HSBC Group awards Unisys $20 million Global Network Services contract; Banking giant selects Unisys for service at more than 400 locations in 40 countries

Business Wire, Oct 28, 1996

BLUE BELL, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 28, 1996--Illustrating the broad extent of its global service-delivery infrastructure, Unisys Corporation's Global Customer Services business unit Monday announced that the HSBC Group has awarded the company a US$20 million, five-year contract for multivendor networking services in over 40 countries to support the enhancement of one of the world's largest private networks.

The HSBC Group is among the world's leading international banking and financial services organizations.

Unisys is providing product logistics, installation and maintenance support services as HSBC upgrades and extends its Global Data Network with new-generation telecommunications equipment from Hypercom Inc.

"Our aim is to work with a logistics manager with a proven global infrastructure, offering a uniform service no matter where the service is delivered, and a corporation which also understands the nuances of the different environments in which the HSBC Group operates.

"Unisys is such a corporation and will install our new network equipment to replace existing, aging Tymnet technology in over 400 global locations.

"We expect that the Group's Global Data Network eventually will reach most of HSBC's 3,300 offices," said Tim Cureton, head of HSBC Group Telecommunications. "The Bank requires a very high level of support service to maintain maximum availability of its communications network."

HSBC operates one of the largest private networks of its kind in the world for the provision of financial products to its customers and for the internal conduct of its expanding global business. The network currently extends to 156 locations in 46 countries with recent additions to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Malta and the Maldives.

Network deployment will begin with replacement of the 360-branch retail network operated by HSBC Group members HongkongBank and Hang Seng Bank in Hong Kong, followed by networks in the U.S. for Marine Midland Bank, in Canada for the HongkongBank of Canada and the Middle East for The Saudi British Bank, as well as the global backbone. Other networks will be replaced according to business needs.

The new fully resilient Global Data Network will employ Frame Relay as the backbone protocol to integrate the branches, back- office operations and major offices worldwide.

The HSBC Group

The HSBC Group is one of the world's leading international banking and financial services organizations, with major commercial and investment banking businesses operating under long-established names in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas.

Principal members of the Group include The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. Ltd., Midland Bank plc, Hang Seng Bank Ltd., Marine Midland Bank and HSBC Investment Bank. In June 1996, HSBC Group's assets exceeded $370 billion.

Unisys Global Customer Services

Unisys Global Customer Services (GCS) is a Unisys Corp. business unit that provides comprehensive services and best-of-breed products in support of distributed computing environments worldwide. Unisys GCS offers ISO 9000-certified services and broad multivendor technical, project management and consulting skills for integrating and supporting open network and desktop solutions, with emphasis on maximizing system availability, reducing costs and improving end-user productivity. Access Unisys GCS' home page at www.service.unisys.com for further information.

Unisys -- The Information Management Company

Unisys is one of a select group of companies with the portfolio of services, technologies and third party alliances needed to deliver the benefits of information management -- helping clients use their information asset to enhance their competitiveness and responsiveness to customers.

Our expertise in information management is founded on the strengths of our three global businesses: consulting, solutions and systems integration; industry-leading technologies; and comprehensive services and products supporting distributed computing environments.

Access the Unisys home page on the World Wide Web -- http://www.unisys.com -- for further information. -0- Unisys is a registered trademark of Unisys Corp. All other brands and products reference herein are acknowledged to be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

CONTACT: Unisys Corporation

Pete Cavanaugh, 215/986-7884

Internet: peterdcavanaugh@unn.unisys.com

or

HSBC Group

Julian Grudzien, 852/2822-1931 (in Hong Kong)