August 2006

TenderLink reveres ASP saving

Online tender gateway Tenderlink.com claims internet traffic cost savings of two-thirds by outsourcing its hosted computing infrastructure to Revera.

Tenderlink IT manager Stephen Persson says the company's ASP business, which enables large corporate and government sector clients to host their own private tenders, had outgrown its backend IT systems.

Previously, the work was all done internally, relying on the company's Telecom Jet Stream connection. The centre has now relocated its web server and Jade database backend to Revera's Auckland data centre, where it is delivered from Revera's virtual data centre computing infrastructure provisioning platform.

A dedicated 1MB network connects Tenderlink's New Plymouth office with its remotely hosted application, database and email gateway, and replaces a Jet Stream internet connection.

The new set-up has reportedly slashed Tenderlink's internet traffic costs and provides the impetus for a Windows remote desktop protocol thin-client PC environment, supporting the company's 35 employees.

Persson says while there are many cost advantages in removing so-called backend IT systems from the balance sheet and leasing back core infrastructure on the basis of operational expense, application service providers are most interested in gaining strategic business advantages.

"We have moved IT from backroom to front-of-house and have a much stronger conversation when we talk to customers. Revera's expertise has been enormous for us, simply because we can satisfy all our customer's demands for security and robustness of service".