In a development that shows managed service providers (MSPs) are in demand all over the world, Caverion recently reported establishing a new managed services contract with a German insurance company, HUK Coburg. A five-year agreement, the contract calls for Caverion to provide both managed operations and technical maintenance for the insurer, and will go to lengths that might surprise some.
The contract—the value of which wasn't actually disclosed—covers nearly every building system HUK Coburg's logistics and data center boasts, which is a wide array of systems. To address this massive need, Caverion has set up a 24-hour on-call service to support HUK Coburg, backed up by a complete alarm center with temperature control and fire protection systems. Cooling technology is all in Caverion's hands now, along with control over both standard water sprinklers and a gas-based extinguishing system for fire suppression.
It's not just fire suppression and climate control, either; the contract reportedly covers issues of sanitation, ventilation, information and communication services, safety and security, and automation. Despite this sheer range of requirements, HUK Coburg is just part of Caverion's “Real Estate Users” client segment.
The CEO and executive vice president of Caverion's German division, Werner Kuhn, commented “As one of the leading companies in the field of building systems, our employees have long-term experience in planning, execution and maintenance of highly sensitive buildings, such as data centers. Our holistic approach over the entire lifecycle ensures our customers maximum availability, energy efficiency as well as cost efficiency for the long term.”
What's particularly interesting about this is the sheer depth of managed services overall. Look at that list that Caverion is providing just for HUK Coburg; security, safety, automation, heating and cooling, sanitation, and a whole slate of others. That's just for that company; there's nothing saying Caverion doesn't have other services to offer, and Caverion is hardly the only firm in the MSP arena. There are precious few functions which can't actually be outsourced and handled by a completely separate business. This means that businesses can effectively reduce payroll down to skeleton crews in many cases, and allow much of the organization to be run by third-party contractors. Given the huge costs employees represent today, that savings can be spectacular.
Caverion's operations may be not only delivering impressive services for HUK Coburg, but also delivering cost savings. That's a development worth looking into for just about any firm.
Edited by
Stefania Viscusi
