ISI one of eight key suppliers to Lockheed Martin Australia as part of an $800 million eight-year provision of centralised processing services to the Australian Department of Defence
ISI Pty Ltd, a leading company that provides enterprise class infrastructure and services in the Australian business sector, has won a $31 million contract from Lockheed Martin as part of an $800 million eight-year centralised processing services contract for the Australian Department of Defence.
Lockheed Martin Australia was confirmed as the successful contractor for the Department of Defence’s Centralised Processing (CP) project on 3 September 2014.
As part of the project ISI will be responsible to Lockheed Martin Australia (LMA) for operational support and management of Defence’s mainframe environment. This will allow Defence to secure its mainframe capability for the next eight years and beyond.
ISI CEO Steven Hedge says that mainframes provide the most reliable, scalable and secure infrastructure for big business in Australia, and that as a 100 per cent Australian owned entity ISI is delighted to be able to work with LMA and the Department of Defence on such an important part of their IT infrastructure.
“Other platforms simply don’t have the reliability and security of mainframes, and it’s both expensive and disruptive to write new apps or try to move existing apps on to other systems,” says Hedge.
“Mainframes are used by the majority of Australia’s top 200 companies, which tells you the technology is not only relevant but continues to provide opportunities for skills development and long-term employment,” he says.
“The challenge for most of these companies is how to optimise their IT headcount, given the focus on next-generation mobile and cloud-based application development and services. The obvious answer is to assign mainframe operational support and management to specialist service providers, which allows existing staff to be deployed in those areas that drive innovation and actively benefit and differentiate the company.”
ISI currently employs in excess of 30 mainframe specialists and has embarked on a recruitment drive to add another 23 people in support of the contract with LMA, both at ISI and at Defence sites across the country, including the ACT.
“While mainframe skills are in tight supply, leading global institutions like the University of Canberra offer dedicated undergraduate and postgraduate mainframe degrees,” adds Hedge. “Because of the longevity of the technology – the mainframe turned 50 in April this year – our specialised focus means that we have ready access to a broad range of people from highly-experienced technicians to promising new talent, so our customers can count on us to supply the skills they need for almost any project.”
In announcing the contract award Defence CIO, Dr Peter Lawrence stated that “the partnership will deliver Defence with a robust and secure technology environment, while creating greater efficiencies; simplifying our service provision and speeding up our response to change”.
In addition to Defence, ISI’s services business counts the likes of Goldman Sachs, Spotless Group, Repco, Insurance Commission of WA and Shell Oil as longstanding customers. It also provides other products and services to major Australian companies such as Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, the Reserve Bank, ASIC, NSW Police, Credit Union of Australia and BPay.
About ISI
ISI is a highly specialised Australian technology company that provides enterprise class infrastructure and services to large scale customers around the world. Founded in 1991, ISI has offices throughout Australia.
ISI is an IBM Premier Partner and holds a number of exclusive agreements with world leading technology innovators. The company’s clients include Fortune 500 companies and government departments. Additional information about ISI is available at http://www.isi.com.au/.
