EPiServer opens first Australian office to service ANZ market

Peter Dinham
Tuesday, 27 October 2009 10:38

IT People - People

Global web content management systems vendor, EPiServer, has appointed a country manager for Australia and New Zealand and opened its first office in Sydney to service its customers in the Australian and New Zealand market as part of its global expansion strategy.

EPI’s newly appointed country manager for ANZ, Andreas Stjernström, said  the establishment of a direct EPiServer presence in Australia with an initial staff of two, including himself, “has long been a critical step in our global expansion strategy,” and he said the company had recently sold its 5000th EPiServer software licence to Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC).

According to Stjernström, with Australian organisations “increasingly relying on the power and leveragability of their online presence to conduct business they are looking beyond simple customisation and Web 2.0 technologies, instead demanding real-time tracking and interactive marketing capabilities that turn passive web visits into dynamic, personalised web experiences that drive new revenues.”

Stjernström, who has come to Australia from EPiServer in Sweden, told iTWire today that the company has opened the doors of its Australian operation to address local demand for creating and managing engaging websites more effectively and efficiently.

With an initial staff of just himself and a sales engineer, and based in Sydney, Stjernström said EPiServer’s Australian presence will support business operations for both Australia and New Zealand.

Stjernström said that EPiServer had experienced 40 per cent business growth over the last 12 months and 60 per cent license growth in the first six months of 2009, and that the company was “the creator of the world’s fastest growing commercial Content Management System (CMS).

“Currently more than 2,500 customers around the globe are using EPiServer CMS to develop and manage collaborative and engaging websites, and the platform is the foundation of more than 9,000 websites and is used on a daily basis by more than 130,000 web editors.”

According to Stjernström, the company already has an “impressive stable of Australian customers,” including Museum Victoria, Collage of Law, Diabetes ustralia, Assa Abloy and Perth Zoo, and in New Zealand “a strong footprint across some 10 local councils and has been deployed by several financial institutions including AXA, AMI and AMP.

“EPiServer also has a host of Australian partners including Intergen, 303 and Ares, and aims to continue building its network of partners.”

For the Australian and New Zealand market, Stjernström says the company has some “aggressive goals in place for our first six months, including achieving substantial local business growth, building our position as a local market leader and developing our valuable partner ecosystem.”

Stjernström joined EPiServer from Swedish IT company, Netstar, when it was acquired by EPiServer, and has experience in IT over several years, including selling online community platforms which he says allow users to “build their own Facebook.”