Shortly after signing the largest IT contract awarded in recent times with Sanlam, debis IT services SA today announced details of another significant deal in the insurance industry, this time with the Metropolitan Group. The newly awarded contract means the Metropolitan Group will outsource its mainframe Data Centre to debis in a five year deal worth in the region of R100 million.
In a move that reflects a growing industry trend, all Metropolitan`s mission-critical information which guarantee business continuity will be moved out and based at debis` Data Centre.
Jeanette Elston, Head of Technology Services, from Metropolitan on confirming the award of the contract to debis IT Services SA said that the strategic decision taken by Metropolitan made good business and IT sense.
"When a group like Metropolitan is looking to award a five-year contract that involves the backbone of their business, they need to know they are appointing a credible partner with a solid track record and a very bright future. debis clearly met that criteria", she said.
According to Jan van der Merwe, General Manager Sales and Services at debis, the Metropolitan group went through a very rigorous selection process before making a decision.
"We are obviously delighted with Metropolitan`s decision. For us, it is a clear indication of debis` capabilities and shows why the company is now ranked amongst the top three IT companies in South Africa"
The Metropolitan contract win comes just a few weeks after Deutsche Telekom`s acquisition of a 50.1 per cent shareholding in debis` German based parent company; debis Systemhaus. The acquisition catapulted debis Systemhaus, into one of the top three IT Services Providers in Europe.
It`s South African subsidiary debis IT Services, will as a result of the acquisition, now be ranked alongside PQ Africa and Dimension Data.
debis` clients on the IT services side include South Africa`s largest companies: Absa, Sanlam, Denel, Eskom, SAB and the hotly contested Uthingo lottery project.
As part of the company`s strategy to develop and grow in South Africa, debis` CEO Wolfgang Jakob confirmed that debis is in the market for an empowerment partner.
"We are not just paying lip service to the empowerment concept. If you look at our experience with the Uthingo consortium for the national lottery, debis created, trained and supported 11 empowerment companies to implement the lottery network roll out. We have been in discussions with a number of empowerment groups. We do however want to ensure that the business model we choose supports true black empowerment".
Share
