Capgemini and Microsoft to Help Businesses Make the Journey to the Cloud

REDMOND, Wash. and PARIS, May 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Capgemini, one of the world's foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services, and Microsoft Corp. today announced an alliance agreement aimed at helping businesses make the move to the cloud. As part of the alliance, Capgemini will market and deliver the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite, Microsoft's cloud-based communication and collaboration service, through Capgemini's recently announced Global Service Line of Infostructure Transformation Services, a unit created to help clients accelerate sustainable cost reduction and access the benefits of cloud computing and software as a service.

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Capgemini will offer solutions based on Microsoft's Business Productivity Online Suite for communications and collaboration solutions worldwide. By partnering with Microsoft, Capgemini offers customers compelling cloud applications to help clients tap into new commercial models of cloud computing while delivering enterprise-grade capabilities, security, protection and a familiar Microsoft interface. With a flexible "hybrid" model, customers can use Microsoft's cloud technologies for some or all users, enabling them to make the journey to the cloud at their own pace.

"Capgemini brings a long history of strong customer relationships, technology consulting expertise, and valuable professional and outsourcing services — while Microsoft offers cloud innovation and the most popular productivity and collaboration technology in the world. Capgemini already has a strong alliance with Microsoft, and this announcement, coupled with our recent agreement on Windows Azure, strengthens that relationship," said David Boulter, vice president of Global Infostructure Transformation Services for Capgemini. "Together, Microsoft and Capgemini are well-positioned to offer cloud services that will help customers innovate and differentiate while reducing costs."

Capgemini and Microsoft will jointly invest in sales, technical training and marketing to a wide range of industries worldwide. In addition, Capgemini will do the following:

• Create an offshore center of expertise and train more than 1,000 consultants, onshore and offshore, regarding implementation and legacy migration for the Business Productivity Online Suite
• Develop and deliver a set of accelerators to help customers migrate to the Business Productivity Online Suite
• Use Capgemini's RApid INnovation (RAIN) process to provide rapid visualization and adoption of the Business Productivity Online Suite for Capgemini customers
• Offer "Journey to the Cloud" Accelerated Solutions Environment sessions, designed to help customers develop a "Cloud Roadmap" during a condensed, two-day workshop

Joint customers including C10 are already using the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite backed with services by Capgemini. C10 was able to migrate quickly without incurring any training costs, thanks to the familiar user interface of Microsoft Online Services.

"The combination of Capgemini's consulting expertise and Microsoft's technology is impressive," said Edouard Pabanel, IT director for C10, a leading consumer products distributor in France. "We chose the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite from Capgemini because they could deliver the security, enterprise-grade capabilities and familiar experience we wanted — backed by Capgemini's experience and world-class services."

"These services minimize the need for infrastructure investments and can be deployed rapidly, but with the reliability and security that's essential for the enterprise," said Simon Witts, corporate vice president of Enterprise and Partner Group for Microsoft. "Customers can save between 10 percent and 50 percent in IT-related expenditures as a result of deploying Microsoft Online Services."

About Capgemini

Capgemini, one of the world's foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services, enables its clients to transform and perform through technologies. Capgemini provides its clients with insights and capabilities that boost their freedom to achieve superior results through a unique way of working, the Collaborative Business Experience®. The Group relies on its global delivery model called Rightshore®, which aims to get the right balance of the best talent from multiple locations, working as one team to create and deliver the optimum solution for clients. Present in more than 30 countries, Capgemini reported 2009 global revenues of EUR 8.4 billion (approximately USD $11.6 billion) and employs 90,000 people worldwide. More information is available at www.capgemini.com.

For more information about Capgemini's Infostructure Transformation Services, please visit: http://www.capgemini.com/its.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.