Dell Inc. has signed a four-year, US$50 million deal with UBS AG to replace and manage 30,000 desktop and notebook PCs in the Zurich-based financial services firm"s Swiss branches and the offices of its Wealth Management unit around the world.

Dell OptiPlex GX280 desktops and Latitude D410 and D610 notebooks will replace the existing hardware, according to a Dell statement.

Dell spokeswoman Kallie Glanville said the PC vendor is replacing systems from a "major competitor," but she declined to name the company.

"Dell was selected based on its services delivery," she said.

Under the agreement, Dell will provide UBS with a number of managed services, including installation, advanced help desk services, hardware support and asset management. Dell will also provide services to support a migration to Microsoft"s Windows XP operating system, according to the statement.

Dell has already started installing the new systems and the rollout should be completed within the next few months, Dell said.

"Dell won the contract because of the global availability of its products, the exceptional price-performance ratio and its managed-services offerings," said Scott Abbey, chief technology officer, UBS. "By standardizing the PC infrastructure worldwide, we can achieve a substantial cost reduction."