Westpac New Zealand and IBM Renew Strategic IT Outsourcing Agreement in 5-Year Services Deal

Westpac New Zealand and IBM renew strategic IT outsourcing agreement in five-year services deal; new technology agreement supports bank's technology transformation program and is intended to improve service quality for staff and customers, lower risk, and support business agility.

With the intention of creating a reliable upgrade path for its future, Westpac New Zealand (Auckland) has renewed its strategic information technology outsourcing agreement with IBM for a further five years to 2017. Under the new contract, which expands on an agreement first signed in 2000, IBM will deploy new technologies to improve customer service and sustainability, and upgrade existing systems. IBM has prime responsibility for Westpac's key IT infrastructure services, including mainframes and midrange systems, storage, security, data center raised floor services, data center network services, workplace services, and workplace printing.

Under the new agreement, signed in September 2011, IBM will provide a range of advanced technologies which, together with the existing environment, will create additional synergies, flexibility and choice for users, according to the vendor. New IBM z196 mainframes will be deployed to support Westpac's continued growth while virtualized midrange servers and storage solutions are expected reduce CPU power demands and overall data center footprint. In addition, enhanced security and data center network technology will be implemented with the goal of ensuring a secure and resilient network, the company says. The deployment of the IBM technology also is intended to support a low-risk transformation to new data center facilities.

The new IBM agreement represents a solution that underpins the Westpac NZ IT strategy for providing a robust and resilient platform for the future, including an upgrade of the underlying IT Infrastructure. It provides the upgrade path for Westpac's workplace environment, ensuring there is a migration path to the latest operating systems, IBM reports. New automation tools for provisioning and managing the overall IT environment also will be implemented.

"Westpac is pleased to renew what has proved to be a successful and constructive long-term relationship. It supports the Bank's strategy of making it easier and faster and providing an experience that delights our customers," said Jim Stabback, General Manager Customer & Technology Services, Westpac, in a press release.

Katherine Burger is Editorial Director of Bank Systems & Technology and Insurance & Technology, members of UBM TechWeb's InformationWeek Financial Services. She assumed leadership of Bank Systems & Technology in 2003 and of Insurance & Technology in 1991. In addition to ... View Full Bio