|
National Australia Bank has entered into negotiations with Advantra Pty Ltd, a wholly owned Telstra subsidiary, to outsource its Australian desktop services and Local Area Network (LAN). The agreement also includes maintenance of the group's personal computers and helpdesk functions. Under the agreement, 95 of the National's full time staff will be offered employment with Advantra. The National's Chief Information Officer, Mr Glenn Mescher, said all employees will be offered positions with Advantra that are no less favourable than their current conditions. "We believe that outsourcing this role to an IT industry leader, such as Advantra, means more diverse career options and growth for our people working in this area, and a better alignment to industry best practice." "The National is looking to transform the delivery of its internal desktop service. The real driver of this is around improving our service capability while also reducing costs both in IT and the business," he said. The three-year contract covers about 22,000 desktop computers within the National. It is anticipated that negotiations will be completed around August. Telstra Sales Chief, Mr Mike Foster, said he was delighted with the National's decision to name Advantra as the preferred supplier for its multi-million dollar outsourcing business. "This is a significant desktop outsourcing deal and it will only enhance the existing relationship Telstra holds with the National," Mr Foster said. "This announcement clearly shows that Telstra is well placed to effectively compete in the rapidly growing IT and telecommunications outsourcing and managed services market." Advantra Chief Operating Officer, Jim Harris, said that Advantra has the opportunity to provide to the National an outsourced managed service for LAN and desktops at more than 1,200 locations around Australia. "The outsourcing solution Advantra has developed and the existing arrangements Telstra has in place with the National are both aimed at increasing the commercial success and competitive advantage of the National Australia Bank," Mr Harris said. "This would bring Advantra's total number of IT devices under management close to 100,000, clearly demonstrating that Advantra is a formidable player in the IT outsourcing market." The National announced late last year that it would outsource the Desktop Services Group and PC Helpdesk, calling for proposals from seven pre-selected companies. "Since then we have reviewed the proposals and Advantra represents the best way forward," Mr Mescher said. Advantra is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Telstra and is the largest Australian-owned IT outsourcing services company. Advantra is recognised as a leading provider of IT services with over 75,000 desktop units currently under management at about 70 locations around Australia.
|
