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Hayleys Ltd., the Sri Lankan multinational blue chip
and one of the largest conglomerates in the country
yesterday announced a strategic partnership with
Microsoft Sri Lanka, the worldwide leader in software,
services and internet technologies.
The two
leaders have entered into an Enterprise Agreement (EA),
which will provide Hayleys with volume licenses for
genuine Microsoft software deployment along with a host
of other services and features. Commenting on this
initiative Hayleys Director Finance Richard Ebell said:
“We are a multi-faceted organization, carrying out
varied businesses in diverse locations. Operating in the
global arena we increasingly use computer systems to
communicate and ultimately enhance productivity in our
businesses.”
“We pride ourselves on being a socially responsible
Group, which strives to be “world class” in our
operations. It was therefore appropriate for us to enter
into an Enterprise Agreement with Microsoft,” Mr. Ebell
said.
The Agreement establishes all personal computers in
various locations throughout Hayleys organization as
licensed, and gives it the right to continued assurance
and enhancements on the Microsoft products used.
Mr. Ebell said Hayleys hopes to harness Microsoft’s
expertise and commitment to enable it achieve greater
productivity through their services, which will be of
value.
“We are confident this new partnership between Hayleys
and Microsoft will be mutually beneficial, and we look
forward to working as a team with Microsoft Sri Lanka to
make this so,” he said.Microsoft South East Asia
President Ken Wye Saw said: “Microsoft established
operations in Sri Lanka with a firm commitment to help
local businesses utilize the potential of IT, through
sharing our global best practices. Today with the
signing of this agreement we pledge to assist Hayleys
realize the full potential that superior IT deployment
can deliver to an organization. We admire Hayleys for
taking this step, which will ensure that they use
world-class technology.”
Being one of the best managed blue chip companies in Sri
Lanka, Hayleys has been a trend-setter for other
organizations in Sri Lanka. This initiative furthers
their commitment to follow best business practices by
acknowledging intellectual property guidelines. This
investment to develop the IT infrastructure of the
organization will help them further achieve their goal
of being a world-class organization with world class
technology.
During the license period of three years, the Enterprise
Agreement will enable Hayleys to use the latest
Microsoft technology, software packages, innovations,
training components and other value additions, specially
designed for them. On completion of the tenure, Hayleys
will have perpetual license for these Microsoft
products.
The EA will help Hayleys build a more flexible IT
infrastructure, and drive standardization throughout its
diverse businesses. It will help provide more value,
more manageability, and more assistance through
‘Software Assurance’ and many other advantages like
ensuring compliance, simplifying license administration
and budgeting through spread payments, lower total cost
of ownership, improved workplace productivity and
automatic new version rights. Employees too will
directly benefit through the Home Use Program, and the
Employee Purchase Program (EPP) and many other
advantages like TechNet Online Concierge, Extended
Lifecycle Hot-Fix Support, Microsoft Windows
Pre-installation Environment (WINPE), Corporate Error
Reporting (CER), eLearning and Training Vouchers. These
features will give the organization the flexibility it
needs to have an edge over its competition.
Besides this Microsoft will also provide assistance in
developing Hayleys’ IT blue print, consultancy services,
communications and staff training and support. These
value-adds, which are commitments and investments from
Microsoft will help ensure that the monetary investment
from Hayleys is fully optimized and that the
conglomerate receives the highest return on its
investment in Microsoft software.
The Hayleys Group of companies was established in 1878
and is the largest public-quoted export company in Sri
Lanka with manufacturing and trading interests world
wide. With diverse business interests, Hayleys today
accounts for 2.3% of Sri Lanka’s export income, 1.3% of
the Country’s GDP, 2.1% of domestic value addition and
5.2% of market capitalization on the Colombo Stock
Exchange.
Microsoft’s Enterprise Agreement provides volume
licenses for medium and large-scale businesses that make
an enterprise wide decision to deploy Microsoft
products. It is the most preferred offering for its
corporate clients, ensuring that the enterprise partner
receives a host of value added benefits along with
genuine Microsoft software. Leading corporations
worldwide are Microsoft Enterprise Partners and several
of these top corporations have observed a significant
improvement in their IT Practices post agreement.
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