New Zealand, 25 June 2024
Microsoft has today announced CCL, a leading provider of IT and hybrid cloud services within Spark Business Group, as the first at-scale cloud launch partner for its New Zealand hyperscale cloud region.
The partnership makes CCL the first New Zealand partner to be able to migrate customers to Microsoft’s New Zealand North cloud region at scale. CCL will support its customer Scales Corporation as the first mover, as well as other potential customers to migrate data and workloads using its best-in-class tools and frameworks to optimise cloud solutions and help make the transition seamless.
CCL and Microsoft will also explore partnership opportunities to build specialist digital skills to grow the cloud talent pool, something essential to enabling New Zealand to realize the full potential of hyperscale cloud and AI.
“We’ve seen huge interest from customers in leading end-to-end cloud services, hyperscale cloud and AI, and this signaled a significant opportunity to partner together and provide customers more choice to choose the best cloud platform and services to meet their needs,” said Richard Adams, CEO of CCL.
“Our clients will be able to benefit from Microsoft's world-class cloud infrastructure right here in New Zealand, while receiving the local support and extensive cloud expertise that CCL is known for. We look forward to helping businesses navigate their digital transformation journeys with confidence, not only by making the right technology decisions today but also planning for tomorrow.”
Aaron Magon is Group CIO at Scales Corporation Limited, a leading global proteins and agribusiness group based in New Zealand, providing essential services to the primary export sector.
“Scales Corporation will transition over time to the NZ North cloud region as we continue to enhance our cloud-native capabilities to improve resiliency and optimize costs. This underscores our commitment to leveraging advanced technology for business growth and superior customer service on the international stage,” added Magon, “As we mature our cloud strategy, we value a partner like CCL to ensure our applications and data are secure, accessible, flexible, and still regionally close to our people and needs of our processing capabilities.”
Vanessa Sorenson, Managing Director of Microsoft New Zealand, is also looking forward to the new opportunities this partnership will unlock for New Zealand businesses, especially with the arrival of generative AI promising enormous opportunities for local innovation.
“This truly is the year of delivery. We’re more than excited to be opening our New Zealand North cloud region here in 2024, and partnering with CCL will massively accelerate the number of organizations who can hit the ground running as soon as we open. CCL's expertise in hybrid cloud solutions and deep understanding of the New Zealand market make them the ideal partner to help our customers get the best from hyperscale, while also helping them achieve their sustainability goals faster,” she said.
As the largest locally focused cloud services provider in New Zealand, CCL's nationwide team of cloud experts provides comprehensive support from strategy and architecture to security, migration, and modernization, filling the gap for organizations seeking specialized skills to thrive in the ever-evolving cloud landscape. Spark Business Group owns and operates local datacenters comprising 22.3MW of existing total capacity with an additional $250-$300 million being invested in datacenters expansion in the coming years.