Computacenter News

Important Announcement: Microsoft EU-EFTA Licensing and Pricing Policy update

Tue, 07 Feb 2012

Today, Microsoft announced a material price adjustment to the British Pound prices for software licenses sold through volume licensing programs from July 1st 2012. This change is due to sustained currency differences in the EU/EFTA region and covers all volume license types including Enterprise Agreements, Select Plus and OPEN. This change is reflective of a Microsoft Corporate pricing policy change designed to normalise the current differences in European pricing.

Microsoft has already begun to notify customers of these changes, however the exact extent of any price changes from 1st July will be determined by future exchange rates between the British Pound and Euro. Microsoft will publish the new prices in June in accordance with their pricing policy which we will share with you as soon as available.

To clarify, the impact of the pricing change:

No immediate change for Existing EA customers - All customers with an Active Enterprise Agreement prior to July 1st 2012 will retain current contracted pricing as you have a fixed price contract until renewal - includes True-up licenses but excludes Additional products not listed on the CPS.
Immediate impact to Select Plus customers - All customers with a Select Plus Agreement will see the new pricing effective for all new orders from July 1st 2012.

Although not live until July 1st 2012, we would like to provide you the opportunity to address these changes early. Your account team will be in contact with you over the coming days to assist you with any queries that may arise.

We look forward to working with you and supporting you through these anticipated changes.

Computacenter achieves further Symantec specialisations in high availabilty and in storage management

Tue, 07 Feb 2012

First Symantec partner to achieve the milestone of six specialisations

Computacenter today announced that it has achieved Symantec Specialisations in the areas of High Availability and Storage Management. Symantec Specialisations recognise partners with a proven expertise in specific technology areas and ensure they have the skills and experience required to deliver differentiated service to customers. As the result of these achievements, Computacenter is the first Symantec partner in the UK to achieve a total of six Symantec specialisations, highlighting the breadth of solutions that it can offer to its customers.

Bill McGloin, Practice Leader for Storage and Data Optimisation at Computacenter, commented: "Our partnership with Symantec enables us to provide our customers with effective and efficient support to help them select and deploy appropriate solutions to meet business demands."

By achieving this Specialisation, Computacenter has demonstrated an investment and expertise in Symantec High Availability and Storage Management. With these Specialisations, Computacenter will be able to better meet the needs of its customers by delivering high-value solutions to protect and manage their information.

"The High Availability and Storage Management Specialisations have been designed to recognise partners' investment in Symantec and reward their expertise in the high availability and storage management markets," said Jason Ellis, vice president, EMEA Channel Sales at Symantec. "Specialised partners have demonstrated an ability to deliver solutions and services that keep their customers' data and applications continuously available. The range of Specialisations achieved by Computacenter to date highlight not only its valued commitment to Symantec but also the breadth of the Symantec portfolio that it covers and the resulting range of issues that it helps its customers to address."

Symantec Specialisations, which recognise partners with a proven expertise in a particular area of business, provide partners with the skills and experience required to deliver differentiated service to their customers. Symantec partners achieve Specialisation by meeting certain requirements, primarily training that has been fully accredited by Symantec technical specialists, that deepen their knowledge and proficiency in a solution family, and Specialised Symantec partners receive exclusive benefits as a result of their investment.

In addition to its new Specialisations in High Availability and Storage Management, Computacenter holds Specialisations in Archiving and eDiscovery, Data Protection, Enterprise Security, and Small Business. Computacenter is also a Master Specialist in Archiving and eDiscovery and in Data Protection. Symantec Master Specialisation recognises partners who exhibit deep consultative and technical support expertise. These partners showcase advanced capabilities in selling, delivering and servicing throughout the consulting engagement lifecycle.

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Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
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+44 (0) 7801 452076

Computacenter Opens Gibraltar Office to Support eGaming Companies

Mon, 30 Jan 2012

New location established with Operations team offering Professional Services and 4-hour SLAs to accelerate IT solutions installation and problem resolution

Computacenter, Europe's leading independent provider of IT infrastructure services and solutions, today announces the opening of its new office in Gibraltar, aimed at supporting global eGaming companies and other thriving industries on The Rock.

Computacenter is currently the only solutions provider in Gibraltar to hold engineering equipment and spare parts on-site, rather than shipping components from Spain or further abroad. This enables the team to offer 4-hour SLAs on issues resolution, which no other company in Gibraltar can, significantly decreasing time taken to resolve problems.

Computacenter will also be providing Professional Services, bringing end-to-end capability to support Gibraltar-based businesses. The new office comprises full-time staff and a virtual engineering team of 12, in addition to Client Director Marc Fryer.

"eGaming companies have very specific technical needs and this office aims to support them throughout the year, especially during busy periods such as the Grand National, World Cup and other major sporting events," Marc Fryer, Client Director of Corporate & eGaming at Computacenter, comments. "Depending on market conditions, we anticipate boosting the full-time staff headcount up to seven by the end of the year, but with the view to recruiting a total team of 20 in the new office."

The Computacenter team focused on the Gibraltar office includes Marie Harrington, a Gibraltarian Operations Manager who has worked in Computacenter for over 4 years, and who will be managing operations on the peninsula.

Additionally, the full-time presence of vendor-certified resident engineer Mark Guidon will enable Computacenter to offer the highest level of support and experience to customers in the area. Mark will be supported by a rotating team of engineers from the UK as well as local partners in Gibraltar including Continent 8, and specialised partners to provide eGaming companies with access to the best solutions on the market.

"During 2011, the European eGaming market was set to grow to €16bn and is currently experiencing double digit growth," continued Fryer. "We are looking forward to bringing the very best IT solutions and support to the Gibraltar eGaming community."
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For further information, please contact:

Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
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Computacenter and Eversheds renew IT services contract

Thu, 03 Nov 2011

Computacenter and international law firm Eversheds has renewed its ground-breaking IT services contract, which was first signed in 2007.

The five-year contract will give Eversheds access to leading technology and the ability to ensure that members of staff can access core systems, regardless of their location.

The service includes cradle-to-grave lifecycle management for desktop devices, end user support, datacenter hosting and remote management.
Computacenter will also provide services to 25 of Eversheds' 46 international offices across the globe.

Paul Caris, Chief Information Officer at Eversheds, said: "We have been working with Computacenter for the last five years, and were keen to maintain the high service levels and quality of systems while facilitating greater agility within the contract, thereby allowing Eversheds to stay ahead of the pack as new and better technologies come to market."

Founded on a utility billing and on-demand model, the contract will enable Eversheds to modify or terminate aspects of service delivery in line with its changing business needs, giving the firm greater flexibility.

Mike Norris, Chief Executive Officer at Computacenter commented: "The framework agreement will enable Eversheds to flex its IT services based on business demand. As a result, it will only pay for the IT that it needs while at the same time ensuring it has the solid foundations needed to support the innovations in technology that the firm has traditionally driven through the business."

Via an onsite service desk, Computacenter will provide request, change, problem and incident management to more than 4,000 users around the world. Based on industrialised processes developed by Computacenter's Shared Services Factory, the service ensures staff receive a rapid response to IT issues that could otherwise impact productivity.
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For further information, please contact:

Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
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PR Manager
tessa.freeman@computacenter.com
+44 (0) 7801 452076

Computacenter Recognised as Cisco Telepresence Video Master Authorized Technology Provider Partner in UK

Wed, 19 Oct 2011

Computacenter announced today that it has achieved TelePresence Video Master Authorized Technology Provider (ATP) status from Cisco.

This designation recognises Computacenter as having fulfilled the training requirements and program prerequisites to sell, deploy and support Cisco TelePresence Video products and solutions at the Master level. The Cisco TelePresence Video Master ATP Program is focused on providing a new way of working in which everyone, everywhere can be more productive through face-to-face collaboration with Cisco TelePresence Video solutions.

A Cisco TelePresence Video Master ATP Partner has the greatest depth of knowledge and skill in deploying the entire Cisco video endpoint portfolio, which comprises single- and triple-screen Cisco TelePresence units, custom TelePresence suites, and infrastructure solutions.

Cisco TelePresence Video Master ATP Partners possess deep networking and advanced Cisco Unified Communications capabilities, regional to global coverage, and a strong and mature services practice.

Mark Kennell, Practice Leader for Collaboration Technologies at Computacenter, commented: "The telepresence market in the UK is currently expanding at an annual rate of up to 30 per cent, with particularly strong growth in finance, manufacturing, healthcare, education and supply chain sectors. With extensive skills and services across the entire collaboration portfolio, Computacenter is uniquely placed to help organisations develop an integrated approach that minimises complexity and maximises return on investment."

Computacenter is one of the few organisations to gain the accreditation through investment in the Cisco programme, rather than through acquisition of a company that already holds Master status.

"The Cisco TelePresence Video Master ATP Program is designed to enable partners to take advantage of the tremendous market opportunities ahead - not only in the telepresence space but also in the overall collaboration market," said Richard McLeod, Senior Director of Collaboration for Worldwide Channels at Cisco. "As a Cisco TelePresence Video Master ATP Partner, Computacenter has made an investment in the sales, technical and lifecycle service capabilities needed to deliver the industry's most comprehensive and interoperable Cisco TelePresence video portfolio."

To strengthen its ability to provide integrated Cisco solutions and managed services, Computacenter is extending its Operational Control Centre in Hatfield to create a Video Network Operations Centre (VNOC) that will deliver support for Cisco's TelePresence solutions as well as networking technologies.

The VNOC will deliver robust management services to Computacenter customers to enable them to realise the full productivity, financial and performance benefits of telepresence and videoconferencing solutions.

The Cisco Authorized Technology Provider (ATP) Program is part of the Cisco go-to-market strategy for emerging technologies. The program helps Cisco to define the knowledge, skills and services that channel partners need to successfully sell, deploy and support an emerging technology. As the market changes, an ATP designation may be discontinued or may evolve into a Cisco specialisation.

Computacenter also recently achieved Cisco Master level Managed Service Partner status for the MSCP (Master Services Channel Program), which recognises its ability to support Cisco advanced technologies at every stage of the lifecycle from its Network Operations Centre. Computacenter is one of 14 UK partners to hold both Cisco Gold Partner status and Master Managed Service status.

About Cisco TelePresence and Video Collaboration Solution

Cisco TelePresence^® and Video collaboration solutions provide life-like, high-definition, conferencing facilities with superior audio and video, allowing participants to meet their colleagues, customers and business partners across a virtual table.

Participants can enjoy a same-room meeting experience, even if they are in different locations around the world.

