Case Study: European Southern Observatory (ESO) achieves SLA-driven, multi-site IT outsourcing across Germany and Chile with Comarch

Comarch IT Outsourcing Services for European Southern Observatory

The European Southern Observatory (ESO), a leading intergovernmental astronomical organisation with headquarters in Germany and multiple facilities in Chile, needed to replace a mixed outsourcing/body‑leasing approach with a service‑based IT model defined by a clear Service Catalogue and SLAs. Comarch won ESO’s competitive tender to provide comprehensive IT Out‑Tasking services for both the German HQ and the Chilean sites, aiming to deliver monitored, SLA‑driven support rather than resource‑based billing.

Comarch implemented two contracts with a three‑month Phase‑In to audit infrastructure, recruit and train teams, and transition services including service desk, workstation and server administration, LAN/WAN and telecoms, database and virtualization support, and data‑centre operations. Comarch now supports roughly 700 end users across 2 continents, 4 offices and 3 observatories, delivers SLA‑measured, high‑quality service backed by certified engineers (CCNP/CCIE, MCSE, RHCE), and consolidated ESO’s IT support under a single, cost‑attractive provider, with full service delivery beginning in October 2015.

European Southern Observatory (ESO)