Microsoft Corp and the Toronto, Canada-based CGI Group Inc have formed a systems integration and outsourcing alliance that will see CGI target large telecommunications and financial customers in the US and Canada with Microsoft-based systems. The three-year Enterprise Partner deal is valued by CGI at $500m in revenue growth. CGI expects to see a business boom now that enterprise customers have completed their heavy investments in Y2K compliance activities.
In return for the usual software, development and support service concessions from Microsoft, CGI will train up at least 500 new Microsoft Certified Engineers, developers and database engineers. Microsoft will also be lending CGI some of its own consultants to help with the lnowledge transfer. CGI is the largest independent IT consulting firm in Canada, and the fifth largest in the US. It has around 10,000 staff.
