$160m reseller Oakton vies for Sydney market

Solution providers will have "enormous" opportunities to work with the New South Wales government as the state transitions to new IT models, according to state minister of Finance and Services Andrew Constance.

Constance last week opened Oakton's new Sydney offices, telling guests that government agencies need to migrate towards managed services.

"If you think about the way the state government is structured, there's enormous opportunity over the next 10 years.

"The way in which people see IT delivered in the future is as-a-service. The government will explore new offerings that are available through cloud, both domestically and internationally as well."

The minister pointed to Oakton as an example of a solutions provider helping agencies modernise their IT infrastructure.

"The service Oakton provides and the support it gives customers, including six government agencies, is done in a way that we know can drive better efficiency when it comes to delivering IT solutions.

"This is where the work Oakton is doing, particularly with agencies such as Sydney Trains and health, is incredibly exciting."

Oakton chief executive Neil Wilson said the offices would help Oakton deliver more state services.

"This office now represents our showcase office in the company and that's for a very important reason. We believe we're aligning with where NSW is with its investment in the marketplace.

"This will be a symbol that the NSW market must be the place to build capabilities such as this," added Wilson.

Oakton's new offices are located at 45 Clarence Street in Sydney. Having offices in Sydney's CBD makes Oakton more accessible to its clients, said Oakton general manager Paul Voges.

It also tightens its relationship with cloud partner and Sydney neighbour Dimension Data.

The offices adopt a collaborative design and feature dynamic work stations. There are facilities clients can make use of; a solution centre where problems can be emulated and resolved; and a centre that shows how Oakton can deliver a complete managed service capability to its clients.

Oakton's 200 Sydney staff will be based at the new office, while videoconferencing suites will help local staff connect with its 250 employees in Hyderabad, India.