BASKING RIDGE, N.J. -- Verizon Business has been selected by Manulife Financial to design, deploy and manage an advanced IP-based international network.

Under a new five-year agreement, Verizon Business will consolidate and standardize Manulife Financial’s discrete networks, creating a single IP-based infrastructure connecting its regional networks in 15 countries and territories.

The new managed network will deliver enhanced availability, reliability and redundancy, to provide Manulife Financial’s more than 20,000 employees with access to the corporate information and resources required to support the financial protection and wealth management requirements of its millions of customers.

Manulife Financial selected Verizon Business for its breadth of managed services and global support capabilities, especially throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, Manulife found that Verizon Business’ experts thoroughly understood Manulife’s strategic objectives and vision for consolidating and improving its infrastructure.

“Over the past decade, Manulife Financial experienced significant organic growth and executed a series of acquisitions and mergers,” said Joseph Cooper, executive vice president and chief information officer, Manulife Financial. “Our new global network will position Manulife to rapidly integrate future acquisitions and serve as the foundation for the deployment of global applications and advanced technologies such as VoIP and video.”

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