Latest News

 

January 2010

ARN- Interactive cloud catches manufacturing giant [Editorial]

IT services provider, Interactive, has netted a cloud-based managed services deal with packaging manufacturer, Aperio.

Interactive has done IT hardware maintenance for Aperio for the past two years and both parties entered into discussions about a managed services relationship nine months ago.

Aperio originally ran its IT infrastructure out of its Chester Hill plant, which handled communications and data distribution for the company's network of Australian factories.

Bottlenecks in the network were common and a technology refresh was due, the company said. Aperio eventually decided to hand its IT management over to Interactive.

The managed services contract runs for three years and will see the IT firm supply infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS).

Click here to read the full article.


Brisbane, November 2009

The Australian - Sending out disaster services [Editorial]

An interview with Trilby Misso Lawyers Technology Manager, Daniel Buchanan on his decision to use Interactive's Data Centre solution. He discussed the day the firm's hard drive corrupted and everything was lost forcing a three day recovery where the entire firm was offline. This prompted Trilby to urgently seek a business continuity provider to which Interactive provided the best solution.

"We evaluated a few different providers, but found Interactive's site first of all to be extremely well provisioned...It ensures our availability to continue providing client service, it ensures the integrity of our IT systems, and it ensures essentially business continuity for us." Australian IT Business.

To read the full article click here. 


Melbourne, September 2009

Interactive - The Best in the Game

As football lovers prepared for the excitement of the AFL Grand Final on Saturday 26 September, the Interactive Grand Final Breakfast was the program they woke too.

Interactive was proud to be the major sponsor of the Grand Final Breakfast; a two-hour football and entertainment spectacular attended by the cream of the political, sporting and entertainment industries. The event held at Plenary Hall at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre was broadcast on Channel Ten and simulcast on 3AW Radio.

The event hosted by Michael Christian had over 1,300 guests in attendance including Interactive Managing Director, Christopher Ride with our guest of honour customer, Grainne Kearns, CIO of Sensis. Followed by an entertaining red carpet parade, Christopher was seated on the head table where he mingled with Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Victorian Governor David de Krester, AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou and North Melbourne Football Club Chairman James Brayshaw.

Entertainment included performances by renowned comedian Anh Do and singers Ricki Lee and Craig McLachlan. With standing applause, Lou Richards induction was celebrated as the 'one and only legend' of the Grand Final Breakfast. An emotional Mr. Richards shared amusing stories of past breakfasts and his time as a Collingwood player.

This was a timely opportunity for our staff, customers and suppliers to recognise Interactive's great story and celebrate a record year in growth and a loyal and extensive customer base. We look forward to delivering only the highest levels of systems availability in the industry. We thank you for your support and hope you had a great Grand Final Day!


Melbourne, September 2009

Interactive Employee, Harvin Dhillon

VSA (Victorian Sikh Association) president, Interactive Employee Harvin Dhillon hosted Premier, John Brumby in the eve of his trip to India.

The Victorian Govenment flew Brumby out to India over recent racial attacks in Melbourne over the past two years and to promote Victoria as a safe state to study.

As a going-away present, Harvin and the team at Interactive presented Brumby with an Interactive football in the lead up to Interative's sponorship of the Grand Final Breakfast.


Melbourne, August 2009

Interactive defies the GFC

Interactive had a highly successful 2008/2009 financial year. Instead of seeing a downturn from tightened IT spending under the Global Financial Crises, we actually experienced significant growth. During the year, we increased our customer base by 317 organisations - growing the number of customers using Interactive services by an extraordinary 28% to a total of 1,451.

Overall, this strong growth indicates that Interactive's systems availability services are seen as excellent value - even, or perhaps especially, in times of fiscal restraint. Of these 317 new customers, 61% of them signed up in the first six months of 2009 alone, as the GFC began to bite into corporate operational budgets.

Since inception in 1988, Interactive has never failed to achieve double-digit year-on-year growth. 2008/2009 proved no exception, demonstrating the unique business value and exceptional service delivery capabilities we offer. 


Melbourne, July 2009

The Australian -  New life to old servers in maintenance deal [Editorial]

The Queensland Studies Authority prolonged the life of its ageing server fleet when it used Interactive to manage its hardware maintenance.

The firm also avoided being forced into a costly hardware refresh because the vendors would no longer support its gear. Often when a product is declared to have reached the end of its serviceable life, the only option for the customer is to buy the next generation  of vendor's kit, along with maintenance.

QSA technology manager Bernard Wright said the firm was not ready for an expensive hardware refresh simply because the vendor no longer supported the hardware.

