Published on the 07/07/2016 | Written by Beverley Head
Telstra has pushed further into the software and solutions space, acquiring Melbourne based applications development and managed services business Readify…
It’s only a little over a year ago that a very bullish Readify was plotting an ASX listing. Now it’s succumbed to a trade sale.
For Telstra this latest investment is part of what CEO Andy Penn has described as the “third strategic pillar” of the business.
At the most recent investor day Penn noted there would be investments in digital media, ehealth applications, software and services which were needed for Telstra to fulfil its ambitions to become a “world class technology company.”
Earlier this year Telstra unveiled its Cloud Gateway service that connects global customers to Amazon Web Services and IBM SoftLayer while its local customers can use the service to connect to Microsoft Azure, Office 365 and VMWare’s vCloud Air.
The latest acquisition delivers Telstra 200 Readify staff –including 150 software developers – and experience in enterprise cloud application solutions, big data and Internet of Things, with a particular focus on Microsoft based solutions.
Earlier this year Telstra also bought cloud computing specialist Kloud and its 150 employees for a reported $40 million.
While the value of the Readify deal wasn’t announced Telstra is cashed up following the June sale of its 47.4 per cent stake in Chinese online business Autohome to Ping An Insurance Group for $2.1 billion.
In the health technology space the company has completed two acquisition this year – Health IQ that supplies resource optimization and patient flow software, and EOS Technologies which sells community care software.
According to Telstra Executive Director Global Enterprise and Services, Michelle Bendschneider, “Apps and software in general are playing an increasingly important role in businesses. Readify is recognised globally for its innovative software solutions and will further help us create software-led digital transformations with our customers.
“Readify will provide application development and data analytics services, nicely complementing Kloud’s existing services. It will enable Telstra to add incremental value to customers in enterprise cloud applications, API-based customisation and extensions as well as business technology advisory services.”
