The Department of Corrections has picked Gen-i to deliver IT and telecommunications solutions that will eventually take advantage of cloud computing, video conferencing and real-time monitoring. Under the five year deal, Gen-i will be responsible for IT infrastructure, telecommunications and user support services including service desk, service management, voice and unified communications, data and internet services, boundary security, remote access, video conferencing, data center hosting, server and desktop management, and print output services.

The agreement also covers mobile services.

Gen-i also plans to lay the foundations to enable the department to migrate to cloud computing services with offerings like its ReadyCloud infrastructure-as-a-service.

“We are pleased to have Gen-i onboard and look forward to working with them to enhance IT services for our customers and build capability to meet our future needs,” said Corrections Chief Information Officer Jon Cumming. Chris Quin, CEO of Gen-i Australasia, said the agreement was ground-breaking.

“Both the department and Gen-i see this agreement as a big step forwards for government outsourcing and recognise that a strong partnership will be integral to its success.

“We have worked together and supported the Department through some demanding and challenging times. We look forward to helping the Department improve the strength of its IT systems, substantially increase value for money and position itself to readily accept the level of change demanded by Government with agility and scalability.” The deal covers over 200 Department of Corrections sites across New Zealand.