FDM, the Brighton-based information technology services company, has won a contract to provide technical support to one of the world's biggest banks.

The firm will run Deutsche Bank's global equity help desk from its headquarters in Trafalgar Place as part of a deal worth £500,000.

An 11-strong team will support traders in Europe, America and the Far East who experience technical difficulties while using the bank's trading systems.

They will work around the clock in shifts to cover the various time zones.

FDM has been running the support desk at the bank's London offices for the last three years, mainly using Brighton-based employees.

But high costs and the prospect of better living standards for staff convinced Deutsche to relocate the team to Brighton.

FDM has effectively created a satellite office for the bank, which ranks among the world leaders in corporate banking and employs 67,000 people.

Andy Brown, UK sales manager, said: "FDM competed against and won this contract ahead of several international IT companies.

"We are able to offer the most skilled professionals in the business alongside what we term 'near offshore' pricing to city institutions that want to outsource their IT function.

"Our unique training academy programme means we can train IT professionals to meet market demand, making ours one of the most flexible and cost-effective workforces in the industry."

Having survived a recession in the sector, FDM is now one ofthe South's IT success stories, employing 400 people in Brighton and 200 in the United States.

In 20 years of trading it has built up annual sales of £36 million.

It also runs one of the biggest IT training academies in the country.

The relatively low cost of business in Brighton compared with London and other major cities has helped the company secure a string of major deals.

FDM's client base now includes O2, Sky, Vivista, Flextech Television and the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Mr Brown said: "This contract with Deutsche Bank is just the tip of the iceberg for us and an indication of the strength of the IT market here in Brighton.

"We are stemming the tide of companies looking to outsource IT services to the Far East by offering low-cost recruitment and high-quality services on London's doorstep.

"We are confident we will continue to win contracts of this calibre and plug the substantial gaps in the IT services market."

Tuesday September 14, 2004