Steria Suisse and distributor of raw materials Dolder have signed a five-year IT outsourcing deal this week.

Under the terms of the contract, Steria Suisse will handle Dolder's information systems, which includes its IT network, infocentre and telephony applications, at its sites in Switzerland, Austria and Italy.

Furthermore, three of Dolder's IT technicians will transfer to Steria Suisse to help the IT outsourcing firm cut costs, enhance stability and upgrade the distributor of raw materials' technical environment.

Matthys Dolder, chief executive officer of Dolder, said: "We opted for an outsourcing solution as this will allow us to make savings while benefiting from enhanced availability and guaranteed security in our IT system."

Nicolas Vezin, chief executive of Steria Suisse, also expressed his satisfaction at the signing of the deal.

He said that the five-year contract showed Dolder's "faith" in Steria Suisse and claimed that the partnership would be an opportunity for the firm to exercise its "expertise in outsourcing".

In October 2007, Steria Suisse expanded its operations by acquiring the British firm Xansa.

Following this takeover, Steria Suisse now employs over 18,000 staff in 16 countries, including 5,000 in India.

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