KLM Picks KPN for VPN

HOOFDDORP, The Netherlands -- KPNQwest, the leading pan-European data communications and hosting company, announced today that it has signed a contract to build a fully integrated 12-site IP VPN solution across 6 European countries for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Under the terms of the deal KPNQwest will provide an IP VPN solution to KLM Engineering & Maintenance. The network will seamlessly connect KLM's main headquarter site, located at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, to KLM locations in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.Since the data traffic is carried across the 15-country EuroRings* network, which links seamlessly to the Qwest network in the United States, the solution can be scaled out rapidly to support KLM E&M's international business requirements. It can also be used to support real-time applications, such as IP Voice, allowing the company to combine its voice and data traffic across one robust infrastructure, saving considerably on its communication costs. "For KLM E&M, the solution allows us to share knowledge and resources across borders more effectively, supporting our business requirements while rationalising our cost-base, said Rutger Pannekoek, IT Project Manager, KLM E&M. "At the same time, the pan-European coverage and extended reach affords us the option to rapidly scale out our network and deploy new services across one infrastructure to support our business."KPNQwest NV