Law firm Linklaters has signed a multimillion-pound global outsourcing deal to help meet rising client demand.

The contract will see responsibility for Linklaters’ IT applications across 23 countries transferred to supplier Savvis, leaving solicitors free to focus on the needs of customers.

‘We want to provide a really high standard of service for our customers, and this was compromised when we began to outgrow the old data centre,’ said Simon Gilhooly, global head of technical systems at Linklaters.

‘This decision will allow us to focus on our direct business impact and leave IT to the experts.’

National Outsourcing Association director Mark Kobayashi-Hillary says more firms are turning to outsourcers because they do not always have the skills required to best manage IT.

‘Such developments prove that outsourcing is not just a slash-and-burn for cost benefits, but is about improving services to clients,’ he said.