Participants can also meet more often and enjoy more productive sessions, helping to improve business interactions while potentially building stronger customer relationships, accelerating sales cycles, improving project management and forming tighter integration with remote offices.

Cisco, the Cisco logo and Cisco TelePresence are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks

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Computacenter interim results announcement

Tue, 30 Aug 2011

Computacenter plc, the European IT infrastructure services provide, today announces unaudited results for the six months ended 30 June 2011

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For further information, please contact:

Tessa Freeman
PR Manager
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+44 (0) 7801 452076

Storage industry and end users give Computacenter thumbs up at annual awards

Mon, 11 Jul 2011

Computacenter's commitment to helping organisations optimise their storage environments has been recognised at Storage Magazine's annual Storage Awards.

Neill Burton, Director of Datacenter Solutions at Computacenter, received the Contribution to Industry Award in recognition of his extensive storage expertise and efforts to help customers get more from their storage assets.

"Organisations need to offset the constant demand for more storage by finding ways to deliver more capacity for less cost. We help customers achieve this by partnering with them to independently determine the best way of optimising their data infrastructure, often moving forward under shared risk principles and underwritten outcomes." commented Neill.

Computacenter is dominant in the Datacenter market and has grown its data storage business by 61 per cent. Neill was one of up to ten people nominated for the award, and won on votes cast by around 5,000 readers of Storage Magazine.

Now in their eighth year, the 'Storries' reward outstanding people, products and services. Stuart Leigh, Publisher of Storage Magazine, commented: "Under Neill's leadership, Computacenter is at the forefront of the storage industry thanks to its customer-focused services and ongoing investments in the latest technologies."

Computacenter was the first organisation in Europe to implement the Vblock 2 solution from EMC, VMware and Cisco, and NetApp's FlexPod. It was also the first in the UK to sell Oracle's Exadata technology.

Computacenter's commitment to helping customers better manage their data has been recognised through a host of other vendor awards during the last two years, including accolades from Hitachi Data Systems (HDS), Symantec and Oracle.
Neill commented: "Our highly skilled and industry accredited consultants help our customers identify the most efficient and cost-effective ways to store, manage, control and secure information using best fit technologies."

In a market currently dominated by integrated infrastructure options incorporating storage, networking and compute power, Computacenter's breadth of capabilities mean it is ideally placed to help customers select, implement and configure this new wave of datacenter technology stacks. It also offers proof of concept and testing facilities at its multi-vendor Solutions Centre.

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For further information, please contact:

Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
computacenter@rocketcomms.net
08453 707 024

Tessa Freeman
PR Manager
tessa.freeman@computacenter.com
+44 (0) 7801 452076

Computacenter commissions additional space in the UK's only Tier IV datacenter

Thu, 23 Jun 2011

Europe's leading independent provider of IT infrastructure services Computacenter today announces that it has commissioned an additional hall of space in its Tier IV datacenter, offering more server space and superior availability and security to companies.

First opened in January 2010, at the end of the last recession, the first hall has quickly reached capacity, and Computacenter is seeking new occupants for the newly opened space.

"Despite the adverse economic conditions, many companies are still expanding their datacenter requirements, putting space within easy reach of London at a premium," said Simon Brickett, Head of Datacenter, managed services. "With recent outages in high-profile web services, many organisations are looking for more reliable facilities with four-nines availability, redundant power and reliable HVAC"

Computacenter's Tier IV datacenter has racks and power available for additional companies, whilst being within easy geographical reach for city-based companies. The datacenter offers fault-tolerant infrastructure and electrical resilience providing 99.995% availability, as well as dual-powered HVAC systems, providing IT services for companies which need the most reliable and secure access to IT systems possible.

"We have seen great demand for space from many large financial services firms and see no sign of this trend abating in the near future, as organisations continue to seek reliable and available datacenters," concluded Brickett. "The new hall offers ample space and power in the only Uptime Institute accredited Tier IV datacenter in the UK ."

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For further information, please contact:

Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
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PR Manager
tessa.freeman@computacenter.com
+44 (0) 7801 452076

Computacenter Wins Cisco Enterprise Partner of the Year Award at Cisco Partner Summit 2011

Wed, 09 Mar 2011

Computacenter announced today that it is the recipient of a Cisco Partner Summit regional award for Enterprise Partner of the Year for the second year running. Cisco unveiled the winners earlier this month at its annual channel partner conference in New Orleans.

"Cisco works diligently with all of its channel partners, and it is an honour to announce Computacenter as a Cisco Partner Summit regional award recipient," said Bernadette Wightman, Managing Director of Channels at Cisco UK and Ireland. "The Enterprise Partner of the Year award presented to Computacenter recognises its performance and expertise as a Cisco channel partner in the UK markets in 2010."

Computacenter's ongoing investments in Cisco solutions, from TelePresence and enterprise networking to Unified Computing System (UCS) and vBlock technologies, underpinned by cost-effective industrialised services, enabled the company to retain its leadership position.

Duncan Gooding, Networking Business Director at Computacenter, commented: "As one of the UK's leading Cisco Gold partners, we help organisations empower their businesses through effective networking and communications. By optimising their datacenter and network infrastructures and helping them take advantage of new technologies, we enable our customers to enhance staff productivity and competitive advantage."

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For further information, please contact:

Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
computacenter@rocketcomms.net
08453 707 024

Tessa Freeman
PR Manager
tessa.freeman@computacenter.com
+44 (0) 7801 452076

Computacenter wins double accolade at Oracle UK Partner Awards.

Wed, 09 Mar 2011

Computacenter has been awarded Oracle Hardware Partner of the Year and Oracle Technology Channel Partner of the Year at the annual Oracle PartnerNetwork Specialised UK Partner Awards.

The prizes were presented in recognition of the investment Computacenter has made in Oracle technologies and skills over the last year.

For example, Computacenter is the first Oracle partner to invest in both Exadata and Exalogic systems in order to provide customers with access to a comprehensive ExaDatacenter platform at its multi-vendor testing environment, the Solutions Centre.

David Callaghan, Senior Vice President, Oracle UK, Ireland and Israel, said: "These awards recognise the specialised partners that have consistently delivered a high level of innovation and excellence in their areas of expertise over the past year. The judging panel believes Computacenter has shown commitment to growing its Oracle business, enhanced its knowledge of the Oracle product line and shown focus in vertical industries."

Oracle and Computacenter have worked together for more than 20 years to help customers design, implement, integrate and support IT platforms that reduce cost and support business growth. Close alignment between Oracle's cloud computing strategy and Computacenter's Virtual Datacenter and C3 cloud-based services have resulted in a strong union that helps organisations achieve predictable, robust and scalable IT.

Neill Burton, Director of Datacenter Solutions at Computacenter, commented: "By working with Oracle we are able to offer customers our joint expertise in the areas of storage, servers, networks and software. We believe these two award wins are testament to our successful working relationship and ability to deliver exceptional IT services to customers."

Computacenter is a pan-European Platinum Partner, providing Oracle Professional Services around Core Technology, Oracle eBusiness Suite and Oracle-based applications.

As a result of Computacenter's expertise and experience in Oracle technologies, it is not only responsible for advising customers but also other Oracle partners on how best to deliver Oracle solutions through its Oracle Partner Technology Centre.

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For further information, please contact:

Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
computacenter@rocketcomms.net
08453 707 024

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PR Manager
tessa.freeman@computacenter.com
+44 (0) 7801 452076

Computacenter employee embarks on Polar challenge for charity

Wed, 09 Mar 2011

A Computacenter account manager will swap his desk for skis and snowboots next month when he embarks on a 30-day race to the North Pole.

Arctic adventurer Rob MacAlister is taking part in The Polar Race to raise funds for MacMillan Cancer Support.

IT services and solutions provider Computacenter is providing sponsorship and technology support to help Rob complete his frosty feat, which involves crossing 350 miles of sea ice, boulders and gullies in temperatures of minus 40 degrees centigrade. Rob will provide ongoing updates via Twitter and his blog during his travels.

Rob is one of a team of three, known as the Polar Slugs, who will be completely self-sufficient throughout the race, which means pulling their provisions on sledges weighing up to 70 kilos. Rob commented: "We have been in training for over a year now and are ready to face the Arctic conditions. As well as walking 12.6 miles to the office on a regular
basis, I have completed a 36-hour endurance orienteering race through Dartmoor."

The Polar Slugs will set off on their icy escapade on 10 April 2011 from Northern Canada and travel by skis and foot to the 1996 Magnetic North Pole. The North Arctic is one of the harshest terrains on the planet, and race contestants will have to endure a diet of dehydrated meals, cope with exhaustion in sub-freezing temperatures, trek across dangerously thin sea ice and face one of the world's deadliest land-based predators – the polar bear.

Barry Hoffman, HR Director at Computacenter commented: "Rob has been an asset to Computacenter's account team for 13 years, and we wish him all the best in his quest to undertake one of the most gruelling races on earth in order to raise money for MacMillan Cancer Support."

Rob hopes to raise more than £5,000 for MacMillan Cancer Support, which helps to improve the lives of people affected by cancer by providing practical, medical, emotional and financial support.

To sponsor Rob, please visit:
www.justgiving.com/Rob-MacAlister

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For further information, please contact:

Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
computacenter@rocketcomms.net
08453 707 024

Tessa Freeman
PR Manager
tessa.freeman@computacenter.com
+44 (0) 7801 452076

Computacenter 2010 Final Results Announcement

Thu, 10 Mar 2011

Computacenter plc, the European IT infrastructure services provider, today announces final results for the twelve months ended 31 December 2010.

"Another year of strong progress"

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Underlying performance

Ongoing^{^} revenues increased 10.7% to £2.68 billion (2009: £2.42 billion)
Adjusted* profit before tax increased 21.8% to £66.1 million (2009: £54.2 million)
Adjusted* diluted earnings per share (‘EPS’) increased 19.1% to 33.0 pence (2009: 27.7 pence)
Total dividend for 2010 of 13.2 pence per share (2009: 11.0 pence)
Net cash prior to customer specific financing (CSF) was £139.4 million (2009: £86.4 million)

Statutory Performance

Group revenues increased 6.9% to £2.68 billion (2009: £2.50 billion)
Profit before tax increased 35.1% to £65.4 million to (2009: £48.4 million)
Diluted EPS increased by 30.9% to 32.6 pence (2009: 24.9 pence)
Net cash after CSF of £111.0 million (2009: £37.3 million)

OPERATING HIGHLIGHTS

Revenues improved significantly in all our major geographies
Ongoing^{^} Group product revenue grew markedly, up 12.5% (14.7% in constant currency) as a result of strong customer demand for upgraded and improved IT infrastructure
Our Group annual services contract base grew over 7.1% (9.3% in constant currency) to £539.4 million (2009: £503.6 million) in excess of market growth predictions^#
Our Group-wide ERP project remains on track with a successful migration onto the new platform in Germany
On 15 February 2011 we announced, subject to the approval of the French Competition Board, our agreement to acquire Top Info for an initial debt free cash consideration of €21 million
Launch of C³Mail, the first in a suite of cloud based offerings

Mike Norris, Chief Executive of Computacenter plc, commented:

“Computacenter has delivered another strong set of results with increased profits, EPS, dividends and an improved cash position. We have delivered in excess of 20% compound annual EPS growth over the last four years.

