Thanks for your input. I think it is irrelevant to be discussing offshore companies (Azure, IBM etc) as it has been repeated over and over again in press releases from the government that the $1.3 billion will be spent on Australian providers and companies to keep the data and tech locally. So that basically rules out non-Australian competitors.
ASD certification is a complex hurdle to get through, and AR9 had achieved this last year. It is a shame that it has been disposed of, but the fact that AR9 had achieved this status surely would put the company in a favourable spot for consideration. I feel the discussion should shift to:
- which other Australian companies achieved ASD certification (although irrelevant now)? - who are the Australian front runners for a slice of the $1.3 billion? - which Australian companies already have contracts with the Australian government?
I also question your comment that no one would subscribe to Kojensi and convert an entire department; 5-10 licenses would be even less than the initial contracts that currently exist with government agencies and AR9. And these initial contracts were like a trial run. To be fair, entire departments are unlikely to roll out Kojensi to all staff which could amount to tens of thousands, but the number of licenses should be able to cater for all personnel that handle confidential information. This could easily be 20-30% of a government department e.g. health, or higher at 50-60% for example the Australian Federal Police, or even higher at 80-90% for example the Department of Defense. The reassuring point is that AR9 is already being used by many Australian government departments, and trust me, once a particular product/service is incorporated into a government agency, it is 'sticky' and unlikely to be swapped out in the short term for an alternative. I believe the potential is there for the above uptake percentages to be applied to the licenses.
Happy to hear of any other Australian contendors that you believe have a chance of beating AR9 to the $1.3 billion.
