Marks & Spencer signs IT managed services deal

Marks & Spencer has signed a £19 million IT managed services contract with Computacenter Services which will provide a service featuring end-to-end accountability for more than 4,000 head office users across six UK sites.

Damone Quigley, head of infrastructure and application services at Marks & Spencer, commented: "The partnership with Computacenter Services will enable us to align IT more closely to the business and deliver tangible results at lower and predictable costs."

The contract with Computacenter Services will help provide its head office staff have better access to core technology, tools and processes. Additionally, Computacenter will support the Marks and Spencer 'Plan A' objective with environmentally-friendly hardware configurations and a WEEE-compliant asset disposal process with zero percent of IT going to landfill.

The deal expands a previous agreement with Computacenter Services and comprises of 10 new service streams, which include release management, build management, software asset management and security administration. Computacenter Services will be responsible for delivering these services across approximately 7,000 servers, desktops, laptops and the cabling infrastructure.

"By agreeing a consolidated contract with Computacenter Services, we have been able to reduce risk and create a more joined up service-focused IT operation. The new managed service will enable us to provide a more efficient response to head office users, which means they will be able to focus on extending current and developing new offerings that will drive profitable growth," commented Quigley.

www.computacenter.com/services

Bulgari shines with new e-commerce site

e-commerce platform vendor ATG have announced that luxury jewellery retailer Bulgari has selected ATG as its e-commerce provider, in order to create a stylish, well-designed website which mirrors the luxury retailer's brand values. Bulgari's revamped website (www.bulgari.com) is now live; it offers users the chance to learn more about the retailer, browse, and purchase a range of items, from jewels to luxury hotel accommodation.

Bulgari operates 50 companies and 228 stores located in the world's most exclusive shopping areas. The luxury retailer wanted a web platform that would reflect its unique culture online, while ensuring the browsing and buying experience for online customers is unparalleled.

The scalable ATG Commerce software will help Bulgari to personalise the entire online buying experience, making it easy for customers to not only find, compare and purchase desired products but also register for gifts and pre-order products, helping the luxury retailer to offer exclusive deals to special customers and encourage loyalty.

ATG's Affinity Selling will also help the retailer to make automated and dynamic recommendations to customers, based on both their behaviour and the historical purchase affinities of other people in a customer's market segment. The ATG platform will provide search, personalisation and merchandising functionalities, ensuring Bulgari can maximise the benefits of the web channel.

"As a leading luxury retailer we wanted to develop a website that would match our brand in class and style, while also offering customers the best possible functionality when searching and purchasing" said 'Massimo Paloni at Bulgari. "We believe in fostering very close relationships with our buyers and feel that ATG offers the best solution for personalisation and tailoring our online presence to each customer's needs."

www.atg.com

WH Smith solves its paper problems

UK retailer WH Smith PLC, has implemented ImageNow enterprise document management, imaging and workflow software to improve productivity and solve archiving problems in its Swindon headquarters accounts department.

Managers at WH Smith selected Perceptive Software to replace an existing document management system used for accounts payable and accounts receivable. David McGrath, IT manager at WH Smith explained, "Our old system required us to handle and approve documents manually, and only scan for archiving when the process was complete. Because we handle approximately 300,000 pages per year, this meant a lot of wasted time and paper handling. ImageNow was the best choice to increase efficiency and speed up the payment process. It was also very easily integrated with our Cedar Financials software."

WH Smith's staff will now be scanning documents on receipt, routing electronically using ImageNow workflow to accounts payable personnel for entry onto Cedar Financials, and then on in workflow for approval by managers. With the ImageNow printer application they can also capture system-generated documents automatically - avoiding the time-consuming process of printing and scanning to archive. This also contributes to WH Smith's commitment to tackling the environmental impact of its business.

www.imagenow.com

Metrologic releases new self-contained area imager

Metrologic Instruments have announced the release of its IS1650 self-contained area imager designed to provide easy and reliable and bar code scanning performance for fixed-mount applications, including self-service kiosks and point-of-service.

"With its advanced feature set, scanning one bar code or several becomes a simple and swift experience for self-service customers," said Hong Ji, product manager for Metrologic.

By combining patented FirstFlash technology with a high-resolution imaging sensor, the IS1650 delivers omnidirectional performance and decodes all standard 1D and 2D bar codes including those damaged, wrinkled or wrapped in clear plastic it is claimed.

The IS1650 includes Code Select technology, robust automatic activation and a processor which gives the IS1650 the ability to capture up to seven bar codes in a single flash and then decode them in any pre-determined order.

The IS1650 was designed with TotalFreedom, an open-system architecture which offers possibilities for developing value-added custom application modules embedded directly into the imager instead of the host.

Forward-illuminating design supports intuitive up-close scanning by eliminating the "dead zone" associated with most imagers. With six host-system interfaces to choose from, the IS1650 supports plug-in-play integration. To ensure lasting reliability, the IS1650's encased internal structure has no moving parts.

Later this year, Metrologic expects to release a multipurpose version of the IS1650 for hand-held and hands-free applications.

www.metrologic.com