Siemens Communications, the market leader in convergent technologies, has been appointed to supply voice communications equipment to Old Mutual and the Nedbank Group, as part of the recently-announced joint network deal, one of the biggest contracts of its kind in South Africa.
Old Mutual South Africa and the Nedbank Group have outsourced their full telephony and data communications infrastructure to a consortium of specialist service providers made up of Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) and Telkom South Africa.
The deal sees Old Mutual and the Nedbank Group hand over management, maintenance and support of its data and telephony networks to the Telkom/CSC consortium, with Siemens Communications looking after the voice component of the solution as a sub-contractor to Telkom.
CSC will manage the relationship with Old Mutual and Nedbank, act as the single point of contact for all communication and services and, together with Telkom, leverage appropriate resources and expertise to provide required services. CSC will also provide local area network management and support services at Old Mutual and Nedbank principal operational centres, and deliver help desk services from its facility in Cape Town.
Telkom will be responsible for the management and support of wide area network and voice services, implementation of a centralised telephone management solution and local area network support for branch locations.
Fulfilling its component of the contract, Siemens Communications is performing a complete asset buy back of all Nedbank's voice technology and infrastructure, while a refresh of Branch PABX technology will render in excess of 900 sites around South Africa capable of voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) telephony.
Greg Bezuidenhout of Siemens Communications says the deal reflects increased acceptance of the concept of outsourcing non-core business functions to recognised specialist service providers.
"Voice infrastructure in particular is a service that is critical to business; simultaneously, it represents a significant factor for a large organisation," says Bezuidenhout. "By entrusting the operation, maintenance and management of its full infrastructure to CSC and Telkom supported by Siemens Communications, Old Mutual and Nedbank are recognising the value of putting a critical business service in the hands of organisations that are able to maximise the value of the equipment and connectivity, reduce costs and guarantee availability."
In its management of the communications equipment, approximately 16 people have been transferred to Siemens Communications from Nedbank and assume responsibility for the management and control of all Old Mutual and Nedbank's voice requirements and service levels. service le[JT1][JT1]service.
"Management of telephone call costs and the voice network will be centralised from Siemens Johannesburg for optimal efficiency and cost control," adds Bezuidenhout.
The five-year contract is an entire outsource solution based on a 'per user, per month' basis, allowing Old Mutual and Nedbank to benefit by only paying for the services actually used.
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Old Mutual plc is an international financial services group focusing on asset gathering and asset management. 64% of its funds under management are in the United States, 26% in South Africa and 10% the United Kingdom.
In South Africa, it is the largest financial services business, through its life assurance, asset management, banking and general insurance operations. Its businesses include:
* Old Mutual (South Africa): the country's largest financial services provider
* Nedbank Group Ltd. (formerly Nedcor): the fourth largest banking Group in South Africa
* Mutual and Federal: one of South Africa's largest general insurers
In the United States it is the leading fixed and equity indexed annuity provider and our multi-style asset management business offers an array of specialist asset management skills. In the United Kingdom it focuses on asset management.
Siemens Communications:
Siemens Communications is one of the largest players in the global telecommunications industry. Siemens is the only provider in the market that offers its customers a full-range portfolio, from devices for end users to complex network infrastructures for enterprises and carriers as well as related services. Siemens Communications is the world's innovation leader in convergent technologies, products and services for wireless, fixed and enterprise networks. It is the largest Group within Siemens and operates in more than 160 countries around the world. In fiscal 2003 (year-end September 30), its 60,000-strong workforce posted sales of about 17 billion euros.
More about Siemens Communications at www.siemens.com/communications
Telkom SA:
Telkom SA Limited is one of the largest companies registered in the Republic of South Africa and is the largest services provider on the African continent based on operating revenue and assets. Telkom offers fixed-line voice and data services, branded as Telkom, and mobile communications services through a 50% shareholding in the joint venture, Vodacom, a company incorporated in the Republic of South Africa. Vodacom operates in South Africa, Tanzania, Lesotho, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Mozambique and is a joint venture investment with Vodafone Group Plc (35%) and VenFin Limited (15%).
CSC
Founded in 1959, Computer Sciences Corporation is a leading global information technology (IT) services company. CSC's mission is to provide customers in industry and government with solutions crafted to meet their specific challenges and enable them to profit from the advanced use of technology.
With approximately 78,000 employees, CSC provides innovative solutions for customers around the world by applying leading technologies and CSC's own advanced capabilities. These include systems design and integration; IT and business process outsourcing; applications software development; Web and application hosting; and management consulting. Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., CSC reported revenue of $14.3 billion for the 12 months ended July 1, 2005.
For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.csc.com.
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