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41 Waikato Institute of Technology
2006 Ranking: 50
Senior IS executive: Wayne Stewart, chief information officer
Reports to: CEO and director, Support Services
Size of IS shop: 32
PCs: 1857
Mobile PCs: 175
Terminals: 10
Hand-held devices: 30
Total screens: 2072
Industry: Education services
PC environment: Apple Mac, Windows XP, HP
Server environment: Apple Mac, Linux, Windows 2003, HP Others
DBMS: SQL, Oracle
Address: Gate 5 Tristram Street, Block B, Hamilton
Website: www.twp.ac.nz
Key IS projects this year: Not disclosed.
Hamilton-based, the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) has seven main campuses and a desire to develop strong collaborative links with other organisations wherever there is seen to be a mutual advantage.
Underlining this need is increased competition and less certainty over existing revenue streams. Potential overruns in capital cost projects mean Wintec spends carefully in all areas, including IT.
CIO Wayne Stewart says IT provides a vehicle to create new opportunities and enhance existing product offerings for Wintec. “In addition IT is seen as the enabler for many of the strategic business projects and the IT department works closely with all aspects of the business on these projects.”
Stewart says the fact Wintec IT initiatives are well supported at a senior management level and IT and business strategies remain closely aligned, is important during times of economic uncertainty when IT is looked upon to provide more cost effective solutions and to deliver a more nimble organisation, able to react quickly in the face of economic pressures.
K4, Wintec’s Computer Drop-in Centre is available to students to support and enhance course work, and for the preparation and printing of assignments. Students access the centre by swiping a current student ID card.
In the past year, Wintec has continued implementation of business intelligence and process management projects, and a further rollout of Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft SharePoint Portal based applications. Other major IT projects were further development of its portal including the addition of more portal based applications designed to provide greater accessibility to information and systems to Wintec staff and students; migration of legacy systems from Oracle to Microsoft SQL Server; and infrastructure upgrades including hardware replacements.
Stewart says the Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics will collaborate more in coming years in curriculum development and delivery and IT will have a major role in enabling this collaboration.
2006 Ranking: 45
Senior IS executive: Darren Turner, chief technology officer
Reports to: Head of group services
Size of IS shop: 60
PCs: 2550
Mobile PCs: 220
Terminals:0
Hand-held devices:70
Total screens: 2840
Industry: Information
PC environment: Apple Mac; Windows 2000, XP; Dell
Server environment: Apple; Linux; Solaris; VMS; Windows 2000, 2003; Dell; Sun; Compaq
DBMS: SQL, Sybase
Address: 46 Albert Street, Auckland
Website: www.apn.com.au
Key IS projects this year: VoIP; financial, CRM and business intelligence systems; server virtualisation.
Australasian publisher APN News & Media, publisher of The New Zealand Herald and many other titles, requires flexible technology that allows the business to quickly adapt and respond to market changes. In New Zealand this is the task of the IT team, headed by chief technology officer Darren Turner.
Turner says that IT management works closely with the business to develop a technology strategy that supports the business strategy. Senior management and business owners understand the important role IT plays in business success “completely”, says Turner.
A key focus of APN NZ is for new product developments to continue to drive revenues in a market which is becoming tougher. Turner says there is an expectation that IT will be more creative in order to meet these challenges and key applications are now centralised and run across the WAN. “We have achieved a stable operating environment and are now focused on hardware refreshes and system upgrades, whilst other media companies are still implementing new core production technologies and rolling them out.”
On the telecommunications front, Turner says APN makes the most of GPRS mobile technologies from Vodafone. Turner says mobile technologies increasingly provide a competitive edge for media companies, such as in securing on-the-spot photos. “You can have a photo for your paper transmitted in five or 30 minutes, depending on the mobile technology you use.”
APN NZ uses Telecom for WAN voice and data, and a VoIP solution from Nortel is being rolled out. Whilst the media industry is sensitive to data integrity breaches, Turner says there is a place for 802.11-based wireless technologies provided restrictions are in place.
In the next 12 months, APN will embark on IT projects around financial, CRM and business intelligence systems, and will use VMWare for a dedicated server virtualisation project. APN will also continue to focus on expanding existing disaster recovery and business continuity plans.
