Unisys Corporation and Harleysville Group Inc., a holding company that includes nine regional property and casualty insurance companies, today announced that Unisys has been selected to design, deploy, and support Harleysville`s next-generation computing environment. Under terms of the multi-year outsourcing services arrangement, Unisys will develop and manage a distributed computing environment that will enable Harleysville to streamline the delivery of new insurance products and facilitate access to information by customers and partners alike.
Leveraging its network integration expertise, Unisys is providing a flexible suite of consulting, integrated network management, end-user help desk support and multivendor hardware maintenance services to complement Harleysville`s in-house IS function.
"The Unisys solution demonstrated the value and flexibility we require to increase end-user productivity and to empower our company to meet its business objectives," noted Wayne Ratz, chief information officer for Harleysville Group. "Unisys ability to design, deploy, manage and support our new environment enables us to provide our customers and partners with greater access to information, and allows us to focus on our core business and aggressively bring new products to market."
Based on the Unisys Global Customer Services portfolio of services, the solution for Harleysville incorporates:
Local area network/wide area network (LAN/WAN) design and implementation
Desktop system deployment
Unisys OneCALL end-user help desk support
Unisys NetWORKS remote network management
Maintenance of multivendor network and desktop components in 30 locations
Asset inventory services
Program management and consulting
Desktop Y2K remediation
Commenting on the relationship, International Data Corporation (IDC) Program Manager Richard Brewer remarked, "Unisys has effectively combined its strengths in the areas of network and desktop management to create a set of offerings that help customers optimize their IT environments while helping to shoulder on-going operational concerns including staffing, security and platform interoperability. Harleysville Group`s decision to engage Unisys demonstrates their commitment to attaining the highest levels of IT availability using the latest technologies to best service their insurance customers into the next century."
"In Harleysville`s business, network reliability is paramount," noted Robert Simplot, vice president and general manager of Unisys Global Customer Services, North America. "By providing a single point of contact, Unisys reduces the complexity inherent in such a multi-phased project. We are committed to providing a smooth transition to the new managed network, and supporting the new environment to help Harleysville achieve its business objectives."
Through its Global Customer Services business unit, Unisys provides a complete portfolio of distributed computing support services. These customized service-based solutions maximize the availability, effectiveness, and value of distributed, multi-vendor information technology investments.
Share
Unisys Corporation
Unisys (NYSE:UIS) is more than 33,000 employees helping customers in 100 countries apply information technology to solve their business problems. Unisys solutions are based on a broad portfolio of global information services, including systems integration, outsourcing, "repeatable" application solutions, consulting, network integration, remote network management, and multivendor maintenance and support, coupled with enterprise-class servers and associated middleware, software, and storage. Repeatable solutions are focused on key vertical markets, including financial services, transportation, telecommunications, government, publishing, and other commercial markets. Headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, in the Greater Philadelphia area, Unisys 1997 annual revenue was $6.6 billion. Access the Unisys home page on the World Wide Web - http://www.unisys.com - for further information.
About Harleysville Group Inc.
Harleysville Group Inc. (NASDAQ: HGIC) is a holding company that includes nine regional property and casualty insurance companies whose marketing territory encompasses 31 states in the eastern half of the United States. The companies include: Great Oaks Insurance Company; Harleysville-Atlantic Insurance Company; Harleysville Insurance Company of New Jersey; Huron Insurance Company; Lake States Insurance Company; Mid-America Insurance Company; Minnesota Fire and Casualty Company; New York Casualty Insurance Company; and Worcester Insurance Company. Additionally, the company owns two limited partnerships: Harleysville Asset Management L.P. and Insurance Management Resources L.P. Further information about Harleysville Group can be found on the company`s Web site (www.harleysville.group.com).
Editorial contacts