Oil giant Shell has signed a $1 billion outsourcing deal with IT services provider EDS, one of the largest ever global outsourcing contracts in history.

The five-year IT Master Services Agreement (MSA), announced today, will ‘significantly enhance Shell’s operational flexibility’, according to Bill Thomas, executive vice president for EDS Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

It is estimated that 150,000 users in over 100 countries will be affected by the deal, which will see EDS managing Shell’s end-user computing services, including desktop, service desk, on-site services, back-up and disaster recovery, mobile information protection and managed messaging services.

EDS, which founded the global IT outsourcing industry over 45 years ago, will also act as an operational integrator for Shell, co-ordinating the company’s other key IT suppliers.

“EDS has a significant global presence and proven experience in large-scale IT outsourcing,” said Alan Matula, executive vice president and chief information officer for Shell. The company trusts EDS to provide the “consistent and agile IT support” Shell requires to operate in a competitive global industry, he added.

Further reading

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