Thomas Cook signs $400-million outsourcing deal

Thomas Cook today revealed it has extended its existing relationship with IT services company, Accenture with a new $400-million (192.3-million), 10-year outsourcing contract.

The contract covers application, infrastructure and business process outsourcing services to drive Thomas Cook's post-merger integration of online holiday operator, MyTravel.

The deal supersedes an agreement the two companies signed in early 2002 for similar services and is designed to enable Thomas Cook to integrate a range of MyTravel functions into existing, outsourced Thomas Cook operations following the merger of the two companies this past June.

The outsourcer will provide application and infrastructure management services to support a range of Thomas Cook's operational back-office systems, including its SAP-based enterprise resource planning solution, network management and technical services, finance and accounting services, and human resources (HR) services, including HR administration and payroll services for the travel giant's UK employees.

The deal is hoped to reduce business complexity, enable Thomas Cook to focus on customer service and accelerate the delivery of the benefits of merging its back-office functions with MyTravel.

Miya Knights

A 25-year veteran enterprise technology expert, Miya Knights applies her deep understanding of technology gained through her journalism career to both her role as a consultant and as director at Retail Technology Magazine, which she helped shape over the past 17 years. Miya was educated at Oxford University, earning a master’s degree in English.

Her role as a journalist has seen her write for many of the leading technology publishers in the UK such as ITPro, TechWeekEurope, CIO UK, Computer Weekly, and also a number of national newspapers including The Times, Independent, and Financial Times.