2006 ranking: 47
Senior IS executive: Phil Wright, GM of information technology
Reports to: Steve Anderson, CEO
Size of IS shop: 65
PCs: 800
Mobile PCs: 75
Terminals: 750
Hand-held devices: 800
Total screens: 2425
Industry: Wholesale and retail trade
PC environment: Windows XP, IBM
Server environment: OS400, Windows 2003, AIX, IBM
DBMS: DB2, Interbase, SQL
Address: 165-169 Main North Road, Papanui, Christchurch
Website: www.foodstuffs.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: SAP implementation, POS hardware replacement programme; e-commerce initiatives.
Based in Christchurch, Foodstuffs South Island is one of three separate, regionally based and retailer owned co-operative companies of the Foodstuffs organisation.
General manager IT Phil Wright says due to margin realities, IT plans and goals must align with business objectives to be justified. In 2007, IT projects meeting that criterion include a significant SAP implementation, point of sale hardware refresh and the introduction of self checkout in some retail stores. Not surprisingly, point of sale systems (POS) are a priority, and the refresh programme of 40-plus stores will see the introduction of operator touch screens and LCD customer displays.
Wright says data warehouse systems leverage business intelligence and Cognos technologies do a good job of supporting that process. One goal for 2007 is to continue to derive benefit from the data warehouse and Wright says SAP tools will provide better integrated data and business efficiencies.
“Eighteen months ago we conducted a strategic review looking at what we needed over the next five years and SAP was the best overall option for us,” says Wright.
On the telecommunications front, Wright says both Telecom and Vodafone perform well in respect of the services they provide, but echoes other CIOs in saying he would like telecommunications providers to do a better job of seeing telecommunications needs from the customers’ perspective and tailoring products and services rather than providing set offerings. “We do find the services reasonably reliable, although one challenge is the bandwidth available to our Four Square stores in rural areas.”
Meanwhile, Foodstuffs South Island’s use of mobile technology to access office communication systems has expanded with staff using laptops and 3G or PDA devices. Wright says mobile device use depends on whether the individual needs a full screen and keyboard, or just basic email and calendar. “So we provide a narrow range rather than one solution fits all.”
2006 ranking: 37
Senior IS executive: Ray Vagha, IT operations manager
Reports to: Chief financial officer, Michael Power
Size of IS shop: 34
PCs: 1300
Mobile PCs: 110
Terminals: 480
Hand-held devices: 670
Total screens: 2560
Industry: Wholesale and retail trade
PC environment: Windows NT, XP; HP; IBM
Server environment: AIX; Windows 2000, 2003; xSeries, pSeries; HP
DBMS: Oracle, SQL
Address: 21 Laidlaw Way, Flat Bush, Auckland
Website: www.farmers.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: New point of sale system implementation; systems management and monitoring platform implementation.
The Farmers Trading Company — or “Farmers” as it is known —operates more than 55 department stores in rural and city locations around the country.
First established by Robert Laidlow as a catalogue mail order company in 1909, Farmers is now a modern department store and a leading fashion and home retailer in New Zealand.
Ray Vagha, IT operations manager, says Farmers has dramatically changed its IT landscape over the last few years, moving away from a frame-relay network and mainframe-based applications. A new IP-based WAN was introduced and SAP has been implemented for finance, warehouse management and the core retail functions. Applications are delivered through a thin-client environment running on a partially virtualised back-end, improving the performance, support and business continuity capabilities.
On top of the SAP system, Farmers has established an enterprise application architecture based on SOA, using Microsoft tools like Visual Studio, BizTalk and SQL. This will allow Farmers to react quickly to changes in the business environment.
In early 2007, Farmers completed implementation of the new POS system in all stores including a replacement of the wireless infrastructure in each store. “We will be implementing Tivoli and Altiris tools to improve and where appropriate automate the monitoring, management and support of the IT environment,” says Vagha.
2006 ranking: 51
Senior IS executive: Ian Rae, chief information officer
Reports to: General manager, organisation performance
Size of IS shop: 66
PCs: 2450
Mobile PCs: 215
Terminals: 0
Hand-held devices: 225
Total screens: 2890
Industry: Government and defence
PC environment: Windows XP, HP
Server environment: Solaris; Windows 2000, 2003; HP; IBM; Sun
DBMS: SQL, MaxDB
Address: 1 Greys Avenue, Auckland
Website: www.aucklandcity.govt.nz
Key IS projects this year: CRM, content management, infrastructure and system version upgrades.
