NZ Racing Board(MIS100 2010)

By Jess Meyer | Thursday, May 27 2010

2009 ranking: 37

Senior IS executive: Glenn Myers, CIO
Reports to: Andrew Brown, CEO
Size of IS shop: 75

PCs: 1595
Mobile PCs: 359
Terminals: 2211
Hand-held devices: 250
Total screens: 4415

Industry: Arts, entertainment and recreation
PC environment: Windows, Intel
Server environment: Windows, Intel, Linux
DBMS: Oracle, SQL
Address: 106-110 Jackson Street, Petone, Wellington
Websites: www.nzracingboard.co.nz and www.tab.co.nz
Key IS projects this year: Enterprise architecture; wagering system modernisation; server consolidation; network infrastructure upgrade; storage solution; automated testing.

Top of mind for the ICT team of the NZ Racing Board will be enhancing its agility and responsiveness in meeting business needs, and launching new products and services to meet customer demand brought about by the modernisation of the global wagering environment. “The modernisation of the wagering environment is the key focus for the ICT team and many people across other NZRB business units,” explains CIO Glenn Myers. “We have established a dedicated programme team, incorporating some of the existing ICT team, in order to leverage existing knowledge, gain full buy-in across the business, and ensure ongoing support for the current wagering environment until full migration in 2011. We are determined to implement a world-leading wagering system without disrupting our day-to-day business operations.”

Of focus in 2010 is the adoption of the new wagering environment, improved customer experiences across selling channels and enhanced reporting to support decision making across the organisation. Most ICT functions for NZRB continue to be performed in-house by its 68 IT staff.

The profitability of the New Zealand racing industry continues to be threatened by offshore providers and online betting, but the ICT team, operating under Myers, is working to harness technology to make the TAB experience world-class. Plans are in place to have all race tracks cabled and available to offer IP services within the current financial year (to 31 July).