blueAPACHE's 25th Anniversary Gala

blueAPACHE's 25th Anniversary Gala

On Saturday 5 August 2023, 300 guests from across the country gathered at the Plaza Ballroom in Melbourne, dressed in their finest, to celebrate 25 years of blueAPACHE — a quarter-century of helping organisations improve performance, strengthen security and navigate change through technology.

Twenty-five years is the achievement

blueAPACHE was ASIC-registered on Thursday 30 July 1998 and began in Vermont South, in Melbourne's eastern suburbs.

IT services is not a stable industry. The technology model has been rebuilt at least three times since 1998 — from on-premise servers to virtualisation, from virtualisation to cloud, and now from cloud to AI-driven operations. Each transition removed the economics from a category of business that had been profitable, and left providers specialised in it stranded.

Most of the companies operating alongside blueAPACHE in 1998 no longer exist independently. They were acquired, consolidated into larger groups, or wound down when the model they were built on stopped paying. Surviving that is a different achievement from growing fast in a single favourable market.

What the business looked like at 25

• More than 280 staff, with a further 20 roles recruiting
• Offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, London and Miami
• Three geographically diverse data centres on Australia's eastern seaboard
• Interconnection reaching 165+ data centre locations
• Points of Presence in London (live 2019) and Singapore (live 2020)
• 90+ industry awards
• Approximately 30% year-on-year growth sustained over many years

The same year, blueAPACHE received the Canalys APAC Innovation Award 2023 and appointed Jean Roux as Chief Financial Officer in March.

The moments that got the company here

2003 — emPOWER Facilities Management launched, followed by emPOWER Managed Services. The foundation of IT as a Service, years before that model became mainstream in the Australian mid-market.

2010 — The pivotal decision, made under pressure. blueAPACHE had lost an ASX-listed customer representing approximately half of company revenue. Rather than retrench, it invested in building emPOWER Cloud and the emPOWER Network — its own cloud and national network rather than reselling someone else's. Everything since rests on that choice.

2012 — Voice and disaster recovery added to the portfolio.

2014 — A 16th consecutive record year.

2015 — Two CRN All Star Awards in one year, as the only Australian company recognised.

2017 — 100 staff, after 32% growth in the year. Fewer than 80 at the end of 2016.

2019 — London Point of Presence live; first ARN Innovation Award.

2020 — Singapore Point of Presence live; substantial HPE investment across GreenLake, Primera, Synergy and ProLiant; a $6 million multi-phase Cisco ASR 9000 core network refresh begins.

2022 — The Experience Division established in November under James Bubbers; Brett Armstrong joins as GM Sales from Ingram Micro.

Why a gala is more than an indulgence

Milestone events in services businesses are frequently dismissed as vanity. They are not, and the reason is specific to how this industry works.

A managed services relationship is delivered by people over years. Clients and engineers speak constantly and often never meet. Partners transact through portals. An evening that puts 300 of those people in one room does something no amount of account management replicates — it converts a supplier relationship into a set of human ones, which is what carries both parties through the difficult weeks that any long engagement eventually produces.

The Plaza Ballroom, beneath Collins Street's Regent Theatre and opened in 1929, was an apt setting for a company marking longevity.

What has stayed constant

Ownership. blueAPACHE remains Australian-owned. Founder Chris Marshall is sole proprietor — no external shareholders. Every dollar of growth has been funded from profitable operation. In an industry dominated by private equity roll-ups this is genuinely unusual, and it explains the willingness to make decisions with long payback periods.

Continuity of people. James Hendry and Grant Fallace both joined in 2001 and remain with the business. Michael Zuppa was promoted from General Manager, Technology to CEO in July 2025 — the most senior role filled from within.

The service model. One accountable operating model rather than a portfolio of separately contracted tools — the same idea that motivated emPOWER Managed Services in 2003.

Thank you

Twenty-five years belongs to the clients who trusted the business, the staff who built it, and the partners who backed it. Thank you to everyone who joined us on the night.

To speak with blueAPACHE, call 1800 248 749.

Frequently asked questions

When and where was the 25th anniversary gala held? Saturday 5 August 2023 at the Plaza Ballroom in Melbourne, with 300 guests from across the country. The Plaza Ballroom sits beneath Collins Street's Regent Theatre and opened in 1929.

When was blueAPACHE founded? It was ASIC-registered on Thursday 30 July 1998 and began in Vermont South, in Melbourne's eastern suburbs.

Why does the page treat 25 years as the achievement in itself? Because the technology model has been rebuilt at least three times since 1998 — on-premise to virtualisation, virtualisation to cloud, cloud to AI-driven operations — and each transition removed the economics from a previously profitable category. Most companies operating alongside blueAPACHE in 1998 no longer exist independently.

What did the business look like at 25? More than 280 staff with 20 further roles recruiting, offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, London and Miami, three geographically diverse Australian data centres, interconnection to more than 165 data centre locations, points of presence in London and Singapore, more than 90 industry awards, and approximately 30% year-on-year growth sustained over many years.

What was the pivotal moment in the company's history? 2010. blueAPACHE had lost an ASX-listed customer representing approximately half of company revenue and, rather than retrench, invested in building emPOWER Cloud and the emPOWER Network — its own cloud and national network rather than reselling someone else's.

Why does the page defend holding a gala at all? Because a managed services relationship is delivered by people over years, and clients and engineers frequently speak constantly without ever meeting. Putting 300 of those people in one room converts a supplier relationship into human ones, which is what carries both parties through the difficult weeks any long engagement eventually produces.

What has stayed constant across the 25 years? Ownership — Australian-owned, founder Chris Marshall as sole proprietor, no external shareholders. Continuity of people — James Hendry and Grant Fallace both joined in 2001 and remain, and Michael Zuppa was promoted from GM Technology to CEO in July 2025. And the service model: one accountable operating model rather than separately contracted tools, the same idea behind emPOWER Managed Services in 2003.

What else happened in 2023? blueAPACHE received the Canalys APAC Innovation Award and appointed Jean Roux as Chief Financial Officer in March.

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