Borsa Italiana has signed a three year contract with Colt for the design, implementation and management of its enterprise-wide Internet Protocol virtual private network (IP-VPN).
Milan-based Borsa Italiana will use the IP VPN network to connect to more than 100 banks, investment and finance companies in Italy and across Europe.
Colt says the backbone infrastructure will be based on three high capacity Ethernet connections between Milan, Turin and London.
Eric Benedetti, Clients & Market Services Director, ICT, Gruppo Borsa Italiana, says: "Colt's network presence has enabled us to quickly build a multi-carrier, reliable, international network which can connect, through the support of other main providers, all our customers in Borsa Italiana's markets."
The IP VPN network will enable Borsa Italiana to reduce costs and increase service quality, as well as take advantage of advanced applications such as voice over IP, says Colt. By integrating with Ethernet technology, the stock exchange will increase the flexibility, speed and bandwidth of its network, whilst simplifying the infrastructure and reducing installation costs.
Colt says the network is designed to guarantee reliability and is monitored 24 hours a day. Data traffic can also be encrypted to ensure higher levels of security and protection of company communication. The capacity of the network will be controlled by individual users via online report tools.
Borsa Italiana has also selected Colt to host its hardware platforms at its data centre in Turin.