Over the last two years, we have done much to identify those areas where we have competitive advantage and for which there is market appetite. We believe that this is where our future success lies.

We believe that 2011, as a whole, will be a year of continuing improvement for Computacenter’s performance. We are encouraged by end user demand for new technology which is driving the requirement for investment in corporate IT infrastructure, helped by economic improvement within our customers’ markets. Our services market place continues to grow, albeit at a modest pace, but we feel increasingly confident about our ability to continue to outperform the market.”

* Adjusted for exceptional items and amortisation of acquired intangibles.
^# Source: Gartner
^{^} Ongoing revenues exclude revenues from the disposed Trade Distribution business

For further information, please contact:

Computacenter plc.
Mike Norris, Chief Executive	01707 631 601
Tessa Freeman, Investor Relations	01707 631 514
www.computacenter.com

Tulchan Communications	020 7353 4200
Lucy Legh
Christian Cowley
www.tulchangroup.com

Computacenter adds Oracle Exalogic to its product portfolio

Wed, 09 Mar 2011

Europe's leading independent provider of IT infrastructure services, Computacenter, today announces it has added Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud to its portfolio of Oracle solutions in the UK.

This latest system from Oracle, will enable Computacenter to help organisations not only drive down cost and complexity by consolidating application server and software stacks but also to accelerate their journey to the cloud by helping them unlock the potential of legacy applications.In addition, Computacenter will be able to help customers to benchmark Exalogic against other VDC solutions and more traditional application server infrastructures, using Computacenter's Solution Centre.

Neill Burton, Director of Datacenter Solutions at Computacenter said "We are committed to bringing the latest technology to our customers and see a real opportunity for Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud to help organisations get value from their applications and provide a platform for datacenter consolidation. We'll be bringing together our knowledge and expertise in storage, servers, network and software with our vast experience offering Oracle acquisition and integration advice to help organisations get the most out of this technology."

"We have worked with Oracle for many years and were one of the first partners to invest in Oracle Exadata, which combines Oracle's smart storage software and Oracle's Sun systems to deliver the industry's highest database performance. With this knowledge we have the ability to fully exploit and optimise the database-to-application stack from Oracle. We believe that having both Oracle Exadata and Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud proof of concept environments, closely coupled for customer use, can help to de-risk the adoption of a truly formidable 'Exa-datacenter' approach to the provision of IT services "

Alan Hartwell,Vice President Technology solutions and Channels Oracle UK said "Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud is the world's first and only integrated cloud machine—hardware and software engineered together to revolutionize data center consolidation. As a result, it can help enterprises to bring together disparate, mission-critical, performance-sensitive workloads with maximum reliability, availability, and security. Implementation partners with proven experience and deployment of Oracle solutions around infrastructure projects, such as Computacenter, can be considered valuable resources for our joint customers."

This announcement follows Computacenter's recent move into the cloud with its C3 offering and C3 Mail product, which provides organisations with the ability to adopt the cloud at the right pace, using an optimal blend of onsite and offsite IT delivery models.

Computacenter is a Platinum partner in Oracle PartnerNetwork.

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For further information, please contact:

Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
computacenter@rocketcomms.net
08453 707 024

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PR Manager
tessa.freeman@computacenter.com
+44 (0) 7801 452076

Computacenter's partnership first with Panduit boosts cabling services

Thu, 03 Mar 2011

Computacenter has become the first IT services and solutions provider in the UK to achieve Gold EMEA Partner with connectivity solutions provider Panduit.

As a result, organisations can now obtain certified advice about how to achieve the maximum business value from Panduit's technologies, including its Unified Physical Infrastructure (UPI) solution.
Kenny Presly, UK Channel Director for Panduit, commented: "Via our strategic partnership with Computacenter, customers have access to end-to-end connectivity solutions that minimise risk and improve business agility. Gold partner status enables Computacenter to enhance the connectivity services it provides for customers and provide informed advice around future-proofing their physical infrastructure."

Panduit is a world-class developer and provider of leading-edge solutions that help customers optimise the physical infrastructure through simplification, agility, and operational efficiency. Panduit has operations in 23 countries, manufacturing facilities in every continent and 5,000 employees. The company's Unified Physical Infrastructure (UPI) solutions enable organisations to connect, manage and automate communications, computing and power, control and security systems for a smarter, unified business foundation.

Computacenter and Panduit have worked together for more than a decade, with the partnership becoming increasingly strategic across EMEA over the last two years.The IT solutions and services provider has more than 30 Panduit-certified engineers and is a member of the global Panduit committee that helps the company develop connectivity solutions that meet evolving customer needs.
Neal Silverstein from Computacenter commented: "To maximise investments in technologies that enhance competitive advantage, such as virtualisation and video-conferencing, organisations have increasing bandwidth requirements. By working with Panduit we can help organisations address these challenges with cabling infrastructures that are reliable and cost-effective."

Computacenter provides a full range of services around Panduit solutions from cabling/networking audits and healthchecks to consultancy, datacentre design and installation services. As a Gold EMEA Partner, Computacenter can now provide customers with increased pre- and post-sales support and a more in-depth roadmap for Panduit's technologies.

Kenny commented: "Computacenter shares our commitment to providing customers with high quality connectivity solutions. Our partnership has gone from strength to strength over the years, and we look forward to enjoying many more joint successes with customers in the future."

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For further information, please contact:

Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
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+44 (0) 7801 452076

Computacenter scores partnership double

Wed, 19 Jan 2011

Computacenter has started 2011 by landing two high-profile partnership awards from IT vendors Symantec and Lenovo. The IT services and solutions provider was named Symantec UK Partner of the Year 2011 and Lenovo 2010 International Reseller of the Year in the same week.

Mike Rodwell, Commercial Director at Computacenter, commented: "The awards are a testament to our customer-centric approach, proactive vendor partnerships and quality of service. Symantec and Lenovo technologies are key to the optimised workplace, networking and datacenter solutions that we provide to our customers helping them minimise costs and maximise efficiency."

Computacenter has long-term relationships with software company Symantec and hardware manufacturer Lenovo, and has already received a number of accreditations from both vendors. These latest accolades were presented at two separate events in January.
Jason Ellis, Vice President of EMEA Channel Sales at Symantec, commented: "Computacenter supports customers throughout the lifecycle of our solutions – from sourcing and deployment to ongoing management.

This end-to-end expertise not only helps organisations maximise their investment in Symantec technologies but also establish effective and affordable information management strategies."
Lenovo, one of the largest vendors of personal computers in the world, awarded Computacenter the status of International Reseller of the Year after it achieved significant sales growth across a range of European countries, including France, Germany and Benelux.

Neil Berville, Executive Director for the Channel Partner Organisation Lenovo Benelux, UK and Ireland, commented: "Computacenter is a strategic partner of Lenovo's throughout Europe, and has grown the client business significantly by partnering with us for key customers & Windows 7 Enterprise refreshes.
Their solutions and customer integration capabilities complement Lenovo's value proposition superbly, with a proven record of delivering to a high standard consistently throughout Europe: they are therefore the partner of choice for many global clients."

As an independent provider, Computacenter has more than 1,100 direct relationships with IT vendors and holds in excess of 200 supplier accreditations. Rodwell commented: "We help our customers choose the right partners and technologies based on their business needs and budget. By combining these solutions with our industrialised processes, organisations can reduce cost, mitigate risk and accelerate change."

Computacenter's services and solutions extend from the datacenter to the desktop. Its customer base includes both public sector and corporate organisations, such as Harvey Nichols, FirstGroup, Visa Europe and NHS Oldham.

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Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
computacenter@rocketcomms.net
08453 707 024

Tessa Freeman
PR Manager
tessa.freeman@computacenter.com
+44 (0) 7801 452076

Computacenter launches cloud offering to reduce risk of cloud service adoption

Wed, 19 Jan 2011

Computacenter, Europe's leading independent provider of IT infrastructure services and solutions, today announces Computacenter cloud computing (C³) to offer organisations the ability to adopt the cloud at the right pace, using an optimal blend of onsite and offsite IT delivery models.

The first product in the suite, C³Mail, is designed to reduce the cost and complexity of managing messaging infrastructures and offer organisations the flexibility of dedicated or shared infrastructure, based within their own datacentre or offsite at Computacenter's UK-based facilities.

C³Mail is based on Microsoft's latest Exchange^® 2010 release, guarantees 99.9% availability and as Computacenter takes on the complete management of the email service, including full control and ownership of the infrastructure, security, migration, and user administration, the need for third parties is eliminated and results in higher service levels and lower costs.

Neil Muller, Director of Services and Solutions, Computacenter said: "Feedback from our customers shows that business priorities continue to focus on reducing costs, managing change and improving productivity and whilst cloud computing can help with this, there is some reticence over adoption. We believe this caution is due to a number of concerns, including IT assets not being close enough to the organisation, and therefore managed within its governance framework, as well as limited examples of enterprise deployments."

"We understand that organisations don't want to move all their IT to the cloud at once, so our C³ approach is about working alongside companies to develop a pragmatic, step-by-step plan for blended IT service delivery with the assurance of flexible service levels and solid enterprise security. C³Mail is the first step in our cloud offering and will be followed by collaboration and virtual desktop services later in the year."

These concerns over cloud adoption are echoed in a survey of more than 150 IT decision makers in UK enterprises, by research specialists Loudhouse, with key findings including:

Cloud cost confidence marred by concerns
Almost all IT decision makers surveyed (99%) highlighted concerns around the risk, service levels or functionality of the cloud, despite 75% feeling confident that it can help streamline costs. 91% believe that cloud can support their organisation by easing headaches around infrastructure upgrades, management and delivering more for less. This indicates a clear need to take a considered approach to the cloud, mitigating any perceived risks and reassuring organisations that they can still have access and control over their data.

As well as understanding that cloud can support their organisation at a general level, most companies believe that email is one of the best cloud technologies to adopt first. 55% of companies agreed that their company was most likely to see strong benefits from cloud email over other cloud technologies, with 70% anticipating that their organisation will be using email in a private cloud within the next three years.

