For Australian mining, local IT expertise isn’t just an advantage. It’s a smart play. In this new article from Australian Mining, Basil Lenzo, Brennan’s WA State Manger, makes the case for why Australian miners need Australian IT partners.

Latency. It’s synonymous with computing. Used to describe the gap between an issued instruction and the transfer of data, Australian mining companies are all too familiar with the impact of latency on operations.

But could latency also be applied at a higher order?

With sophisticated technology underpinning so many facets of modern mining, systems integrators are vital in ensuring IT solutions – be it software, hardware, or digital transformation – function cohesively to provide a unified environment.

But with so many systems integrators headquartered overseas, gaining direct, timely, and native access to solutions, support and services isn’t always fluid or fluent.

It’s latency writ large. And it’s not gone unnoticed by Brennan.

“Why bigger internationals dominate our market, and not local Aussie’s, is something I think we need to fix,” Basil Lenzo, Brennan’s WA State Manager, told Australian Mining.

With a headcount of 1,100 – including over 350 technical, accredited, and certified engineers – Brennan are Australia’s largest independently owned systems integrator.

But Lenzo is quick to stress this is no self-serving sentiment.

“We know that Australia’s mining sector have wanted to engage with Australian systems integrators but tend to leverage global players, often under the perception homegrown talent isn’t sophisticated enough. While that may have rung true in the past, natively owned operators have matured significantly, to the point we can hold our own against global players,” said Lenzo.

“Australian miners have consistently proven themselves on the world stage and shown they can compete and win in every market. The same is true in our industry. It makes sense that our strengths are amplified by working together.”

“Like us, they’ve local sites, local talent, local operations. With requirements spanning compliance, governance, health and safety, it makes sense to engage locally and align those processes more efficiently.”

“By partnering with an Australian systems integrator, there’s a seamless and true connection. Allowing for strategic planning and alignment simply shortens the time between issuing an order, and having that instruction understood and implemented, not getting lost in translation,” Lenzo said.

It also means customers’ services can also be better meshed and integrated with other suppliers, removing the need for customers to start afresh.

“What this does is help mining companies create IP and reusable assets across their organisation from a technology perspective,” said Lenzo.

With nearly three decades of deep IT experience, Brennan has helped several mining companies elevate operational efficiencies.

Whether implementing solutions to streamline workflows and store data safely or leveraging AI and machine learning to optimise mining operations, predict equipment failures, improve maintenance schedules, forecast demand, and optimise resource allocation, Brennan’s expertise supports operational efficiency across the board.

“These examples highlight the extent of Brennan’s capabilities and maturity,” said Lenzo.

“But what really sets us apart is our True Performance System. Our highly disciplined, data-driven approach is not only engineered to get us closer to the real needs and issues of customers and their users, it’s designed to systematically and relentlessly seek out and work on improvements.”

“It’s no accident that this approach has helped us earn a customer Net Promoter Score of over 80 and a retention rate of 95 per cent.”

Further supporting customers is Brennan’s ‘fixed fee, fixed outcome’ promise, designed to eliminate common cost blowouts associated with digital transformation projects.

“It forces us to be extremely descriptive about what we are going to deliver, and how we go about doing that,” Lenzo said. “Scoping jobs appropriately is key to making the model work for both parties – customer and provider alike.”

Above all, Brennan’s goal is to support its customers through every step of their journey and bridge the divide between the technology landscape and the physical landscape.

In a country – and an industry – where distance is so keenly felt, Brennan's homegrown systems integration capabilities eliminate the latency that so often hampers productivity.

Latency, it turns out, is local.

This feature first appeared in the  May 2025 issue of Australian Mining.