CGI signs 10-year outsourcing contract with Interac Association
Montreal, Quebec --2001/01/22
CGI today announced the signing of a 10-year agreement with
Interac Association, in which CGI will provide the Association
with a new network and supporting infrastructure, as well as a 7
day a week, 24 hour a day support service. This newly built
mission critical network is of strategic importance in the
support of Interac Association's entire Inter-Member Network
across Canada, routing over 2 billion ABM and Interac Direct
Payment transactions on an annual basis, through more than
450,000 PINpad devices operated by Interac Association Members.
The network is designed, with Bell Nexxia, to be fully redundant
providing the highest level of availability to the Interac
Association Members.
As part of this agreement, CGI will provide the managed support
services through the command centre located at CGI's Mississauga,
Ontario data centre. The transition from the existing network and
the development and implementation of the new network will
continue until June 2001 and CGI will operate the new network for
the Association until October 2010.
"CGI is a good fit for Interac Association as a business partner
because of their knowledge of the financial services sector as
well as their experience with Interac Association's Inter-Member
Network operations," said Judith Wolfson, president and CEO,
Interac Association.
Randy Reynolds, president of Bell Nexxia said: "As the leading
communications provider to the Canadian financial industry, Bell
Nexxia recognizes the mission critical operations of Interac's
electronic payments system. Bell Nexxia's coast-to-coast network
infrastructure with more than 100 points of presence in Canada
and the US offers the highest security, scalability and
reliability - the ideal backbone to support the billions of
transactions that Interac will process this year."
Michael Roach, executive vice-president and general manager,
Canada of CGI added: "We are thrilled about expanding our
relationship with the Interac Association This new agreement
increases CGI's role with Interac Association, with whom we have
been working for several years. We view this opportunity with
Interac Association as a strong vote of confidence for CGI's
expertise in network technology and our understanding of the
financial services sector. We look forward to supporting Interac
Association and its Members in this very strategic opportunity."
About Interac Association
The Interac Association, founded in 1984, is a Canadian
organization linking organizations with proprietary networks to
communicate with each other for the purposes of exchanging
electronic financial transactions. Since 1984, the Interac
Association has played an increasingly prominent role in the
evolution of electronic financial services in Canada. Its two
shared services - Shared Cash Dispensing and Interac Direct
Payment - have dramatically altered the way Canadians pay for
goods and services and how they access their money. The
Association consists of 90 Members which include: banks, trust
companies, credit unions, caisses populaires, technology and
payment related companies. Web site: www.interac.org
About Bell Nexxia
Bell Nexxia, a unit of Bell Canada, is a leader in providing
innovative communications solutions to large enterprise customers
across Canada and the United States. Bell Nexxia offers a
coast-to-coast and international IP network with a variety of
business services including Bell Nexxia's IPConnect Access, IP
Virtual Private Networks (VPN), Extranet and IP hosting services.
Leveraging the strength and expertise of the BCE (NYSE/TSE: BCE)
group of companies and strategic partnerships with industry
leaders such as Nortel Networks (NYSE/TSE: NT) and Cisco Systems
(NASDAQ: CSCO), Bell Nexxia provides its customers with
cost-effective next-generation services they need to compete in
the global marketplace. Bell Nexxia's Internet Web site is
located at www.bellnexxia.com.
About CGI
Founded in 1976, CGI is the largest independent Canadian
information technology consulting firm and the fifth largest in
North America, based on its headcount of close to 10,000
professionals. CGI's order backlog totals approximately CDN$7.0
billion and its revenue stands at CDN$1.4 billion. CGI provides
end-to-end IT services and business solutions to 2,500 clients in
Canada, United States and more than 20 countries around the
world. CGI's shares are listed on the New York Exchange (GIB), as
well as on the Toronto Stock Exchange (GIB.A). They are included
in the Toronto Stock Exchange's TSE 100 index as well as the
S&P/TSE Canadian Information Technology index. Web site:
www.cgi.ca.
All statements in this press release that do not directly and
exclusively relate to historical facts constitute
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements
represent CGI Group Inc.'s intentions, plans, expectations, and
beliefs, and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other
factors, of which many are beyond the control of the Company.
These factors could cause actual results to differ materially
from such forward-looking statements.
These factors include and are not restricted to the timing and
size of contracts, acquisitions and other corporate developments,
the ability to attract and retain qualified employees, market
competition in the rapidly-evolving information technology
industry, general economic and business conditions, and other
risks identified in Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A)
in CGI Group Inc.'s annual report or Form 40F filed with the US
Securities & Exchange Commission and the Company's Annual
Information Form filed with Canadian securities commissions. All
of the risk factors included in these filed documents are
included here by reference. CGI disclaims any intention or
obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise. |