Muller concludes: "Our approach is to focus on tried and tested methods to ensure the best value for our customers and we use our Shared Services Factory to capture the key elements of our most successful projects to help achieve this, as well as drive continuous improvement. Our C³ offering draws on this approach to give companies the confidence that the cloud will work for their needs."

"We believe the cloud is a very important element of IT service delivery and have come up with an offering that takes into account a customer's need to move to the cloud at their own pace via dedicated on premise private clouds or through shared public cloud services. Cloud will no doubt transform the way that organisations consume their IT and we are looking forward to helping organisations get the most out of this technology in combination with existing delivery models."

C³Mail is supported by Computacenter's extensive mail experience; it currently manages 1.2m mailboxes per annum, handles approximately 150,000 mailbox migrations each year and has over 300 Microsoft certified systems engineers.

C³Mail is available immediately.

-ends-

For further information, please contact:

Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
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+44 (0) 7801 452076

New framework agreement simplifies procurement of IT managed services for public sector organisations

Fri, 26 Nov 2010

Public sector organisations will be able to maximise the value of their IT outsourcing and out-tasking contracts thanks to the launch of a new managed services framework, which features Computacenter as an approved supplier.

The framework agreement, which is overseen by public sector procurement agency Buying Solutions, will provide public sector organisations with fast, efficient and EU-compliant access to a wide range of IT managed services, from datacentre hosting and disaster recovery to desktop management and service desk facilities.

This is the first IT 'broad spectrum' managed service framework agreement developed by Buying Solutions and includes 12 suppliers who meet stringent criteria for delivering value for money, quality services and sustainability. By purchasing services via the framework agreement, public sector organisations can take advantage of standard terms and conditions, benchmarking activities to ensure continued value for money, supplier management and audit services as well as shared information on best practices.

Chris Price, Public Sector Director at Computacenter, commented: "To survive the public sector budget squeeze, an increasing number of organisations are turning to out-tasked and outsourced IT service models to reduce costs while ensuring consistent service levels. Computacenter's inclusion in the new framework agreement affirms our managed service and public sector expertise."

Computacenter has 25 years' experience of working with the public sector and provides IT managed services for organisations such as the Charity Commission, Hampshire Constabulary and NHS Oldham.

Buying Solutions is the national procurement partner for all UK public services, including central government organisations, local councils, the emergency services, NHS trusts and schools. The organisation was established in 2001 to maximise value for money for public bodies through the supply of goods and services.

The new framework caters for public sector ICT environments of all sizes, and incorporates, among others, the following managed services:

Managed ICT devices (including servers, desktops, mobile devices, the network, printers and peripherals)
Business continuity/disaster recovery
Managed data hosting
Hardware and software maintenance (including third party contracts)
Remote access services
IT service desk facilities
Asset management

Computacenter has been awarded framework agreements for each of these areas, which can be delivered either as a standalone service or part of a fully outsourced model. The company has also been awarded a framework agreement for the supply of Commoditised IT Hardware and Software.

"Computacenter's inclusion on both Buying Solutions framework agreements means public sector organisations can take a unified approach to sourcing, implementing and managing their IT, which will help reduce costs and complexity," comments Chris Price. "By combining industrialised services with best practice processes and proven technologies, we are able to provide public sector organisations with predictable, affordable and repeatable IT services and solutions."

The IT managed services framework went live 6 August 2010.

To find out how to procure services via the framework, go to:
www.buyingsolutions.gov.uk/frameworks

-ends-

For further information, please contact:

Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
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+44 (0) 7801 452076

National recycling award for market leading IT recycler, RDC Witham

Fri, 26 Nov 2010

Computer reuse and recycling specialist RDC has been awarded a prestigious Award for Environmental Excellence from the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM). The award is for Recycling Performance of the Year by an SME (Small Medium Enterprise, an organisation with less than 250 employees).

RDC's managing director Gerry Hackett welcomed the award. "To win a recycling award from the CIWM makes us feel like the Recyclers' Recycler" enthused Gerry. "This is a great tribute to our recycling services operation and the hard work they have put in over the past 2 years to increase the reuse of components and achieve zero waste disposed of to landfill."

A CIWM spokesperson said "The CIWM Recycling Performance of the Year award is designed to recognise excellent performance in recycling across all industries".

"The judges were impressed how the RDC entry showed that a business model based on reuse and zero waste can contribute to the green economy and creation of new jobs. One of the big opportunities from recycling is the recovery of scarce materials and RDC show that the precious metals recovered from PCs exceeds the treatment and recycling costs. Materials security will become an increasingly important issue for the UK and this shows how recycling can be part of the solution".

The award was presented to RDC at a CIWM ceremony held at the Marriott Grosvenor Square, London, attended by 300 people from the industry. The awards were presented by popular BBC journalist Kate Silverton and the Recycling Performance SME Award was co-presented by Raj Iqbal, CEO of award sponsors Choice Waste Management.

Gary Griffiths, RDC's Head of Sustainability and a CIWM Member, noted, "This year, RDC has achieved its zero landfill ambitions with general waste reprocessed into refuse derived fuel for use in power stations in place of gas and oil fuel. RDC already exceeds draft EU reuse targets for waste electrical and electronic equipment."

RDC's new Recycling Department opened in 2009 and reclaims components from waste computers and ICT equipment. In 2009, 350 tonnes of IT components were reclaimed for re-use from waste, whilst RDC recycled more than 2,500 tons of waste IT and packaging.

"The majority of IT equipment processed by RDC is sold for reuse as whole working units" adds Gary. "Reuse not only earns revenue for former users but is environmentally more attractive than recycling because we save on not consuming materials and energy in making new computers. Reuse is estimated to be twenty times more efficient than recycling according to UN studies and is seen as more sustainable."

"The only thing we do not recycle" adds Gary, "is customers' confidential data - that is all destroyed".
-ends-

For further information, please contact:

Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
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Corning cements strategic partnership with Computacenter with Pretium Partner Award

Fri, 26 Nov 2010

Computacenter has been awarded Pretium Partner status by Corning, in recognition of its ability to deliver high quality datacentre and Local Area Network (LAN) cabling solutions.

Computacenter is now one of the top UK installers for Corning, with the partnership having grown by 80 per cent over the last two years.

Keith Sullivan, Marketing Director from Corning commented: "The combination of Computacenter's expertise and our innovative cabling products enables businesses to increase the scalability, functionality and reliability of their IT infrastructures. Computacenter shares our focus on forging strong customer relationships and delivering technical excellence, and was one of the first UK Pretium Partners in our Network of Preferred Installers (NPI)."

Corning develops, manufactures and distributes fibre, cable and hardware for telecommunications. The company invests heavily in research and development and was responsible for inventing the first low-loss optical fibre. Its solutions are designed to allow for easy and cost-effective upgrades to support growing bandwidth requirements.

To achieve Pretium Partner status – the highest accreditation available for Corning partners - Computacenter had to meet stringent criteria for technical and consultancy skills and demonstrate its capabilities in cabling design, implementation and support.
Neal Silverstein, Computacenter's Cabling & Network Director, commented: "We are delighted that Corning has recognised our commitment to delivering end-to-end cabling solutions that aid productivity and business agility while minimising cost. As a Pretium Partner, we will be able to provide more in-depth advice and services around Corning products, resulting in a higher and quicker return on investment for our customers."

From structured cabling and facilities management to datacentre audits and IIMS, Computacenter offers a wide range of cabling and infrastructure services to help customers build the connectivity foundations they need to enable their business and empower their workforce.

Keith commented: "We view Computacenter as an extension to Corning's customer-focused solutions, and plan to leverage our strategic working relationship in the future to ensure our customers achieve the maximum value from their Corning cabling infrastructures."

-ends-

For further information, please contact:

Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
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PR Manager
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+44 (0) 7801 452076

Computacenter achieves another Cisco 'gold star' distinction for customer satisfaction

Thu, 28 Oct 2010

For the second time this year, Computacenter's commitment to customer service and satisfaction has been honoured by the Cisco Partner Programme.

The award for Customer Satisfaction Excellence is the highest distinction a Cisco partner can achieve. It is awarded based on price competitiveness and customer satisfaction scores over a six-month period.

Bernadette Wightman, managing director, Partner Organisation, Cisco UKI, commented: "Customer satisfaction is one of Cisco's highest priorities and a cornerstone of our Partner Programme. Computacenter's achievement demonstrates its ongoing commitment to not only meet but exceed customer expectations for cost-effective and efficient networking services."

Computacenter scored 4.7 out of a possible five for its pre- and post-sales support service; an improvement of its previous score of 4.65. Partners achieving 4.55 or higher are indicated by a gold star on Cisco's online partner locator, making them easily distinguishable by customers. Adrian Foxall, Networking and Communications Director at Computacenter, commented: "When it comes to service, we have a philosophy of 'doing the right thing', which means our prime focus is to help customers achieve their goals. Customer satisfaction and service quality are embedded in every area of our business, and it is gratifying to have these efforts recognised by one of our key partners."

Earlier in the year Computacenter was named Cisco's Enterprise Partner of the Year and this is the 14th Cisco award received by Computacenter, which has held Gold Partner Status since 1998. Computacenter is also an Advanced Technology Partner for other Cisco solutions, which are key to helping organisations enhance productivity, reduce costs and increase agility.

Computacenter's recent Cisco implementations include an IP telephony project at Colchester Institute, a new unified communications infrastructure at Harvey Nichols and a wireless broadband solution for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
Computacenter offers a range of networking services, including design and implementation to support and maintenance, which help organisations maximise the security, performance and availability of their IT infrastructures.

-ends-

For further information, please contact:

Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
computacenter@rocketcomms.net
08453 707 024

Tessa Freeman
PR Manager
tessa.freeman@computacenter.com
+44 (0) 7801 452076

FirstGroup agrees £14 million desktop managed services deal with Computacenter

Wed, 22 Sep 2010

Leading transport operator FirstGroup has partnered with Computacenter to provide a range of desktop services that will support business growth, minimise costs and enhance the end user experience.

The five-year contract, which includes a central service desk, deskside support and product supply, covers 5,500 users at 650 offices, railway stations and bus depots throughout the UK.

Glenn Bladon, Group Head of IT Services at First commented: "Computacenter demonstrated that it has the scale and expertise in desktop services to ensure a high-quality service for our end users. It also offered a good cultural fit and an attractive commercial proposition."

