Starbucks has selected Unisys to provide data centre outsourcing services to support the global coffee company’s continued expansion in China. Under the two-year contract, Unisys will reportedly provide systems management, network management, asset tracking and software image and voice systems management services delivered from the Unisys global services centre in Shanghai.
The contract is said to expand the existing relationship between Unisys and Starbucks in China. Unisys has been providing end-user support services, including service desk and nationwide infrastructure support services, to Starbucks retail stores, support centers and manufacturing facilities in China since 2007.
The companies claimed that the new deal enables Starbucks to simplify its IT management by working with one vendor for both service desk and data centre support.
Bill Lum, IT director of Starbucks China, said: “As we expand our presence in China, it is important for us to continue to prove a high level of customer service and manage our brand in a way that makes it relevant to a wide variety of Chinese consumers. By outsourcing IT infrastructure management to Unisys — first for service desk and infrastructure support services and now for data centre services — we are able to better focus our resources on our core business and growth plans.”
The Unisys data centre services delivery model is aligned to the recognised Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) set of practices and policies for IT service management, which are designed to improve service delivery efficiency.
Scott Whyman, vice president of Unisys Asia, said: “Our global relationship and use of the ITIL framework translate into many benefits for the Starbucks China operations. For example, we will share an international knowledge management system so that when Starbucks rolls out new global business software systems in China, the data centre service desk will have access to the support files previously used in other markets. Working with Unisys for both service desk and data centre support will help minimise IT management costs and improve IT operational efficiency while Starbucks’ business in China evolves.”
Unisys noted that it received a five-year global contract in 2006 for a range of data centre support, network and server monitoring and security services to support Starbucks’ expansion into international markets.
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