Company news
22/01/2008
ARAG Rechtsbijstand selects TelecityGroup to support business continuity plans
Managed services contract provides ARAG full compliance with international standards for data quality and security
Amsterdam, 22 January 2008 – ARAG Rechtsbijstand, the global provider of legal insurance, has selected TelecityGroup as its data centre partner to support its business continuity plans. ARAG has migrated its entire ICT infrastructure to one of TelecityGroup’s Amsterdam data centres to provide robust protection for all its systems and client data against catastrophes such as power outages and fire.
ARAG was prompted to review its information security and business continuity policies following the introduction of new rules regarding the provision of information and corporate governance. During the review process, system integrator partner SIMAC suggested outsourcing the server estate to a TelecityGroup data centre. As TelecityGroup’s data centres in Amsterdam are compliant with international security and quality standards ISO-27001:2005 and ISO-9001:2000 the ARAG systems located in these facilities are, in turn, fully compliant with the regulations of the Dutch banking and insurance industry.
Reflecting on his first visit to the TelecityGroup data centre in Kuiperbergweg, Amsterdam, Hugo Stuifzand, ICT manager of ARAG Rechtsbijstand says: "I was very impressed by TelecityGroup’s systems, from the UPS which guarantee a stable power supply, to the industrial scale generators which provide all the power required by the data centre in the event of a grid power failure."
TelecityGroup is providing ongoing 24/7 monitoring and management of all ARAG systems, delivering guaranteed levels of uptime for its servers and storage system. TelecityGroup is also providing connectivity services for ARAG’s three office locations. The combination of these services allows ARAG to focus its resources on strategic IT activity, such as extending its online sales capability, providing remote access for employees and introducing facilities to manage digital claims documents online.
Alexandra Schless, managing director of TelecityGroup Netherlands comments: “Service automation is reaching all sectors of industry, and this puts ever greater importance on the day-to-day maintenance and management of ICT systems for the successful execution of core activities. The introduction of new legislation and regulation, and the growing reliance on the internet for operational management, makes systems’ uptime even more important. For that reason many companies are looking for trusted partners who can take care of complex systems management, allowing them to focus on their core business. We are proud that our combination of managed services and quality standard certification means we can deliver the right ICT environment for companies like ARAG.”
About ARAG Rechtsbijstand
ARAG Rechtsbijstand has acted as a completely independent legal aid insurer since 1962. The company is part of the ARAG Group, originally a German family business with branches in fifteen European countries and the United States. In The Netherlands ARAG serves the market from three locations: the head office in Leusden and branches in Breda and Roermond. The company has close on 450 employees, including 271 legal professionals. ARAG’s services are called on annually by more than 40,000 private customers and business clients.
