Fujitsu Leads NZ’s IT Service Management as First Accredited ISO 20000 Vendor

Fujitsu New Zealand Limited today announced it has become the first vendor in New Zealand to achieve the rigorous ISO 20000 international standard for IT Service Management and has secured accreditation across multiple locations.

ISO 20000, established in 2005, was created to allow vendors to gain a formal, externally audited certification of the practices and processes employed to deliver managed services. Operating under the first ISO 20000 accreditation in the marketplace, Fujitsu New Zealand gives its customers the benefit of reliable and optimised service management delivery.

Fujitsu now follows one model for consistent high service delivery, irrespective of size or type of client. The company’s three major offices, two in Wellington and one in Auckland, must also demonstrate continuous service improvement to maintain the arduous annual certification renewal process.

Fujitsu New Zealand’s ISO 20000 Project

The year long project to prepare for the certification underwent three increasingly demanding internal audits before SAI Global was commissioned to undertake the independent audit in September. The formal awarding of the ISO 20000 certificate was notified on 18 January 2011.

While ISO 20000 relates to service management processes, comprehensive auditing is carried out site by site to ensure genuine change across every level and every branch office has occurred. The three major offices were individually assessed and certified.

Roland Estrella, Service Improvement Manager, Fujitsu New Zealand Limited, who was responsible for the project, said: “We were confident we would deliver this project on time as we were coming off a very high base and had full executive support. We had 90 percent of the basic requirements already in place due to our commitment to ITIL® (ITIL® is a Registered Trade Mark of AXELOS Limited).”

Quality of Service
The certification mandates the maintenance of the highest internationally recognised standards of IT service management. How Fujitsu NZ relates to its customers under the standard covers aspects such as service processes, resource allocation, time and delivery management and engagement with individuals involved end-to-end within customer projects.

While ISO 20000 is not a mandatory component of current tenders, Fujitsu sees that its customers have growing expectations of their IT suppliers. To be competitive, and improve market competency and strategy, external certifications such as ISO 20000 are invaluable reference points for new business and the retention of existing customers.

External recognition of its mature, market-leading approach also adds significantly to Fujitsu’s market position, targets for growth and the continued development of a high performance culture within its delivery organisation.

At the formal award ceremony today, Paul Bourke, General Manager – Managed Services, Fujitsu New Zealand, received the ISO 20000 certificate from Craig Brown, Key Account Manager of Telarc SAI who represented the company on behalf of its Chief Executive, Peter Rose. Telarc SAI is New Zealand's largest certifier of quality, environmental and health & safety management systems; it is part of SAI Global, the independent auditor and certifier of the internationally recognised standard.

Paul Bourke said: “Fujitsu takes the commitment to improvement across its operations and to customer satisfaction very seriously. Independent recognition of our efforts through an ISO accreditation shows our customers the highest standards are being applied to their systems and their projects here in New Zealand.”

Achievement of the standard and the undertaking to maintain the standard requires a significant commitment to service excellence. Fujitsu NZ has built this requirement into the core delivery processes to ensure that no element is overlooked as the company continues to grow and customers’ demands for IT services change.

The certification of Fujitsu New Zealand follows the Australian operation’s successful awarding of ISO 20000 in 2008. Maintaining ISO 20000 is also seen by Fujitsu NZ as the cornerstone for an expanding portfolio of best practice ISO certifications such as ISO 27001 (Information Security Management System) and ISO 14001 (Environmental Management Systems).