News
2012
20 February - Kiandra IT named Best Service Business at the Asia Pacific Business Excellence Awards
Kiandra IT was proud to be named Best Service Business at the Asia Pacific Business Excellence Awards in the Gold Coast on Saturday night.
Kiandra took out the title in recognition of its customer focus, coupled with its strong growth and achievements over the past year.
Kiandra impressed the panel with its ability to listen to its customer base and incorporate new services into its solution portfolio, including specialist security services, mobile application development, cloud and business intelligence.
Cameron Brookes, Managing Director, Kiandra IT accepted the accolade, thanking his fellow Directors for their support and the entire team for their hard work and ongoing customer focused commitment.
“Maintaining the trust of our customers and keeping their businesses running smoothly and efficiently is central to Kiandra’s mission and culture. We immerse ourselves in our job so that we are capable of not only supporting our clients, but leading their technology tomorrow,” he said.
“This recognition is a reflection of each person’s dedication to quality service as well as Kiandra’s industry leadership in evolving its solution portfolio to provide the innovative IT services and solutions that customers want.”
“We are very proud to be recognised at these prestigious awards and I thank our clients and our people for their loyalty, without their support we would not be able to achieve these positive results," he said.
The Business Excellence Awards were created to recognise the "Best of the Best" in the small-and-medium sized business (SMB) sector. The awards honor the achievements and accomplishments of businesses in industries and categories from around the world.
16 February - Kiandra IT ranked 13 on MSPmentor top 25
Kiandra IT is pleased to announce it was recognised as one of the fastest growing managed services companies, coming in at 13 on the MSPmentor Asia, Australia and New Zealand list, last night.
Now in its fifth year the MSPmentor ranks companies on a range of metrics, including annual recurring revenue (ARR), total devices managed, revenue per employee and growth rates (percentage and dollar figures). The MSPmentor ranks the top managed services companies globally as well as regionally.
This achievement highlights Kiandra’s strong growth and dedication to aligning customers’ business requirements with the best balance of proven and cutting edge technologies.
Chris Munro, Director - Technology Infrastructure welcomed the announcement and said Kiandra was extremely proud to be a part of this premier list of international managed services providers.
“This award is testament to the maturity of our managed services model, coupled with the skills and experience of our technical team and their ability to improve availability, performance and visibility while reducing the cost and consumption of IT for our clients.”
“Recognition is due to both Kiandra employees and customers, both of whom have a strong influence in our ongoing success, enabling us to deliver innovative solutions in a very competitive market," he said.
The award marks a successful start to H2 for Kiandra. The organisation is performing well and continuing to grow in challenging market conditions due to the caliber of its customers, expanding product offering and recurring service contracts. Kiandra is well positioned for 2012 and on track to hit forecast growth of 49% in FY12.
18 January 2012 – Kiandra IT on track to deliver strong results in FY12
Kiandra IT is pleased to report a successful H1, and is on track to hit forecast growth of 49% in FY12.
During H1 Kiandra picked up a number of new clients including Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board (MFB) and the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman – further extending the organisation’s strong presence within State and Federal Government.
On the back of the successful delivery of complex and large projects, Kiandra has also extended engagements with Coles Group, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, the Department of Health, the Victorian Council of Social Service, Macdonald Johnston, Multicomm and Victoria Police.
Cameron Brookes, Managing Director, Kiandra IT, says the organisation is performing well and continuing to grow in challenging market conditions due to the caliber of its customers, expanding product offering and recurring service contracts.
“Interim results reveal that Kiandra’s success is underpinned by our ability to provide the quality, innovative infrastructure and software development solutions that our customers are asking for,” he said.
“FY11 marked a year of high internal investment for Kiandra, including new systems and the internal investment required to service new contracts. We also executed a number of strategic initiatives such as expanding to the west coast, developing new services and entering new markets, and we are now beginning to see the fruits of these investments.”
“Moving into H2, Perth will be an important market for Kiandra and we expect to see new opportunities, particularly in the Government sector resulting from our appointment to the WA Government’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Common Use Agreement (CUA) 14008.”
“With security on the concerned minds of businesses everywhere, we have introduced a specialist range of security services, such as penetration testing and ethical hacking, and expect to see our security market share continue to expand. We have also extended our cloud offerings and are extending our services in mobile application development and business intelligence to meet increased demand for mobility, collaboration and functionality,” he said.
During H1 Kiandra also took out a number of high profile accolades including being listed as a winner in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 and the CRN Fast 50, winning Microsoft Australia Partner of the Year for Software Development and being named Best Business Leader in the My Business Awards.
2011
1 December 2011 – Kiandra IT ranked 33 on CRN Fast 50 list
Kiandra IT is pleased to announce it was recognised as one of Australia’s fastest growing tech companies this evening, coming in at 33 on the CRN Fast 50 list.
Now in its third year, the CRN Fast 50 is one of the most prestigious Australian IT industry awards and industry list honouring the 50 best resellers in the country.
