The National Bank of Belgium has signed a six year contract, worth EUR8.5 million, with telecomms outfit Colt for the provision of a disaster recovery system.
The agreement will see Colt provide a secure data centre and permanent network interconnectivity with the National Bank's own centre.
The bank says that it needs a data centre and managed services provider to help consolidate its current IT infrastructure, including future changes, because of new legal requirements.
The bank recently conducted a proof-of-concept on Colt's optical networking system, Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing. This was used to test compatibility with the bank's IT environment as well as the distance and quality of the connection.
Tanuja Randery, MD, Benelux, Colt, says the firm beat off competition from two rivals for the deal.