HP has landed a $675 million (£337.5 million) IT outsourcing deal this week.

The computer giant's IT outsourcing division has signed a seven-year-deal with Unilever to manage its IT infrastructure in the US, Asia, Turkey and the Middle East.

Neil Cameron, chief information officer for Unilever, said that the agreement is "a natural extension" of the companies' existing relationship.

He added: "The intention between both parties is to leverage HP's scale, expertise and industry leadership to ensure Unilever has access to world-class technology at substantially lower costs."

As part of the deal, HP will handle Unilever's day-to-day operations, implement new applications, work with its technology partners and manage third-party contracts.

Furthermore, 250 of Unilever's workers will be transferred to HP under the terms of the contract.

Unilever is a manufacturer of consumer goods that employs around 179,000 people in nearly 100 countries.

During 2007 it reported $58 billion (£27.5 billion) in sales.

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