This achievement highlights Kiandra’s strong growth and dedication to aligning customers’ business requirements with the best balance of proven and cutting edge technologies.
Cameron Brookes, Managing Director, Kiandra IT accepted the award on behalf of Kiandra, thanking staff and customers for their loyalty and support.
"Kiandra is extremely proud to be a part of this premier list of Australia’s leading IT resellers," he said.
“Managing growth is challenging for many organisations, but our continued, sustainable growth is a result of our willingness to do things differently, provide exceptional customer service and adopt new technologies to develop innovative solutions for the benefit of our customers.”
“Our strategy of providing innovative, tailored infrastructure and software development solutions for our SMB, enterprise and government clients continues to be very effective for us. With a robust business model, internal focus on cutting costs through efficiency and a strong recurring revenue base we are on track to maintain this positive growth in 2012 and beyond.”
“Recognition is due to both Kiandra employees and customers, both of whom have a strong influence in our ongoing success. I thank our clients and our people for their loyalty, without their support we would not be able to achieve these positive results," he said.
Kiandra was also recently listed as a winner in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 - coming in at number 49, has been named as the top 16 Australian company to work for in the 2011 BRW Best Places to Work listing, won Microsoft Australia Partner of the Year for Software Development in 2011, was named Best Business Leader in the 2011 My Business Awards, and was a finalist in the 2011 Telstra Business Awards.
17 November 2011 – Kiandra IT ranked 49 on Deloitte Technology Fast 50 list
Kiandra IT is pleased to announce it was recognised as one of Australia’s fastest growing tech companies today, coming in at 49 on the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 list.
Now in its eleventh year, the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 is a program that recognises and profiles Australian technology companies, public or private, that have achieved the fastest rates of annual revenue growth (based on percentage revenue growth over the last three years).
This achievement highlights Kiandra’s strong growth and strategic investment in areas that have led to revenue contribution, including new systems, new solutions, and the internal investment required to service new contracts.
Cameron Brookes, Managing Director, Kiandra IT accepted the award on behalf of Kiandra, thanking staff and customers for their ongoing support.
"Kiandra is extremely proud to be named on this prestigious Deloitte listing, especially amongst such a high calibre of technology organisations," he said.
“This recognition is a reflection of our dedicated focus to providing innovative infrastructure and software development solutions for our SMB, enterprise and government clients, as well as reporting strong, sustainable growth and focusing on initiatives that will drive the company into the future.”
“The award is a tribute to both Kiandra employees and customers, both of whom play critical roles in enabling Kiandra to deliver innovative, tailored solutions in very competitive markets," he said.
The Deloitte Technology Fast 50 is part of a global Fast 500 series of programs. The Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Asia Pacific program recognises technology companies that have achieved the fastest rates of annual revenue growth in the Asia Pacific region during the past three years. It includes those companies based in Australia, China, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Japan, Macau SAR, Malaysia, Philippines, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
In addition to its Deloitte Technology Fast 50 ranking, Kiandra’s other accolades include being named as the top 16 Australian company to work for in the 2011 BRW Best Places to Work listing, winning Microsoft Australia Partner of the Year for Software Development in 2011, being named Best Business Leader in the 2011 My Business Awards, and being named as a finalist in the 2011 Telstra Business Awards.
3 November 2011 – Kiandra appointed to VIC eServices Panel
Kiandra IT is pleased to retain its position and extend its scope of services on the refreshed Victorian eServices Panel.
Kiandra is proud to be able to provide the Victorian Government with Design and Development, Integration and Implementation, Maintenance and Support, and Enterprise Architecture services.
Kiandra has been delivering successful infrastructure and custom software development services to Victorian Government departments such as the Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria Police, and the Department of Health for over a decade. Kiandra has consistently scored “Exceptional” for every category under the “Assessment by Government Clients” with scores at 4.5 through to 4.7 out of 5 for each.
Kiandra’s panel term runs until 30 June 2014, with a possibility of two one-year extensions. Over the next five years the Victorian Government is expected to spend $400 million on ICT with the panel mandatory for all Budget-dependent departments.
Being a member of these panels highlights Kiandra’s specialist knowledge, capability and credibility in providing services in the Government arena and confirms its position as a leading IT provider.
7 October 2011 – Kiandra IT MD named Best Business Leader at the My Business Awards
Cameron Brookes, Managing Director, Kiandra IT was named Best Business Leader at the My Business Awards in Sydney last night.
Mr Brookes took out the title in recognition of his outstanding leadership skills and the impact they have in driving Kiandra’s success.
Kiandra impressed the panel with its progressive company culture, which has positioned it as an employer of choice, and been recognised 3 years running in the BRW Top 50 Best Places to Work listing.
Kiandra’s strategic initiatives over the last 12 months, including expanding to the west coast, developing new services and entering new markets, as well as its strong growth also made an impression.
In accepting the accolade Mr Brookes paid tribute to the passion and dedication of his fellow Directors and expressed his appreciation for the ongoing commitment and hard work shown by the entire team.
