NewLease to bring Microsoft to 250 million people

Australian distributor NewLease has been appointed as a Microsoft reseller in Indonesia and will open a Jakarta office next week to kick start its new assignment.

Parent company Rhype Limited announced to the ASX that NewLease is now authorised to sell Microsoft software under Service Provider Licensing Agreements (SPLA) in Indonesia.

"Transacting in Indonesia meets our strategy to expand in selected south east Asia countries to sell cloud licensing solutions," said NewLease interim chief executive Dawn Edmonds.

The distie stated that Indonesia presents a growth opportunity as the largest economy in south east Asia and the world's fourth-largest population, with almost 250 million citizens. However, it warned the ASX that "management is conservatively cautious in its approach to development of this large market".

The Indonesian agreement with Microsoft will establish "a new and incremental revenue stream" and "accelerates subscription revenue opportunities in a substantial south east Asia market", stated Rhype.

To launch the local arm, a new Jakarta office will be officially opened on 7 August in the presence of Microsoft and NewLease executives.

A country manager for Indonesia, Iskandar Myrza, has already been appointed. Myrza previously spent 13 years at Microsoft, according to the announcement.

Indonesia is NewLease's fifth south east Asian market, adding to existing operations in Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia. It is "currently in the process of incorporating a subsidiary in Indonesia to sign the formal agreement".

Edmonds said: "I am pleased to have the support and confidence of Microsoft to add this very important and substantial region to our business portfolio."

Last month, NewLease became Microsoft's first "Cloud LSP" in the world, to become a "one stop shop" for licensing.

The distributor is wholly owned by Rhype Limited, which listed on the ASX earlier this year. NewLease has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, Singapore, Bangkok, Manila and Kuala Lumpur – soon to be joined by Jakarta.