Texas Department of Information Resources Awards IBM Contract for Statewide Email and Collaboration Software Services19 March 2006
A newly signed agreement between the TexasDepartment of Information Resources (DIR) and IBM offers significantsavings to state and local governments on enterprise messaging (email) andadditional related services. IBM was selected to design, develop, operateand manage the statewide system. At prices as low as $1.99 per mailbox permonth and an estimated blended rate of $3.80, this landmark agreementdelivers at least a 45% savings when compared to both agency self-reportedcosts and published national averages.
"In addition to the significant cost savings, this agreement provides addedsecurity, performance guarantees, disaster recovery services, and increasedfunctionality for public sector entities. We have created a new andrepeatable approach to the delivery of email solutions across stategovernment and have used DIR's purchasing volume to leverage the benefitsto local government and education. This is a good deal for Texas," saidLarry Olson, Chief Technology Officer for the State of Texas.
The agreement offers government entities nationwide the opportunity toselect from several email options including Lotus Notes, Microsoft Outlookand Web email. Structured on a managed service, pay-per-use basis, stateagencies, local governments and the education community can mix and matchthe service levels and email options based on individual unit or staffneeds and storage requirements. In addition, global email lists and sharedcalendaring across organizations are possible with this new system.
Initially 13 state agencies, representing 65,000 seats, signed a letter ofintent to participate in this agreement and have been actively involvedthroughout the procurement process. Texas Health and Human ServicesExecutive Commissioner Albert Hawkins said the new contract will providestate agencies with greater flexibility to manage their communicationneeds. "Our health and human services agencies have been working hard tobetter integrate our programs and operations for three years," Hawkinssaid. "A good, reliable communication system that allows us to easily reachacross agency lines is a key part of that effort."
Along with the core email, other messaging services are available atadditional cost, including instant messaging, virtual team workspace,document management, and wireless solution support (Blackberry, Treo, etc)via IBM Workplace collaboration software. Services are hosted in aDallas-based IBM data center that provides redundancy, scalability andsecurity for all customer accounts. Additionally, IBM Tivoli software willprovide security capabilities for the offering.
"Texas has been extremely innovative in the way it manages and deliversinformation technology in the public sector," said John R. Nyland, managingpartner, IBM Public Sector Consulting Services. "The approach today allowsthe state to optimize its investment in its technology, and deliverextremely cost-effective services in a very efficient manner. IBM is proudto be part of this type of innovation and forward thinking."
In addition to state agencies, the low per mailbox charge is veryattractive to local government and education entities. "We've been lookingat a number of the initiatives that DIR is undertaking and they make senseto us because the products and prices are right. When I get qualityservices at lower prices I'm interested," said Tim Barbee, ChiefInformation Officer, City of Arlington.
DIR will be piloting the transition from existing email infrastructure to amore robust system using Microsoft Outlook through the IBM contract. "Thisis the right solution for DIR and, by taking the lead, DIR can understandthe transition process and assist other agencies as they take advantage ofthis great opportunity," said Olson.
The Austin office of law firm Andrews Kurth LLP and the Houston-basedsourcing strategy firm TPI, Inc., assisted the DIR in-house legal andbusiness team during the procurement process.
The Department of Information Resources (DIR) is a state agency thatpromotes a shared vision for Texas where the state maximizes the value ofits technology investment by identifying common areas of interest, usingtechnology to advance agency-specific missions, and preserving flexibilityto innovate. Visit DIR at www.dir.state.tx.us.
CONTACTS:Leslie MuellerTexas Department of Information Resources(512) 936-7047Leslie.mueller@dir.state.tx.us
Lon LevitanIBM(512) 823-0404llevitan@us.ibm.com
SOURCE: IBM, Texas Department of Information Resources
Source: marketwire
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