BT Wins AstraZeneca Deal

LONDON -- BT has announced a £25 million, five-year deal to become the global network partner for AstraZeneca, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies.

BT has provided network services for AstraZeneca since 2003. The new agreement will see BT providing a single delivery platform, with the existing BT-managed global MPLS network in EMEA and Asia Pacific extended to 33 new sites in the USA and Latin America. The new contract covers a total of 170 managed connections at 131 AstraZeneca sites in 60 countries worldwide. AstraZeneca’s network carries six terabytes of data – the equivalent of 2,000 feature-length movies – every day. The expanded network will ensure that all AstraZeneca employees around the world have access to real-time information wherever and whenever they need it, while at the same time providing a solid foundation for the convergence of voice, video and other multimedia applications across a single global network platform.

Richard Williams, Global CIO, AstraZeneca, said: "With BT we have a partner that understands our business and the need to seamlessly connect our people across our global operations. The service effect model that we have developed will ensure BT services will deliver greater agility, responsiveness and collaboration among our global workforce. This in turn, will lead to improved overall business performance.

"Laurie Bowen, managing director Commercial & Brands, BT Global Services UK, said: "AstraZeneca is a telling example of how global businesses are increasingly reliant upon permanent connectivity between a high number of sites around the world. We are delighted that AstraZeneca has entrusted BT with the growth and continued management of its global network infrastructure to support the planned transformation of its business for the next five years.”

BT Global Services