TV networks come knocking for Sydney cloud outfit

Sydney-based ASE is expecting a strong 2014 following a clutch of wins – with its clients even bringing the cloud outfit new opportunities.

ASE chief executive Andrew Sjoquist said his company had picked up significant work with the likes of Nutricia and Transform Aid as well as Australia's major pay-TV network.

One of its long-term customers, CD and DVD duplication company Silver Trak Digital, helped ASE secure the business.

"Silver Trak Digital have been a customer of ours for about six years," said Sjoquist. "They have identified a particular requirement in their marketplace – the media industry – where we also have a pedigree supporting post production at media companies. "

ASE and SilverTrak Digital worked together develop the 'Media Room' platform, which they launched into the Australian market just before Christmas.

Sjoquist said the ink was still wet on the pay-TV deal and that the company was now doing demonstration work at an Australian public TV broadcaster.

"So our end customer has developed the software and we are providing the consultancy, infrastructure services and connectivity services to make that software a reality.

"Media Room allows companies... to manage their archive. We check the quality and then we pipe it back to [the pay-TV company] using the Media Room platform on a variety of high-speed fibre and other connectivity options."

For the Nutricia deal, ASE partnered with another customer, Tetran.

The joint offering dovetails into Tetran's existing relationship with Nutricia, which is a subsidiary of Danone, where it has been delivering services for about seven years.

"Basically it was time for Nutricia to do a refresh of their environment. They went to market with an RFP and tender in October and we were selected to provide the [infrastructure-as-a-service] component.

"This project has just kicked off. The ink is wet on that one too. Anticipate [it will be] in full production by February."

The third project, at charity Transform Aid, wrapped up just before Christmas.

ASE delivered a new Cisco Unified Contact Centre Express (UCCX) and call management solution, which runs on the ASE cloud platform and is expected to deliver a 40 percent reduction in costs to the client.