Press Release

Gütersloh – Open Grid Europe GmbH (OGE) and Arvato Systems have extended their ongoing IT service contract ahead of schedule and expanded its content. The new agreement between Germany's largest gas transmission system operator and the established IT service provider starts on January 1, 2025 and runs for five and a half years. The early extension is due to the very successful cooperation to date and the high stability and security of the IT services purchased. “We are very pleased that we were able to reliably meet the requirements of OGE, a KRITIS company with the highest IT requirements, and that we will not only continue the partnership, but also take it to a new level,” comments Arvato Systems CEO Matthias Moeller. “In Arvato Systems, we have a reliable IT partner that has impressed us with its performance and innovative strength and with whom we will now take the next steps in digitization,” says Ralf Werner, CIO and CDO at OGE.

Arvato Systems provides comprehensive support for OGE, from nationwide end device service to network and application management for the specialist applications to complete data center and storage services. It also provides basic support for the SAP systems. All applications run in OGE's data centers. The Essen-based company is pursuing a cloud-first strategy: all functions that can be moved there are migrated to the Microsoft Azure Cloud provided by Arvato Systems. OGE is already on a cloud journey and is continuing along this path.

Focus on AI-based innovations

In addition to the new framework agreement, supplementary projects in the area of applications were also agreed. The main focus here is on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to evaluate data in greater depth, further automate processes (e.g. in pipeline monitoring for early fault detection) and make applications even simpler and more error-free for end users, for example through chatbots. As part of the transition from the gas world to the hydrogen world, automation and AI should help the gas network operator to reduce the workload on employees and at the same time provide them with additional AI-based knowledge. OGE aims to exploit all potential here and achieve maximum digital fitness for the transformation process. If the IT company and users act as partners willing to innovate, this opens up a wide range of opportunities for optimization. “For OGE, the ability and willingness to innovate are key requirements for our IT service provider,” says Ralf Werner.

Benchmark process accompanies contract design

The fact that OGE and Arvato Systems harmonize well can also be seen in the joint and cooperative process for contract design and extension, which made the otherwise necessary tendering of services unnecessary. Based on the experience gained to date, service descriptions were sharpened on both sides and checked and confirmed in terms of content and price with the help of an independent external benchmark.

Two further factors why both sides work very well and therefore enjoy working together: permanent bidirectional qualification with the aim of continuously improving processes, as well as the commitment and high level of dedication to deliver high-quality results on time.

"Partner and source of inspiration"

“For us, Arvato Systems is a strategic partner on an equal footing and an important driving force,” concludes Dr. Frank Reiners, Managing Director and CFO of OGE. “The joint promotion of digitalization and the pursuit of innovation are of great importance for the future-proof positioning of our IT.”