SSAB Contracts Acxiom to Provide IT Infrastructure
08/27/2008 - Svenskt Stal AB contracts Acxiom Corp. to provide information technology infrastructure and services for the company’s North American Division over the next three years.
Svenskt Stal AB (SSAB), Sweden, has selected Acxiom® Corp. to provide information technology infrastructure and services for the company’s North American Division over the next three years.
SSAB’s June 2008 sale of Ipsco (its North American tubular and Canadian steel operation) required the separation of the division’s information technology environment from the rest of the divested company. SSAB targeted completion of the migration within an aggressive timeframe of four months.
This separation of the information technology infrastructure was a mission-critical component of the multi-billion dollar transaction. Delays in the ability to divide and migrate the IT infrastructure, applications, and data would have had an impact on the closing of the transaction.
“We recognized this was going to be a large task with extraordinary requirements, and we needed to find a partner that could provide the migration and transition expertise as well as the IT competencies to effectively manage our environment—and make it all happen in record time,” said SSAB Director of Information Technology John Gosack. “Acxiom’s depth of knowledge in the mainframe arena, and their ability to provide the entire spectrum of IT services required for this project made them the frontrunner in our selection process.”
The Acxiom team partnered with SSAB IT to successfully execute the environment migration in under 40 days.
“We appreciate the trust SSAB placed in Acxiom,” said Acxiom Senior Vice President Marty Sunde. “A transition of this magnitude typically requires a longer time frame. The SSAB team members are true professionals and really made this high-risk effort work.”
Under the terms of the contract, which began in June, Acxiom is providing managed services for SSAB’s North American computing environment, including distributed systems, mainframe, service desk, network management/security, remote desktop, asset management, and disaster recovery.
“Acxiom has proven itself to be an integral extension of our IT team by showing us they have the tools, technologies and expertise to deliver operational excellence,” said SSAB global Vice President and Chief Information Officer Tim Wensits. “We distinguish ourselves by the best-in-class solutions and productivity that allow our customers to stay competitive. Acxiom’s robust business-critical IT infrastructure services will help us maintain that leadership position for the years to come.”
A global leader in interactive marketing services, Acxiom provides clients with consumer insight for effective and profitable business decisions and direct-to-consumer marketing initiatives. Founded in 1969, Acxiom is headquartered in Little Rock, Ark., and serves clients around the world from locations in the United States, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. Acxiom is a registered trademark of Acxiom Corp.
