Software giant’s free hit

$20m Opmantek gift to assist essential services

ONE of the Gold Coast’s leading software firms will donate $20 million of programs to essential services grappling with COVID-19.

And it wants industry peers to pitch in and help.

Danny Maher is chairman of award-winning homegrown software company Opmantek, which has 130,000 organisations using its software worldwide including the US Army, Mexican telecommunications company Telmex and media giant Hearst Corporation.

The company’s software enables organisations to work remotely and allows them to manage and audit complex IT infrastructure at scale, particularly important during times of rapid organisational change.

Mr Maher said the software will be made free of charge to healthcare, government and essential service providers during the pandemic.

“These are unprecedented times. We know there are a lot of remote workers, pressure on the healthcare system and government departments with workers including call centre staff trying to work from home over the internet or with software-defined Wide Area Networks,” Mr Maher said.

“The infrastructure is under stress and producing problems for the workers and services which are needed to get through this crisis.”

Mr Maher said IT teams were under pressure to establish systems for facilities such as temporary hospitals.

“What this means is that the IT teams that need to make rapid operational shifts to support the fight against COVID-19 can use all our software to help them do it. They don’t have to pay us, they don’t have to wait, they can use all of our commercial products free of charge and they can move fast,” he said.

Mr Maher called on other software companies to do the same, stating they can afford to do so because the cost of delivering software that already exists was not great.

His offer has already received the support of the Queensland Minister of Innovation Kate Jones.

“Coronavirus is one of the biggest challenges we’ve faced. It’s vital we have the support of the private sector in fighting this pandemic,” she said.

Mr Maher said international organisations were also being offered help, with the software to be provided on an “at cost” basis.

Opmatek was founded on the Gold Coast and maintains its research and development operations on the Glitter Strip.