Thanks to Gmail, we finally have in place a reliable and effective institutional communications channel.

Dr. Wimpie Beeken, ITS Capability Development Management, University of Pretoria

Challenge

The University of Pretoria (UP) in South Africa had an email system that was costly to manage and with limited functionality. Students, who were increasingly sharing multimedia but dealing with restricted storage, often relied on alternative email accounts instead. They expected access to information from any location--yet the university’s system proved inadequate. Email bouncebacks and server maintenance outages were frequent.

Solution

After the university moved to Gmail, which offered a more flexible, mobile email solution, students enjoyed a vast amount of email storage, and a system that was consistent and reliable. As part of the Google Apps for Education suite, the email was also free. UP was pleased at the financial savings from reduced maintenance, and from the elimination of infrastructure costs. The university sees this solution as an exciting gateway to more virtual collaboration and information sharing in the future.