IBM inks $3.1mn worth agreement with REL

BANGALORE, INDIA: IBM announced that it would deploy three energy-efficient and green Scalable Modular Data Centers (SMDCs) in a $3.1 million IT infrastructure services agreement with Religare Enterprises Limited (REL), a financial services group in India.

IBM would design, build and maintain scalable, modular and energy-efficient green data centres in Delhi, Noida and Mumbai for REL. In addition, IBM would also put in place a networking infrastructure and disaster recovery solution for the company. The solution implemented by IBM would help REL reduce annual power costs by 30-35 percent and enable them to effectively meet technology requirements of the company’s expanding business.

REL needed to ensure high operational cost-efficiency; given that power consumption is a major factor in any company’s operational cost. IBM’s SMDC design leveraging high density computing and precision air-conditioning ensures a saving of more than 3600 units (KWH) per day in power consumption alone as compared to an 8,000 sq ft conventional data centre. In a year, this represents a saving of nearly $250,000 (nearly Rs one crore).

Shachindra Nath, group chief operating officer, Religare Enterprises Limited, said: “Religare is a financial services powerhouse and we have ambitious growth plans. We are confident that our partnership with IBM will provide us with a distinct competitive edge in the market."

Nipun Mehrotra, vice president & general manager, Global Technology Services, IBM India/S Asia, said, “In these economically difficult times, companies across the board want solutions that can help them achieve greater operational efficiency and save costs. Religare’s choice of IBM as a preferred IT infrastructure services partner re-affirms our undisputed leadership in the green data centre space and commitment to help clients 'Do more with Less’. IBM’s consultative approach helped Religare with the process of design finalisation and product selection, and ensured the final solution was miles ahead of those offered by the other large competitors in India.”