Neckarsulm/Ehningen, 8 March 2013 – Bechtle and IBM are expanding their cooperation in managed services, with up to 60 employees from IBM Business Services set to join Bechtle on 1 April 2013, pending approval by the German Federal Cartel Office. The employees in question are employed on site at various corporate groups and SMEs all across Germany. By acquiring them, Bechtle hopes to further develop its managed services business and at the same time solidify its partnership with IBM. Both parties have agreed not to disclose details of the outsourcing projects.
A similar agreement was reached by Bechtle and IBM in 2005. At the time, approximately 100 employees left IBM to join forces with Bechtle, and nearly all of them are still employed by Bechtle to this day. Managed services – provided at approximately 65 IT system houses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as the central Bechtle Managed Services AG (BMS) – was already one of Bechtle's core businesses long before this initial agreement. In total, BMS counts 535 employees, 160 of which are in on-site services. “We're very pleased to welcome these experienced and highly qualified IBM employees to help us realise our growth strategy. They will be working for a reliable, successful and very stable employer,” comments Jörg Öynhausen, Managing Director, Bechtle Onsite Services.
Long-Time Partnership between IBM and Bechtle.
Bechtle and IBM have maintained an excellent partnership for 28 years. The Neckarsulm-based IT service and commerce business was among the first of IBM’s German system house partners back in the 1980s.
“We recognise and appreciate the value of Bechtle as a reliable and dynamic business partner. These characteristics were a deciding factor in our decision, as they enable us to offer our customers and employees excellent prospects in the field of managed services,” comments Jan van Groningen, Vice President GTS SO Delivery, IBM Germany.
Continuous On-Site Customer Support.
Through outtasking and outsourcing contracts, Bechtle Onsite Services provides continuous on-site support to customers' IT service teams. Services are performed by specialised local on-site service teams according to customer requirements. If desired, businesses can also outsource 100% of the operation of their IT processes.