M&S agrees £19m IT outsourcing deal
The retail giant Marks & Spencer has announced that it has become the latest UK business to outsource its IT infrastructure and software management support.
Under the £19 million deal, the IT operations for 4,000 of its head office staff located across six sites will be managed by a third-party specialist, with a statement from the company explaining that the main purpose of the initiative is to drive down costs while also bringing IT closer to the 'bosom of its business'.
The news comes soon after Marks & Spencer confirmed that it is to embark upon an IT spending spree, with £500 million earmarked for improvements over the next three years.
Earlier this month, figures published by the European Union revealed that around 42 per cent of UK firms currently outsource some or all of their IT functions, slightly below the European average of 44 per cent and still some way behind countries such as Denmark, Norway and Finland. 
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