In addition to making monumental decisions about rugby stadiums, the Auckland City Council works at its long-term vision for Auckland to be the “First City of the Pacific”.
“We see good core services and facilities as an important foundation for our long-term services, and technology is an important key to creating an efficient and capable council that delivers valued services,” says CIO Ian Rae.
Around one-third of New Zealanders live and work in Auckland. Rae says the council has reached a point where it needed to rethink the role of IT applications, database management and other infrastructure components, and look at service-oriented development.
In 2007, the main challenge is the need to prioritise IT projects and activities and decide the right activities, given resource constraints and responsibilities. Fortunately, says Rae, the council has built a capable infrastructure over recent years to support service delivery.
The council expects telecommunication sector legislation and changes to provide more opportunities for people to access services electronically – both from cost and choice perspectives – and ebusiness, wireless and mobilisation projects are all planned for 2007.
Also on the IT agenda is an investment in CRM software and supporting systems and business processes, server virtualisation, VoIP and ERP extension. Wireless technologies will be extended to provide efficiencies for field workers. Rae says the council will introduce an enterprise application integration layer into its technical landscape and grow and consolidate its geospatial systems. The council has a core set of preferred applications that include SAP for ERP functions including warehousing and reporting and GE Smallworld and ArcGIS for geospatial applications.
2006 Ranking: 40
Senior IS executive: Chris Corke, chief information officer
Reports to: Graeme Hansen, CEO
Size of IS shop: 75
PCs: 400
Mobile PCs: 120
Terminals: 2000
Hand-held devices: 40
Total screens: 2560
Industry: Arts, entertainment and recreation
PC environment: Windows 2000, XP; Silicon Systems, Sony Vaio, Toshiba, Dell
Server environment: Linux; Novell; OS2; Windows 2000, 2003, NT; Silicon Systems; IBM; HP
DBMS: Oracle, SQL, Sybase
Address: 106-110 Jackson Street, Petone, Wellington
Website: www.nzracingboard.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: MS Exchange 2007; CRM; infrastructure enhancements
The New Zealand racing industry, which includes the racing of thoroughbred and harness horses and greyhounds, generates around 1.3 per cent of the gross domestic profit or around $1.4 billion per year. The New Zealand Racing Board (NZRB) is the organisation behind all New Zealand racing and betting and the owner of the TAB brand.
CIO Chris Corke says the IT systems that support New Zealand racing need to be streamlined and efficient, providing a robust and proactive service for the market.
“Increasingly innovative approaches to business problems are important, as is the ability to step outside the square and be a leader and not a follower. We are interested in leveraging IT to create re-usable business value through keystone technology changes. Towards this, there is a need to ensure the business and IT is fully integrated and that the IT solutions delivered fully match business needs,” says Corke.
IT projects on the agenda for 2007 include an investment in business intelligence tools, a financial systems upgrade and evaluation of CRM system options and benefits. While investigation into VoIP technologies is not a priority in 2007, continued investment in 802.11-based and cellular wireless technologies is. Like many organisations, NZRB is also completing a disaster recovery system upgrade and reviewing business continuity plans this year.
Most IT functions for the NZRB are performed in-house. An exception is applications development, which is partially outsourced to developers Catalyst, Synergy and Optimation.
2006 ranking: 44
Senior IS executive: James Dring, chief information officer
Reports to: Nick Hawkins, CEO
Size of IS shop: 200
PCs: 2190
Mobile PCs: 200
Terminals: 0
Hand-held devices: 80
Total screens: 2470
Industry: Finance and insurance
PC environment: Windows XP, IBM, HP
Server environment: Citrix PS4, HP Blade
DBMS: Oracle
Address: IAG House, 151 Queen Street, Auckland
Website: www.iag.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: Personal insurance product line system replacement; commercial insurance product line system replacement; replacement of DR data centre.
Retaining and growing core business is a key business objective for IAG New Zealand, which trades under the State and NZI brands. CIO James Dring says ICT will support that through initiatives including system rationalisation and retirement of a legacy system.
“We have a new vision statement, part of which is to be New Zealand’s leading insurer from a customer advocacy perspective and New Zealand’s insurer of choice. IT initiatives that will help support and deliver that vision includes a focus on e-commerce development, a new personal insurance product line system and a more sophisticated insurance rating system for commercial customers.”
