Belgium communications service provider Proximus said the alliance will strengthen its cloud portfolio for its enterprise customers, while enabling it to operate its data centre infrastructure in a “more sustainable and efficient manner”.
HCL will now operate and maintain Proximus' private cloud data centres and turn its enterprise business unit into a provider of hybrid cloud solutions using public cloud services from the likes of Amazon, Microsoft and Google.
The partnership is set to be fully operational from next February, after a four month transition period.
Proximus estimates the agreement will lead to a reduction of around 20% in the total cost of operating its cloud infrastructure.
At the beginning of next year it will receive €71m in cash from HCL and its financial and technology partners for the current cloud infrastructure. And all future assets needed to support the operation will fall under an IFRS leasing model.
C Vijayakumar, CEO and managing director of HCL Technologies, said: “The collaboration is revolutionary. Together, we look forward to developing a competitive cloud environment and digital offerings for the Belgian market.
“HCL's investment in a dedicated lab will not only foster innovation and growth at Proximus, but will also help us develop the next generation of digital talent in Belgium.”
Guillaume Boutin, CEO of the Proximus Group, added: “In addition to the economies of scale that the agreement brings, it will allow us to enrich our knowledge, our best practices, our tools, our experience and our expertise in the field of cloud.
“And thanks to the partnership in IT infrastructure, we will not only be able to develop the best customer offer, but also maintain a strong strategic influence in the field of cloud services.”