Interactive offered flexibility on its maintenance contract, Mr Wright said, which included shutting down hardware midway through an agreement and upgrading to higher levels of support during peak times for QSA. Interactive has a dedicated support engineer for QSA, and that arrangement had worked well when an outage occured recently on a Friday afternoon, Mr Wright said. "You're not talking to a call centre somewhere that's going to direct an engineer you've never heard of, who's going to turn up on-site wondering what you've got and making assumptions that may be incorrect."

 

Melbourne, June 2009

CIO Magazine - Strive for the Best

Tony Summers, the Chief Financial Officer at hardware support and data recovery provider Interactive (pictured right), puts honesty, integrity and trust at the top of his list of guiding philosophies.

"These are universal values that should be adopted by all executives, particularly CFOs," he says. In line with this, he places high importance on maintaining simplicity.

A priority for Interactive is to provide the best value for its customers. Summers says the company needs to provide sales staff with the ability to be flexible on prices. "We have developed some excellent, simple processes to give our salesperson the ability to move very quickly on opportunities without undermining value" he says.Tony Summers, the Chief Financial Officer at hardware support and data recovery provider Interactive (pictured right), puts honesty, integrity and trust at the top of his list of guiding philosophies.

Click on our Articles and Publications page to read the article:
http://www.interactive.com.au/News/ArticlesPublications.aspx

Melbourne, December 2008

Australian Masters Sponsorship - 2008

For the second consecutive year, Interactive is proud to be a major sponsor of the Australian Masters at Huntingdale. Interactive sponsored the 453 metre Par 5, 10th Hole. The Interactive 10th hole conceded 22 Eagles, 222 Birdies, 176 Pars, 27 Bogeys, 3 Bouble Bogeys and 1 Other. Queenslander, Rod Pampling, claimed the coveted Yellow Jacket after defeating Victorian favourite, Marcus Fraser, in the third sudden-death play-off hole.

During the Pro-Am on Wednesday, golfing great John Daly played in the Interactive team alongside Christopher Ride (Managing Director, Interactive), Simon Green (VP Asia Pacific, NetApp) and Christopher Burke (General Manager, IRT). "What a fantastic experience it was to play along side the two-time Major winner,' Ride commented. "A terrific bloke and a seriously long hitter!"

Daly commented at the press conference after the Pro-Am, "My team was on fire on the back nine. It was fun. I had a great group of guys. If you can get the putter going here, and hit the fairways, you can make quite a few birdies. But it still does not take much to make a big number." In the Pro-Am, John Daly shot a 4 under 68, but unfortunately, his fine form when playing with the Interactive team did not transfer into the tournament. Daly now heads off to Coolum for the 2008 Australian PGA Coolum.

Melbourne, November 2008

Senator Conroy announces world-first in Port Melbourne

On Monday 17 November, Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy and Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate, attended the official launch of Interactive's new Port Park office and data centre complex in Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne.

The launch also marked the commencement of Interactive's use of 100 per cent renewable energy - 'GreenPower,' a world-first move by a data centre provider that will see a significant reduction in Interactive's carbon footprint and assist in reducing its customers' use of non-renewable power.

At the event, Senator Conroy commented on Interactive's success in the Australian marketplace and its demonstrated longevity and innovation positioning it as a business that will lead Australia into the future.

"Reliability is an essential part of any system, and with more mission-critical systems now based on digital networks, Interactive is providing a vital support mechanism," Senator Conroy said.

"The official launch of this new, world-class data and operations centre in Melbourne is testament to the success Interactive is building for itself in the market."

According to Interactive's Managing Director, Christopher Ride, the decision to become the first data centre provider in the world to run its entire operations on GreenPower was driven by an overwhelming sense of corporate environmental responsibility and the increasing demand from customers keen to reduce their carbon footprints.

"Many organisations, including Interactive, are focusing on ways to reduce their carbon footprint. We recognised that using 100 per cent GreenPower was the effective way for us to make a positive impact, particularly when dealing with power-hungry data centres."

"More importantly, our customers have embraced the move to 'green' as it allows them the opportunity to reduce their environmental impact, simply by their choice of service provider," Mr Ride concluded.

Interactive's new Port Park facility is a 4,500 square metre office, data centre and warehouse complex supporting Interactive's service offerings including hardware maintenance and data centre services.

Melbourne, October 2008

Interactive goes 100% GreenPower!

From the 1st November 2008 Interactive's entire operations will be powered by 100% renewable energy - 'GreenPower.' In making this move, Interactive will become the first data centre provider in the world to run entirely on GreenPower.

Our investment in renewable energy marks a significant reduction in the carbon footprint of both Interactive and our customers. Customer IT infrastructure housed within our data centres will overnight be moved to GreenPower supplied by AGL, Australia's largest energy supplier.