He says businesses that can benefit from the online channel need to first understand the online information needs of different market segments, and how to service those needs cost effectively from an IT systems point of view. “Towards this, we are moving to a service oriented architecture strategy to ensure the new software modules we are building are reusable in the market.”
Recruiting and retaining skilled IT staff remains the “number one” challenge for the IT team at IAG NZ, and there is a “real lack” of available talent. Dring says IAG NZ has a large in-house IT training programme and invests heavily in the development of internal people.
IAG NZ has completed a number of IT projects in recent years, and is about to reduce and optimise IT spend as a result.
IAG has a new site in Christchurch with gigabyte Ethernet connection to desktops and 10 gigabyte connections in data halls. It has 550 staff and houses the disaster recovery centre.
Dring says network services to the new site are “right up there as fast we can go” because IAG prefers to work strategically with an eye to future needs. “Too many organisations are only working tactically; they stay on a treadmill of hardware refreshes instead of taking a longer-term view.”
2006 Ranking: 49
Senior IS executive: Ken Tunnicliffe, technology director
Reports to: Chief executive officer
Size of IS shop: 292
PCs: 1108
Mobile PCs: 792
Terminals: 0
Hand-held devices: 600
Total screens: 2350
Industry: Information - telecommunications
PC environment: Windows XP, HP, Dell
Server environment: HP Unix; Windows NT, XP; Sun; Compaq; Digital VAX; PDP; HP9000
DBMS: Informix, Oracle
Address: 20 Viaduct Harbour Avenue, Auckland
Website: www.vodafone.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: Not disclosed.
Competition in the New Zealand mobile market is intense, with customers benefiting through the introduction of new products and services. Vodafone New Zealand now has more than two million customers in New Zealand and in September 2006 launched the latest version of its 3G mobile data network. Over the coming 12 months, Vodafone will focus on meeting customer needs as well as growing revenue, achieving cost reductions and evaluating moving the Vodafone market beyond mobile-only technologies and services.
Vodafone Technology Director Ken Tunnicliffe says challenges for the Vodafone IT team include ensuring the planned key technology projects that will make Vodafone’s growth task easier, are delivered on time and that implementation does not adversely affect Vodafone’s quality of service.
“Good technology systems ensure we have good information about our customers so we can better serve them and deliver a great Vodafone experience. Our challenge is to enable that great customer experience through delivery of new IT services, whilst maintaining a balance between a focus on current customer needs and the need for speed of delivery,” says Tunnicliffe.
In 2007, Vodafone will undertake IT projects including a hardware upgrade and a continued investment in knowledge management systems.
A moderate outsourcer, Vodafone sees the value in outsourcing parts of its IT function in order to focus on business growth and enabling IT projects. IT functions outsourced include host and PC maintenance, IT education, some applications development and HR payroll. IT vendor partners include Fulcrum and Booz Allen Hamilton for business intelligence and reporting projects, and Teradata for data warehousing.
2006 ranking: 57
Senior IS executive: Kevin Winders, CIO
Reporting to: CFO
Size of IS shop: 18
PCs: 0
Mobile PCs: 600
Terminals: 1700
Hand-held devices: 50
Total screens: 2350
Industry: Agriculture
PC environment: Windows CE
Server environment: Wyse, Toshiba, HP, Windows 2003
DBMS: SQL
Address: 149 Vogel Street, Dunedin
Website: www.pggwrightson.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: Extension of mobile technologies and field force automation tools.
The merger between Pyne Gould Guinness (PGG) and Wrightson, New Zealand’s largest rural servicing provider, required significant business and IS division restructuring in 2006.
Chairman Bill Baylis says board and management attention since the merger has been focused on bringing the operations together whilst ensuring continuity and performance for clients. Businesses within PGG Wrightson have now been reorganised into three operating groups: Rural Services, financial Services and technology Services.
Changes required to complete the merger include the establishment of a senior management team, a single set of administrative and IT systems and a new corporate office in Christchurch.
The most visible change has been the re-branding of 150 properties in four months, along with the merging of 17 stores in the rural supplies network in the South Island and the closure of the former Wrightson corporate office in Wellington.
PGG Wrightson posted a net profit after tax of $12.9 million for the six months to 31 December 2006, compared with $5 million for the December 2005 half year. Operating profit was $16.8 million, compared with $13.9 million for the previous December half year, an increase of 21 per cent.
