Macquarie Telecom Group have announced a $17 million investment into building stage one of a second data centre in Canberra.
Building of Intellicentre 5 (IC5) will begin in July and will create temporary and permanent roles across cyber-security, engineering and construction.
The new data centre will be at the secure location of the company’s first Canberra-based data centre, Intellicentre 4, and is set to be complete by December.
Macquarie Government managing director Aidan Tudehope said the announcement follows a $20 million cyber-security contract with the Australian Taxation Office.
“Risk to Government of a cyber breach and the dependency on cloud services are at an all-time high – we’re not just going to return to the ‘norm’ after this pandemic and facilities of this calibre are an essential requirement in Canberra,” he said.
“Government departments need to have clarity over data sovereignty – who controls the data, where does it reside, and who has access. We cover these bases by ensuring Australian control and access only by Australian Government-cleared specialists.”
Macquarie Telecom Group has 18 years of experience providing cyber-security solutions to Australian governments, with 42% of federal agencies using its services.
The development will also use the Federal Government’s Instant Asset Write-Off and Backing Business Investment stimulus measures.
ACT Liberal Senator Zed Seselja backed the development, saying it would help build the nation’s economy following the pandemic.
“IC5 and Macquarie’s investment into Australia’s data centre ecosystem will not only create valuable jobs but build sovereign security skills and capabilities in what has become a vital industry for our nation,” he said.
“This kind of investment, backed by the Government’s stimulus measures, is essential to growing Australia’s economy after the pandemic.”
Macquarie Telecom Group have three other data centres, located in Sydney, NSW.
The company is also planning to expand its existing graduate program, to increase the number of skilled professionals in the industry.
