Portuguese Cable Operator ZON Multimedia Adopts IBM Software to Improve Customer Service

ARMONK, N.Y., July 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that ZON Multimedia, the leader of the pay TV market in Portugal, has adopted its software to consolidate ZON's IT and network management into a single view for improved quality and distribution of cable services to its consumers.

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The recently signed agreement represents an investment of 1.2 million euros in the cable operator's strategy to continuously improve customer service.

ZON needed an intelligent network management and IT monitoring solution that could aggregate the various components of its infrastructure into a centralized view. While IT and networking have traditionally been managed separately, IBM's integrated service management solutions connect these domains to deliver greater visibility, control and automation to the enterprise.

IBM software can quickly identify and highlight problems in the network, enabling ZON's operational team to plan and schedule maintenance to ensure signal and distribution quality.   The real-time, centralized monitoring of complex networks and IT domains delivers scalability that exceeds millions of events per day.  As a result, ZON will be able to ensure high levels of customer service as it continues to expand its services offerings such as HDTV, high-speed internet access, digital voice, security, music and gaming.

IBM's holistic approach to ZON's challenge, sophisticated offerings and professional services were key differentiators in winning ZON's preference over competitors such as HP and replacing HP Network Node Manager with IBM Tivoli Netcool.

"A superior centralized platform for operational management is the foundation to meet ZON's future technical and business needs more efficiently," said Paulo Ribeiro, board member of ZON TVCabo, a company from ZON Multimedia group. "IBM software enables our network operations and IT staff to hone in on the most critical problems and even automate the isolation and resolution of those problems before impacting customers."

"Having a single, real-time view to manage the network can help ZON improve efficiencies and costs associated with maintaining network systems, while delivering consistently high levels of service to customers' homes," said Scott Stainken, general manager, IBM Global Telecommunications Industry.  "IBM is pleased to be working with ZON as they exploit the capabilities of our service management solutions to deliver a differentiated customer experience in their marketplace."

ZON will leverage a portfolio of IBM service management software to automate and integrate its IT and networking systems across the company's entire infrastructure.  This includes Tivoli Netcool and Monitoring, Composite Application Manager, OMNibus and Network Manager.

About ZON Multimedia

ZON Multimedia, listed on the main Portuguese stock index, PSI-20 index, is the leader of the pay TV market in Portugal and the country's second largest Internet provider. ZON Multimedia has 1.88 million TV clients, 635,000 broadband and 646,000 fixed line customers. ZON Multimedia is Portugal's leading provider of triple play solutions, offering multiple services across several platforms: cable, satellite and mobile. Additionally, the company is Portugal's leading content distribution and cinema exhibition company. For more information, visit ZON at http://www.zon.pt

From video on demand to IP and Internet TV, IBM offers a service delivery platform to promote a consistent delivery and management environment for services, applications and content across multiple access networks and devices.  IBM Tivoli Netcool software has been selected by more than 1,000 service providers to address emerging opportunities in next-generation network transformation, fixed/mobile convergence and IP multimedia subsystems deployment. To learn more, click here: http://www-01.ibm.com/software/tivoli/products/omnibus-network-mgr/.

SOURCE IBM