Our Story

Incorporated in 1999, Big Iron Ltd takes its name from a colloquial term for a Mainframe Computer, a computing environment known for its rock solid dependability and high performance.

The disciplines and experiences gained from working in the structured and often mission critical Mainframe environment form the foundation of Big Iron’s unique approach to delivering quality services and solutions to the small and medium business sector in New Zealand.

Big Iron's philosophy is simple...

Deliver “Big Iron” level dependability to all its customers - this applies equally to the solutions provided and to the people that implement and support  these solutions

Take the time to understand the specific business drivers for each customer and ensure the IT Services and Solutions provided are aligned with these business drivers, i.e. Deliver the right solution first time

Be truly accountable for all services and solutions provided and strive for nothing less than complete customer satisfaction

Although experienced at all levels, Big Iron is primarily focused on providing high quality, cost effective solutions to the small and medium business sector of New Zealand.

Current customers span several industry sectors and range in size from single site operations to those with nationwide networks.

Many of these customers have experienced poor service from previous IT providers and have turned to Big Iron to restore their confidence in IT providers and to deliver real value to their investment in information technology.

>> Big Iron Customer List and Testimonials - Click Here

Big Iron Solutions

In addition to the high level of expertise and experience Big Iron is able to draw on, considerable effort has also gone into researching and selecting products that offer the best combination of performance, reliability, ease of use and cost effectiveness.

By concentrating on a select number of best of breed products that offer the best overall solution and integrate well, Big Iron can deliver unparalleled service and support to its customers.

Big Iron solutions include anti-virus, anti-spam, messaging, business productivity, backup and data management, systems management, Internet connectivity and security, secure remote access and VPNs.

Stephan Gladiadis
Director

Stephan's IT career began in 1980 where he received a solid grounding in enterprise computer management working for Databank Systems, progressing to Senior Operator before transferring to Databank’s Education Services Department and taking on responsibility for the development and provision of formal training for DOS/VSE Operators.

In 1985, Stephan moved into a Team Leader role at Shell Oil where his technical and analytical skills were further developed. In 1987 Stephan left New Zealand for Australia to develop his career further and after five years took a step further by taking on another Team Leader role for Gulf Star Computer Systems in Saudi Arabia.

Stephan returned to New Zealand in 1996 where he worked as the Systems Programming Manager for Repco Merchants. Three years later, Stephan established Big Iron Ltd and engaged his first Big Iron customer, Hitachi Data Systems Ltd.

This became a full time commitment for Stephan, and for the next four years Stephan was engaged as a Senior Technical Consultant providing consultancy and support both to HDS internally and to its varied customer base. In 2003, Stephan made the decision to work for himself and to develop Big Iron as a quality provider of IT services to the Small and Medium Business sector.

>> Click here to read what people have said about Stephan

Mark Thorburn
Consulting Partner

Mark has a total of 19 years experience in the IT Industry and a proven track record for delivering results. Mark’s experience has been gained from a wide range of assignments and industry sectors in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Roles ranging from being part of the Installation Design Team of the Channel Tunnel project in the UK, to providing Technical Consultancy services to Telecom and more recently IT Services Manager for the Eastern Institute of Technology in the Hawkes Bay.

Mark is a member of both the Project Management Institute and of the IT Service Management Forum in New Zealand. Both organisations are dedicated to developing Industry Best Practices and Standards across the world.
>> www.pmi.org   >> www.itsmf.org.nz

Previous experience includes roles providing services to Telecom New Zealand, Unisys, Racal Datacom, ASB Bank, Hitachi Data Systems, United Networks, Anite Networks, New Zealand Guardian Trust, Commodity Market Services, Main Roads Western Australia and MeesPierson/Fortis Bank London.

From 2003 to 2005, Mark also served as a company director to Wellington based company Student Management Software Solutions Ltd and its parent organisation the A-Plus Computer Users Society.

>> Click here to read what people have said about Mark