MIS100 2009:Bubbling under

Suncorp Group
Senior IS executive: Andrew Diver, CIO, Vero New Zealand
Total screens: 1205
Industry: Finance and insurance
Website: www.vero.co.nz

Suncorp Group (NZ) includes well-known brands such as Vero Insurance, Tyndall Investments, Asteron, Guardian Trust, Autosure, Comprehensive Travel and Mariner Insurance. It will continue to pursue a greater presence in the New Zealand broker market and direct markets; saying regulation, taxation and the introduction of the KiwiSaver scheme are expected to create future growth opportunities.

Suncorp executive management changes in the past six months include the departure of CEO John Mulcahy and the appointment of Chris Skilton as acting CEO.

Andrew Diver leads New Zealand technology operations and acts as both CIO for Vero New Zealand and executive general manager for Suncorp’s technology operations here.

Diver reports to Jeff Smith, group executive, business technology. He says key ICT projects for the coming year are the adoption, rollout and proficiency of Agile delivery practices and the adoption and utilisation of open-source technologies.
Kristin School
New Zealand Steel
Senior IS executive: Alister Park, manager information systems
Total screens: 1443
Industry: Manufacturing
Website: www.nzsteel.co.nz

NZ Steel is in the midst of a core LAN upgrade and complete server virtualisation project. Controlling costs whilst achieving business targets around production, quality and market share is important to New Zealand Steel, which is owned by publicly-listed Australian parent company BlueScope Steel.

While NZ Steel has enjoyed a strong domestic market in recent years, a less than favourable foreign exchange rate continues to affect export income, particularly in the current economic climate. Timely and accurate information coupled with reliable and effective computing business systems, is therefore considered a competitive advantage.

NZ Steel has VoIP technologies for its site at Glenbrook and three smaller satellite sites. Mobile and wireless technologies are also important, with onsite shift team leaders staying in contact via cellular mobile technologies and radios. Use of smart phones is further improving management mobility and on-site wireless networks are also used. E-business initiatives give customers the ability to directly place and monitor orders, while a B2B system links NZ Steel with customer and supplier systems.
Manukau City Council
Senior IS executive: Colin Smith, chief information officer
Total screens: 1733
Industry: Government and defence
Website: www.manukau.govt.nz

Key business objectives for the Manukau City Council (MCC) in the next 12 months include delivery of affordable, quality outcomes and services to the community, in alignment with the council’s long-term plan. CIO Colin Smith says the challenge is to meet the increasing community expectations, whilst maintaining financial sustainability and avoiding the need for further rate increases. “When faced with increasing external cost pressures, council expects areas such as the Information Management department to deliver more without requiring any additional resources,” says Smith. In light of changes to Auckland governance, MCC is reprioritising ICT projects and work programmes, but at the same time, maintaining focus on continuing to deliver a high quality of service to customers.
Housing New Zealand Corporation
Stella Travel Services
Senior IS executive: Dhaya Sivakumar, general manager information technology
Total screens: 1490
Industry: Business management and scientific services
Website: www.stellatravel.co.nz

The travel industry is heavily dependent on ICT to access and deliver content, says Dhaya Sivakumar, general manager information technology, Stella Travel Services.

In 2009, Stella Travel Services will invest in significant ICT projects including content aggregation, point-of-sale sales software and technology, along with new ICT systems to support fares and ticketing. Despite a slight decrease in ICT budgets and staffing, the company will also invest further in business intelligence tools, mobilisation technologies and applications, along with utility computing.

The infrastructure consolidation and virtualisation projects undertaken over the past 18 months, now allow Stella to utilise centralised assets to change the way the workforce is used. Attaching mobile communications technology to the new infrastructure will allow broader use of teleworking and give the business flexibility in the way it can deploy its workforce, says Sivakumar. Stella will also make use of Citrix products, combined with Telecom’s new mobile network and One Office, to deliver the end system.
Diocesan School for Girls
Turners and Growers
Senior IS executive: Martyn Seddon, general manager of information systems
Total screens: 1230
Industry: Wholesale and retail trade
Website: www.TurnersandGrowers.com

Turners and Growers uses ICT systems and processes to meet the changing requirements of its multiple businesses and customers with speed and precision. The company is committed to creating a business environment that allows its several business units to act as one and collaborate. Better inter-business communication and process improvements are expected as a result, and will be supported by more consolidated SAP ERP system integration, and customer focus via portal and online service initiatives.

