Data copy firm lands huge deal

By ADAM GIFFORD

New Zealand firm Maximum Availability, which makes data replication software for IBM iSeries or AS/400 servers, has made a $1.8 million sale to IBM Global Services for use in its facilities management contract with giant British telecommunications company NTL.

Sales director Simon O'Sullivan said it was Maximum's biggest deal so far - normally sales average about $50,000.

"It's a big credibility boost. IBM has three worldwide partners in high-availability technology - Lakeview, DataMirror and Vision Solutions, who are all really big - but it chose our NoMax software."

Maximum Availability was started less then two years ago by a team of five who had worked on ICMS (Integrated Customer Management System), IBM's New Zealand-developed telcos billing software. NTL is an ICMS user.

The sale was unaffected by NTL's recent financial setbacks, which led it to cancel planned extensions to its ICMS system.

IBM Global Services planned to do much of the development work in New Zealand, and started gearing up before the project was canned just before Christmas.

"NTL is using NoMax for core data replication and disaster recovery back-up," said Mr O'Sullivan.

"We are fortunate in that NoMax is part of the core ICMS system."

He said Maximum was developing sales channels, signing up systems integrators and IBM hardware resellers in North America and Europe. Its first US reseller is Texas firm LXI.

Maximum has won a $97,000 grant from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology to assist with this year's research and development programme. All other funding has come from the founding staff.

Mr O'Sullivan said the company hoped to open new markets by widening the scope of the product.