NCS launches NEXT Cloud Centre of Excellence in Australia as part of APAC expansion

• Expands on NCS’
  presence in Australia and aims to encourage innovation collaboration between
  Australia and Singapore
• Helps governments
  and enterprise leverage digital technologies to transform the way they operate
  and thrive in the digital economy
• Aims to grow local
  team to 1,500 and create 500 new digital jobs

SINGAPORE – Media
OutReach – 26 August 2021 – NCS today
announced the launch of NCS NEXT Cloud Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Melbourne.
The CoE will offer governments and enterprises greater support on accelerating
their cloud initiatives. This is part of NCS’s regional expansion strategy into
Australia, following the partnership with Optus Enterprise in December 2020 to
bring integrated ICT and digital services to Australian clients across a wide
range of industries and government sectors. The CoE will also facilitate
expertise exchange and deepen collaboration between Singapore and Australia,
helping both cities build up cloud expertise in a competitive talent market.

The setup of the CoE follows an earlier announcement
made this year on the formation of NCS NEXT to help organisations leverage
digital technologies to transform the way they operate. This would involve
innovating and co-creating new applications, processes, and services with
organisations to better service their end customers or stakeholders. The NCS NEXT
Cloud CoE in Melbourne is part of the company’s NEXT Innovation Triangle which
also includes nodes in Singapore and Shenzhen and draws on the unique strengths
each city brings in terms of talent, clients, and innovation.

Andre Conti, Head of NEXT Solutions, Australia, said, “We have
witnessed the increasing pace at which both public and commercial sectors in
Australia are adopting a digital-first approach to transforming the way in
which we live and work. Through the NCS NEXT Cloud CoE launch in Australia,
Optus Enterprise and NCS can help Australian enterprises and government
agencies leverage cloud-based innovations to unlock competitive advantages and
enhance customer or citizen experiences. By tapping into NCS’ 40 years of
experience in supporting the public sector in APAC and our strong partner
ecosystem, NCS Australia will play an active role in nurturing and pushing the
local ICT space forwards”.

Partnering Victoria to grow a tech ecosystem and
develop talents

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was also signed
today at the Cloud CoE launch, with The State Government of Victoria
represented by Invest Victoria as well as the Department of Treasury and
Finance. This partnership leverages the CoE to promote innovation in cloud,
reach new customers, drive talent development, and advance Victoria’s
competitiveness in the technology sector.

With 80 per cent of Australian enterprises expected to
shift to cloud-centric infrastructures and applications by the end of 2021, the
launch of NCS NEXT Cloud CoE comes at an opportune time to help Australian
organisations navigate the complex tech ecosystem and accelerate their cloud
deployment.

Tim Pallas, Victorian Treasurer said, “Victoria
is the tech capital of Australia and we’re so proud to welcome NCS to
Melbourne, creating jobs and continuing our thriving reputation of innovation
and excellence.”

To support the growth of the Cloud business in
Australia, NCS is also committed to building the digital talent pool in
Victoria, focusing on capabilities in innovation, artificial intelligence,
5G-enabled internet of things (IoT) applications, advanced analytics, and
cloud. NCS aims to grow the local team to 1,500 and create 500 new digital skilled
jobs over the next few years to support the needs and aspirations of the
Victorian and national ICT communities.