EDF Energy agrees managed services deal with Computacenter

Cost reduction and service improvement are two of the main drivers behind a new IT managed services contract between EDF Energy and Computacenter.

The two companies have signed a three-year agreement, which will see Computacenter deliver a range of IT services across EDF Energy’s desktop and server estate.

Kevin Tallett, Director of IT at EDF Energy, commented: “Managing our desktop infrastructure is not a core competency. This contract will enable us to concentrate on the strategic IT requirements of the business. Working with an external partner provides us with cost-effective access to both additional resources and best practice.”

EDF Energy has in excess of 10,000 desktops and laptops at more than 100 sites across the country. Under the managed services agreement, Computacenter will not only help to manage this estate, but also the energy giant’s printers and its 300-plus email, file and print servers.

The contract, which went live last week, replaces three previous agreements and will help aid cost reduction. “We are constantly striving to find more cost-effective ways to manage our IT infrastructure,” commented Tallett. “By consolidating our existing agreements into one end-to-end contract and implementing a series of service improvement programmes, we expect to see at least a five per cent reduction in costs year-on-year.”

EDF Energy is one of the largest energy companies in the UK, and supplies electricity and gas to more than five million customers. The company was created from the recently merged London Electricity and Seeboard Group, and its distribution network, which covers nearly 30,000 sq metres, is the largest in the country.

In addition to providing hardware maintenance, software support, desktop moves and changes, and sourcing client technology, Computacenter will also assist with specific projects. The first of which is planned to be the roll-out of Microsoft Windows XP across the customer branch of the business.

Steve Ball, Corporate Client Director at Computacenter, commented: “The utilities market is extremely competitive, and organisations need access to a flexible and scalable IT resource that can respond to the changing needs of the business. Managed services contracts are becoming increasingly popular as they enable organisations to tap into additional skills and expertise as required while still retaining overall control of their IT strategy.”

The managed services model came out as the top outsourcing trend in a recent survey conducted by PMP Research. It revealed that 60% of private and public organisations are now using this approach as part of their IT strategy.