IBM wraps up 40,000 computer deal with Kodak

Kodak has standardised its 40,000 desktop and notebook PCs on IBM, and is taking advantage of a tailored software package from Big Blue to further reduce its costs.

The firm said it is using a new IBM service called Image Ultra which allows it to pre-install software on PCs and hold it in a partition until it is required.

This means that PCs can be easily tailored to individual users' responsibilities without IT staff having to install software by hand. Kodak is also taking advantage of a special facility to order PCs direct from IBM's website.

In a statement Tony DiBitetto, director of global desktop and telecommunications services at Kodak, said the scheme was saving him money on PCs and creating "significant" savings on services costs.

Bob Sutherland, analyst for Technology Business Research, said: "This kind of scheme can offer great benefits for companies like Kodak, who standardise the PCs they buy, and then boot up the required software as when the user needs it."