CGI (TSX:GIB) (NYSE:GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, and technology company Telia have signed an agreement for a business transaction as well as a strategic partnership. Under the business transaction, Telia's cloud and capacity services for enterprises, as well as IT end-user services in Finland, will be transferred to CGI. At the same time, nearly 250 Telia employees will join CGI to support the ongoing development and delivery of these services. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

In addition, the companies are launching a strategic partnership through which CGI will support Telia's business operations with scalable, secure services that leverage cloud technology, while Telia will support CGI's growth through secure data center infrastructure and network services.

With the new agreement, CGI strengthens its role as a pioneer in building secure and scalable IT environments in the region. Going forward, CGI will be able to offer its clients an even broader range of services to accelerate digital transformation and secure critical business data in line with their requirements. These CGI services range from Katakri 2020-certified high-security data centers to hybrid and public cloud environments. This expanded capability meets clients' growing demand for secure and scalable IT environments, and provides a strong foundation for automation, data-driven services and artificial intelligence (AI).

The partnership also supports Telia's strategic goal to focus on its core business and strengthen competitiveness in the long term.

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"As digital transformation accelerates and the geopolitical landscape shifts, organizations need greater flexibility and reliability in their IT environments," said Niraj Sood, President, Finland, Poland and Baltics operations at CGI. "The additional data center capacity that will become available to us – significant on a Nordic scale – and the high-security solutions available through this partnership help us meet clients' growing demand for secure and scalable IT environments that can handle enterprise AI integration. We thank Telia for their trust in entering into a strategic partnership with us. Once completed, we expect the transaction to open up new opportunities both for our clients and for the skilled professionals joining CGI."

Telia's Helsinki Datacenter is not included in the transaction.