Case Study I Google Apps for Business

Simpler Communication and Greater Efficiency Gains for GANT from Google Apps for Business The company

In brief What they wanted to do • Gant’s three basic requirements when switching communications platform were a cost-effective solution with enhanced functionality, a good web client and mobile access to email and calendar functions. What they did • Gant chose Google Apps for Business, which in addition to having a high recognition factor amongst employees, works anywhere in the world and offers high functionality and access to Google’s web client. What they achieved • Major efficiency gains have been achieved, as it is now easier to communicate, and there are better facilities for users to connect while travelling. A smarter and more flexible way of working.

The clothing group GANT was founded in the USA in 1949 by Bernard Gant, and during the 50s and 60s became known for its “American Sportswear” look. The mixture of conservative American and European elegance, which is now GANT’s hallmark, was born in the 80s from the partnership of three Swedish designers and entrepreneurs, who acquired the licence for the European market. In 1999, they bought the GANT brand and seven years later floated Gant AB on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. Gant AB operates in Sweden, the UK, France and the USA and is represented via partners in around 70 other countries. The company was acquired by the Swiss retail group Maus Frères in 2008. The challenge In a global group with a fast-moving market, the need for efficient and flexible tools for communication and collaboration is high. Gant had outgrown its email solution, which caused overloaded servers and fluctuating functionality. The company’s three basic requirements when it needed to change its communications platform were enhanced functionality, a good web client and mobile access for email and calendar functions. “Our challenge lay primarily in finding a cost-effective solution which was scalable and could work worldwide. We also wanted to reduce IT costs by finding a platform which required less administrative maintenance and internal support,” explained IT Manager, Kenneth Karlsson. Partner Avalon Innovation has helped hundreds of organisations and more than 100,000 users on their way to cloud computing, and we believe that we are the leading supplier of strategy, implementation, development and change for cloud services in the Nordic Region, and one of the best in the world. We are a consultancy firm which specialises in business and product innovation, helping customers to develop the right product and systems at the right time. We have 250 specialists based at 15 offices in Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

“We have found major efficiency gains with Google Apps and have a smarter, more flexible way of working,” Kenneth Karlsson, IT Manager.

The solution As many users within the organisation were already familiar with Gmail privately, it was obvious to take a look at Google’s business solution as an alternative. The important thing in addition to the high recognition factor was Google Apps for Business’ functionality and Google’s web client.

“It was important to choose a solution which worked anywhere in the world. Choosing a more local cloud supplier was not an option for us. Given the needs that Gant has and the way the organisation is structured, I firmly believe that there was no real competitor to Google.” For more information, go to: www.avaloninnovation.com

About Google Apps for Business Google Apps for Business is a collection of simple yet powerful tools for communication and collaboration for businesses of all sizes. Everything is provided by Google to implement setup, minimise maintenance and reduce IT costs. Using Gmail, Google Calendar and integrated quick messages, users can quickly connect and work together even on private domains. And by using Google Docs, which includes word processing, spreadsheets and presentation tools, they can share files and work together in real time, keep up to date with versions and be accessible regardless of where and when they choose to work. Google Sites, Google Groups and Google Video give additional functionality for web publication, archiving and access to video. For more information, go to: http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en-GB/ business/ “Gant is represented all over the world, and thanks to the various tools in Google Apps, it has become much easier to communicate globally and locally.” Kenneth Karlsson, IT Manager.

The project to implement the new communications platform was carried out in partnership with Avalon Enterprise, service provider and distributor for Google Apps. Work started with a pilot in August/September 2009, with roll-out to the organisation in November of the same year. The implementation process for Gant AB’s 400 user accounts took around four months, including training and migration. The result The implementation of Google Apps has involved new internal processes and ways of working. “We have found major efficiency gains due to it being simpler to communicate, which has in turn created new ways for users to connect when they are travelling around the world. A smarter and more flexible way of working.” One of the biggest savings came from administration and user support, where a part-time administrator service was saved by switching to Google Apps as a direct result of Gant using Google’s cloud service, avoiding version management and maintaining individual clients, not to mention simplified administration. Google Apps has been well received by users and technical problems have been minimal. Focus was placed on email and calendar functions right from the beginning, but Google Docs is now in widespread use for sharing documents between the company’s business units around the world. And the more that Gant uses Google Apps, the more widespread its use and forms of collaboration become. One example is Google Video, which began to be used spontaneously by a few users within the organisation, but which is now one of the areas that the group plans to expand in 2011. Kenneth Karlsson believes that the group now has a good base to build on and the aim is to focus more and more on cloud computing. The next step is to get the retail stores in Sweden to use Microsoft Office to implement cloud computing with Google Apps. “We are keenly following the development of new functionality and are developing our use of Google Apps continuously. For example, we are increasing the use of Market Place which has been supplemented by administration tools so far,” says Karlsson.

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