FirstGroup Awards Global IT Contract to Atos Origin

PARIS, Feb. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Atos Origin, an international IT services company, today announced that it has signed a new five year deal worth more than $30 million with FirstGroup, the leading transport operator in North America and the UK.

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This announcement follows the successful outsourcing of First's UK data centers to Atos Origin in 2010. The deal covers the consolidation of the Group's data center infrastructure in North America, which has grown through recent acquisitions and mergers.

Atos Origin will provide a range of services with varying architectural standards. It will migrate and transform First's North American data center operations into a utility based service delivery model creating a single, global way of managing and delivering a business-driven technology landscape. The five year deal is expected to deliver cost savings, minimize risk and provide the commercial, financial and technical flexibility to support First's business plans.

Craig Wallace, FirstGroup's IT Director, said: "Atos Origin delivered an excellent proposal which complements our plans to improve and standardize our IT practices. It has a strong track record in both the IT and transport sectors and is well placed therefore to deliver the IT infrastructure and support that enables us to further strengthen our business."

Paul Stewart, CEO for Atos Origin North America said: "This is an important and strategic deal for Atos Origin, which showcases our global expertise. We are absolutely committed to deliver world class service to FirstGroup and our experts in the US and the UK will work together to ensure a smooth transition. The goal is to deliver real business benefits in the short term."

About Atos Origin

Atos Origin is a leading international information technology (IT) services company, providing hi-tech transactional services, consulting, systems integration and managed operations to deliver business outcomes globally. The company's annual revenues are EUR 5.0 billion and it employs 49,000 people. Atos Origin is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic Games and has a client base of international companies across all sectors. Atos Origin is quoted on the Paris Eurolist Market and trades as Atos Origin, Atos Worldline and Atos Consulting. For more information, visit: www.atosorigin.com

SOURCE Atos Origin