Trustmarque wins three-year IT management contract with VLS

Trustmarque Solutions Limited (part of Capita PLC) has won a three-year IT management contract with Virtual Lease Services Ltd ('VLS'), a risk management and business process outsourcing specialist for the business and personal finance sector.

Under the deal, Trustmarque will act as a complete IT department for VLS, providing end-to-end management of its IT environment; including its migration to Office 365 and its roll-out of an enterprise mobility programme via the adoption of Microsoft Surface Pro devices. In addition, Trustmarque will be providing ongoing IT consultancy to support the development of VLS's future IT strategy.

VLS is a specialist provider of accounting and administration services for regulated loans and asset finance, managing operational risk in a wide range of instalment credit profiles – IT is at the heart of VLS's operations. This deal with Trustmarque allows VLS to focus on the continuing delivery of excellent customer service, with the knowledge that Trustmarque is safeguarding its IT infrastructure.

VLS began a competitive tender process when it felt its incumbent IT partner failed to meet its needs as the business grew and its technology requirements evolved. The critical business processes that VLS provides to its customers rely on a stable and robust IT environment; hence VLS required an IT partner able to offer that reliability, while minimising the risk of IT outages. VLS was also looking for a partner that is able to consult on IT strategy and assist with planning for future growth. Now, with Trustmarque overseeing the IT environment, the VLS team is freed from the demands of day-to-day IT management, releasing time better invested in delivering valuable additional services to its customers.

"Technology underpins everything we do at VLS – it's vital that our IT is reliable, so we can concentrate on serving our customers expertly," commented Louise Ikonomides, Managing Director at VLS. "Our customers rely on us to manage a range of important risk based and financial business processes, and we in turn rely on a robust IT framework to deliver these services. Trustmarque quickly gained an understanding of the critical work VLS does, and demonstrated its capabilities to offer complete, end-to-end IT management. Trustmarque showed that it genuinely cares about VLS as a business, and can provide us with a structured roadmap and strategy to support our growth."

"In the heavily regulated banking and financial services industry, reputation is everything. Across all sectors, the management of ongoing IT functions is proving to be increasingly complex, so it's vital to simplify these procedures in order for companies like VLS to concentrate on what they do best," said Darren Saunders, Client Director, Trustmarque. "We worked closely with VLS to create a clear approach to IT that allows it to grow unhindered and maximise staff productivity, while removing the 'headache' that IT management can cause. We look forward to working with VLS in the coming years."