Power and automation technology provider ABB has awarded a contract to UK-based telecommunication firm, BT to transform and mange its communications infrastructure across Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.

BT will also provide IT security and improve application performance for ABB.

The service is expected to enhance ABB’s capability for collaboration, innovation and business transformation in more than 100 countries.

BT is likely to connect over 700 ABB locations with its Internet Connect and IP Connect services. This will allow 140,000 ABB employees to communicate and collaborate with each other.

The firm will ensure security of network assets and services for ABB by managing 400 firewalls and providing BT Assure cyber protection and analytics services.

ABB chief information officer Andy Tidd said: “The alignment with BT will enable us to move to a globally consistent, high quality network.

“This key component of our new IT infrastructure will support ABB’s three focus areas of profitable growth, relentless execution and business-led collaboration.”

BT will be responsible for the quality and performance of the network services. The firm will customise its services to support ABB’s strategic business applications, it said.

BT Global Services CEO Luis Alvarez said: “ABB has ambitious growth plans with their Next Level strategy, and we will support them by leveraging our expertise in the energy and manufacturing sector and our experience in protecting the global IT infrastructure of multi-national corporations.

“We are also looking forward to helping ABB embrace the great new opportunities offered by the cloud, wherever those might be hosted.”