Datacom creates new home in Auckland’s Wynyard tech precinct

Datacom creates a new home in Auckland’s Wynyard tech precinct

Unifies five Auckland offices into a single collaborative environment focused around ‘customer obsession’

Datacom, New Zealand’s largest IT service provider, has officially opened its new office in Auckland’s innovation hub at Wynyard Quarter. The move brings 1,200 people from five Auckland offices together under a single roof.

The move to Wynyard Quarter is about producing a truly modern, collaborative workplace, focused around Datacom’s people and their capacity to grow customer relationships, said Vernon Kay, Director, Datacom Systems Auckland.

“We are very excited about the potential of having all of our teams under one roof. We’ve designed a modern collaborative environment that fosters creativity, encourages new ways of innovating and working, and most importantly supports our teams to approach customer challenges from a holistic point of view. Our commitment to customer obsession is at the heart of our relocation.”

The 17,000m2 Datacom Building in Gaunt Street, owned by Goodman and built by Fletcher Construction, was officially handed over last week following an official Maori blessing ceremony conducted by Ngati Whatua o Orakei. It is designed to the latest earthquake standards (100% New Building Standard), was awarded a Five Green Star NZ design rating, and combines the latest in sustainable architectural features in energy and water conservation. Datacom will inhabit 13,500m2of this space across levels one to five. Where Datacom’s previous offices were at capacity and ageing, the new building caters for continued growth and has capacity to accommodate more than 1,500 people in a more dynamic environment.

The new workspaces are open-plan with wireless capability throughout, allowing Datacom ‘rovers’ to move freely around the building to form collaborative work groups. There are 100 break out spaces for one-to-one discussions and informal meetings, 30 single person booths, state of the art training centres, and a number of special spaces which include Sanctuary rooms for quiet contemplation, a library and a games room.

The first floor event space can be completely opened up to accommodate town hall meetings or to host events such as Datacomp, Datacom’s annual hackathon where teams have 48 hours to develop innovative technology solutions to a customer problem, based on a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style pitch process. The new Tech Demo room also allows Datacom to share its industry leading work across Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things with the wider community.

Nestled in the heart of the innovation hub at Wynyard Quarter there is significant potential for Datacom to develop a culture of collaboration and co-creation between business and government, and the eco-system already includes key Datacom partners ASB, Fonterra and Air New Zealand.

Welcoming Datacom to Wynyard Quarter today, Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) General Manager Business, Innovation and Skills, Patrick McVeigh said, “The innovation precinct at Wynyard Quarter is about developing an innovation eco-system in Auckland, to strengthen the local economy and take big ideas out into the wider world.

“Datacom’s relocation here is an exciting development which enhances the work that’s being undertaken to establish Wynyard Quarter as a thriving community for innovation including the development of GridAKL, at the innovation precinct. Our goal is to position Auckland as an innovation hub of the Asia Pacific, attracting investment, developing local IT talent, and challenging old business models by sharing knowledge.

“Datacom has a longstanding pedigree of taking New Zealand’s ‘Number 8 Wire’ mentality to the world, and I am proud to welcome a true homegrown success story to our vibrant community.”

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