Martyn Seddon, general manager of information systems, says Turners and Growers is reducing non-critical spending. “So there is no budget reduction as such, but we need to ensure that if we’re spending then the items are critical.

“In the past 12 months Turners and Growers has increased investment in SAP systems and software, and has an ongoing extension of wireless technologies throughout the business. While these areas of investment will continue this year, it will also be re-visiting business processes within SAP and stream-lining them to gain a more integrated business system,” says Seddon.
Bunnings
Hawkes Bay District Health Board
Senior IS executive: Jo-Ann Jacobson, CIO
Total screens: 1263
Industry: Health and community services
Website: www.hawkesbaydhb.govt.nz

Hawkes Bay District Health Board CIO Jo-Ann Jacobson says HBDHB has a significant focus on improved sustainability as part of its Future Directions Plan, and IS will redesign decision support and information management practices to establish a corporate services business intelligence function. It will also invest in IS development on document/content management, ITIL implementation and network upgrades. As Central Region Chair, she says Central Region CIOs are promoting a regional ICT roadmap to support regional clinical services. They have also identified the need for regional governance and resourcing functions to drive the Health Information Strategy, achieve economies of scale and promote sustainability.
Bay of Plenty Polytechnic
Senior IS executive: Rabindra Das, IT manager
Total screens: 1138
Industry: Education services
Website: www.boppoly.ac.nz

IT manager Rabindra Das says the polytechnic has a number of key strategic partnerships under development, including one with the University of Waikato, which has led to integration and key shared services. Examples include shared network access, library access, video conferencing and hardware procurement between the polytechnic and University of Waikato. Das says another key strategic goal is the development of closer realationships with ICT vendors to leverage vendor skills and ensure vendors provide more value added services and can partner at a higher level. He says the ISS team will partner with fewer more strategic vendors to provide solutions to assist in developing competitive e-learning and flexible learning products and services. ICT helps the polytechnic to develop competitive e-learning products and simplify business processes to achieve competitive advantage. Current challenges include managing change and securing funding for application development, infrastructure and ICT facilities. In the next 12 to 18 months, major ICT projects include development of student management information systems, CRM software developments, a virtual reality hub, audio visual streaming servers and a financial software upgrade.
Television NZ
Tyco Fire & Security
Coca-Cola Amatil
Senior IS executive: Donna Wright, CIO
Total screens: 1355
Industry: Manufacturing
Website: www.ccamatil.com

Attracting, developing and retaining high-calibre people, accelerating growth and investing in new beverage categories and acquisitions are key organisational goals for Coca Cola Amatil in 2009. The company has to deal with the impact of the recession on its internal costs as well as how its retail customers and consumers purchasing behaviours are affected, says CIO Donna Wright. From an ICT perspective she says a key focus is to review the number of ICT vendors the organisation deals with. Overall ICT strategy is focused on application rationalisation through implementation of SAP technologies. The largest ICT projects by budget for 2009 are development of a mobile sales force tool, a call centre technology upgrade and expansion and integration of VOIP technology.
Statistics New Zealand
Tait Electronics
Senior IS executive: Frank Gebhardt, IT manager
Total screens: 1331
Industry: Manufacturing
Website: www.taitworld.com

A focus on specific market segments, public safety, utilities and public transport solutions are key directions for Tait Electronics in 2009. The company is also in the process of building a global service centre.

IT manager Frank Gebhardt says locally the Tait Electronics IT team is working on projects to increase the collaboration capabilities of the business, as well as those that provide better visibility of key performance indicators. There is also a desire to ensure processes and services work to ITIL standards where appropriate. Tait Electronics is a leading worldwide provider of radio communications solutions, which focus on the needs of public safety organisations, utilities and transport providers.

Work on business intelligence and CRM systems will also be prioritised for the current financial year. In 2008, Tactical CRM tools were implemented at regional customer service organisations – and consolidation of these tools is planned.

Other ICT objectives achieved in 2008 included server consolidation, developing systems and strategies to cope with data growth, as well as reviewing processes, policies and tools for data security.

