BAE Systems has signed a three-year managed service contract with UK-based application logistics firm Camwood to provide managed application certification services across the company’s UK desktop environment.

Under the agreement, Camwood will design, implement and operate the service according to agreed standards and it will also manage the service, providing a high level of governance and controls using best practise methodologies that conform to the latest ITIL standards.

In addition, Camwood will assess commercial off-the-shelf applications (COTS) and applications developed in-house by BAE Systems using Microsoft App-V, the virtualisation platform chosen by BAE Systems.

With the new contract, Camwood is now the specialist partner for the application certification component. Camwood uses its Application Lifecycle Manager to manage applications from ‘cradle to grave’. This can track applications throughout the key stages of the engineering lifecycle while also providing real-time status information to BAE Systems and partners responsible for other parts of the virtualisation project.

Instead of virtualising applications being hosted on each of 37,500+ individual desktops across the UK organisation, they will be stored centrally and as many as possible delivered using Microsoft’s App-V technology.

BAE Systems Enterprise IT Services director Allan Leggetter said BAE Systems recognise that undertaking a "software as a service" transformation will enable the business to be more agile in the deployment and management of applications across the enterprise.

"Camwood, as a recognised provider of expert services in this field, has been pivotal in progressing this initiative and is crucial to its on-going success," said Leggetter.

Camwood CEO Frank Foxall said having worked closely with BAE Systems for several years, Camwood was the ideal candidate when it came to delivering this highly specialised service.

"Indeed, BAE Systems explicitly sought Camwood as its preferred supplier for application certification based on our proven expertise in the field," said Foxall.