Verizon, Unisys Team to Offer Cloud, Hosting Services to U.S. State and Local Governments

Verizon and Unisys are teaming to offer Verizon enterprise-class cloud computing solutions through Unisys’ Public Cloud Hosting contract with the Western States Contracting Alliance-National Association of State Procurement Officers (WSCA-NASPO) cooperative purchasing organization.

WSCA-NASPO provides cooperative purchasing contracts for use by all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories to help spur innovation and competition in the marketplace. Counties, cities and towns, K-12 public schools, colleges and universities, public safety agencies and authorized nonprofit groups in member states can also leverage WSCA-NASPO purchasing contracts. Under terms of the agreement, Unisys and Verizon will collaborate to leverage their respective capabilities to offer cloud computing solutions for IT transformation and more efficient delivery of agency and constituent services.

"Cloud computing is transforming the business of government," said Brian Costello, vice president of public sector cloud, Verizon Enterprise Solutions. "By joining forces with Unisys to offer advanced cloud infrastructure planning, migration and managed services to participating WSCA-NASPO members, we are combining our unique capabilities to enable public sector organizations to harness the power of cloud to drive efficiency and fundamentally change the way services are delivered."

Since 1993, WSCA has served as the primary cooperative purchasing arm of NASPO and encouraged, fostered and guided participating members to work collaboratively to create true procurement cooperatives. The creation of WSCA-NASPO in early 2013 represents a unified, nationally-focused cooperative purchasing program that will leverage the collective expertise and experience of WSCA-NASPO and their participating members.

"A recent survey conducted by the Center for Digital Government found that nearly half of state and local governments have either started or plan to start cloud computing projects," said Ryan Hughes, cloud portfolio executive – North America, Unisys. "That same survey also indicated that 83 percent of respondents would consider using or have already used the WSCA-NASPO contract vehicle to procure those projects. That response shows that chief information officers recognize how adoption of cloud computing can fundamentally change the way their agencies and states operate while also reducing costs and increasing responsiveness. Members of WSCA-NASPO will benefit from the combined strengths and expertise Unisys and Verizon to help them implement practical strategies to use the cloud to modernize IT systems and improve citizen services."

The Verizon services – Enterprise Cloud, Managed Hosting and Colocation – are delivered out of Verizon Terremark data centers strategically located around the U.S. Designed with high levels of security and resiliency, these facilities feature massive connectivity and capacity purpose-built to house mission-critical applications for hundreds of organizations on a global scale. They also offer service level agreements for 100 percent availability of power and cooling, as well as integrated security and monitoring capabilities. Verizon Terremark services are SSAE16 audited, ISO 27001 certified, and designed to meet Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability requirements (HIPAA), among others.

For more information on the Unisys-Verizon collaboration, click here.

Unisys provides a portfolio of IT services, software and technology that helps solve critical problems for clients. Visit www.unisys.com for more information.

Verizon is a leading provider of advanced IT and communications services to governments around the world. Visit the Verizon Public Sector Markets website for more information.