In the UK, IBM has secured a £10m deal to supply IT infrastructure and services to Kent County Council. The deal will unfold over a five year period, and has the aim of making Kent County Council's directly accessible for its residents. IBM is to supply (but retain ownership) of hardware, and will also take responsibility for regular upgrades and replacements. IBM will have the task of ensuring that all hardware used by staff should be under three years old, and will replace the existing email, storage and server environments.