Press Release

SK Rent-a-Car has transitioned from its existing virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)-centered work environment to a cloud-based work environment integrated with generative artificial intelligence (AI). The goal is to fundamentally change the way it works, reducing the time spent on repetitive tasks so that employees can focus on work that creates more direct value for customers and the business.

SK Rent-a-Car (Co-CEOs: Shin Jeong-ho and Park Sang-wook) announced on the 15th that it has adopted Google Workspace, Google Cloud's collaboration and productivity platform, across the entire organization.

The transition goes beyond simply modernizing work systems, aiming to boost productivity and make better use of the data and business experience the company has accumulated over many years. Whereas work in the previous VDI-centered environment revolved around fixed systems and tools, the new Google Workspace collaboration platform allows employees to use cloud-based collaboration tools and generative AI to carry out their work more efficiently, from searching for information and analyzing data to drafting documents, holding meetings and collaborating.

SK Rent-a-Car began the transition at the end of April and rolled it out sequentially by organization over about five months. The new environment was applied to some 1,500 accounts, including all employees and partner staff, and about 5.62 million items, including emails and documents, totaling approximately 18 terabytes (TB) of data, were migrated from the previous environment.

With this transition, SK Rent-a-Car employees can now use Google's generative AI model "Gemini" throughout their work at all times. AI supports recurring tasks such as drafting reports and searching, summarizing and analyzing materials. In video meetings, real-time captions are provided and meeting content is summarized automatically, reducing the need for separate note-taking and organizing after meetings. Going forward, the company plans to expand the use of AI to research and analysis as well as content and video production.

The underlying infrastructure of the work systems was also changed. By shifting from a VDI-centered environment to a local-based one, the company improved access speed and work performance, while applying cloud-based security policies to secure both convenience and a high level of security. It also integrated its internal data systems with the new work environment to reduce the time needed to retrieve and compile data required for sales activities. In addition, the robust security and compliance features of Google Workspace and Gemini allow the company to safely protect critical data while further enhancing employee productivity.

To maximize the practical impact of the new work environment, SK Rent-a-Car is focusing on "utilization" rather than "adoption." To help employees and partner staff adapt quickly, the company held three rounds of online and offline training ahead of the rollout, and plans to continue supporting the natural integration of AI into actual work processes through additional training and the sharing of use cases.

Through these efforts, the company aims to reduce the time spent on simple, repetitive tasks and create an environment in which employees can focus on higher value-added work such as analysis, decision-making and customer service. Furthermore, it plans to use AI and data to increase work speed and collaboration efficiency, and to translate these gains into faster, higher-quality customer service.

"The starting point of this transition was how to make faster and more effective use of the experience and data we have accumulated over the 38 years since we started our rental car business in 1988," said an SK Rent-a-Car representative. "Based on an environment in which AI supports employees' everyday work, we will reduce repetitive tasks and increase the time spent focusing on customers and the business."

The representative added, "The ultimate purpose of this transition is not simply to improve work efficiency, but to change and innovate the very way we work so that we can concentrate all our capabilities on maximizing the level and quality of the services we provide to customers."

"SK Rent-a-Car's company-wide adoption of Google Workspace is a prime example of how AI can fundamentally transform today's work environment," said Ruth Sun, President of Google Cloud Korea. "By using Gemini throughout their work, employees will be able to move beyond repetitive tasks and focus on core work that creates greater value, such as data-driven decision-making and improving customer service." She added, "We are delighted to be part of SK Rent-a-Car's AI journey and will actively support SK Rent-a-Car in strengthening collaboration among its employees and continuing sustainable business growth."

Meanwhile, SK Rent-a-Car visited Google Korea on the 14th to hold a ceremony marking the adoption of Google Workspace. Attendees from both companies, including SK Rent-a-Car CEO Shin Jeong-ho, Head of Tech Division Kim Dae-sung and Head of Planning & Finance Office Cho Jeong-ho, as well as Ruth Sun, President of Google Cloud Korea, and Koo Ja-hoon, Head of Enterprise Division 2 at Google Cloud Korea, discussed ways to innovate the work environment using AI.