NBN Co, the company set up by the Federal Government to design, build and operate Australia's wholesale-only, high-speed broadband network, today announced it had contracted Cisco to provide its data centre equipment.

Following a competitive tender process Cisco has been selected to provide the data centre computing platform that unites computing, network, storage access, and virtualisation into a cohesive system to support NBN Co's business and operational systems. The initial value of the contract is $9.5 million over three years, with the opportunity to scale up as NBN Co's needs increase.

Head of Corporate Services, Mr Kevin Brown, said Cisco is a world leader in the provision of internet-based hardware systems, which also has a significant Australian presence.

"We are pleased to have acquired yet another strategic supplier as we continue to construct the building blocks that underpin the operation of the NBN," Mr Brown said.

"Cisco is recognised as a leader in global networking equipment manufacture and brings a wealth of experience to the project. We look forward to working with their 600-strong team in Australia as we develop the supporting infrastructure for the NBN."

Dylan Morison, Data Centre Portfolio Manager of Cisco Australia and New Zealand, said: "Since our inception more than 25 years ago, Cisco has been connecting people globally and here in Australia to help change the way we work, live, play and learn. On behalf of the Cisco, EMC and VMware coalition, we are excited to be selected by NBNCo to provide the unified data centre platform that will help enable Australian consumers, businesses and key industry sectors to take advantage of the next wave of innovation, collaboration and productivity that can be gained from the NBN."

NBN Co recently announced the selection of Global Switch to house its hardware and software systems. In addition to this data centre in Sydney, NBN Co will announce a second data centre location later in the year.

Media inquiries:
Rhonda Griffin
0428134401

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