NEWS British Airways has signed a multi-million pound deal with UK virtual network operator Vanco to design, implement and manage a global VPN.
The internet based IPSec VPN will cover 155 sites worldwide across 64 countries on four continents. That represents around 20 per cent of the whole BA estate, according to Allen Timpany, CEO of Vanco.
Timpany said: "To date there have only been one or two suppliers for the airline industry around the world and they have had a stranglehold on the market."
"As such we see this contract as a landmark win," he added, accepting that the name of BA in the Vanco portfolio, alongside recent deals with Siemens and £19m-worth of an IBM Lloyds TSB contract, will further legitimise the VNO business model.
Vanco expects its virtual network model to pull together offerings from around 80 carriers worldwide in putting together the BA offering and Timpany told silicon.com he has his sights set on the areas of the BA estate not covered by this deal.
Speaking at the company's annual press symposium in Budapest, Timpany announced a number of other wins including German healthcare giant Drägerwerk.
That deal will see Vanco develop, implement and maintain a WAN spanning 175 branches in 40 countries across Asia, Europe and North America.
Vanco also announced deals with global logistics business Kuehne & Nagel and human resources solutions provider Solvus.
