Press release -

Atos opens IT Integration Testing Lab for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Rio de Janeiro – 9th April 2015 – Atos, an international leader in digital services and Worldwide IT Partner of the International Olympic Committee, today opens the IT Integration Testing Lab for the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It marks the successful completion of a major milestone in the run up to the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the start of 200,000 hours of IT testing.

Although invisible to most people, the IT provided by Atos plays an essential role in making the Games a success. For example, Atos provides the systems that beam the results around the world in less than a second for use on television, online and on multiple devices; the portal to support the recruitment and training of 70,000 volunteers and the solution that processes 300,000 accreditation passes so those involved in the Games can access the areas they need during the Games as well as providing those in the Olympic Family (media, TOP Partners, athletes and sports officials) travelling from overseas with a visa to enter Brazil.

Just like the athletes, the Atos IT team needs to prepare for the Games and it is in the IT Integration Testing Lab where they will do their training and test every Results related IT system, IT application and the IT infrastructure itself to help ensure the Games run smoothly. Covering 1272 m2, the Lab is a massive space bringing the Olympic and Paralympic Games under one roof. It comprises 42 cells covering each sport and venue plus 12 cells dedicated to the accreditation and results information systems.

The Rio 2016 Games represents a major step in the IOC’s IT strategy to embrace digital transformation to further secure operations, contain costs, and leverage experience and investment across multiple Games. This means it will be the first time in a Summer Games where key systems are managed in the cloud including the volunteer portal and the accreditation system. It also means it will be the last time that the IT Integration Testing Lab is located in the host city. As all the IT systems and applications are transitioned to Canopy - the Atos cloud - a permanent testing lab in Spain will support all the testing for upcoming Games.

The Rio 2016 Games are a key milestone in the transformational shift to the cloud. The scale and intensity of the IT operations for the Olympic Games make it a secure, dedicated, agile cloud infrastructure essential. Canopy – the Atos Cloud - will work with its delivery partner – EMC Corporation® – to transition most of the critical IT services provided by Atos today into the cloud for the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. The increased flexibility, agility and cost efficiency of the Canopy solution will provide increased reliability, better accessibility to services worldwide for spectators and TV viewers, and a considerable reduction in the cost incurred by IOC and Organizing Committees.

Sidney Levy, Rio 2016™ Committee Chief Executive Officer said: “Today the Olympic Games could not happen without technology and I am delighted that the IT Integration Testing Lab – an important milestone in our program – is on time and on budget. Let the IT testing begin.”

Patrick Adiba, Group Chief Commercial Officer, CEO of Major Events at Atos said: “Testing is critical to our success at the Olympic and Paralympic Games and today’s opening is a major milestone in our technology roadmap. Rio 2016 marks our eighth Olympic Games, fourth Summer Olympic Games and importantly the first and important step in the IOC’s journey to digital, as we move to a new IT delivery model from a ‘build each time’ to a ‘build once and reuse’ model. This will bring benefits in terms of efficiency not only for the Rio 2016 Games but for all future Games too. We are delighted to be working with the team in Rio to deliver this exciting transformation.”

Elly Resende, Rio2016 Technology Director said: “Atos plays an important role not only as a key integrator for our Games solutions but also as a true partner to support our challenges. With their successful track record in delivering IT for the Olympic Games since 2002, they bring experience, expertise and specialized knowledge which is enabling us to deliver the IT for the Rio 2016 Games and the foundation for future Games.”

Delivering the technology for the Olympic Games is a huge team effort and Atos works closely with Rio 2016 and the other Technology Partners:

  • Omega – Timepieces, Timing, Scoring, and On-Venue Results
  • Panasonic – Visual and Audio-Visual Equipment
  • Samsung –Wireless Communications
  • Embratel/ Claro - Mobile and Fixed Telecommunication
  • Cisco - Networking and Wireless equipment and specialized hardware services
  • Symantec - Security Software
  • EMC - Storage Infrastructure Systems
  • Microsoft – Systems Software

IT Facts for the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Running the IT for the Olympic Games is equivalent to running the IT to a business of 200,000 employees addressing 4 billion customers, operating 24/7 and moving to a new territory every two years.

  • 4.8 billion viewers worldwide
  • 30,000 media
  • 37 competition venues with complete IT infrastructures
  • 14,850 athletes
  • 300,000 accreditations
  • 70,000 volunteers
  • 200,000 hours of IT testing
  • 250 servers

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Topics

  • Business enterprise

Categories

  • sport it
  • Summer Games
  • worldwide it partner
  • olympics
  • atos

About Atos

Atos SE (Societas Europaea) is a leader in digital services with 2013 pro forma annual revenue of €10 billion and 86,000 employees in 66 countries. Serving a global client base, the Group provides Consulting & Systems Integration services, Managed Services & BPO, Cloud operations, Big Data & Security solutions, as well as transactional services through Worldline, the European leader in the payments and transactional services industry. With its deep technology expertise and industry knowledge, the Group works with clients across different business sectors: Defense, Financial Services, Health, Manufacturing, Media & Utilities, Public Sector, Retail, Telecommunications and Transportation.

Atos is focused on business technology that powers progress and helps organizations to create their firm of the future. The Group is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and is listed on the Euronext Paris market. Atos operates under the brands Atos, Atos Consulting, Atos Worldgrid, Bull, Canopy, and Worldline.

About Rio 2016 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games

The Rio 2016 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games is a private civil and non-profitable sporting association, comprised of the Brazilian Olympic Confederations, the Brazilian Olympic Committee, and the Brazilian Paralympic Committee. Its mission is to promote, organise and carry out the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in accordance with the guidelines of the Host-City Contract, the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), and the World Anti-Doping Agency, in addition to complying with Brazilian law, the Olympic Charter and the IPC Rule Book.

Contacts

Rhoda Dinesen

Press contact Marketing & Communication Manager, APAC Advertising & Marketing, Press and Analyst Relations, Corporate Communications +65 67308524

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