“While I am deeply honoured to receive this award, Kiandra’s success is the result of a team effort. This recognition really belongs to the leadership team which includes my fellow Directors, Martin Cooperwaite and Chris Munro.”
“The efforts of the Directors - their foresight, vision and commitment to the business coupled with their enthusiasm and passion for the IT industry is what makes our business a success.”
“This award is testament to the amazing team of people we have, going above and beyond every day for our clients. On behalf of my fellow Directors I thank our loyal customers for their ongoing support, and our management team and staff for their continuous hard work,” he said.
In addition to the My Business award Kiandra’s other accolades include being named as the top 16 employer in the 2011 BRW Best Places to Work listing, 2011 Microsoft Australia Partner of the Year for Software Development and being named as a finalist in the 2011 Telstra Business Awards.
22 September 2011 – Kiandra Highly Commended in ARN Awards
Kiandra is proud to have received a High Commendation in the Small-Medium Reseller category at the ARN Awards.
According to the judges Kiandra was Highly Commended for its outstanding dedication and excellence in working with SMB customers, coupled with its business success and achievements in the market over the past 12 months.
Now in their fifth year, the ARN IT Industry Awards are one of the most prestigious awards programs available to companies and individuals across the Australian IT community.
31 August 2011 – Kiandra IT signs Co-Marketing Agreement with Microsoft
Kiandra IT is pleased to announce it has signed a Technical Pre-Sales Co-Marketing Program Agreement with Microsoft.
The agreement strengthens the growing relationship between Kiandra and Microsoft and extends the scope of infrastructure and custom software solutions Kiandra currently offers clients, in particular its Business Intelligence (BI), search and productivity services.
The agreement affords Kiandra the opportunity to participate in Microsoft’s Virtual Technology Solutions Professional (V-TSP) program, allowing suitable Kiandra resources to act as extensions of the Microsoft sales team in the capacity of pre-sales technical support.
As part of the agreement Kiandra also has access to specialist demos, presentation materials, and product information; co-marketing opportunities and technical readiness opportunities.
Cameron Brookes, Managing Director, Kiandra IT said the organisation was pleased to be working jointly with Microsoft to bring leading BI, search and productivity solutions to the market.
“Microsoft is a global leader in productivity software and we are extremely pleased to be able to work jointly to help improve business efficiencies and information availability for our clients,” he said.
“Combining our knowledge, capability and dedication to an outstanding customer experience with Microsoft’s innovation, reliability and credibility will deliver unparalleled services for our customers.”
“Being singled out as a Microsoft endorsed supplier will open new doors for us and we expect to see increased business momentum on both the east and west coast,” he said.
Kiandra has enjoyed a strong working relationship with Microsoft for many years. It is a Microsoft Partner with Gold Server Platform Competency, Gold Software and Web Development Competency as well as Silver Midmarket Solution Provider Competency. Kiandra was recently named 2011 Microsoft Australian Partner of the Year for Software Development and has also been named Microsoft Worldwide Partner of the Year for Software Development in 2009.
23 August 2011 – Kiandra IT named Microsoft Partner of the Year winner
Kiandra IT was named Software Development Partner of the Year in the Microsoft Australia Partner Awards today at the Microsoft Australia Partner Conference at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Microsoft awarded Kiandra the title for a cloud-based custom software solution it developed for the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment, called the Waterwatch Victoria Data Management System. The System enables over 1500 volunteers to record water quality data that informs waterway managers about the health of Victoria's waterways and helps to identify emerging issues.
The Software Development Partner of the Year Award recognises partners who have delivered exemplary solutions using Microsoft technologies to address the unique business needs and challenges customers face.
Kiandra was selected out of a national field of top development houses for its market leading solutions. Being named as a winner is a huge achievement and highlights Kiandra’s software development capability and the innovative solutions it delivers.
“We are incredibly pleased to be named as a winner for our solution for the Department of Sustainability and Environment. At Kiandra we thrive on providing innovative solutions that enable Government agencies serve the public better, by improving the delivery of services, speeding and smoothing communication between Government and the public, and increasing transparency,” said Martin Cooperwaite, Director – Software Development, Kiandra IT.
“Our drive and passion for custom software has been instrumental in developing our reputation as one of Australia’s top custom software development houses. This reputation has been formally recognised through our title of Microsoft Worldwide Partner of the Year for Software Development in 2009 and Software Development finalist in the Microsoft Australian Partner Awards in 2010, and now winning the award in 2011.”
“I would like to thank Microsoft for the opportunity to participate in such a worthwhile awards program. This recognition belongs to the amazing team of people we have, going above and beyond everyday for our clients. Our people don’t just have outstanding skills, they are truly passionate professionals who care about the work they do and strive to achieve the best outcomes for customers,” he said.
In addition to its Microsoft accolades Kiandra has also been ranked as the top 16 Australian company to work for in the 2011 BRW Best Places to Work listing and named as a finalist in the Telstra Business Awards under the Panasonic Medium Business Award category.