IT projects over the past 12 months have included investment in business intelligence, CRM and data warehousing systems. Other key projects continued to be field force mobility and website development. PGG Wrightson inherited a TelstraClear VoIP system and VoIP infrastructure as a result of the merger with PGG – this has since been discarded in favour of a Telecom OneOffice solution.
PGG Wrightson runs a purely thin client Citrix operating system environment on HP Blade servers. It is a light outsourcer and key IT functions are performed in-house. Exceptions are IT education, disaster recovery which is outsourced to Plan B, and some applications development.
2006 Ranking: 46
Senior IS executive: Nigel Bailey, group operations manager
Reports to: Joan Withers, CEO
Size of IS shop: 70
PCs: 2200
Mobile PCs: 400
Terminals: 25
Hand-held devices: 25
Total screens: 2650
Industry: Information
PC environment: Windows 2000, XP; HP
Server environment: Unix; VMS; Windows 2000, 2003, XP; HP
DBMS: Oracle, SQL
Address: Level 2, Fairfax House, 110 Customs St West, AucklandWebsite: www.fairfaxmedia.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: Continuation of Genera ad production system; PABX upgrades; accounts receivable and billing.
Media organisation Fairfax Media is chasing EBIT and market share growth, amidst business challenges including the current economic environment and the recruitment and retention of a skilled workforce.
Nigel Bailey, group operations manager, says Fairfax always aims to implement IT systems that further leverage the valuable content assets of the business and deliver productivity and efficiency benefits. In recent years such systems have included new editorial and advertising systems, migration to a service oriented architecture, major network infrastructure upgrades, and the implementation of a group-wide intranet.
In 2007, planned key IT projects include PABX, digital asset management systems, an ERP and financial systems upgrade and, business intelligence tools to support data warehousing. There has been a significant financial investment in new HP desktop hardware at the front end and new production hardware at the back-end.
“We are focused on system consolidation and have consolidated a number of old VAX systems to an Alpha hardware server environment. There is also focus on better server redundancy, a serious investment in server virtualisation, and an increase in disaster recovery testing and servers for critical systems,” says Bailey.
Fairfax plans to invest in CRM tools this year, including sales force automation tools for selected business units. There is also a strategy to replace data archives with a single, digital-asset management system and to further leverage the group-wide intranet with portals to other systems for improved knowledge management.
On the telecommunications front the all new Fairfax telephony systems are IP-enabled but a move to VoIP is not imminent, says Bailey. Improved mobile communications are, however, and Fairfax will increase the number of staff who have access to mobile systems through laptops and hand-held devices.
2006 ranking: 55
Senior IS executive: Pam Madgwick, director information
Reports to: Brian Sage, deputy secretary, corporate
Size of IS shop: 50
PCs: 2102
Mobile PCs: 400
Terminals: 210
Hand-held devices: 83
Total screens: 2795
Industry: Government and defence
PC environment: Windows 2000, 2003, XP; HP; Dell; IBM; Toshiba
Server environment: Windows 2000, 2003, NT; Dell; HP; IBM
DBMS: SQL
Address: Unisys House, 56 The Terrace, Wellington
Website: www.dol.govt.nz
Key IS projects this year: Infrastructure upgrade; business intelligence tools and systems; intranet redevelopment.
The Department of Labour’s primary role is to improve the performance of the labour market and so strengthen the economy and improve NZ’s standard of living.
Pam Madgwick, director information, says the operating model adopted in 2006 recognises that DoL needs to find ways to achieve its aims through the interaction and application of knowledge, influence and services. “By increasing our knowledge and monitoring changes in the labour market, we will be better placed to anticipate, respond and adapt to changes in the labour market. This in turn improves our ability to influence areas that are critical to the future functioning of the labour market and enables us to provide effective, efficient and more targeted services.”
The DOL information and business groups work together on projects to improve the enterprise’s information management capability and these include KM and business continuity.
2006 ranking: 48
Senior IS executive: Andrew Cooke, vice president - information systems
Reports to: Chief financial officer
Size of IS shop: 55
PCs: 1500
Mobile PCs: 300
Terminals: 0
Hand-held devices: 160
Total screens: 1960
Industry: Manufacturing
PC environment: Windows NT, 2000, XP; Dell; Toshiba; Macintosh
Server environment: Solaris; Windows NT, 2000, 2003; OS/400;
Dell; HP; iSeries; Sun
DBMS: DB2, Oracle, SQL,Ingres
Address: 78 Springs Road, East Tamaki, Auckland
Website: www.fp.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: Not disclosed.
