ITV ditches Windows for Macs and Google Apps

Five-year transformation programme aims to improve creativity...

ITV will move the majority of its staff from PCs to Apple Mac computers and introduce Google Apps across the business as part of a comprehensive technology transformation project.

The change in technology comes one year into a five-year transformation at the UK's largest commercial television broadcaster to provide employees with fit-for-purpose technology to improve communication, collaboration and creativity.

With its move to Apple Mac computers, ITV should be able to take advantage of the new Lion version of OS XImage: Apple

The computer upgrades will take place over the next 18 months with the requirements of different roles determining whether staff will receive Macs or new PCs.

The broadcaster will roll out the Google Apps suite to 7,000 of its employees, who will be able to use applications including Google Mail and calendar - which will replace Microsoft Exchange - Google Talk and Google Docs for sharing and co-authoring documents.

Google Sites and Google Video for Business will also be adopted, while Google Chrome will become ITV's standard browser.

ITV CTO Paul Dale said in a statement that the Google and Apple technology will "offer the depth and scope of service we need to transform our internal ways of working across the business".

Other companies to have adopted Google Apps in recent years include the Telegraph Media Group and Specsavers.