GSN selects Service Manager

29 January 2006

The State Services Commission (SSC) announced today the selection of IBM New Zealand Limited as its preferred supplier of network management and service delivery for the Government Shared Network.

SSC is now entering into contract finalisation with IBM with a view to confirming the appointment by mid-March.

Under the contract, IBM will undertake the role of GSN Service Manager under an embedded outsource arrangement as an integral part of SSC's all-of-government operations. IBM will also separately manage the Internet Perimeter of the GSN.

Laurence Millar, Deputy Commissioner Information and Communication Technologies, said SSC has been delighted with the response from the market during the selection process.

"We shortlisted three strong contenders, all of which were assessed as capable of delivering the required services. It has been one of those cases where no one lost the business, rather IBM came through as the best of a good bunch", he said.

The selection of the GSN Service Manager follows the pre-Christmas selection of a number of infrastructure providers that will supply the components of the GSN. These are: Asnet Limited, Kaon Technologies, IBM New Zealand, Datacom, BCL, CityLink, Vector Communications, FX Networks, DTS and Revera (formerly HDS New Zealand). These organisations are also preferred suppliers subject to contract finalisation currently in progress.

Government agency support for the GSN continues to grow. In parallel with preparations for the deployment of the core infrastructure, the SSC’s project team is engaged in detailed transition planning with seven of the seventeen agencies intending to adopt GSN products during the first year of operation.

The network is planned to go-live for agencies during the third quarter of 2006.