Food retailer switches to Google Apps

Ocado moves 1,250 staff over to Google Apps

Ocado staff will be using Google Apps from early December

Online food retailer Ocado is to deploy Google Apps for Business, which it said will facilitate remote working, improve productivity and boost internal communication.

The rollout will be completed by early next month.

Ocado said 1,250 of its head office staff will use the web-based collaboration and communication suite. It will enable them to log in from any secure internet connection to access emails, documents, calendar and other internal information.

It said that tools such as Google Talk and Google Docs will help to build a more collaborative approach to the day-to-day running of the business and enable staff to communicate and share ideas more easily.

The company believes that moving to Google Apps will reduce IT costs, saving servers, back-up space, support and maintenance, while in the longer term eradicating costly upgrades and licence fees.

It will also use the Postini Message Security feature included in Google Apps to replace its legacy spam filter system, which it said will lead to further cost savings.

Jon Rudoe, head of retail at Ocado, said that part of the company’s strategy involves keeping a close eye on the latest cutting-edge technology to hone its delivery model and ensure customers are provided with the best possible service.

“We love the fact that Google Apps continues to innovate and develop new features and are excited about the benefits we expect to see across the business,” he said.