A $4 billion (£2 billion ) IT outsourcing agreement between Royal Dutch Shell and three suppliers will bring "important financial benefits" and make "significant improvements in efficiency and productivity", according to the oil multinational.

The five-year deal has been signed with AT&T, EDS and T-Systems, who will deliver network and telecommunications services, end user computing and infrastructure integration services and hosting and storage services respectively, Business Week reports.

Reuters has noted that many global corporations are now aiming to streamline communications and technology contracts, outsourcing technology operations and upgrading networks to enable more internet-based communications.

Alan Matula, executive vice-president and chief information officer for Shell, said: "This important agreement reflects our determination to accelerate Shell's essential IT capability, optimise our operations and ensure we can provide best-in-class IT services to support our global business."

About 3,000 Shell employees can expect to be transferred to the service providers as part of the deal, which will run from July 1st, according to theregister.co.uk.


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