Spanish bank migrates to Google Apps

Spanish banking giant, BBVA has signed an agreement to adopt cloud-based productivity and collaboration suite, Google Apps, across its entire organisation, Information Age reports.

The bank will initially migrate 35 000 employees to the application suite, which includes e-mail, word processing and spreadsheets, instant messaging, and calendars. By the end of 2012, it will have moved all 110 000 employees in 26 countries.

When completed, the implementation will be the largest ever for Google Apps, and a vivid example of the challenge Microsoft faces in trying to hang on to customers as they move to cloud-based collaboration and communication suites, PC Advisor says.

BBVA decided that, in order to increase operational efficiency and innovation, it needed to boost collaboration among its staff at its Spain home base and in more than 26 international territories in which it operates.

Jose Olalla, BBVA's CIO, said in a blog post that the bank's goals in moving to Google Apps is to help employees collaborate better and be more efficient, and to "transform our business operations".

"Integrating the Google Apps for Business suite with our own tools will allow us to introduce a new way of working, where employees have access to all the information they need with just one click, no matter where they are or what kind of device they use, and can reap the benefits of using advanced collaboration tools," Olalla wrote.