Services company Rentokil Initial – which does everything from kill rats to clean buildings and deliver parcels – will roll out Google Apps Premier Edition to 35,000 users by the end of next year. It hopes to cut costs and complexity, while offering mobile workers better access.

The Google system will replace Rentokil’s current setup, which includes 180 separate email domains and 40 mail systems, and give a company email to 15,000 service “colleagues” who work from the road and don’t have a company email at the moment.

Aside from email, Rentokil will also be using the Google Apps calendar, chat, video communications and automated translation service – rather a handy tool for a company stretched across 50 countries.

“By deploying Google Apps, we can overcome a wide range of technical and communication issues, and enhance our ability to deliver operational excellence throughout the organisation,” said Bryan Kinsella, chief information officer of Rentokil Initial, in a statement.

“Importantly, the frustrations of not having access to a single company-wide email address database will disappear and the translation difficulties faced by those colleagues wanting to collaborate with others around the world will be lessened," he added.

Many are still wary about moving systems to the cloud, especially after Gmail was hit by a series of outages earlier this year. Still, Rentokil isn't the first to switch to Google Apps, with the Guardian making the jump to the hosted IT system earlier this year.

Click here for our review of Google Apps Premier Edition.

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