The international expansion of Fisher & Paykel in the past five years has changed the nature of the business. The US is now the largest revenue generator for the group, and the company has two production facilities in that country. Australia and New Zealand continue to be very important markets, and form the base for the business. Long-term, the growth in Europe will become more important. Tracking the business across different time zones and cultures presents other difficulties. Knitting local customs and practices together with the way the company wants to do its business also creates other challenges.
Fisher & Paykel Appliances designs, manufactures and markets a range of innovative household appliances. It includes two wholly owned subsidiary companies - Production Machinery that builds production equipment, and Dynamic Cooking Systems, a US company that manufactures indoor and outdoor cooking products.
Fisher & Paykel is listed on the New Zealand and Australian stock exchange and has manufacturing sites located in Auckland and Dunedin, New Zealand; Cleveland, Australia; Huntington Beach, California, and Clyde, Ohio, USA.
Financially, Fisher & Paykel Appliances Holdings Limited reported a profit after taxation of $63.9 million for the 2005/2006 year. Revenue for appliances exceeded $NZ1 billion for the first time after record sales in NZ, USA and Singapore. However, the appreciating New Zealand dollar, raw material prices, and rising interest rates all had a negative impact on performance.
CEO John Bongard said acquisition of Elba S.p.A, the European cookware business of De Longhi, will provide a platform for growth in Europe and balance its exposure in the US and ANZ markets.
2006 ranking: 43
Senior IS executive: Steven Matheson, director
Reports to: Datacom Group board
Size of IS shop: 2100
PCs: 2150
Mobile PCs: 400
Terminals: 0
Hand-held devices: 0
Total screens: 2550
Industry: IT supplier
PC environment: Linux; Unix; Windows XP, Vista; HP, IBM
Server environment: Linux, Other Unix, VMS, Windows 2003, HP, IBM, Sun, iSeries, Digital Alpha
DBMS: IBM DB2, Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL
Address: 106 Vincent Street, Auckland
Website: www.datacom.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: Not disclosed.
As a significant supplier of IT services to the public and private sector in New Zealand and Australia, Datacom Group understandably ensures its own ICT systems are representative of what it can offer customers.
“We continue to strengthen existing ICT systems rather than approach improvements as new IT projects. It is a continual challenge for us to keep our systems ahead of the game considering the industry we are in,” says Steven Matheson, director for Datacom.
Revenue for the coming financial year is likely to be around $400 million, says Matheson. Datacom plans further financial growth in the next 12 months. In recent years, it has had a 15 to 18 per cent compounding growth rate and has a rapidly growing call centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
An ICT focus this year is VoIP systems, which Matheson says achieve flexibility and reduce costs in specific areas of operation. Datacom has a hybrid VoIP network covering seven sites and this will be expanded this year according to business demand.
Streamlining business continuity and disaster recovery systems is another ongoing focus. Secure data centres running ITIL processes are located in Auckland, Wellington, Sydney and Melbourne with disaster recovery sites in Auckland and Christchurch.
Over the next year, Datacom will continue with internal developments in the area of workflow and tools automation and continue to extend wireless, mobile and VoIP infrastructure. Server virtualisation remains a priority where applicable, as does desktop and server replacements, more SANs and network infrastructure upgrades. On the software side, the emphasis is on service oriented architectures and making better use of legacy systems and databases.
Matheson says changes to telecommunications legislation will increase opportunities for better telecommunications solutions. Datacom currently has agreements with all the major telecommunications providers on behalf of the customers it supports and has increased telecommunications network capacity for internet bandwidth and inter-office and customer networks.
54 Otago District Health Board
2006 ranking: 52
Senior IS executive: John Tolchard, chief information officer (acting)
Reports to: Chief executive
Size of IS shop: 30
PCs: 1900
Mobile PCs: 200
Terminals: 0
Hand-held devices: 100
Total screens: 2200
Industry: Health and community services
PC environment: Windows 2000, XP; HP; IBM
Server environment: AIX; Linux; Tru64 Unix; Windows 2000; 2003;
Digital Alpha; Dell; IBM xSeries/pSeries
DBMS: Oracle, SQL
Address: 201 Great King Street, Dunedin
Website: www.otagohb.govt.nz
Key IS projects this year: Radiology information system; picture archiving and communications system; patient administration system; network infrastructure upgrade; VoIP.
