IBM to Manage Data Center for New York City's Metropolitan Transporta

IBM to Manage Data Center for New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority

    Business Editors

    ARMONK, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 8, 2005--

The Nation's Largest Transportation Network, Responsible for Subways, Trains, Buses, Bridges and Tunnels, Expects to Lower Costs over Five Years

    IBM will supply computing power to New York City's Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) as part of a $65 million information technology services contract that is expected to lower costs for the MTA Agencies over the next five years, IBM announced today.
    From a local data center outside Manhattan, IBM will manage the computer processing operations that help run North America's largest transportation network, including New York City Transit Authority, the largest of the agencies; MTA Bridges and Tunnels; Long Island Rail Road; Metro North Railroad, and Long Island Bus.
    IBM systems will manage the data center that handles MTA's fare collection system - one of the largest in the world.
    IBM will also manage the systems running other key back-end applications, including the massive database that keeps track of the parts for subways, buses and other equipment; and the applications that oversee crew schedules, procurement, contracts, and many other tasks.
    A disaster recovery site will be established at an IBM facility outside New York City.

    Leading-edge Technology

    The MTA Agencies' key applications will be located in one of the world's most sophisticated IBM data centers - a "lights-out," remotely-managed operation equipped with the latest self-healing computer technology and security measures. To accommodate the variable need for computing power that results from unpredictable changes in demand, the applications will run on IBM computing systems that can add or decrease processing power as needed.
    "Nobody moves people like the MTA," said Marianne Cooper, vice president of public sector, IBM Americas and IBM's senior location executive for New York City. "IBM's infrastructure will help enable the MTA Agencies to provide the highest levels of service for millions of commuters and travelers in the New York region."

    About the Metropolitan Transportation Authority

    The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), is the premier provider of metropolitan transportation facilities and services in the United States, providing rapid transit and commuter services for the five boroughs of New York City and the surrounding metropolitan area. MTA subways, buses, and railroads provide 2.4 billion rides per year for New Yorkers, moving about one in every three users of mass transit in the United States and two-thirds of the nation's rail riders. MTA's Bridges and Tunnels carry nearly 300 million vehicles annually - more than any bridge and tunnel authority in the nation. This vast transportation network - North America's largest - serves a population of 14.6 million people in the 5,000-square-mile area fanning out from New York City through Long Island, southeastern New York State, and Connecticut.

    About IBM Global Services

    IBM Global Services is the world's largest information technology services and consulting provider. Some 180,000 professionals in more than 160 countries help clients integrate information technology with business value -- from the business transformation and industry expertise of IBM Business Consulting Services to hosting, infrastructure, technology design and training services. Leveraging IBM's unequalled scope and scale, IBM Global Services delivers integrated, flexible and resilient processes -- across companies and through business partners -- that enable clients to save money and transform their businesses to be more competitive. For more information, visit www.ibm.com/services.

--30--JM/ny*

CONTACT: IBM Global Services John Buscemi, 914-766-4495 jbuscemi@us.ibm.com

KEYWORD: NEW YORK INDUSTRY KEYWORD: GOVERNMENT TRAVEL TRANSPORTATION NETWORKING MARKETING AGREEMENTS SOURCE: IBM Global Services

Copyright Business Wire 2005