Kiandra is a member of the Whole of Victorian Government eServices Panel and was recently appointed to the Western Australian (WA) Government’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Common Use Agreement (CUA) 14008.
22 August 2011 – Kiandra IT appoints FAST® Search and SharePoint evangelist
Kiandra IT appoints Microsoft FAST® Search and SharePoint evangelist, Shyam Narayan to the role of Solutions Architect.
Based in Melbourne, Shyam is a regular on the Microsoft speaker circuit, having delivered presentations at recent events such as the Australia SharePoint Conference, SharePoint Saturday and the Microsoft Office System Special Interest Group (MOSSIG). Shyam will also be presenting multiple sessions at the Microsoft Tech Ed 2011 event in late August.
Additionally, Shyam will be presenting at Microsoft’s prestigious Microsoft SharePoint Conference in October in California, as Australia’s preeminent FAST Search and SharePoint practitioner.
Shyam has extensive experience with the SharePoint platform and specialises in architecture, content management, custom development, search and business intelligence.
Shyam’s passion for SharePoint has earned him the title of Microsoft Virtual Technology Solutions Professional (V-TSP), allowing him to act as an extension of the Microsoft sales team in the capacity of pre-sales technical support.
Shyam has developed successful solutions for the FSI, Education and FMCG markets and was part of the team that delivered the first SharePoint 2010 site in Australia.
Kiandra’s Director of Software Development, Martin Cooperwaite said Shyam’s outstanding technical capability and impressive history of leading successful SharePoint projects would enable Kiandra to extend its SharePoint practice even further.
“SharePoint and BI are very important markets for Kiandra and we don’t expect this to slow. Customers want increased mobility, collaboration, and functionality and SharePoint answers an enterprise need for a platform that integrates the major information work tools – search, content management, business intelligence, workflow, and messaging – into a collaborative work framework,” he said.
“We are delighted to welcome Shyam on board, and look forward to working together to deploy cost effective solutions, aligned to our customers’ business needs,” he said.
Shyam has previously held Solution Architecture roles with Impower and most recently Pitcher Partners.
8 August 2011 – Kiandra IT delivers strong results in FY11
Kiandra IT is pleased to announce strong results for the year ending 30 June 2011, maintaining its track record of delivering earnings growth and creating a sound platform for FY12 and beyond.
During FY11 the company executed a number of strategic initiatives, including expanding to the west coast, developing new services and entering new markets, and has reported a 23% increase in revenue to cap off a great year.
Kiandra picked up a number of new clients including Coles, Jenny Craig, Advanced Hair, Cancer Council and has extended engagements with existing customers including the Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria Police, Commissioner for Law Enforcement and Data Security and T2.
In addition, Kiandra was named as a finalist in the Telstra Business Awards and was ranked as the top 16 employer in the BRW Best Places to Work list.
Cameron Brookes, Managing Director, Kiandra said the company’s performance was very pleasing in a year of high internal investment, and is confident in the outlook for FY12.
“FY11 has been a great period for Kiandra, and our efforts have been formally recognised through many renowned accolades, confirming our presence as a growing IT service provider,” he said.
“Kiandra has invested heavily in areas that will lead to strong revenue contribution in FY12 and beyond, including new systems and the internal investment required to service new contracts.”
“FY12 is already looking bright with the announcement last week that Kiandra has been named a Partner of the Year Finalist in the Microsoft Australia Partner Awards, receiving two award nominations in the Software Development category.”
“With our expanded service offering, new cross sell opportunities and strong business confidence levels we expect to see new contract momentum grow in FY12,” he said.
Against this backdrop Kiandra has identified a solid pipeline of qualified opportunities and is working to convert these opportunities into secured contracts.
3 August 2011 – Kiandra IT partners with K2
Kiandra IT is pleased to announce it has signed an agreement with K2 and will become a Service Provider Partner.
K2 offers advanced workflow software that increases business efficiencies and simplifies work by automating processes and streamlining operations.
As a K2 Service Provider, Kiandra is experienced and fully certified in the solution to define, design, build, deploy and/or manage K2 workflow technology solutions for customers.
According to Martin Cooperwaite, Director – Software Development, K2 is a great addition to Kiandra’s solution portfolio and will extend the breadth of software development services offered to new and existing customers.
“We specialise in Microsoft technologies and the .NET platform so K2 is a logical step for us. K2’s tools are built on Microsoft technology and it has more integration points than any other software product in the space,” he said.
“With this new capability we will be able to create powerful solutions to further maximise the business efficiencies of our clients,” he said.
K2 software has been helping to improve business processes for more than 10 years and has customers in 40-plus countries, with over 1 million users.
2 August 2011 – Kiandra IT named Microsoft Partner of the Year finalist
Kiandra IT is proud to be named a Partner of the Year Finalist in the Microsoft Australia Partner Awards, receiving two award nominations in the Software Development category. Winners will be announced at the Microsoft Australia Partner Conference at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre from 23 – 25 August.
