The US state of Pennsylvania has extended its contract with Unisys to manage its outsourced operation and maintenance of the state`s Data PowerHouse facility.
The original seven-year contract with Unisys, currently valued at $621 million, was finalised in 1999. The extension, running through to 2009, is valued at $252 million.
A consortium of 10 companies, led by Pennsylvania-based Unisys, manages the Data PowerHouse project.
"Unisys has been a great partner on this initiative, helping us achieve one of the most productive data centres in both the public and private sector," says Mark Schweiker, governor of the State of Pennsylvania. "Our contract extension makes financial sense and will ensure our Data PowerHouse continues to set the blue-ribbon standard for data centre operations around the world."
The Data PowerHouse houses mainframe, midrange computers and other technology, used by agencies to process data for driver`s licence renewals, property tax and rent rebates for senior citizens, processing of criminal files, unemployment compensation claims and other important government services.
The extension includes the delivery of new technology and services to provide enhanced disaster recovery capabilities for critical public services supported by the facility.
Pennsylvania remains the only state to have successfully consolidated and outsourced its data centres.
"The new facility uses robotics and includes the latest security and back-up systems to safeguard data files housed there. The Data PowerHouse provides agencies with the fastest possible access to the latest computing technology. This ensures agencies are using the best equipment for delivering reliable and rapid response times for their customers," says Schweiker.
An important new service provided by the Data PowerHouse is the availability of rapid disaster recovery capabilities, which were not widely used by state agencies before 2000. If an event were to cripple the Data PowerHouse facility, this service provides agencies, within hours, with data processing capabilities from a back-up site located at a safe distance away from the main facility. This extra safeguard ensures that critical data processing services will be provided should disaster strike.
"Working together, Unisys and the State of Pennsylvania have been able to win national and international awards for the performance of this facility," says Geoff Tuck, managed services director at Unisys Africa. "This relationship has led to the success of streamlining and safeguarding the government and many public services that rely on computers in the Data PowerHouse for their smooth operation 24 hours a day."
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