This week saw an array of companies extending their ITO contracts for a further 5 years. So, despite the current gloomy economic outlook, it’s reassuring to see businesses booming.

Firstly, IBM was awarded a five-year ITO deal by the Campbell Soup Company. Campbell and IBM have been IT services partners since 1994.

As part of the new agreement, IBM will provide IT infrastructure services, network support, application maintenance and security services from IBM Internet Security Systems. IBM will offer infrastructure services on demand for enhanced cost-efficiency and increased flexibility. IBM’s global delivery centers will support Campbell’s operations in North America, Asia Pacific and Europe.

Joe Spagnoletti, the CIO of the Campbell Soup Company was quoted singing IBM’s praises; “In a competitive environment, it is important to have a partner that understands our business and provides added value.”

Following this trend, Atos Origin, a leading ITO provider, and Vivarte, a leading footwear and apparel retailer, have also extended their managed IT operations partnership for an additional five years.

The extended contract will see Atos Origin continue to hold responsibility for all Vivarte’s information systems. The partnership covers the supply and operation of the mainframe information system, management of 135 distributed servers and 1,000 workstations, plus user support and administration of the Local Area Network linking three Vivarte sites (phew).

Similarly to IBM, Vivarte’s Chief Information Officer, Hilda Coppin Finkelstein proclaimed that it has so far been a ‘fruitful collaboration’ and that this collaboration has enabled them ‘to consolidate (Vivarte’s) IT resources while efficiently meeting increasingly demanding business and quality objectives’.

Finally, finishing this weeks news round up with a totally unrelated news story, Logica, a leading IT and business services company, has been awarded a £75.6 million contract over seven years to design, build and operate the Police National Database (PND) by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA). Of course, security has been a hot topic in the tabloids this week with the May Day Riots, so I thought they deserved a mention.

The PND is a highly secure information sharing system that will enable the Police Service in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and other government organisations to electronically share local intelligence and operational information nationally.

The initial phase will see Logica bring together data from five operational areas of policing into one central system. It will provide forces with immediate access to up-to-date information from across the Service, overcoming artificial geographical and jurisdictional boundaries. Ultimately, the PND will assist forces to improve their operational effectiveness.

So to round up, outsourcing is on the up and police efficiency is being improved. I don’t know about you but I think that constitutes as a good week.

In the words of John Gray, ‘we only part to meet again’, see you next week.