How Rentokil Initial built a framework for scalable SaaS governance with BetterCloud

For the infrastructure team at Rentokil Initial, managing a global footprint of software and hardware used to be a battle of manual endurance. Lee Osborne, Group IT Collaboration Manager, and Kit Gillingham, Google and Collaboration Technical Specialist, key members of the Workplace Services team, remember the “dark ages” – a time defined by reactive fixes, manual license cleanups, and a constant underlying anxiety about what was being shared in Google Drive outside the company.

Today, that story has changed. By partnering with BetterCloud, Rentokil Initial has transformed its IT operations from a manual grind into a streamlined, automated powerhouse.

The challenge

As a global leader in pest control and hygiene services with over 65,000 employees, Rentokil Initial deals with massive amounts of data – millions of files and terabytes of storage. Before BetterCloud, the IT team faced three primary hurdles:

• The “leaver” logjam: Offboarding was a basic, manual process. IT could only do the minimum, like resetting passwords and suspending accounts, leaving security gaps like active calendar invites and open session cookies.
• Licensing sprawl: When Google changed its licensing structure, the team found themselves manually hunting down inactive users to reclaim costs, often only reacting once they had completely run out of seats.
• The visibility gap: With millions of files in Google Workspace, Rentokil Initial had no clear way to see what was being shared externally. “The scary thought was what if we were sharing something we really shouldn’t have been,” Lee recalls.

The solution: Smarter onboarding, offboarding, and file security

Rentokil Initial implemented BetterCloud to bring order to the chaos. The impact was immediate, particularly in how the team handles the lifecycle of an employee and the security of company data.

Hands off offboarding that’s still advanced

By swapping a clunky, five-minute manual reset for automated workflows, the team has eliminated the “digital lint” often left behind during offboarding. BetterCloud now handles the heavy lifting, automatically clearing cookies, force-logging users out their Google accounts on all devices, and revoking OAuth access to internal applications.

Beyond security, the platform has streamlined the user experience by scrubbing recurring calendar invites. “You wouldn’t believe the manual effort that used to require,” says Osborne. “Now, we avoid the frustration of employees showing up to meetings hosted by someone who no longer works here.”

Shedding light on millions of public files

When the team ran their first file audit with BetterCloud, the results were eye-opening. They discovered that a vast number of these archived files—along with millions of others across their environment—were potentially shared externally due to legacy settings or accidental user error.

BetterCloud provided a one-stop shop to untangle this complexity, offering clear visibility into who owned each file and who had access. With this newfound capability, the team could finally remediate sensitive data exposure at a massive scale, transforming their security posture from “hoping we’re safe” to “knowing we’re secure.”

Empowering regional teams without giving away the keys

Rentokil Initial operates in 90 countries. Previously, regional teams in Australia or North America often had to wait for global admins to perform basic tasks like setting out of office requests.

BetterCloud allows Rentokil Initial to give regional teams a clean interface to handle specific tasks, like out-of-office settings or password resets, without granting Super Admin status in Google Workspace.

This self-service model has saved the global team a “ton of tickets” and eliminated the need for risky shared admin accounts.

A true partnership

For Rentokil Initial, the value of BetterCloud wasn’t just in the software, it was in the white-glove implementation and proactive support that began on day one. Rather than simply handing over a user manual, BetterCloud’s team provided on-site training and “hints and tips” that went far beyond basic setup.

“It could have just been, ‘Thank you for buying the product, here is the manual, give us a shout if you have a problem,’” says Lee. Instead, BetterCloud’s team worked alongside Rentokil to define what “good” looks like, uncovering hidden security risks that the team hadn’t yet considered. This collaborative approach turned a complex implementation into a “big win,” allowing Rentokil Initial to get off the ground with a sophisticated, automated framework in just two months.

When technical hurdles arose, BetterCloud’s support teams rallied to ensure the file ingestion remained on track. The team dedicated themselves to optimizing the existing data environment, proving their commitment far exceeded a typical service level agreement. Through deep collaboration with Rentokil Initial’s vendors and presence in technical sessions, they transformed into a true extension of the internal IT organization.

We talked to Rentokil Initial’s CIO on the CUBE podcast. Check it out here!

The results: Peace of mind and recovered time

The shift from the “dark ages” to the era of automation has allowed the IT team to focus on high-value projects instead of mundane maintenance.

Feature	Before BetterCloud (The dark ages)	After BetterCloud (The automated era)
Offboarding	Minimal, manual, and reactive.	Comprehensive, automated, and secure.
File visibility	Zero. Required manual Google support tickets.	Instant visibility into millions of shared files.
Admin tasks	Heavy reliance on complex command-line tools (GAM).	Simple, delegated UI for regional teams.
Reporting	Hours spent watching a screen for exports.	Set it and forget it” automated reporting.