The Department of Defence has finalised a $31 million contract to ramp its mainframe capacity over the next eight years and build a more robust technology infrastructure. The project has been awarded to ISI Pty Ltd and is part of an $800 million eight-year centralised processing services project that is being managed by Lockheed Martin Australia (LMA). ISI is one of eight key suppliers to LMA as the central processing contractor. In announcing the latest contract, Defence’s CIO, Dr Peter Lawrence, said this partnership leverages a robust and secure technology environment. It also creates greater efficiencies and will simplify the provisioning of services and respond more readily to change. Securing mainframe capacity The latest agreement will see Australian-owned ISI report to Lockheed Martin Australia for operational support and managing Defence’s mainframe environment. This enables Defence to secure its mainframe capability over the next eight years and beyond. For high-end enterprises, mainframes still offer the most reliable, scalable and secure infrastructure, according to ISI CEO Steven Hedge. “Other platforms simply don’t have the reliability and security of mainframes, and it’s both expensive and disruptive to write new apps or try to move existing apps onto other systems.” Mainframes are still being used by most of Australia’s top 200 companies. “This tells you the technology is not only relevant but continues to provide opportunities for skills development and long-term employment.” Leveraging cloud and mobile apps The challenge for large organisations is optimising the IT headcount and allocating staff and resources as and where needed. The focus is shifting to next-generation mobile and cloud-based application development and services. “The obvious answer is to assign mainframe operational support and management to specialist service providers,” said Hedge. This enables existing staff to be deployed in areas that are driving innovation and actively benefit and differentiate a company. Related content brandpost ChatGPT and Your Organisation: How to Monitor Usage and Be More Aware of Security Risks By Hayley Salyer Jun 05, 2023 7 mins Chatbots Artificial Intelligence brandpost Who’s paying your data integration tax? Reducing your data integration tax will get you one step closer to value—let’s start today. By Sandrine Ghosh Jun 05, 2023 4 mins Data Management feature 13 essential skills for accelerating digital transformation IT leaders too often find themselves behind on business-critical transformation efforts due to gaps in the technical, leadership, and business skills necessary to execute and drive change. By Stephanie Overby Jun 05, 2023 12 mins Digital Transformation IT Skills tip 3 things CIOs must do now to accurately hit net-zero targets More than a third of the world’s largest companies are making their net-zero targets public, yet nearly all will fail to hit them if they don’t double the pace of emissions reduction by 2030. This puts leading executives, CIOs in particul By Diana Bersohn and Mauricio Bermudez-Neubauer Jun 05, 2023 5 mins CIO Accenture Emerging Technology Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe