Etihad Airways and IBM have announced a 10-year technology services agreement worth $700m to provide the Abu Dhabi-based airline group with access to the latest cloud-based technologies and services.
IBM will deliver a range of secure technology services, allowing Etihad Airways and its partners to “transform their IT infrastructure into global, flexible and agile cloud-based platforms”.
The agreement includes plans for the creation of a new cloud data centre in Abu Dhabi. The centre, to be developed and operated by IBM, will be one of the most sophisticated technology facilities in the Middle East.
James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ president and chief executive, said: “This is a long-term, strategic partnership which will allow Etihad Airways and its partners to harness the latest technologies as we deliver our award-winning services.
“This is a game-changing agreement for Etihad Airways, for our partners and employees, and for Abu Dhabi.”
Etihad Airways’ current data centre, IT infrastructure, applications and security operations will be migrated to the new data centre in Abu Dhabi, and disaster recovery will be managed at an IBM Cloud data centre in Europe.
Photo caption left to right): Martin Jetter, Senior Vice President, IBM Global Technology Services; Hareb Al Muhairy, Etihad Airways’ Senior Vice President Corporate and International Affairs; and Robert Webb, Etihad Airways’ Chief Information and Technology Officer celebrate the signing of the technology services agreement.
