Executives from NZ Post have been in Seattle for a “brainstorming” meeting with Microsoft bigwigs this week.
CIO Nigel Prince and technology architecture manager Stuart Wakefield attended an executive briefing, which a Microsoft NZ representative said was being tailored specially for the posties. The briefing could be hosted by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates or CEO Steve Baller, she said beforehand.
Computerworld understands that NZ Post may be looking at replacing some of its back office systems. The SOE recently chose Microsoft’s Server BizTalk 2002 as the centrepiece of its new enterprise application integrated (EAI) environment.
At Microsoft’s Tech-Ed conference in Auckland last month, Wakefield said the “sheer gridlock” caused by having an architecture that included Sun, Unix and a separate ERP system caused NZ Post to look at EAI. BizTalk was chosen over IBM’s WebSphere, Wakefield said.