BBVA banks on the Google cloud

BBVA, one of the largest financial institutions in the world, announced that it is adopting Google’s cloud-based collaboration and communication suite Google Apps for Business to increase productivity and drive innovation, said the bank in a press release.rnrnOver 35,000 BBVA workers in Spain will initially use the productivity tools integrated in to the Google Apps suite including: Gmail with Google Chat, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Groups, Google Sites and Google Video. By the end of 2012 BBVA expects to migrate 110,000 employees in over 26 countries to Google Apps.rnrnBBVA chose Google Apps to increase efficiency and to help its workers collaborate more easily, regardless of location. BBVA’s new global intranet is the main technology project that will be transformed thanks to Google’s collaboration tools, changing it from a corporate communications and process management site to a place where all employees will be able to share, contribute and manage knowledge globally. In addition, BBVA will create a social network to improve communication and explore new ways of working. rnrnJosé Olalla, CIO at BBVA says, “We were looking for a technology that would transform our business operations – not just make our workers more efficient. 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, and can reap the benefits of using advanced collaboration tools.” rnrnBecause they will be able to access the information they need at any time from any internet connected device, anywhere in the world, BBVA’s workers will be able to be more flexible and mobile. Google’s collaboration tools such as Google Talk, Google Sites and Google Docs will allow them to communicate and share ideas more easily – working in a way that they have never experienced before. With Google Docs, for example, many people can simultaneously work in one document – increasing productivity by removing the need to constantly update different versions of a document. rnrn“Companies of all sizes, including those with tens of thousands of employees, are now embracing cloud computing. It means a lot to us that BBVA, one of the largest financial institutions in the world, has decided to migrate to Google Apps. It shows that cloud computing is now a reality – and leading organisations are already realising its potential to transform their business,” comments Sebastián Marotte, Vice President of Google Enterprise EMEA. rnrnBBVA will now join the four million businesses worldwide which are using Google’s enterprise solutions to embrace technological change, and open the door to constant innovation, collaboration and cost savings. rnrn