“Perfect storm” for local innovation

Gen-i boss predicts a “perfect storm” for local innovation
and export growth

Cloud computing and fast connectivity create powerful combination to boost innovation and exports to the world

Auckland, 30 June 2010 – Fast data and cloud computing are set to create a “perfect storm” of ICT capability and connectivity that will unlock the potential of New Zealand organisations to innovate.

This is the message being delivered by Chris Quin, CEO of Gen-i Australasia, at the 11th Annual Telecommunications & ICT Summit (Tel.Con11) in Auckland today.

Quin, who last Friday was named one of six Emerging Leaders at the 2010 Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards, today outlined his vision of how ICT, and particularly cloud solutions, can fast track innovation amongst Kiwi businesses.

ICT can improve communication and collaboration within organisations enabling them to develop their “ideas engines” faster, leading to a more rapid path to innovation, says Quin.

This will allow New Zealanders to create intellectual property, that can be exported to world, faster than ever before, he adds.

“I firmly believe that exporting intellectual property represents the best opportunity for New Zealand to grow its GDP. This will enable us to earn valuable export revenues from our unique expertise and knowledge.”

While welcoming increased investment in fibre infrastructure to bring ultrafast broadband to more New Zealanders, Quin iterated that fibre alone is not enough to generate GDP growth.

“It is what we do with the fibre that will earn us GDP. It is the services, expertise and ideas – the intellectual property – that we deliver over the fibre that counts,” says Quin.

“Fibre can become ‘shipping lines’ over which we export intellectual property to the rest of the world. And cloud-based platforms will be the marketplaces of the future where kiwi expertise can be shared with the world on an “as-a-service” basis.

“We have a tremendous amount of knowledge and expertise in this country that can be turned into exportable commodities.”

Quin says Gen-i is transforming its business proposition to enable its clients to take full advantage of the benefits offered by fast connectivity and on-demand ICT services.

Gen-i will focus on complementary client value propositions with leveraged and scaled best practice ICT capabilities.

The first is a leveraged or utility platform aimed at delivering converged “as a service” and telecommunications services. Through this platform Gen-i will provide a fixed range of ICT products that are flexible, scalable, repeatable, simple and reliable.

“We have always been strong in delivering leveraged platforms to our clients - in this model, we’ll take those skills and adapt them to leverage cloud-based solutions with simple configuration,” says Quin.

For clients that require a higher level of integration to reduce their complexity, Gen-i will offer an integrator model – similar to the value proposition on which it has built its business.

“Clients of the integrator business model will benefit from our ability to manage their complex ICT needs. They will value our intimate knowledge of their business and industry, and we’ll work closely with them to develop solutions based on a hybrid of our utility services and the strategic IT assets they hold as a competitive advantage,” says Quin.

Gen-i has been investing in the tools, processes, technologies and capabilities of its people to deliver its future client value propositions and business model, says Quin.

Gen-i’s existing cloud-based services have been extended in recent months. In April, the company introduced Gen-i ReadyCloud Server, the first in its new suite of infrastructure-as-a-service offerings. Two more offerings, ReadyCloud Backup and ReadyCloud Storage, are on their way soon.

Gen-i’s transformed business will enable the company to meet the future technology needs of its clients – and will allow them to make improvement and innovation a continuous and ongoing process in their business, concludes Quin.

“By giving our clients access to the flexible, repeatable and cost-effective technology they need to innovate, we will help unlock their true potential.”

* Chris Quin will present at 3.30pm on day two of Tel.Con11 on Wednesday, 30 June 2010, at the Sky City Convention Centre in Auckland.

ENDS

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