Microsoft awarded Kiandra the first nomination for a cloud-based custom software solution it developed for FinSuite, a self-funded start-up company, which provides interactive visual financial relationship modeling to the Financial Services and Insurance sectors (FSI). Corporate Group Tree (CGt) is a commercially available software solution which, using complex mathematical algorithms, reviews millions of possible options simultaneously to deliver a completed relationship model in less than a second, that is aesthetically appealing, easy to understand and can be modified in real time. CGt sold 620 licenses in the first 24 hours of its launch to one of the four major banks.
Microsoft awarded Kiandra the second nomination for a cloud-based custom software solution it developed for the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment, called the Waterwatch Victoria Data Management System. The System enables over 1500 volunteers to record water quality data that informs waterway managers about the health of Victoria's waterways and helps to identify emerging issues.
Being named as a finalist highlights Kiandra’s software development capability and the innovative solutions it delivers.
“We are incredibly pleased to be named as a finalist and to receive two nominations. At Kiandra we love custom software and are excited by the positive impact our software provides to our customers. The two solutions were from quite different verticals – the first a self-funded startup, the other a Government department focused on environmental sustainability, showcasing the diversity of our business,” said Martin Cooperwaite, Director – Software Development, Kiandra IT.
“Our drive and passion for custom software has been instrumental in developing our reputation as one of Australia’s top custom software development houses. This reputation has been formally recognised through our title of Microsoft Worldwide Partner of the Year for Software Development in 2009 and Software Development finalist in the Microsoft Australian Partner Awards in 2010, and now again in 2011.”
“This recognition is a testament to the exceptional team at Kiandra. Our people don’t just have outstanding skills, they are truly passionate professionals who care about the work they do and strive to achieve the best outcomes for customers,” he said.
In addition to its Microsoft accolades Kiandra has also been ranked as the top 16 Australian company to work for in the 2011 BRW Best Places to Work listing and named as a finalist in the Telstra Business Awards under the Panasonic Medium Business Award category.
Kiandra is a member of the Whole of Victorian Government eServices Panel and was recently appointed to the Western Australian (WA) Government’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Common Use Agreement (CUA) 14008.
6 July 2011 – Kiandra appointed to WA Government ICT Services Contract panel
Kiandra IT is pleased to announce it has been appointed to the Western Australian (WA) Government’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Common Use Agreement (CUA) 14008.
The CUA 14008 is a mandatory agreement for all WA public authorities purchasing ICT services.
Cameron Brookes, Managing Director, Kiandra IT said the organisation was pleased to be selected as a Government endorsed supplier.
“We are extremely proud to have been delivering successful infrastructure and custom software development services to Victorian Government departments such as the Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria Police, and the Department of Health for over a decade.”
“Being chosen to extend these services to the WA Government highlights our specialist knowledge, capability and credibility in providing services in the Government arena and confirms our position as a growing IT provider,” he said.
“Perth is an important market for Kiandra and we expect to see further growth as we continue to expand our product offerings to provide the services our customers want,” said Mr Brookes.
Kiandra qualified under the Business Solution Services category which includes the establishment, implementation, management, maintenance and support of corporate applications (such as: ERP, HR, Finances, CRM, Supply Chain Management, Asset Management, Document Management and Library Management), core business applications, personal productivity systems, integrated data, voice and video services and web-based eBusiness application systems.
23 June 2011 – Kiandra IT scores hat trick - ranked on BRW’s Best Places to Work list 3 years running
Kiandra IT is pleased to announce it was recognised as one of Australia’s leading companies to work for, coming in as one of the top 16 best employers in BRW’s Annual Best Places to Work list, last night.
This is the third year running that Kiandra has featured in the prestigious list. In 2009 Kiandra was listed at number 22 and in 2010 placed as one of the top 20 companies to work for.
This achievement highlights Kiandra’s dedication to its people, its focus on developing a progressive company culture and its strong business position.
Cameron Brookes, Managing Director, Kiandra IT was humbled to accept the award at the BRW awards gala last night.
“We are honored to be recognised for the third time in BRW’s Best Places to Work list. Skills shortage is a key issue facing the IT industry and we work extremely hard and invest considerably in our culture and in the ongoing development of our staff to combat this, and build an employment brand that attracts and retains the most talented people our industry has to offer,” he said.
“Our success is a great example of how investing in your people provides solid returns. We experienced a 32% increase in turnover from FY09 to FY10 and anticipate an increase of 24% from FY10 to FY11. As a result of this we have increased staff numbers by 38% in the last 12 months, and recently expanded to the west coast.”
“This focus pays dividends to Kiandra and has resulted in a unique team of happy, passionate and enjoyable professionals who care about the work they do and the results they achieve. Our success is a reflection of the amazing team of people we have, we thank them for their hard work and look forward to their continued contributions,” he said.
The BRW Best Places to Work Awards are widely acclaimed in Australia. Based on one of the world’s most comprehensive studies of workplace culture, The Great Place to Work Institute Australia, the quality of this year’s BRW Top 50 Best Places to Work was higher than ever. It was these businesses who broke out from the rest of the pack during challenging times to retain a loyal, happy and engaged workforce.
