Carphone Warehouse has signed up IBM in a multi-year IT infrastructure services agreement.

The mobile phone retailer expects to generate unspecified cost benefits from the deal.

Carphone Warehouse already has a policy of minimising the costs of what it calls “lights on” IT – the amount of its budget that is spent on keeping existing IT infrastructure running – to allow it to maximise its investment in new technology.

IBM will deliver services to the mobile phone retailer around it service desk, servers, storage, desktop, network and data centre environments.

Carphone Warehouse will receive service level commitments from IBM, and improved business flexibility. IBM will deploy its own service delivery and management processes and tools in order to manage the retailer’s infrastructure.

Carphone Warehouse chief technology officer Simon Post commented: “IBM has a long and successful track record in the infrastructure area, and I am confident that this alliance will offer lasting benefits such as increased service levels and efficiency improvements to our business.”