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TOTAL Information Technology (TIM) on Thursday said it is setting
aside hundred millions of pesos this year for its expansion.
In a briefing, Jose Mari M. Antunez, TIM
president and chief executive, told reporters that capital
expenditures for this year would amount to P200 million, the bulk of
which will be spent for the construction of its information
technology (IT) building at the South Super Highway in Makati City.
Antunez said the company plans to start the
construction of the eight-story building by April.
“The building, including the lot, will
cost around P350 million and will take about two years to construct.
The cost will be spread over two years,” he said.
At present, TIM’s corporate office is located
along Pasong Tamo in Makati.
Antunez said the new IT building will also have
a business recovery center (BRC), which allows companies continuity
of operations in case of unforeseen events that render their own
data centers inoperable.
TIM has three existing BRCs in the
country, namely in Makati, Alabang and recently in Cebu which was
built at a cost of P40 million, to serve the needs of its growing
clientele.
The BRC facilities are designed based on
world-class standards for data centers in terms of ISO quality
compliance, 24/7 availability, support for multiple computing
platforms, uninterruptible power supplies, infrastructure
protection, physical security, and multi-telecom network
connectivity.
“Three years ago we put up [the]
foundation. Now, the area has been reclassified by the City Council
of Makati as commercial, so we can start building,” Antunez said.
He said TIM will infuse around P20 million
in Versaprint, in which the company has a 51-percent stake.
Versaprint is engaged in the printing business.
The company will also spend some of its
capex for the maintenance of its BRCs and other IT needs.
TIM said it met its gross revenue target
of over P1 billion last year for the entire group, including sales
of its affiliate Strategic Synergy Inc.
This year, the group is eyeing
consolidated revenues to reach P1.5 billion as the company is
optimistic of bagging another IT solutions contract with a
government-owned entity.
-- Darwin G. Amojelar
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