SINGAPORE, 2 December 2020 – NCS today announced its expansion into the Australian market with the launch of its digital innovation and services arm NCS NEXT to support enterprises’ growing demand for solutions for their digital transformation initiatives and adoption of cloud. NCS, which is a member of the Singtel Group, will partner Optus Enterprise to bring integrated ICT and digital services to Australian clients across a wide range of industries and government sectors.

NCS NEXT will progressively expand its suite of digital services in Australia to include data analytics, artificial intelligence and mobility. It plans to grow its NEXT services talent headcount in Australia in the next two years and build a team of practice leads as it grows its client base. They will be part of NCS NEXT’s experts across Singapore and the region, focusing on innovation, technology advancement, artificial intelligence, 5G-enabled IoT applications, advanced analytics, cloud and other digital-related activities.

Mr Ng Kuo Pin, CEO, NCS said, “We are expanding our footprint beyond Singapore to build up a strategic presence in major markets for digital transformation and accelerate our growth in the Asia Pacific region. Australia’s adoption of technology has accelerated in recent years with a large addressable market and we see tremendous opportunities for enterprises and government organisations to further harness digital and cloud technologies for innovation. Through NCS NEXT, we plan to bring our deep tech expertise and extensive regional experience in delivering key public and private sector projects to Australian clients, who can also leverage synergies from NCS’ innovation hubs in Singapore and across Asia Pacific through the exchanges of ideas, capabilities and resources.”

Mr Chris Mitchell, Managing Director of Optus Enterprise said, “Through our partnership with NCS, Optus Enterprise has expanded its service offerings to support the digital transformation and innovation our clients demand in order for them to remain competitive in the Australian market. Given the tremendous pace at which enterprise clients are adopting digital-first innovations, we feel the timing is right to bring this partnership to the market and look forward to working with NCS to continue this expansion.”

According to Research and Markets, the global digital transformation market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 22.5% from 2020 to 2027, to reach US$1,392.91 billion by 2027. In Australia, the public cloud market is projected to be worth US$11 billion by 2023. Research by Gartner has found that 60% of organisations will use an external provider’s cloud-managed service offering by 2022 - double the percentage from 2018.

Mr Andre Conti, Head of NEXT Solutions, Australia said, “We have witnessed the increasing pace at which both public and commercial sectors in Australia are adopting a digital-first approach to transform the way in which we live and work. Through our newly established and dedicated NCS NEXT practice in Australia, Optus Enterprise and NCS can help Australian enterprises and government agencies leverage cloud-based innovations to unlock competitive advantages and enhance customer or citizen experiences. Driven by an instinctive appetite for innovation and an access to a regional talent pool, NCS is in a unique position to help our clients accelerate their digital transformation journey.”