Finnair signs five-year hybrid cloud deal with IBM

'This services agreement and powerful new cloud infrastructure are at the heart of our plans to improve our operational efficiency,' says Finnair CIO Kari Saarikoski

Finnair, Finland's national airline, has selected IBM to provide it with cloud services and industry expertise to help drive digital transformation through policies such as mobile on-flight services.

The five-and-a-half-year deal with IBM will aid Finnair - which operates flights to and from major UK airports including Gatwick and Heathrow - as the airline strives to transform its IT infrastructure via the use of a hybrid cloud platform.

As part of the agreement, the financial details of which haven't been revealed, IBM will establish the new Finnair Cloud Platform to provide a foundation for the airline to support its growth initiatives.

The aim of the cloud platform rollout is to enable Finnair to reduce IT complexity while enabling the firm to gain more flexibility to introduce new business changes.

IBM is also tasked with significantly lowering the costs of information technology infrastructure management for Finnair.

The agreement also gives Finnair access to IBM Watson Explorer analytics capabilities, which have the potential to improve employee productivity by enabling agents to more quickly respond to customer needs.

"For a network airline, operational excellence is a key success factor, and efficient IT services are a key enabler in this. IBM understands us, and has the airline industry expertise to help us achieve our goals," said Kari Saarikoski, chief information officer at Finnair.

"This services agreement and powerful new cloud infrastructure are at the heart of our plans to improve our operational efficiency and provide the foundation for new digital services to deliver a better experience to our customers," he added.

Tuomo Haukkovaara, managing executive at IBM Finland, also welcomed the partnership with Finnair.

"This partnership represents a significant opportunity for Finnair to restructure its IT capabilities and reduce the complexities associated with operating a large airline," he said.

"IBM Cloud serves as the foundation for compelling new services for customers and will help Finnair accelerate revenue growth while lowering IT costs," Haukkovaara added.

While Finnair's CIO is happy with what IBM have to offer, Coats plc CIO Richard Cammish recently told Computing he terminated the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of sewing thread's contract with IBM because it lacked relevance, commercial flexibility, agility and a service portfolio.