Qwest Communications International (qwest.com) announced on Monday it has signed a new contract to provide hosting services for the Defense Logistics Agency's Enterprise data center program, providing the agency with the redundancy and security it requires for its sensitive data storage needs.

The 10-year contract will provide DLA with infrastructure support services and connectivity at three of Qwest's CyberCenters. Hewlett Packard, the prime contractor, will provide remote management and monitoring. The DLA is part of the Department of Defense and provides worldwide logistics support for the missions of the US military.

DLA is consolidating and migrating its infrastructure from in-house to the Qwest CyberCenters. The contract called for Qwest to pass a meticulous and strict security certification process - one of the industry's highest - at its CyberCenter locations.

"This is Qwest's first opportunity to work with DLA," says James F.X. Payne, senior vice president of Qwest's government services division. "This is a trend we're seeing in government as more and more agencies turn to outside sources for their hosting needs."