Insurance company Tokio Marine Brasil Seguradora S.A. has signed a 10-year, $44-million IT infrastructure outsourcing contract with IBM. The agreement includes integration of services, unification of datacenters and technological updates for most of the hardware environment to support Tokio Marine's strategic objectives for its Brazilian operations over the next decade. In addition to providing centralized IT infrastructure services, IBM's outsourcing will improve flexibility and swiftness in servicing Tokio Marine's future needs in coordination with the company's growth plan. The contract also includes management, monitoring and operation of the datacenters, helpdesk services, end-user support and data communication. "This agreement with IBM will allow Tokio Marine Seguradora to focus on our core business and achieve better long-term cost benefits and higher availability, as our IT infrastructure adopts new advanced technologies," said Masashi Abe, CIO of Tokio Marine Seguradora. "This contract is one of the largest executed by IBM in Brazil this year and reinforces IBM's services leadership in the country," said Robert Payne, vice president of services for IBM Brazil. Tokio Marine is the largest insurance company in Japan, and operates in 38 countries around the world. Tokio Marine Brasil Seguradora S.A. specializes in corporate insurance. With central offices in São Paulo, the company also has 46 offices throughout the country. For more information about Tokio Marine Brasil Seguradora S.A., go to: its Web site. For more information about IBM, go to: its Web site