Kiandra is a leading provider of IT infrastructure solutions, managed services, software and website development and business intelligence reporting. In addition to a regular placing in the BRW awards, Kiandra’s other accolades include being named a finalist in the Telstra Business Awards under the Panasonic Medium Business Award category (winners announced in July). Kiandra was named Microsoft Worldwide Partner of the Year for Software Development in 2009 and was also recognised as a finalist in the Microsoft Australian Partner Awards in 2010. This recognition is testament to Kiandra’s exceptional people and the innovative solutions they deliver.
8 June 2011 – Kiandra IT named as a finalist in the Telstra Business Awards
Kiandra IT is proud to be named as a finalist in the Telstra Business Awards under the Panasonic Medium Business Award category. Winners will be announced at the state/territory Award Ceremony Presentation Gala in July.
Being named as a finalist highlights Kiandra’s outstanding dedication, commitment and positive contribution to the business world.
“We are incredibly pleased to be named as a Telstra Business Awards finalist, reflecting our dedicated focus to providing innovative infrastructure and software development solutions for our clients, while offering a challenging yet rewarding work environment for our people,” said Cameron Brookes, Managing Director, Kiandra IT.
“This recognition belongs to the amazing team of people we have, going above and beyond everyday for our clients. I thank my fellow directors, the management team and our staff for their hard work and look forward to their continued contributions,” he said.
Telstra Business Group Managing Director and Telstra Business Awards Ambassador, Deena Shiff, said analysis of the finalists’ business performance highlighted understanding customer needs and high customer service levels were at the core of their business success.
“The best Victorian finalists clearly have a commitment to providing top customer service that underpins their business growth.”
“Improving customer service is paramount, no matter the size of a company. Training staff will encourage customer loyalty and help attract winbacks and new customers. If employees are a company’s best asset, then customers can be its ambassadors,” she said.
Now in its 19th year, the Telstra Business Awards is Australia’s pre-eminent business awards program, celebrating Australia's most successful enterprises and the entrepreneurial Australian spirit.
Kiandra’s other accolades include being named as one of the top 20 companies to work for (and one of the top 5 technology employers) in the 2010 BRW Best Places to Work listing, Microsoft Worldwide Partner of the Year for Software Development in 2009 and Microsoft Australian Partner Awards finalist in 2010.
24 May 2011 – Kiandra Director invited to become a Fellow of the AIM
Kiandra IT is pleased to announce that Cameron Brookes, Managing Director has been invited to become a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management (AIM), in recognition of his outstanding management and leadership achievements.
Being selected to become a Fellow, the highest level of AIM membership, and bypass the normal application process is a great honour and recognises the level of standing Mr Brookes has in the management community, as well as his positive contribution to the business world.
AIM has been Australia’s leading provider of professional development and services for leaders since 1941. More than 25,000 managers at every level and over 5,000 businesses belong to the AIM Network which adds capacity to managers, by providing opportunities to learn, develop and better understand practical management.
23 May 2011 – Kiandra IT appoints IT industry veteran to head up software sales
Kiandra IT appoints IT industry veteran and local Government Councillor, Phillip Healey to the role of Business Development Manager - Custom Software.
Based in Melbourne, Phillip has experience spanning two decades in the IT industry, predominantly in custom developed software solutions sales and consulting for Tier 1, mid-market and Government.
Most recently Phillip was a Principal Consultant at Pitcher Partners, leading a team of developers in providing Microsoft based solutions for clients on SharePoint, Silverlight, MSSQL and SQL reporting services, BCS, FAST Search Server and ASP.net custom software solutions.
In his many years in local Government he has also held various Ministerial appointments as well as being Mayor of the City of Boroondara where he is currently the Chair of the Urban Planning Special committee as well as the Councillor for Studley Ward.
“This is an exciting time to be joining the organisation, Kiandra is experiencing significant growth, particularly within the software development practice and is dedicated to building on this success,” said Phillip.
“My focus will be on broadening Kiandra’s software solution and services portfolios and increasing the business value Kiandra deliver to corporate and Government clients,” he said.
Kiandra’s Director of Software Development, Martin Cooperwaite said Phillip’s vast knowledge and experience dealing with complex customer engagements, provided him with an intimate understanding of what is required to further Kiandra’s success in the market.
“We have been assessing candidates for some time to ensure that the appropriate skill-sets are represented. We are excited to welcome Phillip onboard and look forward to working together to build on our success in the market,” he said.
Kiandra recently reported a 32% increase in revenue for FY10 and a 38% increase in the size of the company in the last 12 months.
2 May 2011 – Kiandra IT security team amongst the first to be certified in the most advanced ethical hacking training program globally
Kiandra IT is proud to be amongst the first companies in the world to have a Certified Ethical Hacker trained in version 7 (CEH v7) by the International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants (EC-Council).
