South Australian company Igatech celebrates a lifetime in the ICT industry this week with 25 years under its belt and bright prospects ahead. A booming Australian defence sector and strong demand for ICT workforce education and database management underpin this thriving business, which experienced more than 25 percent growth over the past year alone.
The company has survived boom and bust while our whole world of communication and information has been transformed by technology.
“The government released its ICT apprenticeship scheme this week to demonstrate the chronic shortage of skilled ICT staff,” says Julie Irwin, executive chairman of Igatech and its Queensland-based parent company, A-DB Group.
“Igatech is helping skill up staff in-house who conduct vital database management and software engineering in a world that depends on information.”
As part of a nationwide group, Igatech supplies data management technology for business productivity improvement, including remote support and training, for leading vendor products such as Oracle, Microsoft, HP and Sun.
The company’s long-term strategy to employ people who already have defence security clearance as well as defence software engineering skills has also paid off with Igatech’s selection for the Defence Rapid Prototyping, Development and Evaluation (RPDE) Program.
“The RPDE has cut down the time for small companies like ours of applying for defence work from about a year to just a few weeks for decisions to be made,” Ms Irwin said.
Similarly, the company also participates in the SA Government’s innovative eProjects Panel, which was launched in 2007 to help cut the time taken for companies to apply for projects valued up to $700,000.
But times have not always been as bright. As the result of a short-lived takeover in 2004, about $2 million was wiped from the company’s revenue.
“That was a mismatch but luckily both sides saw the light,’ says Igatech’s co-founder, Gordon Brimble. “By sheer hard work, we maintained our excellent reputation and our strong history with the defence, commercial and education sectors, which account for about one third each of revenue today.”
A-DB acquired 75 percent of Igatech Corporation in 2006, creating Australia’s largest database management specialist group, led by executive chairman Julie Irwin, pushing annual revenue to $8 million.
With 23 staff located in Adelaide, Igatech now draws on the skills of a large team of ICT consultants across Australia.
“We are quality certified to ISO9001, a Commonwealth Government Endorsed Supplier, a member of the Defence Industrial Security Program, and an Alliance Partner of Oracle, Microsoft and Sun,” Mr Brimble said.
Leading defence and aerospace company BAE Systems is Igatech’s oldest continuous customer, while Santos, Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS), and Origin Energy are key clients.
“Measuring a year in the computer industry is a bit like counting dog years – so much has been accomplished over the course of just two decades,” Ms Irwin says. “We are justifiably proud to claim successful delivery of services over such a long period – it truly is a testament to our agility in such a fast-changing industry and marketplace.”
Read Gordon's birthday speech here.