A key goal of the Otago District Health Board is the development and implementation of a shared services model encompassing planning and funding, HR, finance and information systems portfolios between Otago and Southland DHBs.
“We are looking at development of a single desktop across two organisations, improved system resilience through removal of single points of infrastructure failure, and working with the business to ensure IT is aligned to the business objectives at all times,” says acting CIO John Tolchard.
The two DHBs can then benefit from improved efficiencies, a reduction in transactional costs and improved communications.
Projects planned for this year include FMIS and hardware upgrades, server virtualisation, a new VoIP system, the replacement of the patient administration system and implementation of a picture archiving and communications system.
2006 ranking: 53
Senior IS executive: TBA
Reports to: Michael Wilkins, CEO
Size of IS shop: 180
PCs: 900
Mobile PCs: 317
Terminals: 852
Hand-held devices: 15
Total screens: 2084
Industry: Finance and insurance
PC environment: Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP; Compaq; IBM; Wyse
Server environment: AIX; HP Unix; OS4000; Windows 2000, 2003; Citrix; VMWare; Dell; IBM
DBMS: DB2, Informix, Oracle, SQL
Address: 48 Shortland Street, Auckland
Website: www.promina.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: Not disclosed.
Promina Group is to be de-listed as a public company following its takeover by Suncorp-Metway. The new organisation creates Australia’s second-biggest car and home insurer after IAG Insurance. The merger is also expected to provide Suncorp with the opportunity to leverage Promina’s established general insurance and financial services brands including AAMI and Vero.
Executive management changes in the past 12 months include the departure of former Promina New Zealand CIO Rob Flannagan, now CEO of Tower New Zealand. A new CIO appointment had not been announced for Promina Group in New Zealand as of press time. Promina continues to pursue a greater presence in the New Zealand broker market and direct markets and says regulation, taxation and the introduction of the KiwiSaver scheme are expected to create future growth opportunities here.
2006 ranking: 60
Senior IS executive: Gavin Till, IM&CT manager
Reports to: Roy Baker, general manager corporate services
Size of IS shop: 130
PCs: 1706
Mobile PCs: 434
Terminals: 113
Hand-held devices: 125
Total screens: 2378
Industry: Government and defence
PC environment: Windows 2000, XP; Dell
Server environment: Windows 2000, 2003; HP
DBMS: SQL, Informix
Address: 163-173 Tuam Street, Christchurch
Website: www.ccc.govt.nz
Key IS projects this year: GEMS ERP replacement; systems supporting inspection and fee monitoring and collection of trade waste; enterprise asset management and telecommunications RFP.
Christchurch City Council is working towards developing Christchurch into a world-class boutique city – with a healthy environment and a strong economic base. IM & CT manager Gavin Till says ICT systems and staff support this goal through their projects, which this year include enterprise asset management and electronic document management; a web revamp and replacement for the legacy GEMS ERP system. Till says the impact of the new ERP will be “huge” as it will deliver fully integrated systems. “We will move from operating in separate silos to operating as one organisation. Some technologies, such as VoIP, will be considered as part of our planed telecoms RFP. “However, VoIP is no longer considered a priority on its own. More important this year is a revision of the council’s web content management system and the information framework it delivers to our customers.”
57 Saint Kentigern Trust Board
2006 ranking: 54
Senior IS executive: Walter Chieng, director information technology
Reports to: Executive head
Size of IS shop: 7
PCs: 315
Mobile PCs: 2096
Terminals: 0
Hand-held devices: 10
Total screens: 2421
Industry: Education services
PC environment: Windows 98, ME, XP,
Vista; Toshiba; Lenovo
Server environment: Windows 2000, 2003; IBM; Cisco; MXtreme DBMS: SQL
Address: 130 Pakuranga Road, Pakuranga, Auckland
Website: www.saintkentigern.com
Key IS projects this year: Upgrade mobile computers; online reports and parent-teacher interview interactive; intranet portal development; ITIL.
Saint Kentigern continues to attract new students to its two campuses (the Primary School in Remuera and the College in Pakuranga), partly on the basis of its use of information technology, says Walter Chieng, director of information technology.
Chieng says the ICT team at Saint Kentigern College is following ITIL processes and has two main areas of focus in 2007. These are a business management and communication processes project using products like a customised intranet dashboard solution (due to be launched mid-2007); and e-learning.