FirstGroup is Britain's largest bus operator, running more than one in five of all local bus services. Its fleet of some 8,500 buses carry three million passengers a day in more than 40 major towns and cities.
First is also Britain's largest rail operator with four passenger franchises: First Great Western, First Capital Connect, First TransPennine Express and ScotRail.

As part of the service, Computacenter will assist FirstGroup in developing its IT strategy and advise on new innovative technologies that can improve efficiency and enhance the quality of IT services. Request, incident, problem and asset management will be provided from Computacenter's service desk in Milton Keynes. The IT services and solutions company will also be responsible for provisioning hardware, including desktops and laptops.

Kevin James, Director of the industry sector at Computacenter commented: "The services delivered to FirstGroup will be based on industrialised best practices developed within our Shared Services Factory. By implementing repeatable processes we can deliver predictable outcomes in a cost-effective manner."

The contract with Computacenter is part of First's new multi-sourcing approach to IT services. The service will go live in Q1 2011.

-ends-

For further information, please contact:

Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
computacenter@rocketcomms.net
08453 707 024

Tessa Freeman
PR Manager
tessa.freeman@computacenter.com
+44 (0) 7801 452076

Organisations to cut print costs by up to 30 per cent with Computacenter Managed Print service

Wed, 22 Sep 2010

Computacenter has partnered with Xerox to deliver a new managed print service that will enable organisations to reduce printing costs by up to 30 per cent.

The new offering incorporates hardware supply, support and consumables, based on a pay-per-print cost structure, to help customers move from capital to operational expenditure and improve budget control.

Neil Muller Director Services and Solutions at Computacenter, commented: "Our managed print service will enable us to help organisations gain control of their printing environments. We appreciate that many customers have limited control of their printing assets and their associated costs. Our managed print service will enable our customers to gain control of these costs; transform their existing print infrastructure; and continually optimise the new estate as a key component of our solution.

Our service enables us to manage multi-vendor print environments, so common in most of the UK customer base. By recognising that customers do not want to transform their entire printer estate to a single vendor overnight, we'll take a pragmatic approach by managing that issue on their behalf over time. We'll move the cost of printing from uncontrolled and unplanned Capex spend, to a controlled Opex utility based billing, delivering our customers with the management capability that they need.
Computacenter's partnership with Xerox combines, industry leading tools and technology with best of breed transformation and service level management, to offer the most optimal solution in today's market."

The managed service combines Computacenter's IT infrastructure experience, knowledge of product supply, services transformation and industrialised processes with Xerox's expertise in managed print services.
The partnership leverages the depth and breadth of Xerox's managed print service offerings to create an optimised print environment, enabling large enterprise and SME customers to control costs, minimise environmental impact and reduce the administrative burden for internal procurement and IT teams.

Devices that no longer meet business needs, are time-consuming and costly to maintain or are particularly environmentally damaging will be replaced by more cost-effective counterparts, such as the new Xerox cartridge-free solid ink devices. The cartridge free design generates 90% less supplies waste and significantly reduces the effects of manufacturing and transportation on the environment

Organisations implementing the service will also be able to minimise landfill by remarketing and recycling end-of-life print equipment via Computacenter's specialist arm RDC. The service also facilitates power and paper saving initiatives such as enforced double-sided printing and automatic device power.

Darren Cassidy, Vice President Channel Managed Print Services at Xerox commented: "Businesses investing in managed print services are looking for a proven approach that guarantees results - meeting cost savings targets, security policies, and environmental sustainability objectives. With Computacenter's IT infrastructure knowledge and our expertise in MPS, organisations are able to focus on their core business, reduce costs and drive long term growth.

The Computacenter managed print service is available to organisations from the end of July 2010. For more information about the service, email: enquiries@computacenter.com
-ends-

For further information, please contact:

Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
computacenter@rocketcomms.net
08453 707 024

Tessa Freeman
PR Manager
tessa.freeman@computacenter.com
+44 (0) 7801 452076

Computacenter tops customer satisfaction league table for end-user managed services

Wed, 22 Sep 2010

Computacenter has achieved the highest customer satisfaction score for end-user management in a recent European outsourcing study.

The company attained the 76 per cent satisfaction rate in the study by EquaTerra, which evaluated 25 IT outsourcing service providers. Chris Webb, Managing Director of Operations for Computacenter, commented: "Our industrialised approach to IT service delivery enables us to meet – and exceed – our customer expectations for value, quality and flexibility.

As a result we are not only able to attain but also maintain superior levels of customer satisfaction. End-user management is one of the hardest areas to achieve high customer satisfaction ratings as any degradation in service can have a very visible and rapid impact on an organisation's employees."

The study also ranked Computacenter joint first as the most likely provider to be recommended by its outsourcing customers and in second place for general customer satisfaction with 78 per cent. The EquaTerra European Service Provider Performance & Satisfaction (SPPS) Study 2009-2010 evaluated more than 2,000 outsourcing contracts held by 750 of the top IT spending organisations in Europe.

Computacenter scored above average in all eight evaluation categories – with particularly strong scores in quality, price, operational relationship, flexibility and transition – placing it in the top three for overall provider performance when compared against the market average.

Webb commented: "The combination of best-practice processes, commercial flexibility and skilled staff enables Computacenter to deliver IT managed services that are cost effective, high quality and aligned to business needs. The results of this research reflect our extensive European capabilities, which include a multi-lingual 24x7x365 service desk." Computacenter supports more than 1.5 million user devices and 750,000 users in 60 countries, and provides end-user management services to a wide range of European organisations, including Cognis, SWIFT and BMW. Jef Loos, EMEA Research Director at EquaTerra, commented: "The study provides CIOs with the market intelligence they need to maximise the value of their outsourcing partners and contracts."

The research, which was carried out over an eight-month period, also revealed a number of significant trends in the marketplace; for example, outsourcing usage levels are still increasing in Europe and the main outsourcing drivers are achieving cost savings, gaining access to third-party skills and enabling process quality improvement.
-ends-

For further information, please contact:

Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
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08453 707 024

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PR Manager
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+44 (0) 7801 452076

Computacenter interim results announcement

Fri, 27 Aug 2010

Computacenter plc, the European IT infrastructure services provide, today announces unaudited results for the six months ended 30 June 2010

-ends-

For further information, please contact:

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Outstanding growth nets Computacenter an award hat trick

Thu, 26 Aug 2010

Computacenter has landed a trio of awards from Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) in recognition of its thriving partnership with the storage vendor helping organisations simplify their information management.

As well as being named overall EMEA partner of the year, the IT solutions and services provider also won the region's growth awards for HDS Enterprise and Modular storage technology.

Neill Burton, director of Computacenter's Datacentre business line, commented: "HDS technologies help us address real customer challenges in the areas of information storage and management across physical, virtual and cloud environments. As a result, we have seen phenomenal growth in key areas including cross-platform virtualisation and the right-sizing of clients' storage platforms. HDS' strength across the entire product portfolio is a key differentiator for us and helps us to add value to our business."

During 2009, Computacenter UK doubled its HDS business, earning the company three out of the 10 EMEA partnership awards. The awards are testament to Computacenter's expertise in the storage market, and its expertise in understanding HDS' solutions, including enterprise storage virtualisation technologies, modular storage and enterprise content storage.

In addition, Computacenter Germany picked up three accolades from HDS for healthcare partner of the year, Hitachi Content Platform (HCP) partner of the year and for securing the largest file-based service deal in EMEA. Harvey Smith, Regional Sales Director, UK & Ireland Channels at Hitachi Data Systems, commented: "Computacenter is an important strategic partner for our business in EMEA. We are focussed on helping organisations transform their IT environment through implementing next-generation data centres that are aligned with their business requirements.

We are excited by the outstanding efforts of Computacenter to build its expertise around our products. We look forward to seeing Computacenter leverage its expanding skills and knowledge base to add value to its customer relationships and help drive more opportunities for our organisations to work together in the future."

Computacenter is an HDS Platinum Partner with more than 40 members of staff holding a range of accreditations.
"Our strategic alliance has gone from strength to strength since its foundation in 2004. These awards demonstrate our ongoing commitment to working with HDS and helping our customers overcome their current and future information management challenges," commented Burton.

-ends-

For further information, please contact:

Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
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+44 (0) 7801 452076

Computacenter receives ‘Daimler Supplier Award 2009’

Tue, 20 Jul 2010

Kerpen, Germany, 5 May 2010. At this year’s Daimler Key supplier meeting, held 18 March in the Mercedes-Benz branch office in Stuttgart, Computacenter was presented with the coveted ‘Daimler Supplier Award 2009’ in the ‘IT, General Goods & Services’ category. The award was given in recognition of Computacenter’s outstanding performance in providing a vast array of IT services.

Computacenter has been a reliable partner of Daimler’s for many years and is responsible for the operation and maintenance of its network infrastructure. In addition to the high quality and reliability the service, a decisive factor behind the award was Computacenter focus on innovation and service improvement.

Daimler AG selects the recipients of it ‘Daimler Supplier Award’ using a worldwide standard assessment system. The review focuses on values such as quality, cost and reliability as well as technology and innovation. Teamwork assessments focus on fairness, reliability and credibility. Computacenter was one of 14 companies receiving an award this year.

“We are delighted that Computacenter has received the ‘Daimler Supplier Award 2009’. It shows that our team has delivered excellent service. Our innovative managed services ensure that Daimler AG receives high quality IT support. The key is to keep focused on our client’s changing business needs and respond to requirements in an agile and constructive way.” states Mike Norris, CEO of Computacenter plc.

-ends-

For further information, please contact:

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Rocket PR
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Eversheds signs groundbreaking deal to pilot Apple iPads for lawyers

Tue, 13 Jul 2010

International law firm Eversheds has announced that it has signed a new deal which could eventually see all of the firms lawyers move on to Apple iPads. In a collaboration with IT partners Computacenter and Citrix, the firm intends to explore how the introduction of iPads in to the business can help its lawyers to work more flexibly.

All parties in the collaboration called internally ‘Eversheds Anywhere’ will make an equal financial contribution to the implementation of the pilot which the parties aim to complete by the end of August 2010.

As part of Eversheds’ culture to drive innovation through the business and the firms ethos of delivering first-class client service excellence, it is the firms intention that the iPad pilot will explore new ways of ensuring that Eversheds lawyers can not only stay connected to clients but access the data they need 24/7. The pioneering initiative will allow lawyers to review documents, host virtual meetings, arrange schedules and access mail and business intelligence from wherever they may be in the world.

Eversheds CIO, Paul Caris said: “The iPad is an incredibly intuitive device which will be popular with our lawyers. With Citrix technology we expect to deliver key applications to lawyers including email, document management and client relationship management systems whenever and wherever they need to. We have already made an investment in the Citrix platform so we will be able to deliver our applications on to mobile devices very quickly.

