Macquarie Telecom Grows Hosting Management Team to Meet New Business Opportunities

Sydney, Australia, November 18, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Macquarie Telecom today announced that it has made two new appointments to its Hosting management team.

Brian Sharpe has been appointed General Manager for Government Hosting and Security and David Hirst been appointed as Commercial Manager, Hosting.

Hirst takes a newly created position while Sharpe has taken over from Olaf Moon who moves into the new role of General Manager, Hosting Account Management. Moon’s executive role highlights continued focus that Macquarie Hosting puts on superior customer service delivery and client management for its dedicated hosting customers.

The appointments reflect Macquarie Telecom’s aggressive growth strategy to address the increasing adoption of hosting services. Contrary to the general technology market trend, Macquarie Telecom’s Data and Hosting business has experienced continued success, increasing revenue by 18% to $95.5 million in the last financial year (ended 30 June 2009).

Aidan Tudehope, Managing Director, Hosting, for Macquarie Telecom said, “The financial results demonstrate our leadership in mission critical managed hosting in Australia. As the business continues to grow, we are evolving our strategy to best serve the variety of sectors experiencing the greatest challenges in meeting their data and server hosting requirements.”

Government clients valued by Macquarie Hosting
Tudehope commented on the appointment of a general manager for government hosting and security: “Brian Sharpe has a long track record in managing successful IT relationships with multiple levels of the Australian Government. He is recognised among the public sector IT community as a leading commentator and strategist which will benefit our own approach to grow our dedicated hosting footprint in the public sector.”

Sharpe will be based in Canberra and brings more than 30 years’ IT experience to Macquarie Telecom. Sharpe’s past roles range from application software development and emerging technology, through to high technology strategy.

In his previous position at CGI Australia, one of the largest independent IT and business process services firms in the world, Sharpe managed its federal government and defence businesses valued at more than $2.5m in sales revenue per annum.

Hirst leads business productivity for Macquarie Hosting
Based in Sydney, Hirst has been appointed to manage customer and business needs, supporting the delivery of relevant and timely services to hosting customers.

Hirst brings a range of experience in e-commerce and business development, including roles at Foxtel, Telstra, Nine Network Australia and News Ltd. Combining his Foxtel experience with his previous duties as Commercial Manager for IPTV and new media at Telstra, Hirst’s in-depth understanding of online content delivery will be crucial to support Macquarie Telecom’s status as a leading provider of dedicated server services to digital media companies.

Tudehope commented, “David Hirst has a wealth of expertise having worked in some of Australia’s leading media and telecommunications companies. He understands the evolving nature and increasing relevance of the online channel to business strategy. We look forward to drawing on his knowledge to support our continued growth in these markets.”

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About Macquarie Hosting

Macquarie Hosting is the Australian leader in providing mission critical application hosting for business.

It is responsible for managing and delivering the guaranteed service levels, scalable, ‘always-on’ and secure solutions that online, digital media and high-availability transaction-based companies need to meet demand for their services.

Macquarie Hosting’s purpose is to help its customers focus on growing their business, instead of focusing on the day-to-day operations of their IT infrastructure.

Macquarie Hosting’s managed services are delivered through its managed hosting and security facility, the Intellicentre.

The Intellicentre is the most highly certified data centre in Australia. Certifications include ISO 27001, ASIO T4 and DSD Gateway. This helps organisations confidently address security concerns associated with corporate governance, privacy regulations and audit requirements such as Sarbanes-Oxley.

Macquarie Hosting delivers these ‘always-on’, secure managed services by:

· Supporting customers with named dedicated account teams delivering personal and accountable service
· Delivering premium online management tools offering real-time information and transparency into all hosting solutions
· Drawing on its extensive team of experienced engineers, with a wide and deep range of skills
· Leveraging its scale and business model to deliver all managed services at a lower TCO for customers
· Remaining professional, flexible and innovative at all times
· Becoming a part of the customer’s IT Support Team, not simply a supplier

Macquarie Hosting currently manages critical applications for companies including PBL Media, News Limited, Showbiz.com.au, WebJet and one of the world’s fastest growing social networking sites Habbo Hotel.

Macquarie Hosting is a division of ASX-listed Macquarie Telecom, a leading Australian and Asia Pacific supplier of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions – including voice, data, mobile and hosting. The business has experienced strong annual growth over the past 15 years.