As well, the ICT team continues its work to improve the online shopping experience for customers and the IT team will engage in website development using Web 2.0 technologies.
MediaWorks
Senior IS executive: Paul Thompson, group IT manager
Total screens: 1420
Industry: Information
Website: www.mediaworks.co.nz


VoIP and unified communications are high on the MediaWorks ICT agenda for 2009. Group IT Manager Paul Thompson says the company is keen to benefit from the increased productivity unified communications can provide, and the cost savings associated with VoIP technologies and services.

From a business perspective, MediaWorks is working to increase revenue share through its television stations and national radio brands. There has also been a marked increase in online interaction between the company and its customers, leading to a significant focus on all online assets and activities.

Telecommunications services to MediaWorks are split between three separate suppliers, a less than ideal solution and a key driver for the move to a unified communications solution, says Thompson. Currently, WAN services are supplied by TelstraClear and phone services are moving to TelstraClear as the VOIP project is rolled out. Mobile services remain with Vodafone.

Unlike many organisations, MediaWorks is yet to be convinced of the cost justification of server virtualisation and wireless technologies, which can’t deliver the bandwidth required for TV and radio file transfers and streaming.
Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology
Senior IS executives: Adri Noordover, IT network and technical manager; and Stephen Tanner, IT customer services manager
Total screens: 995
Industry: Educational services
Website: www.nmit.ac.nz

NMIT seeks more accurate targeting and streamlined deployment and running of IT services, and easier access to services and information. IT network and technical manager Adri Noordover says better awareness and management of organisational cost and income structures is also sought.
In 2009, NMIT is focused on selecting and implementing a Service Oriented IT framework and supporting toolset. Other focus areas include implementation of a new finance and business intelligence system, implementation of unified messaging solutions, and extended use of national (Karen) and regional (The Loop) education networks for video conferencing and shared services. Upgrade of timetabling and student management systems is also occurring.
Software and server virtualisation is ongoing, and NMIT is extending wireless infrastructure throughout its campus to better meet student expectations. NMIT is also extending its e-business connections and developing improved web portal connections and business-to-business transaction platforms. The NMIT ITS team leader role has recently been split into two separate roles – Adri Noordover is IT network and technical manager; and Stephen Tanner is IT customer services manager.
Restaurant Brands NZ
Senior IS executive: Kerry Cross, information services manager
Total screens: 565
Industry Accommodation and food services
Website : www.restaurantbrands.co.nz

Restaurant Brands New Zealand Limited operates the New Zealand outlets of KFC, Pizza Hut and Starbucks Coffee. Its core competency is taking the expertise and systems of its brand franchisors and applying it locally, to deliver both the food and the total experience on a consistent basis across the company.

Kerry Cross, information services manager, heads an ICT team of six. According to its website, Restaurant Brands says behind its success is the marshalling of business systems designed to facilitate the careful and intelligent procurement of quality ingredients. This includes efficient distribution to and through three retail networks, and the employment of advanced tracking technology to meticulously track and report on costs, sales, margins and replenishment.

In April, the New Zealand Herald reported Restaurant Brand directors were cautious about next year's outcomes, despite this year's trading results being satisfactory in the current environment and an improvement over the past two years' performance. The report said the company would evaluate some potential store sales to independent franchisees and continue its programme of unprofitable store closures.
Ministry of Economic Development
Deloitte
Senior IS executive: Eugene Piercy, IT manager
Total screens: 1306
Industry: Business management and scientific services
Website: www.deloitte.co.nz

Deloitte has more than 1000 specialists operating in quality professional services including audit, tax, technology and systems, risk management, corporate finance, recovery, forensics and business advisory services.

It has offices in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
Centralising knowledge and intellectual property is a key goal for Deloitte in 2009, says national IT manager Eugene Piercy.

He says key IT investments designed to leverage these goals include document management and unified communications systems, along with server virtualisation and consolidation. Other projects include a Windows Vista operating system upgrade, as well as relocation of the Deloitte Auckland and Hamilton offices.

While ICT budgets have decreased slightly from last year, ICT people numbers remain steady at the firm, reflecting its ongoing recognition of ICT as a platform for business excellence and outstanding client service delivery.