“We are an innovative law firm and our lawyers are constantly on the move around the world. We want to provide clients with a quality and progressive service and our people with the most flexible working environment and believe that the new iPads and this groundbreaking collaboration will allow us to do that.”

Andy Goddard, Practice Leader Computacenter workplace business said: “We enjoy working with Eversheds because of their desire to always look at new and innovative ways of working. We’re very excited to be helping one of our most important clients test this exciting new concept, which is essentially about moving consumer devices into the workplace. Citrix technology is clearly proving the enabler for organisations to consider such flexible working practices, and for Computacenter we get to assist the customer implement the technology and learn from the experience. Whether its tablet or other consumer based devices, it’s very clear big businesses are considering or need to consider device consumerisation as it will undoubtedly be an emerging part of many organisations IT strategy in the future. This is a groundbreaking project that all three parties are engaged in and we are fortunate to be at the leading edge of the iPads adoption into corporate IT.

-ends-

For further information, please contact:

Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
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tessa.freeman@computacenter.com
+44 (0) 7801 452076

Computacenter triumphs at F5’s ‘Success 2010’ EMEA partner conference

Wed, 07 Jul 2010

Computacenter, Europe’s leading independent provider of IT infrastructure services and solutions, announced today that it has been recognised as ‘Partner of the Year’ for EMEA by F5 Networks, the global leader in Application Delivery Networking.

Presented at F5’s ‘SUCCESS 2010’ annual Partner Summit, held in Budapest on 25-26 May, Computacenter was nominated in a number of categories, reinforcing both the strength of the business and depth of the F5 relationship.

“It is particularly pleasing to be recognised for all-around performance,” said Ade Foxall, Networking Director, Computacenter. “Our investment in F5 is long-term and strategic for our business and supports our continued work to bring innovative solutions to our customers to help them achieve their goals. At Computacenter, we’ve seen a significant amount of growth through partnering with F5, and we’re committed to maintaining this growth during 2010 and beyond by continuing to work together. To be singled out with this award is a validation of our collaborative efforts and, more broadly, the success we’ve had in being viewed as trusted advisers by our end-users.”

“The winner of this award demonstrated excellence across our product range and across functional relationships,” said Andy Travers, Regional Director UK, Ireland and Sub-Saharan Africa at F5 Networks. “The rewards F5 have gained from working with Computacenter exemplify why F5 puts so much effort into working closely with our channel.”

About F5 Networks
F5 Networks is the global leader in Application Delivery Networking. F5’s flexible solution portfolio enables organizations to enhance IT agility and dynamically deliver application and data services that generate true business value. Global enterprise organizations, service and cloud providers, and Web 2.0 content providers trust F5 to keep their business moving forward. For more information, go to www.f5.com.

Computacenter delivers support to BASF IT Services in 17 countries

Thu, 17 Jun 2010

BASF IT Services and Computacenter have signed a three year contract for the supply and support over 50,000 IT workstations in 17 countries throughout the BASF Group.

The contract includes both logistical and on-site services. Working on behalf of BASF IT Services, Computacenter will procure standard workstations, configure them to BASF specifications and deliver to site. Each unit will also be fully supported in each country.

A BASF-specific Logistics Team, based at our German headquarters in Kerpen, is responsible for configuring each workstation to the exact specifications and standards of BASF Group. Hardware components, peripheral devices and applications are installed on each system.

Computacenter then supports the BASF workstations throughout EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), by delivering an in-country service that is fully integrated into BASF IT Services’ standard support processes and carried out in full collaboration with BASF’s Customer Service Centre.

Before this contract, BASF IT Services used it own employees and various external providers to deliver on-site support in each country. Computacenter now provides a comprehensive support service to the entire region through a single contract.

Consolidated support benefits BASF IT Services in many ways. Not only will processes be increasingly standardised, as a result of Computacenter’s performance-based billing structure, supports costs will also be more transparent.

Another positive is the increased flexibility of the in-country services. New locations, resulting from acquisitions for example, will be integrated quickly and efficiently using a single, consistent delivery and support model.

Harald Endres, Director of Customer & Workplace Services at BASF IT Services, confirms: “We have had a successful working relationship with Computacenter for many years and chose them as a reliable partner for this important, Europe-wide out-tasking project. By consolidating our service providers and standardising processes throughout Europe, BASF IT Services guarantees that all BASF Group users in the region will receive a consistently high level of service for their IT workstation needs.”

Simon Khan wins BMW PGA Championship

Mon, 24 May 2010

Congratulations to England’s Simon Khan, the World Number 471 and not even in the event until Monday, who was in dreamland at Wentworth Club when he came from seven behind to win the BMW PGA Championship.

The 37 year old from Essex, who faced an uncertain future when he had to go back to The European Tour Qualifying School last November, produced the biggest final-day comeback in the history of The European Tour's flagship event.

A 20 foot birdie putt on the last, which curled round the back of the cup before toppling in, gave Khan the first prize of €750,000 by a stroke from Ryder Cup star Luke Donald and Swede Fredrik Andersson Hed.

The money is likely to come in useful – the biggest win of Khan’s career coincided with his wife’s birthday and he had only got her a card before his epic round.

"I don't know what she wants," he admitted. "But I said we're going to go stay up in London for a night and go to Harvey Nichols or something like that and just let her loose."

His stunning five under par 66, the round of his life, also brings him a five-year European Tour exemption and a place in July's Open Championship at St Andrews.

"This is what I've always dreamed of doing," said Khan, whose career had fallen away since he won the 2004 Celtic Manor Wales Open and then two years later was a distant runner-up in this tournament behind David Howell.

"It's as much for the family as it is for me - it's unbelievable to be standing here right now.

"This means everything. This tournament is the reason I started playing golf and just being here is special this year.

"I love The Tour so much. Your dream is even to start to be out here, and then to win, and then you sort of - after I won in Wales, it sort of got a little bit hazy.

"I think The European Tour is still fantastic. I know it's a difficult time, but to lose your card, and to realise that moment, it's gone; that was the worst I've ever felt. This has got to be the best, without a doubt, the best to win this tournament."

With a six under par total of 278 on the far tougher West Course, he becomes the first player to win the trophy after needing a sponsor's invitation.

As a youngster Khan remembers travelling to Wentworth from his home - it involved bus, tube and train - to watch stars like Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo compete at the Surrey venue.

He turned professional in 1991, but like Ian Poulter worked as an assistant at a club first before finally getting a European Tour card at the eighth attempt ten years later.

Last season he had only one top-ten finish, yet when he went to The Qualifying School he won it. Even that, though, gave no hint of what was to come six months later.

Computacenter Wins Cisco Enterprise Partner of the Year Award at 2010 Cisco Partner Summit

Thu, 20 May 2010

Computacenter announced today that it is the recipient of a Cisco Partner Summit regional award for Enterprise Partner of the Year. Cisco unveiled the winners at its recent annual channel partner conference in San Francisco.

“It is an honour to present Computacenter as a Cisco Partner Summit regional award winner,” said Thierry Drilhon, Vice President, Worldwide Partner Organisation, Europe, at Cisco. “The Enterprise Partner of the Year Award recognises Computacenter’s performance and achievements as a Cisco channel partner in Europe in 2009.”

Adrian Foxall, Networking Director at Computacenter commented: “Cisco is a key partner for Computacenter in delivering cost-effective and innovative solutions to our customers. Cisco’s technologies are at the heart of our tier IV datacentre, which helps organisations achieve the highest level of IT availability at an affordable price.” “Cisco technologies will play a fundamental role in helping organisations establish scalable and reliable virtual datacentres. We were the first organisation in the UK to deploy a VCE vBlock 2, which our customers can use to validate their datacentre transformation plans. We are delighted to have been selected for this accolade by such an important partner.”

Cisco Partner Summit awards are presented at three levels: regional, theatre and global. Cisco Partner Summit Europe regional awards reflect a partner’s performance in the region.

Bernadette Wightman, managing director, Channels, Cisco UK & Ireland, commented: “Our partnership with Computacenter provides great alignment across both organisations – from board level to sales teams. The close alignment to our architectures, particularly virtualisation, demonstrates the breadth of opportunity for our joint growth going forward.”

-ends-

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PRO-CURE awards new video-conferencing contract to help NHS trusts communicate more effectively and reduce costs

Tue, 18 May 2010

NHS commercial agency PRO-CURE has awarded Computacenter a new contract for the supply of videoconferencing solutions for more than 75 trusts across the South of England.

The agreement, which is worth up to £1 million, provides fast and efficient access to video-conferencing technologies for NHS trusts that are members of three collaborative procurement organisations: PROCURE, East of England and South East Coast NHS procurement hubs.

Gareth Davies, Senior Category Manager for PRO-CURE, said: “The contract ensures trust staff can be confident they are working with a preapproved supplier who understands their needs and has demonstrated good value for money with reliable video-conferencing from best in class brands.”

As the contracted supplier, NHS trusts will be able to use Computacenter to supply, install and configure new video-conferencing systems based on a range of technologies. It will also provide consultancy, training and support services as required and undertake a free assessment of trusts’ current video-conferencing facilities to ensure they are taking full advantage of their existing assets.

Juliet Clark, Public Sector Director at Computacenter commented, “With NHS staff increasingly working in the community, video-conferencing provides an efficient and cost-effective platform for virtual meetings and education sessions. By reducing the need for travel between sites, NHS trusts can free up time and cut travel costs and carbon emissions.”

PRO-CURE is the major NHS provider of commercial services across NHS South Central. Established in 2006 as the Collaborative Procurement Hub for the NHS South Central region, it provides purchasing, productivity and performance, healthcare contracting and consultancy services.

Computacenter has extensive experience of working with public sector organisations to implement cost-effective and reliable videoconferencing solutions, including East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, London Fire and Strathclyde Police.

The two-year agreement went live in March.

NHS trusts who would like a free videoconferencing assessment or further information should contact Terry Dolan at Computacenter at: terry.dolan@computacenter.com or call: 01707 631201.

-ends-

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Outsourcing customers give Computacenter vote of confidence in independent survey

Wed, 12 May 2010

Computacenter is more likely to be recommended by its outsourcing customers than other major service providers.

According to research by EquaTerra Research, Computacenter has the highest recommendation rating for the 24 providers evaluated in the survey. Computacenter also received a high customer satisfaction rating from its UK customers, taking third place in the EquaTerra outsourcing league table with a score of 78%.

