Bank of Ireland IT outsourcing contract goes to IBM

1 Nov 2010

A major IT contract that had been managed by HP is to be moved to IBM following the expiry of the previous contract, it emerged this evening.

Bank of Ireland and IBM tonight announced they have signed a five-year contract for the future provision of the bank’s IT infrastructure services.

Following a competitive bid process with a number of parties, IBM was selected for exclusive contract negotiations in July of this year. During the intervening period, an extensive due diligence phase was undertaken and relevant regulatory approval granted.

Contract Signing

“The signing of this contract marks the culmination of a lengthy process, during which Bank of Ireland assessed a number of potential service providers,” according to Larry Kiernan, chief technology officer and head of group IT, Bank of Ireland.

“We have now agreed a Group-wide solution for the provision of our IT infrastructure services and, under this agreement, will have access to a wide range of innovative IT solutions. We will continue to work closely with our existing provider, HP to ensure a smooth transition to IBM”, he added.

IBM will manage the bank’s entire IT infrastructure, including desktop systems, servers, mainframes, local area networks and service desk.

“IBM offers an outstanding value proposition to clients like Bank of Ireland”, said Peter O’Neill, Country General Manager, IBM Ireland.

“Bank of Ireland is a great example of an industry leader that focuses on driving strategic value.  IBM brings extensive experience in service delivery across the enterprise supported by world class delivery capabilities and ongoing process and technology investments.”

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com