Australia’s Department of Defence has signed a new deal with government software developer archTIS (also known as AR9) for the expansion of its existing ‘Kojensi’ system – billed as a highly secure platform that enables users to securely share and collaborate on sensitive and classified files.

Valued at just over $7 million over two years, the contract is split between $3.44 million in recurring expenses and $3.59 million for services, support and hardware for the expanded growth and implementation of the archTIS platform.

The contract, which is the largest single sale in the archTIS’s history, follows the recent announcement of the company’s participation in the KPMG-led systems integration consortium with Defence (known as OneDefence), with archTIS expected to bring its expertise in data security architecture.

Among the other participants in the consortium – which aligns with Defence’s overarching data maturity program – include Oracle and Microsoft, as well as EPICON and SISU Solutions at the SME end.

The new contract will further expand upon the existing deployment of Kojensi within the Defence Department, with an original deal signed back in June 2021 (and valued at $578,000) for the platform’s initial deployment.

Prior to its deployment of Kojensi, Defence had contracted archTIS to implement its NC Protect platform within its Defence Information Environment (DIE).

NC Protect is designed to protect classified files, messages and emails shared across a number of cloud environments, including Microsoft 365 apps, Dropbox, Nutanix Files and Windows file shares, used within the DIE.

Daniel Lai, archTIS managing director and chief executive, said: “Over the past 18 months we have been actively targeting global defence agencies and the broader defence industry due to their compelling need to secure highly sensitive information.

“Kojensi and NC Protect are filling a critical need for zero-trust information security in the well-funded, defence and intelligence market and the industries that support them.”

In April this year, former Assistant Minister for Defence in the Morrison’s Government, Andrew Hastie, announced the acquisition of Tranche 1 of the ICT 2284 OneDefence Data Program aimed to ensure that Defence could better manage data as a strategic warfighting asset.

The OneDefence Data Program was outlined in the Defence Data Strategy 2021-23, which formulated initiatives to improve the Defence Department’s data maturity and enhance the information available to the Australian Defence Force.

The first Tranche approval was valued at approximately $233 million, with the overall program to cost $515 million on top of the ongoing sustainment funding.