IBM Extends Shop Direct Partnership With 10-Year Hybrid Cloud Deal

IBM has announced a 10-year service agreements deal with Littlewoods.com owner Shop Direct as the digital retailer moves its working environment to hybrid cloud.

IBM’s cloud will be used to enable analytics, mobile, social, and security offerings for Shop Direct.

Looking to tap IBM

The retailer currently owns a number of digital department stores, the biggest of which being Very.co.uk. IBM has been Shop Direct’s IT supplier for a number of years now.

Shop Direct CIO Andy Wolfe said: “As the UK and Ireland’s leading multi-brand digital retailer, we’re looking to tap IBM’s cloud computing expertise to allow us to innovate and add value to both the experience we deliver to customers and the working experience we offer our people.”

The services will be delivered through SoftLayer, IBM’s cloud infrastructure platform. IBM MobileFirst Protect will underpin mobile productivity to enable secure access for Apple and Android devices.

Tony Morgan, Client Chief Innovation Officer Strategic Outsourcing Europe, IBM, said: “This announcement is a significant milestone in the deployment of enterprise cloud and extends IBM’s position as the premier global cloud platform.

“Our secure, open enterprise cloud platform will enable Shop Direct to quickly deliver new innovations to its customers and staff and continue to build its leadership as a digital retailer.”

Shop Direct is the UK’s fourth largest online retailer, with annual sales of more than £1.7 billion. Its digital department store brands include Very.co.uk, which is now a reportedly an £800 million brand.

Take our cloud computing quiz here!

Ben Sullivan

Ben covers web and technology giants such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft and their impact on the cloud computing industry, whilst also writing about data centre players and their increasing importance in Europe. He also covers future technologies such as drones, aerospace, science, and the effect of technology on the environment.

Recent Posts

UK’s CMA Readies Cloud Sector “Behavioural” Remedies – Report

Targetting AWS, Microsoft? British competition regulator soon to announce “behavioural” remedies for cloud sector

11 hours ago

Former Policy Boss At X Nick Pickles, Joins Sam Altman Venture

Move to Elon Musk rival. Former senior executive at X joins Sam Altman's venture formerly…

14 hours ago

Bitcoin Rises Above $96,000 Amid Trump Optimism

Bitcoin price rises towards $100,000, amid investor optimism of friendlier US regulatory landscape under Donald…

15 hours ago

FTX Co-Founder Gary Wang Spared Prison

Judge Kaplan praises former FTX CTO Gary Wang for his co-operation against Sam Bankman-Fried during…

16 hours ago