Web hosting provider EDS and AEGON The Netherlands, an important country unit of one of the world’s largest life insurers, have signed an extension to their existing information technology (IT) services contract for an additional five years.

In 2000, AEGON The Netherlands outsourced the management of its IT facilities to EDS as a measure to focus on the company’s core business while remaining innovative in its use of IT. Building on the success of the earlier contract, this new agreement enables AEGON to remain competitive and flexible.

Under the new extension of the contract, EDS will provide a complete package of information and communications technology (ICT) services. These will range from hosting services of Unix-, mainframe- and web-environments to the provision of desktop, storage and local network services.

EDS also provides AEGON with services on security, mobility, helpdesk and software packaging.

“With this contract we can continue to use our extensive knowledge of the finance sector to serve AEGON The Netherlands on issues of international compliance including Solvency II and SOX,” said Peter Overakker, Managing Director at EDS in the Netherlands. “EDS offers AEGON a technical solution that makes it possible to fully focus on its insurance as well as growing banking activities.”

As a pioneer of IT services for the financial services industry, EDS provides a wide range of outsourced services from payments and securities processing to applications development and network, customer relationship management and helpdesk services to all sectors of the industry. More than 20,000 EDS employees work on finance-related projects in 30 countries.