Fujitsu Services

British Waterways in £7.5 million IT revamp with Fujitsu

British Waterways will see a 35 per cent reduction in running costs.

London, 23rd November 2004 — British Waterways, the not-for-profit organisation responsible for the care and maintenance of more than 2,000 miles of canals and rivers in the United Kingdom, today announced a £7.5 million full outsourcing arrangement with Fujitsu Services, one of Europe's leading IT infrastructure management services companies. The five-year contract will see British Waterways achieve a 35 per cent reduction in the cost of running its IT.

These cost efficiencies will be delivered through the restructuring of British Waterway's existing IT infrastructure. Working with Fujitsu has enabled British Waterways to consolidate its server infrastructure, leading to a 60 per cent reduction in server requirements. This new way of running the infrastructure will enable all employees, whether based in head office or working remotely, to have access to the same corporate systems. This will improve communications between head office and engineers, allowing the £400 million property portfolio to be better managed by ensuring that essential documents, even data-heavy technical drawings, can be accessed and transferred easily by all involved.

Under the new contract, Fujitsu will remotely manage British Waterways' desktops, and provide helpdesk support 24/7 for British Waterways' 1,500 staff, five per cent of whom work remotely. 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 call volumes by tracking recurring problems and implementing a lasting solution. Also, with 24/7 IT support now provided by Fujitsu the revenue streams generated from leisure services such as the printing of boat licenses and marina space reservation will be protected at weekends.

The partnership with Fujitsu will enable British Waterways to deliver on its strategy to become modernised and more independent of the Government. The cost savings provided will assist British Waterways to achieve its overall business objective of becoming largely self-sufficient by 2012, reducing the funding needed from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

The contract also sees the transfer of 16 British Waterways IT specialists into Fujitsu via TUPE. The service transition was completed in October 2004. Following this, the entire desktop and server infrastructure will be designed, delivered, deployed and operated by Fujitsu. This includes a technical refresh of all laptops and PCs, consolidation and migration of servers and a migration from Novell to the latest Windows operating environment and Microsoft Exchange mail services.

Richard Walsh, IT director, British Waterways, said: "It is important for us to cut costs in as many ways as we can. Obviously, IT must play its part in this. Fujitsu's proposal was the one which demonstrated the best-value whilst providing the most comprehensive option for us, and we're now able to provide a really practical solution for all employees across Britain."

Peter Barrett, utilities business development manager, Fujitsu Services, said: "The first stages of the service transition are already demonstrating real value to British Waterways' business. The challenge and responsibility of providing 24/7 support for all the employees is now being met allowing us to play our part in helping British Waterways to achieve its modernisation program and cost-reduction drive."

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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 British Waterways

British Waterways is a public corporation responsible for the care and maintenance of more than 2,000 miles (3,220 kms) of canals and rivers in England , Scotland and Wales . It derives its income from commercial activities, third party funding and Government grants and is sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. All of British Waterways' income is reinvested in improving the waterways in its care.
For more information, please see: www.britishwaterways.co.uk

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