Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich) has entered a six-year global communications and network contract with BT.
Under the agreement, BT will consolidate, modernize and manage Zurich’s communications infrastructure, which underpins the insurer’s operations across 49 countries worldwide.
The contract covers internet connectivity, global wide area networking and local area networking as well as IP telephony and enterprise voice services. It also includes technology supporting Zurich’s global contact centres.
In addition, BT will provide audio conferencing services using its high-definition BT MeetMe with Dolby Voice service. BT will also manage the video conferencing systems for Zurich located around the globe.
“This is a major agreement for Zurich and a key part of our Group’s IT & Operations transformation,” said Robert Dickie, chief operations and technology officer, Zurich Insurance Group.
“There are significant advantages in working with a truly global company, not the least of which are the increased agility and efficiency in dealing with one main provider.”
Using BT IP Connect, an international virtual private network services which converges voice, video and data onto a single IP network , BT will deliver high bandwidth connectivity into various locations globally including Zurich’s main data centers.