Chris Webb, Managing Director of Operations for Computacenter, commented: “Customer satisfaction is fundamental to all our services. We have a philosophy of ‘doing the right thing’, which means taking a customer-focused approach at every stage of an outsourcing relationship.”

Computacenter provides a range of outsourcing and out-tasking services to customers such as Unipart, Parity and Eversheds. The IT solutions and services provider supports more than 1.5 million client devices, 75,000 users and 70,000 servers on behalf of its customers.

The EquaTerra survey asked the UK’s 160 top IT spenders to rate the different outsourcing providers that they worked with. The responses from Computacenter’s customers placed the company among the top five providers for contract flexibility, meeting original expectations, relationship management and market price conformity.

“This independent report demonstrates how our continuous improvement initiatives have enabled us to optimise service quality without impacting the price point for customers,” comments Webb. “We have developed a range of service delivery methodologies that help maximise the value of outsourcing for our customers.

These best practices are constantly being enhanced through our Shared Services Factory, which ensures our outsourcing services remain reliable, predictable and affordable.”

Computacenter’s scores have increased in every performance area measured by the report, which was conducted by EquaTerra at the end of 2009.

Jef Loos, EMEA Research Director at EquaTerra (TBC), commented: “The Outsourcing 2009 report enables organisations to benchmark the top UK service providers, and make more intelligent investment decisions about how to best manage their IT outsourcing deals.”

-ends-

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Computacenter helps public sector organisations maximise value for money as part of new IT framework agreement

Wed, 28 Apr 2010

Public sector organisations will be able to access IT solutions and services faster and more cost-effectively via the new Commoditised IT Hardware and Software framework agreement, which features Computacenter as an approved supplier.

Managed by public sector procurement agency Buying Solutions, the Commoditised IT Hardware and Software framework agreement, which launched on 2 March 2010, replaces the former IT Goods and Associated Services (ITGAS) framework agreement.

The new framework is divided into three lots: desktop hardware, IT infrastructure hardware and specialist channel partners for software, and encompasses the procurement of both solutions and associated services. Computacenter is listed on all three lots, providing organisations with a ‘one-stop-shop’ for their networking, desktop and datacentre solutions.

Chris Price, Public Sector Director at Computacenter, commented: “The award of this framework agreement to Computacenter by Buying Solutions reflects our ongoing commitment to helping public sector organisations achieve more with their IT budgets.”

Buying Solutions was established in 2001 and is one of the largest professional buying organisations in the public sector, helping central government and the wider public sector including police authorities, local councils, NHS trusts and schools maximise value for money by providing a fast, efficient and EU-compliant route to market.

Computacenter was one of 20 organisations selected by Buying Solutions for the new framework agreement. “We are delighted with the quality and variety of suppliers who have been awarded a framework agreement and are confident that these will provide an excellent service to our public sector customers, helping them to meet their IT procurement needs,” commented Chris Cliffe, Senior Project Manager, Buying Solutions.

Computacenter has extensive experience of working with public sector organisations, and has delivered ground-breaking IT projects for East Kent Hospitals University Trust, South Wales Fire & Rescue Service, the Greater London Authority and Lancashire Police.

“Computacenter has been providing the public sector with affordable and predictable IT services and solutions for 25 years,” comments Chris Price. “As part of the Commoditised IT Hardware and Software framework agreement, we will not only be able to provide government organisations with competitive product prices but also advice on best practices and proven processes to help them increase efficiency and decrease costs.”

-ends-

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Computacenter Deploys Its First Virtual Computing Environment 'Vblock 2' In The UK And EMEA

Fri, 23 Apr 2010

Vblock Infrastructure Packages designed to accelerate the virtualisation of IT infrastructures

Computacenter, Europe's leading independent provider of IT infrastructure services and solutions, today announces it has deployed its first Vblock™ infrastructure package in the UK and EMEA to leverage for customer demonstrations. The solution, which is delivered by the Virtual Computing Environment coalition formed by Cisco and EMC, together with VMware, is an integrated, tested and validated datacenter infrastructure offering that supports a broad range of operating systems and applications that enable customers to accelerate broad-scale datacenter virtualisation.

Vblock Infrastructure Packages provide businesses of all sizes with a fundamentally better approach to streamlining and optimising IT strategies around private cloud computing. The Vblock 2 solution can support a high density virtual machine footprint and is based on the EMC Symmetrix V-Max™ storage system (secured by RSA), EMC Ionix Unified Infrastructure Manager element manager, the VMware vSphere server virtualisation platform, Cisco Unified Computing System, and Cisco 10GB Ethernet and virtualised networking solutions.

Neill Burton, Datacentre Solutions Director at Computacenter says: "Computacenter virtualised datacentre, or VDC offerings are designed to dramatically and demonstrably lower IT costs by providing best-of-breed virtualisation, networking, compute, storage, security and management technologies. A virtual datacentre also guarantees an overall reduction in total cost of ownership. As organisations demand reductions in the total cost of ownership (TCO) for CapEx and OpEx, there is a growing shift towards datacentre virtualisation. With the Vblock 2 solution, Computacenter will help organisations realise these cost savings, help accelerate plans to implement a private cloud, and take advantage of the critical IT efficiencies that virtualisation offers."

Matthew Yeager, Data Storage and Protection Practice Leader at Computacenter says: "IT is undergoing a major transformation. Traditional IT architecture increases procurement and management costs and complexity while making service level agreements (SLAs) difficult to meet. This makes IT less responsive to the business and creates the perception of IT as a cost centre as opposed to the business enablement and agility engine we know it to be.

To optimise infrastructure and ensure business success, IT is transitioning towards a private and federated cloud model with the service provided internally, externally, or a combination of both, and VDCs such as the Vblock 2 from the Virtual Computing Environment coalition are a major part of this."

Mukesh Sharma, Director of Virtualisation and Private Cloud in EMEA for EMC, says: "We are very excited that Computacenter recognises the significance of the Vblock offering and that it is eager to engage with UK customers to illustrate how the solution can drive efficiency across an entire business. The VCE Customer Demonstration Suite at Computacenter will enable organisations to see how the solution can increase business agility through greater IT infrastructure flexibility, and lower IT, energy and real estate costs through pervasive datacentre virtualisation and a transition to private cloud infrastructures."

-ends-

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Computacenter achieves 'gold star' distinction for customer satisfaction

Wed, 17 Mar 2010

Computacenter’s commitment to customer service and satisfaction has been honoured by the Cisco Channel Partner Programme.

Bernadette Wightman, Managing Director, Cisco UKI, commented: “Customer satisfaction is one of Cisco’s highest priorities and a cornerstone of our Channel Partner Programme. Computacenter’s achievement demonstrates its ongoing commitment to not only meet but exceed customer expectations for cost-effective and efficient networking services.”

Computacenter scored 4.65 out of a possible five for its pre- and post-sales support service. Partners achieving 4.55 or higher are indicated by a gold star on Cisco’s online partner locator, making them easily distinguishable by customers.

Adrian Foxall, Networking and Communications Director at Computacenter, commented: “When it comes to service, we have a philosophy of ‘doing the right thing’, which means our prime focus is to help customers achieve their goals. Customer satisfaction and service quality are embedded in every area of our business, and it is gratifying to have these efforts recognised by one of our key partners.”

This is the 12th Cisco award received by Computacenter, which has held Gold Partner Status since 1998. Computacenter is also an Advanced Technology Partner for other Cisco solutions, which are key to helping organisations enhance productivity, reduce costs and increase agility.

Computacenter’s recent Cisco implementations include an IP telephony project at Colchester Institute, a new unified communications infrastructure at Harvey Nichols and a wireless broadband solution for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

Computacenter offers a range of networking services, including design and implementation to support and maintenance, which help organisations maximise the security, performance and availability of their IT infrastructures.

-ends-

For further information, please contact:

Alex Brooks / Kate Mills
Rocket PR
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Computacenter Research Reveals Network Neglect Risks Business Success

Wed, 17 Mar 2010

Computacenter, Europe’s leading independent provider of IT infrastructure services, today launches research that reveals network neglect is risking business success, with 74% of respondents claiming the network is central to their IT strategy, but 33% not actually considering it before making a technology purchase, risking network downtime, poor performance and inefficient security.

The survey, conducted amongst more than 150 IT decision makers across UK enterprises, also uncovers that 76% believe taking no action now with their network will impact business performance, highlighting a critical need for action. Other notable findings from the research include:

Network Security Niggles

Surprisingly almost two-thirds of respondents believe the introduction of virtualisation has made their infrastructure more secure, indicating a common misconception that reducing the amount of infrastructure also decreases the number of threats, when in fact virtualisation creates a whole new set of security challenges which need to be addressed at the outset of a deployment.

Virtual Headaches

The majority of businesses (90%) believe the network is hampering virtualisation efforts, with almost as many (88%) claiming virtualisation directly causes network performance issues. In addition, 86% admit that pinpointing and solving virtual infrastructure bottlenecks is an issue and 68% claim they have underestimated the number of network issues arising from virtualisation. This highlights that network challenges around performance, availability and complexity are rife and must be addressed to maximise the adoption of virtualisation.

Colin Williams, Networking & Security Practice Leader at Computacenter, comments: “It is common to see a lack of proactive optimisation directed towards the network, particularly in difficult times when IT decision makers have so many other challenges. The inherent problem with the network is that no-one notices it until it goes wrong so in many cases it has become a victim of its own reliability. That doesn’t however mean it is currently “ready” to cope with changing business needs.”

Other notable findings from the research include:

Politics Perceived not to be a Problem

When asked if potential barriers to the success of virtualisation were down to technology or internal politics, only a fifth of IT decision makers believed there was a political struggle, which is surprising when you consider most virtualisation deployments are managed by server managers but extensively impact the network environment. As overall network convergence blurs the lines between server and storage networks, this could potentially lead to a change of roles aligned throughout the operational environment.

The Road to Cloud Misunderstood

Only 11% of respondents saw virtualisation as a means of preparing for cloud computing, which highlights a limited understanding of the cloud requirements of the network, as well as what the network can do to make cloud computing and virtualisation easier for organisations.

Williams concludes: “Our lives are more tied to networks than we realise, whether it’s communicating through Facebook, implementing unified communications to increase productivity or networks as the foundation to underpin server virtualisation, they are at the heart of everything we do. Network “readiness” must be addressed now to ensure organisations have the capability to provide new business critical services and applications that will impact businesses’ ability to compete and ultimately succeed.”

-ends-

For further information, please contact:

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Computacenter 2009 Results Announced

Thu, 11 Mar 2010

Computacenter plc, the European IT infrastructure services provider, today announces preliminary results for the twelve months ended 31 December 2009.

