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IBM: Primagaz Renews Its Outsourcing Agreement With IBM for the Next Five Years

^{Published on 2009-02-25 08:38:58, Last Modified on 2009-02-25 08:39:45 - Market Wire}
 

PARIS--(Marketwire - February 25, 2009) - Primagaz, a major player in designing sustainable gas energy solutions in France, has selected IBM (NYSE: [ IBM ]) to manage the evolution of its data processing systems by signing an information technology (IT) outsourcing contract for an additional five years. The agreement with IBM is part of Primagaz' initiative to reposition itself as "a modern player in the world of modern energy."

"The transformation of the energy market, and in particular, the continued development of renewable energies as well as the increasing needs, is pushing us to capitalize on our 150 years of experience in order to continue progressing and become a designer of energy solutions," commented Myriam Maestroni, General Manager, Primagaz. "Our mission to become a modern player in the energy world requires that we surround ourselves with trusted partners, like IBM. Beyond IT services, this relationship with IBM is the start of a long-term partnership to think about the key issues and challenges of our industry, particularly environmental ones."

"We are very pleased to support the strategic transformation of an innovative company that is involved in environmental matters and is able to reinvent and anticipate the energy needs of its consumers," explained Nicolas Sekkaki, General Manager, IBM Global Technology Services. "Clients, like Primagaz, understand that in order to maintain a competitive advantage, they must turn disparate data into smarter, actionable information; find more efficient ways of working and serving customers; scale and adapt their entire IT infrastructure; and transform their operations to become greener."

IBM responded to Primagaz' outsourcing requirements in the following ways:

• Respect for the environment - The Primagaz information system will be hosted in IBM's new green data center in Montpellier, France.
• Reinforced security - The solution benefits from splitting the environment between two sites and by integrating the highly available ERP architecture into the current environment.
• Flexible infrastructure needed for business - The solution includes the availability of scalable services and technologies to support current and future Primagaz needs.
• Governance for sustainable innovation - Primagaz and IBM will introduce governance at various levels within the company to allow the sharing of strategies and challenges and to make room for innovation and improved services.

The agreement was signed in December 2008.

About Primagaz

Primagaz is a French subsidiary of the SHV Gas group, global leader in LPG distribution (Liquefied Petroleum Gas). Designer of sustainable gas energy solutions, Primagaz operates through a network of eighteen sales offices and 20,000 sales outlets throughout France, and delivers its products to more than 2 million customers. For additional information, please visit [ www.primagaz.fr ]

About IBM

For more information on IBM, visit [ www.ibm.com/services ].