Source : THE AGE NEWS
By James Pearson
ASX-listed smart access specialist TZ Limited has received a second purchase order for 125 cabinet locking kits from Wesco Anixter, the procurement arm of technology giant Microsoft.
The kits from this order are destined for data centres in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
TZ Limited’s “SMArt” cabinet locking system is being deployed to enhance data centre security around the world.
The new deal is worth about US$156,000 (A$240,000) and adds to an earlier 120-kit purchase for Microsoft’s United States operations revealed earlier this month. The latest order takes TZ’s total Microsoft-backed sales so far to US$362,500 (A$585,000).
The order is part of a broader 360-unit commitment worth $725,000 to install a high-tech locking solution on Microsoft’s server cabinets in data centres around the globe. It also represents the start of a commercial rollout of the company’s retrofit solution to the high-security data centre market.
TZ’s kits are powered by the company’s proprietary slide handle smart locking system, which blends a futuristic shape memory alloy (SMA) with microprocessors to create a unique electronic locking system.
Known as the “SMArt” system, the technology has dispensed with clunky keys in favour of a sleek, software-powered solution that puts control at a user’s fingertips, offering tougher security and remotely controllable access with the push of a button or a card tap.
The lock comes with TZ’s API-driven software combined with PortLink connectivity units and all the hardware needed to bolt into existing cabinet infrastructure.
The kits were specifically designed as a retrofit solution to deliver upgraded rack-level security, which can integrate seamlessly with Microsoft’s broader access control platforms.
The Microsoft deal followed top-notch results from pilot installations at data centres in Dublin and Chicago and comes hot on the heels of the tech giant’s recently reported plans to spend US$80 billion to expand its global data centre footprint.
TZ already has strong ties with local data centre giants NextDC and Macquarie Data Centres, which are both gearing up to launch new facilities across Australia and Asia in the next 12 months.
However, with its recent leap onto the global stage as a preferred supplier to one of the world’s tech “Magnificent Seven”, the company says it has now been handed a golden ticket to compete on a global scale in the race for data centre security.
Cabinet-level security is a growing piece of the data centre puzzle, particularly given the world’s largest cloud players face down the ever-increasing threat of cyber-attacks, soaring AI compute loads, hyperscale expansion and evolving data sovereignty laws.
Soaring demand for secure data centre cabinetry has also started to light up TZ’s revenue, with sales in the space tripling year-on-year and now making up about 20 per cent of the company’s top line.
TZ says the ongoing global rollout is being coordinated in step with its partners and is expected to continue ramping up as Microsoft rolls out secure cabinet systems across its sprawling data network.
The successful delivery of these early-stage orders could also open the door to a broader deployment of TZ’s own Centurion Enterprise software, which was designed as the brain behind the brawn to boost control of individual locks, data auditing and the system-wide integration of security inside data centres.
While the data centre market is starting to run hot, TZ is also making waves in several other fast-growing sectors. These include smart access control for defence and critical infrastructure, high-tech locker systems for residential and university mail, and employee storage and postal logistics.
The company also recently bought Australian property-tech business Keyvision, which offers a software-as-a-service tenant engagement platform for property managers. The deal is worth up to $10 million to be paid across four years as a performance-based agreement across . It ensures Keyvision will be an important piece of TZ’s plan to grow its recurring revenue and expand its customer base.
TZ is already pulling in a healthy $3.9M from high-margin, recurring revenue streams and the new acquisition is tipped to chip in an extra $1.6M in sticky annual revenue this year.
However, if Keyvision hits its ambitious growth targets of $3.5M by year four, TZ’s total recurring revenue could nearly double to $7.4M. That’s before factoring in the upside from its booming smart-locking business.
TZ’s strategic positioning in the white-hot data infrastructure market, backed by blue-chip clients and proven technology paints a compelling growth story that may be only just heating up.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
