German savings bank Sparkasse KölnBonn has inked a five year deal with prosystemsIT - in which it holds a stake of around 25% - for the provision and operation of VoIP systems.
Under the deal, prosystemsIT, which is majority owned by Wincor Nixdorf, will begin replacing 7000 existing analog terminals from a variety of manufacturers, in the third quarter.
By the end of the project, 150 Sparkasse KölnBonn telephone systems of different types and ages and from different manufacturers will be replaced.
Wincor Nixdorf claims this will slash maintenance costs, helping to save Sparkasse KölnBonn a six-figure sum every year.
The vendor will take over the operation of applications for the bank's 40 servers, telecommunications system, billing and maintenance for the 7000 IP terminal devices, and network monitoring.
All Sparkasse data that is available via the bank's network will now be connected to the central telephone system, enabling staff to log in at any workstation and be reachable under their usual numbers.
The new VoIP system will offer uniform functions and keyboard layout for all terminal devices plus integration in the bank's e-mail system. Telephone and fax connections can be initiated directly from the e-mail system. This system will also provide a foundation for Web conferencing.
Bonn-based Prosystems was established in 2004 as a technology service provider for several large savings banks in the Cologne-Bonn area of Germany.
Last year Wincor Nixdorf took a 51% stake in the firm, with Sparkasse KölnBonn retaining a 26.38% share. Kreissparkasse Köln holds 20.17% and SDZ Sparkassen-Dienstezentrum 2.45%.