Christopher Ride, Managing Director of Interactive, commented; "Many organisations, including Interactive, are focusing on ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Interactive recognises that using 100% GreenPower is the most effective step; particularly when dealing with power-hungry data centres. Using more expensive power that is environmentally healthy is part of our future whether we like it or not. For a business like ours, it's better to take the step now and be ahead of that curve, rather than behind it. The IT market can be very cost sensitive, but we believe that we have the economies of scale, the power efficiencies, and the relationship with AGL to provide 100% GreenPower and not lose our market competiveness."

Click here to view the press release:
http://www.interactive.com.au/News/MediaReleases.aspx

Melbourne, July 2008

Radical Racing 2008

Twelve months have passed since our first successful year of Radical Racing - it was time to put the pedal to the metal and find out once again who is the fastest man (or woman) in IT! The time was right for Interactive’s Managing Director Christopher Ride to put to bed the demons of coming second last year! This year the track was Eastern Creek, known for its long straight and, if you have the courage, a flat out left hander at Turn 1.

After a morning of tuition and track familiarisation, the teams raced to set the fastest and most consistent times aiming for pole position and the feature event – a sixteen lap team Enduro. Speeds approached 200km/hr down the main straight and with rain looming, tensions amongst the drivers increased - times tumbled, driver confidence increased but not in proportion with talent! The result – lots of spins…! In the team event Ewan Prentice (CEO, O2 Networks), Jim Farrell (Head of IT Operations, QBE Insurance) and Lisa Wright (State Manager Customer Relationships) were our victors in a flag-to-flag display.

Our congratulations also go to Peter O’Connor (Managing Director, NetApp Australia) who took out the fastest lap-of-the-day honours. Christopher will be spending time with Michael Schumacher in preparation for next year’s event!

Melbourne, June 2008

Port Park Opens

Fifteen months after the first soil was turned Interactive's Port Park complex opened for business in June. The building is the culmination of a three year project. The four level data centre/office/warehouse complex is the final piece in an ambitious five year plan to build world class facilities in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

"Interactive provides the most comprehensive systems availability solutions in Australia,” said Interactive’s Managing Director, Christopher Ride. "We continue - as from day one - to be focused on our customers, listening to their requirements and creating solutions that support and protect Australian businesses. Without their support these investments would not have been possible." 

Melbourne, April 2008

Oxfam TRAILWALKER 2008

Interactive proudly entered a team in one of the largest and toughest team events in the world - Oxfam TRAILWALKER 2008. The 100 kilometre charity event raises money to abolish poverty and suffering around the world. Led by Interactive Managing Director, Christopher Ride; with his team of David Rowe (AXA), Magnus Ohlsson (Audi) and Roger Prezens (UBS), successfully raised over $15,000 - the highest fundraising team in IT & Telecommunications and the fifth-highest fundraising team among all the competitors. "Honestly, we were just thrilled to finish the course in one piece!" Christopher commented. "The fact that fundraising went so well was terrific, also." The Interactive Chasers finished in the trek in 21 hours 18 minutes, in 74th place out of a total of 663 teams. "Thank you to everyone who supported us and to our able support team who did such a fantastic job." 


Brisbane, January 2008

New Queensland Operation Complete

After two years of planning and construction, Interactive has opened its new Queensland data centre and office complex at Eight Mile Plains Technology Park. “It simply represents the best data centre facilities available in Queensland – in one of the best technology parks in Australia,” said Interactive’s Managing Director, Christopher Ride. "We are proud to make such a significant investment in Queensland. Our customers made it clear that they needed better redundancy for their critical operations up north, and together we have been able to deliver a world class facility." Conveniently located just 15 kilometers south of the Brisbane CBD, Eight Mile Plains uses a different power grid to the city and boasts the latest in communications links and redundancy. "In conjunction with Interactive's four other data centres located in Sydney and Melbourne, we are uniquely positioned to provide the most comprehensive solutions available; whether it's disaster recovery, office recovery, hosting or outsourcing," Ride said.


Melbourne, November

Australian Masters Sponsorship

Home favourite Aaron Baddeley claimed his first Australian Masters title after defeating Sweden's Daniel Chopra in a sudden death play-off. It was the culmination of a great week at Huntingdale that saw Interactive's first major sponsorship in Australian golf. "We are proud to support Australian golf," said Christopher Ride, Managing Director of Interactive. "And to see a local golfer like Aaron Baddeley win makes it even better."

Interactive sponsored the 10th Hole, a 453 metre Par 5. The medium length Par 5 was a critical scoring hole for golfing competitors going into the back-nine. To make anything less than Birdie on this hole, against top players, is going backwards against the field. Over the course of the tournament the Interactive 10th Hole conceded 8 Eagles, 164 Birdies, 224 Pars, and had revenge with just 49 Bogeys and 3 Double Bogeys.

For the record, Aaron Baddeley Birdied the 10th Hole on all four days. "It's good to know that Interactive was good to him," Ride said. "It seemed to be the least we could do to help a fellow Australian."