CN Group moves email entirely to the Cloud

Media group turns to Google for email & applications

Cloud Technology Solutions (CTS), the Google Enterprise Partner, today announced that CN Group, a Cumbrian based publisher of newspapers, magazines and websites, has moved its group-wide email system from GroupWise to the cloud with Google Mail.

With a total of 500 mailboxes and plans to roll Google out across its radio division – a further 80 users – the need to simplify its email infrastructure to better support collaboration whilst upgrading to a brand new email system for no extra expenditure, were the drivers for change.

“Our old GroupWise email system required upgrading and for the same budget as we were spending on maintenance contracts we moved to the cloud and saved tens of thousands of pounds on a brand new email system,” explains Stuart Cooke, Group Digital Development Director, CN Group.

“Moving to the cloud means we have no hardware to look after, no back ups to worry about and a much faster system in terms of searching and recovery of emails for users. Emails are easier than before to access remotely and via mobile devices, and we don’t need to house the email servers in our datacentre – which makes the whole process much more carbon friendly.”

CN Group has three divisions; Cumbrian Newspapers Ltd in Carlisle which publishes the daily News & Star, Cumberland News, Times and Star, The Whitehaven News, the Eskdale & Liddersdale Advertisers and a range of county magazines; Furness Newspapers based in Barrow-in-Furness which publishes the daily North West Evening Mail; J Catherall and Sons (printers) Ltd. which publishes the Hexham Courant.

“We chose to work with CTS because of its experience with migrating GroupWise email systems over to Google – the cloud based system we now have,” said Stuart Cooke.

“We had an old version of Groupwise, and CTS has proven experience in migrating such a system seamlessly to the cloud.” Steve Kaye, CEO, Cloud Technology Solutions, comments; “For any IT related project to be a success you need to win the hearts and minds of the users and the people at CN Group were a pleasure to work with making the transition a lot easier. CN Group has taken a leadership position by the adoption of cloud and I look forward to helping it achieve further real business benefit as the use of Google Apps for Business is extended.”