Axon tips 20 per cent growth

By ADAM GIFFORD


IT services company Axon is expecting 20 per cent growth over the coming year, driven by new services and customers adopting the latest generation Microsoft operating system and applications.

General manager Matt Kenealy said that in the year to October 31, revenue increased 20 per cent from about $50 million to $60 million, profits were up more than 50 per cent and staff numbers also rose to 160.

"We are on track for similar growth again this year."

He said organisations could save money with Windows server 2003 through server consolidation.

As well as selling Microsoft technology, Axon has developed tools to manage Microsoft environments and outsourcing packages, such as Sitecare Services, which takes over the routine service and support issues from internal IT departments.

It has about 70 customers, totalling about 10,000 users, and targets organisations with between 200 and 500 desktops.

The company has just won a three-year contract with Statistics New Zealand for desktop procurement and management of Microsoft and Novell software licensing, covering about 800 desktops and 150 notebooks.

It has also signed up insurance company Tower for its new Lifecycle Services offering, which rolls into one package all the processes to buy, deliver, configure, install, manage and eventually dispose of hardware and software.

Axon director Scott Green described software licence management as "the whole Microsoft black art of turning 250 product items into 10,000 stock keeping units with 10,000 different prices, depending which contract you have".

He said Axon had simplified that process for customers.