CAUDIT

What CAUDIT does

CAUDIT (Council of Australasian University Directors of Information Technology) is a non-profit membership association founded in 1979 and incorporated in Australia (ABN 39 514 469 351), headquartered in Canberra. It operates as the peak body for ICT in the Australasian higher education and research sector, governed by an Executive Committee drawn from its members and led by CEO Greg Sawyer. The organization represents the most senior IT decision-makers (CIOs, CDOs, Directors of IT) across Australian and New Zealand universities and publicly funded research institutions including CSIRO, DSTG, ANSTO, and AIMS, with incremental reach into the South Pacific (Fiji, Papua New Guinea).

The portfolio is built around a member portal authenticated via federated identity through the Australian Access Federation (AAF) and Tuakiri, and includes the CAUDIT Benchmarking System (an online data capture platform in continuous operation for over two decades), the CAUDIT Top Ten annual insights report, sector-wide Strategic Procurement negotiations with ICT vendors, the AHECS cybersecurity service line, professional development programs (CAUDIT Leadership Institute and CAUDIT Managers Program), free online courses, the annual CAUDIT Awards, and a tiered Partner Program for technology vendors. Members include institutions collectively spending approximately AU$1.8B annually on IT, with more than 110,000 staff and 830,000 students in scope.

Revenue mechanics rest on three streams: institutional membership dues (undisclosed per-member level), the Partner Program (Showcase Partner priced at AUD$5,000 plus GST per 12-month term), and Strategic Procurement service fees. Distribution is hybrid: a self-serve member portal for benchmarking and procurement access, plus direct engagement through twice-yearly member meetings, the annual Stronger Together conference, cybersecurity summits, technology showcases on Zoom Webinar, and structured communities of practice (Cybersecurity SIG, BA, IDAM, IMA). CAUDIT does not raise venture or external funding; it is member-funded and member-governed, with no subsidiaries, no M&A activity disclosed, and no parent entity.

Name

CAUDIT

Legal name

Council of Australasian University Directors of Information Technology

Website

https://caudit.edu.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CAUDIT is a non-profit membership association representing the senior ICT leaders of Australasian universities and research institutions, providing benchmarking, strategic procurement, cybersecurity, professional development, and sector-wide collective bargaining services across the region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Canberra

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: CAUDIT operates as a membership organization for universities and research institutions. Revenue derived from institutional membership.
2. Partner Program Fees: Showcase Partner program at AUD$5,000 plus GST per 12-month partnership providing webinars, website visibility, and partner recognition.
3. Strategic Procurement Services: Sector-wide procurement negotiations with ICT vendors, deriving mutual value for members through collective purchasing arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CAUDIT is a non-profit membership association that supports CIOs and IT leaders at Australasian universities and research institutions. Its core offerings include strategic procurement services, sector-wide benchmarking and analytics, cybersecurity services (AHECS), professional development programs (Leadership Institute, Managers Program), and communities of practice. The organization represents approximately AU$1.8B in collective annual IT spend across its members.

Product overview

CAUDIT (Council of Australasian University Directors of Information Technology) is a membership organization providing services to higher education institutions, not a single unified product. The organization's portfolio includes professional development programs (CAUDIT Leadership Institute, CAUDIT Managers Program, Free Online Courses), analytics and insights (CAUDIT Top Ten report, Benchmarking System), cybersecurity services (AHECS), strategic procurement services, recognition programs (CAUDIT Awards), and a Partner Program for vendor engagement. CAUDIT serves as a peak body for ICT in higher education across Australasia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AHECS: Australasian Higher Education Cybersecurity Services - CAUDIT leads, coordinates and provides cybersecurity services to members under this banner.

Products and services

• CAUDIT Leadership Institute
• CAUDIT Managers Program
• CAUDIT Top Ten
• CAUDIT Benchmarking System
• Australasian Higher Education Cybersecurity Services (AHECS)
• Strategic Procurement Services
• Partner Program
• Free Online Courses

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,500+ IT professionals engaged through CAUDIT network
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Australian Access Federation (AAF)coreTechnology or IntegrationOriginating via a CAUDIT program of work, the AAF is a Not-For-Profit organization that powers Australian students, researchers and educators through federated identity services. Provides authentication infrastructure for CAUDIT member portal access.
• Tuakiri (NZ Access Federation)coreTechnology or IntegrationNew Zealand Access Federation providing federated identity services for New Zealand institutions. Enables NZ university IT staff to access CAUDIT member resources via institutional authentication.
• eduROAMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA secure global roaming wireless network service for the research and education sector. CAUDIT supports and coordinates eduROAM deployment across Australasian institutions.
• MicrosoftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiatives between Microsoft and CAUDIT to transform the Australasian Higher Education sector. Strategic partnership focused on technology collaboration and sector transformation.
• Australasian Higher Education Cybersecurity Services (AHECS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAUDIT leads, coordinates and provides cybersecurity services to members under the AHECS banner. Provides coordinated cybersecurity support across the higher education sector.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SURF: Netherlands-based SURF is a cooperative of Dutch education and research institutions providing shared ICT infrastructure, procurement, and innovation services — a directly comparable model of member-driven sector collaboration serving higher education IT leadership.
• EDUCAUSE: The US-based association for higher education IT leadership, EDUCAUSE is the most direct global analogue to CAUDIT — offering benchmarking, professional development, cybersecurity resources, and advocacy for university CIOs. It serves a comparable member constituency and product mix at larger scale.
• CANARIE: Canada's CANARIE operates national research and education network infrastructure plus programs supporting digital innovation in higher education — a structural peer for CAUDIT's network, identity, and sector-wide technology leadership role in the Canadian context.
• Internet2: US-based Internet2 is a non-profit computer networking consortium serving research and education institutions. Its combination of shared infrastructure, identity services (InCommon), and community programs parallels CAUDIT's eduroam/AAF/Tuakiri ecosystem work.
• JISC: UK-based JISC provides digital, data, and technology services to UK universities and research institutions, including shared infrastructure, procurement frameworks, and cybersecurity — closely mirroring CAUDIT's mandate for the Australasian sector at similar scale.

Regional players

• GÉANT: Europe's GÉANT operates the pan-European research and education networking infrastructure and coordinates national equivalents. While broader in geographic scope, it provides a structural parallel to CAUDIT's role coordinating cross-institution technology services for the higher education sector.
• REANNZ: New Zealand's Research and Education Advanced Network provides research and education networking services, mirroring AARNet's role in Australia. CAUDIT coordinates with REANNZ for New Zealand member connectivity, making it an adjacent peer in the same institutional ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• AARNet: Australia's Academic and Research Network provides the underlying telecommunications infrastructure for Australian universities and research institutions. It is a key infrastructure partner that CAUDIT's procurement and cybersecurity programs coordinate with across the same member institutions.

Emerging players

• Coalition for Networked Information (CNI): CNI is a US-based organization dedicated to advancing the transformative promise of networked information technology for the advancement of scholarly communication and the enrichment of intellectual productivity — addressing a similar CIO-level audience for thought leadership and benchmarking.

Others

• Australian Access Federation (AAF): Originating from a CAUDIT program of work, AAF provides federated identity services for Australian research and education. As a CAUDIT ecosystem partner providing authentication infrastructure, it is a tightly coupled adjacent organization rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@caudit-au
• Facebookfacebook.com/CAUDIT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caudit
• Instagraminstagram.com/caudit_aus
• Xx.com/cauditinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CAUDIT