Dan Weis, Senior Systems Engineer, Kiandra IT was one of just 10 information security professionals from around the world, selected by the EC-Council to attend and complete the inaugural CEH v7 certification.
The CEH v7 is the most advanced ethical hacking program in the world and is the pinnacle of information security training for information security professionals.
A Certified Ethical Hacker is a skilled professional who understands and knows how to look for the weaknesses and vulnerabilities in target systems and uses the same knowledge and tools as a malicious hacker.
Having a staff member hand-picked by the EC-Council to participate in this certification is testament to the high calibre people Kiandra IT is able to attract said Cameron Brookes, Managing Director, Kiandra IT.
“With security on the concerned minds of CIO’s everywhere, it is important that we stay up to date to enable us to solve our customers’ complex and sensitive security challenges. Having a Certified Ethical Hacker demonstrates that we are ahead of the game in the thinking and more importantly, the skills required to meet demand,” he said.
“Our new expertise will enable us to focus on the complex, challenging security problems that are impeding the growth of our customers’ business and help make living and working in a network-dependent world, safe.”
“With this new capability we will not only extend the services we offer our current clients, but we expect to attract new opportunities for specialist security services,” said Mr Brookes.
As a result of the new certification Kiandra IT has added Penetration Testing/Ethical Hacking,
Vulnerability Assessment, Security Assessment, Wireless Leakage Analysis/Wireless Security Assessment and Corporate Security Culture Assessment to its comprehensive list of infrastructure services.
6 April 2011 – Kiandra IT secures contracts with 11 new clients in Q3
Kiandra IT is pleased to announce a strong Q3 acquiring 11 new clients from January to March.
Amongst some of the infrastructure contracts Kiandra secured are companies such as: Australian Securities Ltd/Nicholas O'Donohue & Co, Cancer Council Victoria, Community Housing Federation of Victoria and International Energy Services.
Under the terms of the contracts Kiandra will be providing a comprehensive mix of infrastructure solutions including Managed Services, Network Services, Virtualisation, Archiving and Desktop Deployment Services with scope for additional project opportunities.
In addition to the 10 new infrastructure contracts Kiandra has signed a deal with Perth based Total Coolants to develop a custom Coolant Performance Reporting Management System. Kiandra has also extended its software development services engagement with existing customers including the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance, Department of Sustainability and Environment, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and Victoria Police.
Cameron Brookes, Managing Director, Kiandra IT said he was pleased to announce the significant number of contract wins and extensions which confirmed Kiandra’s presence as a growing IT service provider.
“This is a substantial number of new clients to attract in a short period of time and highlights the strong period of growth the company is experiencing,” he said.
“Our FY10 results showed a 32% increase in revenue and the size of the company has grown by 38% in the last 12 months. We don’t expect this to slow as the outlook of the IT services industry in our chosen markets remains strong, with business confidence levels high.”
“The numerous contract wins and extensions highlight our expertise and capability in providing tailored solutions to a variety of markets and are a reflection of our innovative, high quality service offering,” he said.
In addition to these wins, Kiandra has identified a solid pipeline of qualified opportunities which is expected to supplement the organisation’s bank of contracted business over the next few years.
29 March 2011 – Kianda IT announces ISO 9001:2008 certification
Kiandra IT is pleased to announce it has earned AS/NZS ISO 9001:2008 certification - the international standard for quality management.
This achievement highlights Kiandra’s focus on providing solutions and services that meet all regulatory and customer requirements and verifies its proactive commitment to continual improvement and effective customer focus.
Becoming certified as ISO 9001 compliant, Kiandra underwent a stringent evaluation process that included quality management system development, documentation review, pre-audit, initial assessment and clearance of non-conformances, all of which work to identify corrective actions that eliminate non-conformance to the quality management standard. The process culminated in a comprehensive registration audit.
Cameron Brookes, Managing Director, Kiandra said that the certification of compliance with ISO 9001:2008 was a significant achievement for Kiandra.
“Compliance with this standard was a natural progression for Kiandra as we increase our national footprint and strengthen our presence in new areas, particularly in the Government sector. With this certification, our customers can be confident that Kiandra is dedicated to continuing to provide the high quality services they have come to expect and rely on,” said Mr Brookes.
“Kiandra’s compliance to this standard shows that we are committed to quality management and more importantly, the action required to meet the accepted standards.”
“Implementation of an ISO 9001 certified quality system provides us with a firm, objective basis for continually assessing and improving our processes. We are proud to have earned this globally-recognised certification,” he said.
Adopted in virtually all industries - from manufacturers and service companies, to companies both large and small, multi-site multi-national organisations and single location businesses, ISO 9001 has become the most widely recognised Management System Standard.
The certification formalises the consistent quality in the design services, technology and products that Kiandra delivers to its valued customers.
22 March 2011 – Kianda IT adds another Gold to its Microsoft Partner Network competency list
Kiandra IT is pleased to announce it has added another Gold to its list of Microsoft Partner Network competencies, achieving a Gold competency in Web Development.
