DiData wins $40m Centrelink network contract

Stan Beer
Tuesday, 04 April 2006 07:58

IT Industry - Deals

IT services provider, Dimension Data, has pulled off a $40 million contract with Federal Government agency, Centrelink, to provide equipment, maintenance and related professional services for Centrelink’s Data Network Redesign Project (DNRP). The contract to upgrade core network and switching infrastructure is worth an estimated $40 million over five years.
Centrelink’s IT environment supports 25,000 employees using 35,000 screens across more than 1,000 service delivery points, including 316 Customer Service Centres, seven Remote Area Service Centres, 360 Centrelink agents, 178 access points and 26 call centres – the largest single-purpose call centre network in Australia, receiving more than 32.6 million calls per year.

Dimension Data’s winning tender for a secure, IP converged network encompasses core routing and switching, encryption and public key infrastructure (PKI). The solution is based on technology from vendors including Cisco Systems, Senetas and RSA Security. As part of the contract, Dimension Data is Centrelink’s supplier of Cisco Systems network equipment.

“Dimension Data has had a long and productive association with Centrelink, initially working with the agency, then known as the Department of Social Security, on its first major network upgrade in 1993. A number of our current team members worked on the design of this original network – a factor which has maintained our reputation for technical excellence within Centrelink,” said Steve Nola, Australian CEO, Dimension Data.

“This is a significant win for Dimension Data in Australia – Centrelink is one of the largest IT users in this country – and recognition of our pre-eminence in both the networking and security arenas in this country.”