Bharti Retail partners with IBM for technical support

Bharti Retail and IT giant IBM has sealed a strategic 10-year partnership under which IBM will provide technology and services that will enable Bharti Retail to scale up operations in the long term. This partnership is an extension of existing four-year relationship between the Bharti Group and IBM. The technological support will be provided in the fields of Project Management, Infrastructure for Data Centers, Applications, Security & Network, and Support for End-user Services. This partnership will enable to implement IBM’s innovative programming skill to automate attendance terminals to help maintain a very low PC footprint (approximately 1 PC per 30 employees). These efforts will link into the core platform set up with technical support that Wal-Mart Inc. is providing to Bharti Retail under the franchise agreement between the two entities. While announcing the partnership, Vinod Sawhny, President and Chief Operating Officer, Bharti Retail Ltd., said, “In a dynamic and fast evolving retail sector, Bharti Retail’s association with IBM will provide a distinct competitive edge that will assist the company’s vision and growth plans. Our partnership lays the foundation on which future business functions can be supported in the course of the next 10 years. This alliance is in line with Bharti Retail’s efforts to be a customer-centric and trusted retailer.”