LONDON -- Equant (NYSE: ENT) (Euronext Paris: EQU), a recognised industry leader in global data and IP services for multinational businesses, has signed a five-year, $29 million contract renewal to provide Electrolux IT Solutions with a global IP VPN connecting 160 sites in 33 countries. Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Electrolux IT Solutions is the technology arm of Electrolux Group, the world’s largest producer of powered appliances for kitchen, cleaning and outdoor use. Equant’s industry-leading IP VPN will handle all the group’s network traffic in North America, South America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Electrolux has a particularly high number of network connections in Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. In addition, Equant will provide a suite of managed services, including security consultancy, project management and equipment management.
"We outsourced the management of our global network to Equant because it is the only international telecommunications provider with the quality of service and support we require globally to run our business," said Paul Rumble, senior vice-president, Electrolux IT Solutions. "Our market is extremely customer-focused, and market and customer needs change quickly," he added. "We need to reflect this in the way we manage our business. It’s important that we outsource areas that are not core to what we do. Our view is that, with Equant’s expertise, the network will become a source of competitive advantage for the Group." An Equant customer since 2000, Electrolux joins more than 800 other major multi-national companies, with more than 22,000 sites worldwide, that have opted for the cost and performance advantages of Equant IP VPN. Specific benefits include:
Electrolux will have a single, global IP VPN - instead of many networks meshed together - providing secure, high performance, any-to-any connectivity in a private network environment
With the ability to prioritise traffic, Electrolux can maximise bandwidth utilisation and optimise performance of business-critical applications, including Lotus Notes for email and group-working applications, and various finance and manufacturing applications, such as JD Edwards
Electrolux can efficiently integrate new services, such as Voice and Video for IP VPN, which it is considering for the future
As part of the network management, Equant will monitor the network 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and Electrolux executives will have access to service level and real-time reports on network performance via WebVision, Equant’s Web-based customer service portal
Howard Ford, president of Markets and Sales, Equant, said: "We understand how important it is for a multi-national company such as Electrolux to feel confident that its worldwide network is in good hands. Electrolux ITS knows that our global MPLS IP VPN is secure, scaleable and robust enough to support the Group’s growth and expansion plans, wherever that may be."
Equant