Under the terms of the deal, IBM will take over the support of 3,000 desktop computers and 200 midrange servers in Manulife’s Maritime Life business unit. Manulife acquired the division when it merged with John Hancock Financial Services earlier in 2004.
IBM already provides technology services and infrastructure support for Manulife’s North American operations, including help desk services, servers, storage, and desktop computers. IBM also has an agreement to manage John Hancock’s IT services in the US.
Manulife expects to make significant cost savings through the new deal with IBM. The vendor claims that businesses can spend up to two to five times more than the actual purchase price of a PC for maintenance and operational support.
