Case study

The Futureof BT AustralasiaMade in Sydney

“We’ve brought research and development into Sydney to contribute to the development of our global platforms.”Brett Oberstein, Head of Operations, South East Asia for BT Australasia.

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Telecommunications company BT has opened its first international

cyber security research and development centre in Sydney with

support from the New South Wales (NSW) Government.

BT has been providing networked IT, communications and security

services in Australia for more than 30 years. Its Sydney office runs

one of its 16 Security Operations Centres, which deliver cyber security

services to clients in more than 190 countries. As its corporate and

government clients faced growing cyber security challenges,

BT decided to expand its Sydney facility into its first global cyber

security research and development hub outside the UK.

The company opened the Sydney hub in September 2017 with

support from a NSW Government–backed program that offered

funds to qualified businesses to support innovation and

generate new, high-value and rewarding jobs across the state.

BT has also invested $2 million in capital infrastructure for the hub

and earmarked an additional multimillion-dollar investment to employ

cyber security specialists.

The facility is expected to create 172 highly skilled jobs over five years.

Besides cyber security, it boasts expertise in areas such as machine

learning, data science analytics, big data engineering and cloud

computing. It deploys its solutions both locally and globally.

BT takes pride in its recent investments to grow its capability

in Australia, according to Brett Oberstein, Head of Operations,

South East Asia for BT Australasia. “We’ve brought research and

development into Sydney to contribute to the development of our

global platforms,” he says. “This is fantastic news for Sydney, fantastic

news for jobs creation.”

BT builds global cyber security hub in Sydney

Fast facts about BT

A leading global telecommunications company

Internationally known as BT Global Services

Employs more than 250 people in Australia

2019 BT expands Security Operations Centre

in Sydney

Founded and headquartered in London

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Choosing Sydney as a hub

Brett Oberstein also says that

the company looked at three

factors when considering Sydney

as a location for its research and

development hub:

• how Sydney could contribute

to BT’s strategy

• how BT could access

top talent

• how it could engage clients.

“We found that Sydney

rated really well in all those

three areas,” says Oberstein.

From a strategy perspective,

BT identified Sydney and the

rest of Australia as a strong

and mature market in terms

of corporate governance

and demand for its services.

Large businesses and

government agencies in

Australia understand their risks

and vulnerabilities, especially

in the area of cyber security,

according to Oberstein.

“That gives us an opportunity

to get inputs towards what our

strategy and roadmap should

be in the cyber security area—

which is very important from

a research and development

perspective,” he says.

Demand from clients in Sydney

has also given BT a domestic

market to test some of its

cyber security capabilities.

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“BT identified Sydney and the rest of Australia as a strong and mature market in terms of corporate governance and demand for its services.”Brett Oberstein, Head of Operations, South East Asia for BT Australasia.

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Accessing top talent

Attracting talent has

been easy for the company.

“Sydney is a great city for top

talent,” Oberstein says. “It’s a

very vibrant city naturally,

but it’s also a great place for

people to come and work,

particularly if they’re involved

in exciting projects like what

we have at BT.”

BT’s research and development

hub also offers a chance for

some highly skilled Australians

who moved overseas in search

of better career opportunities

to return to Australia. “With the

support of the NSW Government,

by creating opportunities, we are

seeing demand for this top talent

to come back to Australia,”

says Oberstein. “And Sydney

is a great place that they

would want to be.”

There is also no shortage of

talent coming from Australian

universities. In fact, the company

plans to hire nearly 40 graduates

from local universities to help fill

highly skilled jobs.

Engaging clients

Being in Sydney has enabled

BT to regularly engage with

its corporate and government

clients in Australia. This has

helped the company create

greater awareness of and interest

in the solutions it develops and

supports from its Sydney facility.

“Sydney is very close to

the hub of our key clients,”

says Oberstein. “That’s been

a great factor for us to put

resources here.”

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Learn more

The NSW Government assists businesses looking to establish, grow and

innovate in the cyber security and technology sectors by providing:

• market intelligence and information

• business case development

• assistance to identify suitable business locations

and partners in NSW

• familiarisation visits to NSW

• connections with government contacts and

the local business network.

The NSW Government offers a range of programs and initiatives to

support businesses to grow to reach their full potential in NSW.

The NSW Government Investment Concierge provides free,

comprehensive and confidential advice and services.

Contact our team today to explore the range of support we can

give to your company.

Contact us

NSW Government Investment Concierge:

T: +61 2 8222 4888

W: invest.nsw.gov.au

77777

TheFutureMadeHere

PUB19/207

T: +61 2 8222 4888

W: invest.nsw.gov.au

© State of New South Wales through Treasury 2019.

The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and understanding at

the time of writing (August 2019). However, because of advances in knowledge, users are

reminded of the need to ensure that the information upon which they rely is up to date and

to check the currency of the information with the appropriate officer of the Industry,

Trade and Investment team of NSW Government or the user’s independent adviser.