Kiandra is currently the only Australian company to achieve the Gold Web Development competency and just one of 85 companies to achieve it globally, which demonstrates Kiandra’s ability to deliver Web-enabled deployment solutions that help its customers operate their businesses more efficiently and conduct on-line transactions more effectively.
Attaining the Web Development gold competency is testament to Kiandra’s skill and expertise in using the internet as a platform to develop and deliver key business applications to market faster, more easily and for a lower maintenance cost.
In addition to its Web Development competency Kiandra has also achieved Gold competencies in both Server Platform and Software Development and has attained the Midmarket Solution Provider Silver competency.
Maintaining a high level of partnership allows Kiandra to continuously access global best practice from Microsoft and incorporate it into its service offerings for the benefit of its clients.
17 March 2011 - Kiandra IT congratulates award winning staff member
Kiandra’s very own Sam Kroonenburg, Senior Software Developer has taken out the top gong in the ASP.NET category in the www.binpress.com programming competition.
Sam’s entry, panelJAX, enables you to rapidly build rich async-enabled web-sites. It integrates with ASP.NET MVC and allows you to make business logic decisions server-side, that control your UI client-side. Best of all, there's nothing new to learn. You can continue building your HTML views that same way you always have, and panelJAX seamlessly ajaxifies it. panelJAX is a jQuery plugin, and .NET assembly containing helpers and attributes for ASP.NET MVC.
The competition’s esteemed judging panel hailed from the entire spectrum of web development, globally.
Kiandra IT’s Managing Director, Cameron Brookes congratulated Sam on his achievement.
“At Kiandra we encourage a culture of continuous ongoing development across all aspects of the company and fully support and celebrate participation in extracurricular endeavours. We believe this culture reflects in the exceptional individuals we have onboard at Kiandra and results in a highly motivated, experienced and certified workforce, dedicated to getting it right,” he said.
17 March 2011 - Budding author in Kiandra’s midst
Kiandra IT congratulates Peter Sbarski, Software Developer and budding author on his published paper Hi-Trees and Their Layout appearing in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics publication.
The IEEE has more than 400,000 members in over 160 countries and the publication has a large circulation of researchers, developers, technical managers and educators in the computer field.
“Being published in a prestigious journal such as IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics is a fantastic achievement,” said Cameron Brookes, Managing Director, Kiandra IT.
“The IEEE Editorial Board only publish papers that present important research results and state-of-the-art seminal papers. Being published in a journal of this standing demonstrates Peter’s outstanding skill and expertise in the area,” he said.
An electronic copy of Hi-Trees and Their Layout can be found here: http://www.computer.org/portal/web/csdl/doi/10.1109/TVCG.2010.45
14 Jan 2011 - Kiandra IT gains multiple gold competencies in the new Microsoft Partner Network
Kiandra is proud announce the strengthening of its Partner status with Microsoft achieving two Gold Competencies in Server Platform and Software Development in Microsoft's new Partner Network program. The changes to the Partner Network focus on recognising Partners who demonstrate the capability to deliver specialist services in key solution streams, known as Competencies. The achievement of a Gold Competency requires significant training, testing and customer-validated references for successful, relevant projects. Gold Competencies also require the development and retention of a minimum number of professionals certified in relevant solutions and this ensures we know our stuff.
Achieving Microsoft's Gold Server competency demonstrates our capability to design, deliver and support complex server environments – the platforms for business applications, data and security. Importantly, it proves that we understand how businesses of all sizes can get value from the implementation of server platforms including the need to reduce IT infrastructure costs, the need to provide applications to run businesses and reach customers more effectively, disaster recovery, server virtualization, and server consolidation.
The Microsoft Gold Software Development competency extends our previous Gold Partner custom software development excellence, and continue to demonstrate our expertise at developing solutions that leverage Microsoft development technologies.
Other competencies Kiandra has attained include Silver Web Development and Silver Midmarket Solutions Provider which round out our solution offerings to service the needs of our clients.
24 May 2010 - Kiandra System Solutions becomes Kiandra IT
As we enter our 15th year of business we feel it is time for a refresh. We’ve invested heavily in developing Kiandra over this time and decided an updated image and company name would better reflect the business we have become.
As our industry evolves at an incredible pace it is essential that we maintain our breadth of capabilities and solution offerings to ensure we can successfully manage the IT requirements of all our clients.
Our team of over 45 members has outgrown our facilities so we have relocated to exciting new offices at Level 28, 570 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000.
In addition to our new address, we’re proud to announce an update to our company name and branding. Formerly Kiandra System Solutions, we are now Kiandra IT.
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Our new brand represents our modern approach and our proud Australian roots. We are a 100% Australian company, serving clients all around the globe.
We feel it best represents the company we have built and will continue to grow.
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Along with our new logo, our website has been refreshed to reflect these changes. All phone numbers and email addresses have remained the same.
We are extremely excited about these changes and the opportunities our new facilities will bring. We will be better equipped to adapt and deliver on the many changes and challenges that will be presented to us in the coming decade.
