Ahold Signs New Infrastructure and Applications Services Agreement with HP

Ahold, an international group of leading supermarket companies in the United States and Europe, yesterday extended its relationship with HP by signing a new seven-year infrastructure and applications services agreement.

The contract extension is designed to reduce the complexity and improve the efficiency of Amsterdam-based Ahold’s global technology environment.

“Success in today’s global retailing market requires more than retailing knowledge — it requires a flexible technology foundation to optimize operations, innovate, serve customers and support company growth,” said Mike Klaus, VP and GM, consumer and transportation industries at Palo Alto, Calif.-based HP Enterprise Services. “Extending our relationship will help Ahold further improve the technology services that support its continued business success.”

Under the terms of the agreement, HP will continue to provide management and support services for Ahold’s global data center environment, which includes mainframes, servers and storage. In addition, HP will implement HP Business Service Automation to make server and storage capabilities more robust and more highly available. Ahold will use HP ProLiant rack servers and HP StorageWorks XP Disk Arrays as well as HP ProCurve 2610 and 5412 switches.

HP also will provide network services for Ahold’s extensive network that connects its supply chain and distribution with its 3,000 stores, warehouses and office locations across Europe and the United States.

HP will also continue to manage Ahold’s workplace computing environment for more than 200,000 Ahold associates in Europe and the United States. The solution includes a suite of workplace services across its store and office environments, including service desk and site support services. HP also will migrate Ahold employees to HP hardware such as HP EliteBook 2500, 6900 and 8500 series notebooks, and HP dx2400, dc5800 and dc7900 series Business Desktops.

In the United States, HP will provide applications management for several Ahold business and administrative applications. The vendor will deliver these services to Ahold primarily from sites in Argentina, Belgium, Germany, India, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Spain and the United States that are part of the HP Best Shore global delivery network.
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