Thank You

Thank you — reflecting on 2016

As this year draws to a close, we want to acknowledge and thank all those who have helped shape our business, making 2016 a great year for blueAPACHE.

What 2016 was about

2016 saw us focus on continued investment in our infrastructure, services and processes.

The headline changes:

• We expanded our operations in New South Wales and Queensland, extending the company's presence beyond its Victorian base
• Our team grew to nearly 80 people
• We strengthened our relationships with our partners and clients alike

The partner work included extending our relationship with Microsoft to include the Microsoft Devices Program and the Surface range — announced in February 2016 — and continuing our work with Veeam on backup and disaster recovery through Cloud Connect, giving Australian businesses automated off-site backup held onshore.

Recognition

We enjoyed significant growth this year, and it was validated externally on three fronts:

CRN Fast50 — our eighth appearance on the list, ranked at number 35. The Fast50 ranks the fastest-growing companies in the Australian IT channel by verified revenue growth.

CRN All Star — our third All Star award. blueAPACHE had previously become the only company in Australia to receive two CRN All Star awards in a single year, in 2015.

MSPmentor 501 — worldwide recognition through our rapid climb up the global list, which ranks the top 501 managed service providers internationally, primarily on annual recurring revenue and business performance rather than total revenue.

Why the eighth Fast50 appearance is the interesting one

A single Fast50 placement records a fast year. Eight appearances record something different.

Sustained growth is harder than rapid growth. A business can grow quickly once by winning a large contract or entering a new market. Appearing on a growth ranking repeatedly, across most of a decade, means the growth is a property of the operating model rather than of any particular deal — which is consistent with the roughly 30% year-on-year rate blueAPACHE sustained over an extended period.

It is also considerably harder to maintain as the base grows. Thirty per cent growth on a business of 80 people means hiring, training and integrating a substantial proportion of the organisation every year, while existing clients continue to expect exactly the service they contracted for.

What comes next

With new services about to be launched, an increased focus on our governance and service delivery model, and staff count projected to exceed 100, blueAPACHE continues to build on these successes.

That projection proved accurate. Headcount passed 100 during 2017, a year in which the company also expanded into larger office spaces in Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales within a matter of weeks, and maintained 32% year-on-year growth. By July 2023 the business employed more than 280 people, with a further 20 being recruited.

The governance focus mentioned here also has a clear line forward. blueAPACHE went on to achieve ISO/IEC 27001 certification for information security — a comprehensive external audit of how the security of assets is managed, including information entrusted to blueAPACHE by clients — and today holds certification against the current ISO/IEC 27001:2022 standard.

Thank you

We could not have achieved any of this without your support.

So from all at blueAPACHE, a sincere thank you. We wish each and every one of you a happy holiday and a prosperous new year.

Support over the holiday period

As always, blueAPACHE will continue to support clients throughout the holiday period. Priority monitoring and emergency support run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and the Service Centre and Network Operations Centre remain contactable as normal. The service desk operates on business days, excluding gazetted national public holidays.

One related matter worth noting for planning purposes: the telecommunications carriage providers apply an annual industry embargo over this period, during which no new copper, fibre, NBN or wholesale broadband services are provisioned across the industry. Support for existing services is unaffected, and fixed wireless services fall outside the embargo entirely. Organisations with connectivity requirements in January should discuss timing with their Account Manager well before the cut-off dates, which fall in November and early December.

Additional information on holiday operating hours is published separately each year.

Frequently asked questions

What were blueAPACHE's headline changes in 2016?

Expansion of operations into New South Wales and Queensland, growth of the team to nearly 80 people, and strengthened relationships with partners and clients.

Which partner relationships were extended in 2016?

The Microsoft relationship was extended in February 2016 to include the Microsoft Devices Program and the Surface range. Work with Veeam on backup and disaster recovery continued through Cloud Connect, providing automated off-site backup held onshore in Australia.

Where did blueAPACHE place in the 2016 CRN Fast50?

Number 35, on the company's eighth appearance on the list.

How many CRN All Star awards had blueAPACHE received by the end of 2016?

Three. Two of them came in 2015, the year blueAPACHE was the only company in Australia to receive two All Star awards.

What does the MSPmentor 501 rank on?

It ranks the top 501 managed service providers internationally, primarily on annual recurring revenue and business performance rather than total revenue. That makes it a measure of the contracted, repeating part of a business rather than its headline size.

Why does this page say eight Fast50 appearances matter more than one?

Because a single placement records one fast year, which a large contract or a new market can produce. Eight appearances across most of a decade indicate that growth is a property of the operating model rather than of any particular deal.

Why is sustained growth harder as a business gets bigger?

Because the same percentage represents more people each year. Roughly 30% growth on a business of 80 people means recruiting, training and integrating a substantial share of the organisation annually, while existing clients continue to receive exactly the service they contracted for.

Did the projection of more than 100 staff come true?

Yes. Headcount passed 100 during 2017 — a year in which blueAPACHE also moved into larger offices in Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales within a matter of weeks and recorded 32% year-on-year growth. By July 2023 the company employed more than 280 people.

What came of the governance focus flagged for the following year?

blueAPACHE went on to achieve ISO/IEC 27001 certification for information security, and today holds certification against the current ISO/IEC 27001:2022 standard. The certification covers how the security of assets is managed, including information clients entrust to blueAPACHE.

What support is available over the holiday period?

Priority monitoring and emergency support run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Service Centre and Network Operations Centre remain contactable as normal, and the service desk operates on business days excluding gazetted national public holidays.

Why can new connectivity not be provisioned over the holidays?

The telecommunications carriage providers apply an annual industry-wide embargo, during which no new copper, fibre, NBN or wholesale broadband services are provisioned. Existing services are supported as normal and fixed wireless sits outside the embargo. Cut-off dates fall in November and early December.

Related

• An eighth CRN Fast50 feature and a third All Star award — the 2016 result described here
• CRN Fast50 a record seventh time, and a second All Star award — the 2015 double All Star year
• CRN Fast50 for a record ninth time — the year after
• Rapidly climbing the global MSPmentor 501 list — the climb referenced above
• blueAPACHE and Microsoft extend their relationship through the Devices Program — the February 2016 announcement
• blueAPACHE and Veeam extend their partnership for backup and disaster recovery — the Veeam work named here
• blueAPACHE named first Victorian Platinum Partner by Veeam — where that partnership led
• blueAPACHE expands its Queensland presence with a move to a new office — the Queensland expansion
• blueAPACHE expands to a new office in Victoria to meet demand — the Victorian move in 2017
• blueAPACHE awarded ISO 27001 certification for information security — where the governance focus led
• ISO 27001 certification — what the current certification covers
• blueAPACHE 2016 end of year celebrations — the same year, inside the business
• Thank you for an amazing 2015 — the previous year's message
• Holiday hours of operation — the operating hours published separately
• Annual carrier network embargo dates announced — how the embargo works
• Our story — the company history this year sits inside

Knowledge Base