United Utilities gets connected with Fujitsu

United Utilities provides water and sewerage services to approximately seven million people in the North West of England. The company recognises the need to continually improve its operations and enhance the services it provides to customers. IT is an enabler to the business, and after carrying out a review of its data centre environment, United Utilities took the decision to transform its IT estate. It looked for a partner with a proven track record in delivering projects for similar companies, of a similar scale. Fujitsu was selected as supplier of choice following a rigorous tender process.

Under the terms of a ten-year contract, Fujitsu will design, build and manage the infrastructure which connects its data centre environments. This includes the design and provision of a fibre optic network between its existing data centre in Warrington and a new site in Manchester, which is set to open mid 2014. Furthermore, Fujitsu will manage and maintain the network on a 24/7 basis, providing engineering capability on site.

Paul Patterson, Executive Director, Fujitsu commented: “The objective here is to create a resilient and reliable network, that provides United Utilities with control over its various operations as well as helping to reduce IT costs, supporting the critical national infrastructure. At this stage in the implementation phase, we are well on our way to achieving that – and looking forward to a long and successful partnership with United Utilities.”