Verizon Business Teams Up With Virtusa To Streamline IT Operations

Verizon Business reported that it has teamed up with IT consulting and outsourcing firm Virtusa Corp. to develop an IT asset management program that promises to reduce Verizon's 1,000 key IT systems by 40%.

Noting that it has developed specialized software in-house that enhances its ability to manage its IT assets, Verizon Business said the new software is supported by Virtusa's scoring and analysis products.

Verizon said that its IT portfolio had partially grown over the years through a series of acquisitions and mergers, and that the patchwork IT operations will be able to grow more efficiently with the asset management program.

"You can't manage what you can't measure," said Judy Spitz, senior VP and CIO for Verizon Business, in a statement Thursday. "By continually capturing more than 100 data-points for each asset, we are able to monitor and analyze the business value and IT efficiency dimensions across our entire application portfolio. This new level of visibility strengthens our roadmap planning for optimal investment in our strategic systems."

Verizon said its new software enables the unit's IT function to "align portfolio content with business objectives." The approach will allow Verizon Business to determine whether it should build new applications, deploy new technology, or consolidate some applications and assets while also deciding how to choose between proprietary and off-the-shelf applications.

Virtusa is a Massachusetts-based consulting firm with operations in India and Sri Lanka. The company's largest customer has traditionally been British Telecom.