Hostplus Signs IT Services Deal With Interactive For Cloud and End User Support

Hostplus partners with Interactive in a five-year deal to strengthen operational resilience through AI-driven cloud and end-user support.

Hostplus, an Australian industry superannuation fund, recently announced the signing of an IT managed services agreement with Interactive, a managed and professional  IT services provider, for a five-year period. The agreement would cover service desk, cloud, and end-user support for Hostplus, aiding the fund’s progress in reshaping its technology environment. Such a service-based model would strengthen the fund’s operational resilience and support more responsive service delivery. With superannuation funds facing various stressors during review of technology operations, member service expectations, and risk controls, automation and AI offer a resolution to common concerns such as outages, slow response times, and weak internal support. In this manner, operational issues posing consequences for members would no longer arise. As part of the deal, Interactive will also provide incident response and proactive cloud support.

Furthermore, Hostplus termed the partnership as part of a broader technology strategy that transcended a conventional, narrow procurement decision. The fund highlighted the strengthening of its systems and processes, along with an improved experience for its workforce, as the primary benefits from the deal. According to Jo Dutton, Chief Technology Officer at Hostplus, “We are pleased to partner with Interactive as we continue to strengthen our technology systems and processes. Enhancing the user experience for our people is central to this work and forms part of a deliberate, forward‐looking technology strategy.”  On the other hand, Interactive pointed out that the agreement is a reflection of major organizations’ demand for greater levels of integrated support across service desk, cloud operations, and end-user services. It termed the Hostplus contract as an indication of organizations’ trust in its reliability and day-to-day operations.

Moreover, Interactive stated that its support for Hostplus would further the fund’s broader technological evolution. The tools it is contracted to provide would be routinely used in managing and supporting servers, and would not be limited to experimental projects alone, as evidenced by the reference to automation and AI. CIO Bulletin views this agreement as being important in establishing the need for institutions to move beyond traditional outsourcing structures and invest in targeted service agreements that can provide funds access for specialized support while keeping core technology planning solely within the institution’s purview.