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1962
Lincoln Laboratory builds the LINC PC, to the great interest of the scientific community. It is widely accepted as the first minicomputer.
1963
Digital, or DEC, uses a stripped-down version of the basic LINC design concept to produce the PDP-5, which was low-cost for the time at US$27,000. Only 116 PDP-5s were produced, but the PDP-5 went on to inspire a number of better-known computers.
1965
ICL 1900 series computers are released – The 1902 mainframe computer ordered by Datacom is from International Computers and Tabulators, one of the few non-American competitors to IBM.
Young accountant Paul Hargreaves founds Datacom in Christchurch, along with the late Dr. Bernard Battersby. The company is then called Computer Bureau Limited. A group of clients put up the original capital for the company - £30,000 - and an order is placed for an ICL 1902 computer, which doesn’t arrive in New Zealand for a year.
1968
The company becomes CBL, and expands into Wellington. It forms around a group of local companies, which become shareholders.
1969
The company expands into Hamilton.
1970
Hargreaves leaves his family’s accounting firm to become a full-time executive for CBL. The company also expands into Auckland through the acquisition of the Fletcher Computer Bureau.
1971
A holding company is established – today known as Datacom Group. The holding company takes up shares in the four separate companies in Christchurch, Wellington, Hamilton and Auckland. Hargreaves becomes the executive director for the holding company.
Intel revolutionises computing by releasing the first commercial microprocessors. Made computers smaller and faster.
1977
Pre-assembled computers such as the Apple II began hitting the market, making home computing accessible.
1979
Oracle offers the first commercial SQL relational database management system.
1981
Datacom introduces User-11, the 1st 4GL seen in the NZ market. The software development business flourishes.
1983
DEC responds to the IBM PC by releasing three of its own home computers.
Mirosoft launches the first Windows operating system, Windows 1.0.
Image used with permission from Microsoft.
Datacom brings Oracle database technology to NZ for the NZ Dairy Company (now Fonterra).
1984
In 1984, the name of the company is changed from CBL to Datacom.
1989
Datacom merges with another computing services company, called CCL, and adds payroll and facilities management divisions.
1991
Datacom signs its first large outsourcing contract in Auckland with Telecom Directories.
1992
Datacom Wellington merges with the IT department of NZ Post boosting staff numbers by 90 – its first large outsourcing deal in Wellington.
1994
The company opens an office in Sydney – its first in Australia – to expand its NZ-based services to Microsoft Australia.
1996
Datacom expands into Asia by building contact centres in Malaysia.
1997
The first managed services contract in Australia is signed with P&O Services and Datacom gets its first Sydney datacentre.
2000s
The widespread availability of personal computers and broadband internet means cloud computing begins to gain in popularity.
2004
Datacom purchases a second Australian datacentre, GlobalCenter, in South Melbourne.
2005
Operations are established in QLD through the acquisition of Brisbane service provider NetOptions.
2006
Datacom moves into South Australia.
2007
Datacom acquires a third datacentre in Sydney, through Hansen Professional Services, and acquires a company called Relate to extend application and web capability. It also expands into Western Australia.
Apple launches the first iPhone, and begins the era of the smartphone. Smartphones quickly become one of the biggest product categories in consumer technology. Later, Apple also launches the first iPad and popularises tablet computing.
Datacom expands into Townsville in Northern Queensland after the acquisition of Agire Pty.
2009
Datacom expands into the Philippines. It also opens its Orbit datacentre on Auckland’s North Shore.
2010
Datacom’s Christchurch data centre opens a week before the big September quake and stays open throughout the thousands that follow. A data centre is also established in Perth.
22 November 2011
Datacom launches VMware Cloud. Late in the year the company opens a technology centre in Queensland.
2012
New Zealand Post sells its 35 percent stake in Datacom to the New Zealand Superannuation Fund.
The New Zealand Superannuation Fund invests globally in order to help pre-fund New Zealanders’ universal superannuation entitlements. The Fund is managed by a Crown entity, the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation.
Datacom acquired a specialist human capital management and SAP consulting business in Victoria which enhances Datacom’s enterprise people, payroll and talent management portfolio in the region.
6 March 2013
Hamilton datacentre Kapua opens. Datacom sells its Asia contact centres, but continues to service the region with higher-level IT services. The company also acquires IP and assets from XciteLogic.
2013
Datacom acquiries Tauranga-based company Origen, which specialises in creating software for local government.
2014
Datacom acquires a 20 percent stake of health informatics company SmartWard. SmartWard is a software solution for hospitals, designed to save medical professionals time and allow them to spend more time with patients.