An e-learning coordinator has been appointed to encourage the use of online tools and communications like blogging and shared electronic profiles for projects.
A recently completed project is the online, parent-interview booking service. A VoIP system based on Cisco Call Manager software, has been deployed across the campuses.
58 Opus International Consultants
2006 ranking: 69
Senior IS executive: Neil Kane,
IT manager
Reports to: CFO
Size of IS shop: 30
PCs: 2000
Mobile PCs: 300
Terminals: 0
Hand-held devices: 50
Total screens: 2350
Industry: Business management and scientific services
PC environment: Windows XP, Dell
Server environment: Linux, Windows Server 2003, Dell
DBMS: MySQL, Oracle, SQL
Address: 100 Willis Street, Wellington
Website: www.opus.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: Hardware replacement; ISSP study and analysis.
Growth in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the UK is the chief aim of engineering consultancy business Opus International.
IT manager Neil Kane says standardised systems and processes are important to help facilitate this growth and ease the integration of new business acquisitions. “Sound, basic systems are what deliver a competitive advantage in our industry, and in others.”
Maintaining an up-to-date desktop configuration, an effective WAN across four countries and 70 sites, good security, reliable back-office systems and effective user support will continue to absorb most of the IT effort. Kane says the Opus IT team is contemplating the transition to new technologies such as VoIP, widespread video conferencing and ‘one phone’ solutions in order to minimise overall ICT costs. A formal knowledge management project, together with disaster recovery and e-business projects are also on the agenda.
2006 Ranking: 61
Senior IS executive: John Buckler, ITS director
Reports to: Finance director
Size of IS shop: 34
PCs: 1700
Mobile PCs: 140
Terminals: 6
Hand-held devices: 30
Total screens: 1876
Industry: Education services
PC environment: Windows XP, Cyclone
Server environment: Windows, Novell, Unix, Linux, VMWare, HP, VAX, Sun
DBMS: SQL, Oracle, MySQL
Address: Corner Ellesmere Junction and Springs Road, Canterbury
Website: www.lincoln.ac.nz
Key IS projects this year: PeopleSoft Upgrade to version 9; timetabling system; PC replacement.
Lincoln University is connected to the KAREN research network and has set up an e-research working group. ITS director John Buckler says Lincoln wants to identify the IT services needed to help researchers make technology matches and work more seamlessly. These include improvements to collaboration software and research databases.
IT delivers competitive advantage through a “superior” learning management system and quality of course content. A further advantage is the quality of student computing facilities at Lincoln, says Buckler. “We probably have the highest ratio of student PCs to students in New Zealand education, our 802.11 wireless network has access points running at 11 megabits per second, and we are the only university that provides unlimited internet access for students – they can have as much as they can eat for only a $15 per year levy.”
Lincoln is upgrading its PeopleSoft student management system to version 9 that is planned to go live in August 2008.
2006 ranking: 58
Senior IS executive: Andrew Crabb, head of IS operations
Reports to: Luigi Sorbello, chief operating officer
Size of IS shop: 160
Industry: Information
PC environment: Windows 2000, Dell, Compaq, Toshiba
Server environment: Solaris; HP Unix; MVS; Windows 2000, NT; IBM,
Compaq, HDS, xSeries
DBMS: DB2, Oracle, Sybase
Address: Smales Farm Office Park, corner of Northcote and
Taharato Roads, Takapuna, Auckland
Website: www.telstraclear.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: System rationalisation; system and currency
upgrade.
PCs: 1600
Mobile PCs: 300
Terminals: 0
Hand-held devices: 200
Total screens: 2100
The ever-changing technology landscape brings a host of challenges, and in the telecommunications industry these are exaggerated with constantly evolving network technologies. A balance is required between investments in new technologies and supporting and maintaining existing systems, says Andrew Crabb, TelstraClear CIO.
He says competition will increase as a result of regulatory change in the sector, but will also open doors for TelstraClear. Focus areas for his team will be how to deliver ICT services within the business for less cost through server virtualisation; reviews of storage and processing requirements; and convergence and self-service opportunities using online channels. Crabb says last year TelstraClear ran a full DR test from an alternative site for two days. Also in 2006, the company transferred around 235,000 customers onto a single-billing platform, which achieved business benefits including increased customer-service levels, simplified operational processes and cost reductions.
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