Australian IBM premier business partner ISW has launched its assault on the Kiwi market, aiming to snap up key accounts in social collaboration.

The 20-year old company, which has offices across Australia, including its head office in Hobart, has been an IBM Premier business partner since 2000 and has certification across the entire IBM software and infrastructure portfolio.

ISW is also an independent software vendor, developing products in-house to improve customers' business processes.

The company is focused on social collaboration solutions – something Bo Mabry, ISW's Australia and New Zealand state manager, says stands it in good stead for the Kiwi market.

“New Zealand is a capable IT nation, but it can be hindered by its distance,” Mabry says.

“That's where there is opportunity in being able to collaborate effectively.

“Digital tools can bring your people together so they can collaborate effectively across the city, country or around the world.

Mabry will be heading up the New Zealand operations for now, with ISW using Auckland's IBM Centre as its base.

It says it will open a dedicated office ‘should the campaign achieve its goals'.

Those goals include having five key accounts in the first year.

ISW will be targeting on mid-level small and medium enterprises, along with the education market, utilities, banking, finance and insurance.

In Australia, the company's client list includes the likes of Cochlear, Deakin University and Endeavour.

“Integrating social collaboration into a company's strategies, operations and processes results in greater efficiencies, enhanced problem solving and new opportunities to be more competitive and successful,” ISW says.

“Companies and CIOs are starting to ask themselves about the culture of their company, not ‘what's another piece of software we can introduce?',” Mabry says.

“The new generation of worker is used to collaborating through social media tools and reaching out to their boarder network for help.

“This is what social business does for the organisation and that's how New Zealanders already are.