Severn Trent Water to cut costs and boost efficiency with flexible working initiative

Fri, 26 Feb 2010

Severn Trent Water has embarked on a ground-breaking IT project that will enable it to adopt flexible working practices – increasing staff productivity and reducing costs. The project is part of the company’s business transformation programme, which is designed to turn it into the best water company in the UK with the lowest charges, highest standards and great people.

The IT transformation, which will be completed in partnership with Computacenter, will also support the company’s move to a sophisticated BREAAM-rated energy-efficient building, Severn Trent Centre, in Coventry, in the autumn of 2010.

Myron Hrycyk, Chief Information Officer at Severn Trent Water, said: “The IT transformation will underpin the implementation of new working practices at Severn Trent Water and support a step change in our ways of working. The project is part of a wider initiative to create a more dynamic organisation and enhance our ability to attract talented staff.”

Severn Trent Water provides more than eight million people with nearly two billion litres of drinking water a day. The company covers an area of more than 21,000 square kilometres, stretching from the Bristol Channel to the Humber estuary and from mid Wales to the East Midlands. The company was named 2009 Utility of the Year at the recent Utility Industry Achievements Awards.

The IT transformation extends from the datacentre to the desktop, and includes new solutions for back-up, security, storage, networking and IT management as well as Microsoft Windows 7. The new operating system will support a Citrix virtual desktop infrastructure that will enable Severn Trent Water to support home working and desk-sharing – this is crucial as the company’s new office and wider accommodation programme is designed around a mobile workforce.

Pierre Hall, Director of Workplace and Collaboration Solutions at Computacenter, commented: “Computacenter helped Severn Trent Water make the right technology investment decisions based on its business drivers, future vision and current IT infrastructure. The new infrastructure will reduce complexity, service desk support costs and the company’s environmental impact. Providing remote working options to staff will also strengthen Severn Trent Water’s contingency plans for coping with emergencies and adverse weather conditions.”

As part of the £3.5 million project, Computacenter will provide a range of services from software licensing and testing to application packaging and asset disposal.

By standardising, consolidating and virtualising its infrastructure, Severn Trent will be able to reduce the total cost of ownership of IT and create a more predictable expenditure profile. It will also be able to provide a better user experience by equipping staff with the latest productivity tools and ensuring reliable access to critical applications, such as the company’s recently implemented SAP Enterprise Resource Planning system.

“By embracing new technologies we can improve the quality of customer services and enhance the delivery of services to our customers, while supporting the company’s goal of ‘being the best’,” said Myron. “The IT transformation is closely linked to our key strategic intentions, in particular minimising our carbon footprint, responding to customers’ needs and keeping customer charges low.”

One of the key project milestones will be the opening of Severn Trent Centre in the autumn of 2010.

-ends-

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Computacenter and CompuCom named as Global Reseller Partners in BP cost reduction programme

Tue, 16 Feb 2010

BP, one of the world’s largest energy companies, aims to reduce the costs of IT by consolidating hardware and software procurement via a newly established Global Reseller Programme.

The five-year programme is part of BP’s overall supplier consolidation and simplification agenda, and is aligned with BP’s strategic goals of maintaining operational excellence and sustainable cost reduction.

Delivered through an alliance of two major regional providers – Computacenter in the UK and CompuCom Systems in the US – this will enable BP to achieve a greater consistency around the world and make buying IT products simpler.

Dana Deasy, Global Chief Information Officer at BP, commented: “By consolidating and simplifying our IT supply chain, we will reduce our IT supplier base by at least 540 vendors, and significantly remove cost while driving complexity from our operations.”

The service, which starts on 1st February 2010 covers the sourcing of IT hardware in the UK and US and global software procurement.

Mike Norris, CEO of Computacenter, commented: “A consolidated approach to IT procurement through the reseller channel will enable BP to aggregate its spend with vendors leading to volume discounts; standardise its product portfolio and simplify the way IT buying is performed. The alliance with CompuCom will be key to meeting BP’s IT needs across the US.”

Jim Dixon, CEO of CompuCom, commented: “The combined expertise of CompuCom and Computacenter will enable BP to streamline its IT supply chain in order to make IT buying simple across the Corporation while still addressing the regional needs of its business units and 90,000-plus employees.”

-ends-

For further information, please contact:

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Computacenter Research Reveals Virtualisation Falling Flat For UK Organisations

Mon, 08 Feb 2010

Less than 10% achieve full ROI from server virtualisation projects.

London, UK, 08 February - Research findings launched today by Computacenter, (www.computacenter.com) Europe's leading independent provider of IT infrastructure services, reveal that organisations are missing out on the significant benefits of virtualisation deployments, with only 6% fully achieving ROI from server projects and 4% from virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). Poor planning seems partly to blame, as 39% of IT decision makers have no virtualisation strategy in place, even though 90% consider it important to help improve IT cost effectiveness.

The survey of more than 130 IT decision makers across UK enterprises in a range of industries, including banking and finance, public sector, manufacturing, retail and legal, uncovers several interesting trends:

Virtualisation misunderstood

Respondents believe that VDI makes it easier to manage and support desktop applications, with 83% claiming it's easier to deploy and 70% believing it's easier to maintain, which is not the actually the case in most implementations. This indicates a clear need for better education on what organisations actually get out of virtualisation to ensure they achieve their objectives
31% of respondents state that the complexity of virtualisation is misunderstood, whilst a third believe their organisation has taken a short term view of virtualisation to drive cost savings

Organisations ill-equipped

There is a stark lack of the tools needed to deliver effective virtualisation deployments, with almost a third (29%) saying they don't have sufficient end-to-end management to allow them to effectively control and monitor virtual environments
Almost half (41%) of IT decision makers are considering outsourcing virtual desktops to a third party supplier to bolster their in-house skills, which would enable them to reap the benefits of VDI, including increased productivity through remote working and hot desking

Terry Walby, Director at Computacenter, comments: "It is disappointing to see so much unfulfilled potential from a technology that can vastly improve resource utilisation and business flexibility. Organisations need to change the way they think about IT and consider end-to-end virtualisation solutions that will reduce total cost of ownership and management complexity due to its centralised management."

Other notable findings from the research include:

Great expectations Misconceptions over the expected return on virtualisation deployments could impact adoption, as almost half of respondents expect to see ROI from server (37%) and desktop (39%) projects over the same time period (over 12 months). This indicates confusion as ROI is typically longer for desktop projects, although the indirect cost savings and avoidance of downtime more than make up for this.
The 'Virtualisation Journey' There appear to be clear stages in organisations' virtualisation journeys, with server virtualisation being the most widely adopted (63%), followed by virtual storage (26%), desktop virtualisation (18%) and finally virtual networking (15%). This implies that as virtualisation technology matures, a greater number of organisations adopt it and complete the 'journey'.
For server virtualisation the next step is to tackle higher risk, more business critical functions and for VDI it is to clearly explain the benefits, such as the ability to rapidly provide tactical desktop access for offshore workers.
Cloud Confuses Corporates Virtualisation is considered very important by 61% of IT decision makers, whereas 50% don't know how important cloud computing is or believe it to be of little or no importance to help improve the operation and cost effectiveness of their IT environment over the next two years. This indicates that many organisations still don't have a clear strategy in place and there is a lot of confusion around cloud computing, whereas virtualisation is a much more mature market.

Walby concludes: "As organisations demand more flexibility through mobile working, it is imperative they investigate how a holistic virtualisation solution will make infrastructure more portable and ultimately sharpen their business to enhance competitive edge.

"The models for the future lie in virtualisation on demand, the cloud and self-service. And companies are already closer to these models than they think. Those, however, doing it on the cheap will find that the adoption rate is slow and the risks are high. It is much better to invest in the right tools and services now to do the job right for the specific needs of the business."

-ends-

For further information, please contact:

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Computacenter receives IBM Certification for Dynamic Infrastructure Skills

Fri, 22 Jan 2010

Helping clients to manage challenges presented by today’s globally integrated planet.

Computacenter (www.computacenter.com), Europe's leading independent provider of IT infrastructure services, has gained certification in IBM’s Dynamic Infrastructure Specialty Programme in the solution areas of Business Resilience, Energy Efficiency and Virtualisation & Consolidation. It is the first UK-based IBM Business Partner to achieve accreditation in more than one solution area.

A dynamic infrastructure is one that can help improve service, reduce cost and manage risk, while accelerating business growth. One that aligns business and IT assets to support the overall goals of the business while taking a smarter, new and more streamlined approach that integrates visibility, control and automation across all business and IT assets; is highly optimised to do more with less; addresses the information challenge; manages and mitigates risks; and utilises flexible delivery choices like clouds.

With Dynamic Infrastructure, Computacenter will be able to help customers optimise their IT infrastructure through virtualisation and energy efficiency initiatives to achieve more with less by improving resource utilisation and business flexibility. It will provide solutions to help virtualise all resources - servers, storage, desktops and applications - and proactively handle energy management across the business enabling organisations to dynamically adjust their IT to meet changing demand levels and new business requirements.

Cost efficiency is top of mind for the vast majority organisations and they are not just looking to drive down overall costs, but to use their budgets better. The need for progress is clear:

In distributed computing environments, up to 85% of computing capacity may sit idle.¹
On average, for every 100 units of energy piped into a datacentre, only three units are used for actual computing.¹
70% of the average IT budget is spent on maintaining the existing infrastructure versus adding new capabilities.²

Neil Muller, Director of Services and Solutions at Computacenter, comments: “Consolidating and virtualising the IT estate delivers very clear return on investment - but only if it is done right. To do so requires a powerful level of strategic and operational planning followed by implementation and support of the very best technical solutions. Extending our relationship with IBM by becoming an accredited Dynamic Infrastructure Business Partner further enhances our ability to deliver this best practice vision and the very best solution-sets into the market.”

To achieve this certification, Computacenter has invested many hours in IBM training classes; achieved brand, system architecture and project management based certifications; and built new offerings to help customers evaluate their environments and implement robust solutions for their dynamic infrastructure environments.

"IBM's strategy for a dynamic infrastructure offers a new model for organisations to fully benefit from their data centre technologies," said Jacqueline Davey, Vice President, UK IBM Business Partner Organisation. "Computacenter's Data Centre Solution business has a long standing relationship with IBM where we have delivered many successful projects. Their participation in the Dynamic Infrastructure Specialty Programme enhances the breadth of Computacenter's existing skills to enable them to help customers create dynamic infrastructures."

-ENDS-

¹ U.S. Department of Energy, May 18, 2007
² Journal of Object Technology, http://www.jot.fm/issues/issue_2009_05/column3/index.html