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Thule Turns to IBM for On Demand Services

IBM today announced that it has been selected to provide on demand services for The Thule Group, the world's leading manufacturer of load carriers for cars.

As part of the agreement, to help ensure system availability and the safety of data, IBM will provide Thule with a security-enhanced hosting solution, which includes collocation of Thule's hardware plus backup and restore services to help prevent loss of data and system outages. IBM will host IT infrastructure that runs Thule's Web site, a valuable asset to the company's business which features detailed product information, allows customers to purchase replacement parts and is an important marketing tool for the company.

"Thule's Web site is a key sales channel for us and is the face of our company to much of the world," said Steve Doviak, marketing manager, The Thule Group. "We are pleased to be working with IBM -- being with a reliable and stable hosting provider is critical to our company."

A growing number of customers are taking care of business without hiring IT staff or purchasing IT infrastructure, instead fulfilling their IT needs via on demand services. IBM on demand services help customers obtain IT management expertise and computing resources on a flexible and cost-efficient basis. IBM on demand services include security capabilities, computing capacity on demand, software as a service and desktop management. Most services are sold on a usage basis, reducing the upfront capital investment and freeing up financial resources for strategic growth initiatives.

"By selecting IBM's on demand services, Thule is taking advantage of a reliable infrastructure so the company can focus on its core business," said Mark Morin, general manager, IBM Global Services. "IBM's experience in providing hosting services -- be it traditional collocation or computing capacity on demand -- provides customers with efficient and security-enhanced solutions to help them compete in the marketplace."

About Thule

The Thule Group is the world's leading manufacturer of load carriers for cars: rooftop boxes, roof rails, bike carriers as well as snow chains and trailers. The Group's best-known brands are Thule, Brenderup, König and Thule Rental. Thule has 1,600 employees at approx 20 production and sales units on all major automotive markets in North America, Europe and Asia. Sales in 2003 amounted to 2,200 MSEK. Thule is owned by EQT, a group of private equity funds with equity commitments exceeding EUR 3 billion www.eqt.se)">. Further information can be found at www.thule.com.

About IBM Global Services

IBM Global Services is the world's largest information technology services and consulting provider. Some 180,000 professionals in more than 160 countries help clients integrate information technology with business value -- from the business transformation and industry expertise of IBM Business Consulting Services to hosting, infrastructure, technology design and training services. Leveraging IBM's unequalled scope and scale, IBM Global Services delivers integrated, flexible and resilient processes -- across companies and through business partners -- that enable clients to benefit from the on demand business model by saving money and transforming their businesses to be more competitive. For more information, visit www.ibm.com/services.

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