• IP network to connect 250 Toyota Vehicle Sales Centres and Service Centres to HQ
• £4.2m 3-year managed service contract

Toyota (GB) has awarded a £4.2m contract to Affiniti, the communications integrator, to provide an IP VPN (secure IP Virtual Private Network). Toyota's 250 Vehicle Sales Centres and Service Centres will be connected to its UK headquarters as part of the project, which will link up to 5000 PCs, with a fully managed service solution from Affiniti.

The contract for the project, which is one of the largest multi-site IP VPNs in Britain, was awarded to Affiniti following a competitive tender and extensive evaluation of factors such as service management, design innovation, and overall approach to the project. 

Veronica Davies, IT general manager at Toyota (GB) said: "The most vital aspects of awarding this project were technical ability, innovation and excellence in service levels. In addition we found Affiniti had remarkable enthusiasm and demonstrated genuine passion for the project.

We chose the IP VPN solution for its flexibility in enabling cost effective any-to-any connectivity. This technology allows our Centres to expand or contract with ease to meet business demands."

The service will include Cisco security, which will be installed throughout the Centres. In addition Packeteer traffic management technology will be deployed to ensure optimised bandwidth utilisation.

Gary Young, managing director of Affiniti said: "This project is a flagship implementation for IP VPNs and demonstrates Affiniti's leadership in the technology. An extremely rigorous evaluation process established that Affiniti was best positioned to implement a project of this scale."

Affiniti, the communications integrator, specialises in designing, implementing and managing intelligent communications solutions for private and public sector organisations.

Some of its customers include: Experian, Carphone Warehouse, British Airways, Ford, Admiral Insurance, Edinburgh Telford College , Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen Hospital , Cheshire Police, Citigroup, Lloyds TSB.

Affiniti is part of the KCOM Group.

KCOM Group PLC provides a range of integrated IT and communications services to businesses, and internet and telecommunications services to selected consumer markets, within the UK .

The Group's portfolio of businesses works with both leading private enterprise customers and public sector organisations. Through its Affiniti, Smart421 and JAM IP brands, the Group delivers solutions covering unified communications, contact centre solutions, data management, applications integration and managed services.

The KCOM Group also includes a regionally-focused business, Kingston Communications, which supports small to medium-sized businesses. Through its KC and Eclipse brands, the business offers a wide range of internet-based and telecommunications services. The regional business also provides telephony and internet services to targeted consumers through its KC, Eclipse and Karoo brands.

The Group is listed on the London Stock Exchange and employs over 2,700 people across the UK .

Kate Mills or Sally Robards
Kaizo
020 7580 8852
E: affiniti@kaizo.net

Cathy Phillips
Affiniti
01482 602400
E: cathy.phillips@kcom.com