Smart50 rank: 34
Revenue: $19.88 million
Growth: 38.94%
Founders: Chris Carter, 41; Sheona Devin, 34
Based: New South Wales
Employees: 178
Industry: Information technology
Website: www.planit.net.au
Planit Software Testing began life as a subsidiary of Britian-based company ImagoAQ in 1997. But in 1999, founders Chris Carter, aged 41 (top), and Sheona Devin, aged 34 (at right), undertook a management buyout and began operating independently.
The company helps organisations prevent and detect issues in their IT delivery by testing key IT systems in order to minimise associated risks and control costs. Planit also provides software tester training and certification courses that align with the global standards set by the International Software Testing Qualifications Board.
In the early days, 90% of Planit's business came from the training side of the business, while just 10% came from more lucrative software testing services. But today, those figures are exactly the opposite.
"We believe this is a reflection of the regard we have in the market - once companies have trained their staff with Planit and witnessed our in-depth understanding of the discipline, we tend to be their first port of call if they need testing services," Carter says.
"Our ability to convert, for example, a $1600 spend on a training course to a $300,000 ongoing monthly contract, has been one of the cornerstones of our success."
Average annual revenue growth in the past two years has been 38.94%, with sales hitting $19.88 million in 2007-08, up from $17.39 million a year earlier.
Carter says the next big challenges for the company is to broaden its offerings on both the testing side and consulting side, and consolidate its position with key clients.
