Fujitsu Services

Visa EU gets smart with £5 million desktop support contract

Fujitsu will assist Visa in saving £1.2 million per annum through improved management of IT

London, 13th May 2004 — Leading payment brand, Visa EU, has chosen Fujitsu Services, one of Europe's leading providers of managed services for IT infrastructure, to run its corporate desktop support across Europe in a five year contract worth £5 million. Visa can expect to save up to £1.2 million per annum by improving the organisation of its IT assets, infrastructure and re-allocation of resources. The contract allows Visa to concentrate on core business functions, whilst improving the management of corporate IT infrastructure and software in its London head office and other European regional offices, including those in Athens, Brussels, Istanbul, and Madrid.

Fujitsu will support over 800 Visa employees, using remote management tools to solve technical problems, whether they occur in the marketing department of the London head office, or the account team in Milan. Calls regarding technical difficulties will be handled at a helpdesk in the UK using Fujitsu's award winning management methodology 'sense and respond', which reduces current call volumes by tracking recurring problems and implementing a lasting solution.

The contract also provides Visa with improved management of its IT applications, providing further cost efficiencies and ensuring desktops run efficiently. Software used within the business will be delivered electronically to users desktops as per their user profile. For example, the specialised software used by the accountancy department will only be supplied to those who work within that department, reducing the number of application licenses and allowing Visa to better track its IT assets.

John Barcock, vice president of corporate systems at VISA commented: "The management approach adopted by Fujitsu in its helpdesk centre should enable us to eliminate basic IT problems which continually reoccur affecting employee productivity and uptime. Also, through the introduction of the new enterprise management tools we are reassured that our IT systems will be monitored 24/7, minimising downtime whilst making cost savings."

Tom Roche, director of strategy and business development for the finance sector at Fujitsu Services says: "We have a clear vision of how we can work with Visa across Europe to move its IT forward, enabling cost efficiencies whilst providing employees and ultimately customers with an improved service. Our previous relationship with Visa has given us great understanding of what it demands from its IT, allowing us to provide a tailored service to assist in achieving its goals."

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About Fujitsu Services

Fujitsu Services is one of the leading IT services companies in Europe, Middle East and Africa . It has an annual turnover of £1.74 billion, (€2.58 billion) employs 14,500 people and operates in over 20 countries. It designs, builds and operates IT systems and services for customers in the financial services, telecom, retail, utilities and government markets. Its core strength is the delivery of IT infrastructure management and outsourcing across desktop, networking and data centre environments, together with a full range of related services, from consulting through integration and deployment. Headquartered in London, Fujitsu Services is the European-centred IT services arm of the Fujitsu Group. The Fujitsu Group is a US$45 billion (€37 billion) leader in customer-focused IT systems and services for the global marketplace.
For more information, please see: uk.fujitsu.com

About Visa

Visa is one of the world's leading payment brands generating nearly US$3 trillion (USD) in annual card sales volume. Visa has unsurpassed acceptance in more than 150 countries. The Visa organisation plays a pivotal role in developing innovative payment products and technologies to benefit its 21,000 Member financial institutions and their cardholders. Visa is a leader in Internet based payments and is pioneering the creation of u-commerce, or universal commerce-the ability to conduct commerce anywhere, anytime, and any way.
For more information, please see: www.visaeu.com

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