What Information Services & Technology does

Information Services & Technology (IST) is a Perth-based, Australian family-owned software company founded in 1994 that develops and supports Collections MOSAiC, a desktop collections management system designed for museums, galleries, historical societies, libraries, and other cultural heritage organisations. The product is a Microsoft Windows-based database application that supports recording across multiple record types — including objects, photographs, documents, archives, books, artworks, and user-defined types — with linked People, Places, Events, unlimited images, attached documents, and oral histories. The software is built around international and Australian standards for collection documentation (including Object ID and the National Standards for Australian Museums) and is differentiated by a story-telling framework that connects records to narrative context rather than treating them as isolated catalogue entries.

IST operates on a per-computer perpetual licence model with no annual licence fees, which is structurally unusual relative to typical SaaS competitors. Prospective customers request a free evaluation pack via the company website, trial the software with up to 50 records per record type, and then purchase a licence to unlock full functionality. An optional annual support contract is available after an initial 6-month included support period; all clients also receive one free support call per calendar year. Ancillary revenue comes from fee-based training workshops (delivered in-person, onsite, or online, capped at 16 participants) and a separate MOSAiC Online subscription service that hosts published collections on the web at mosaiconline.com.au. Specific pricing is not publicly disclosed.

The company serves customers throughout Australasia (Australia and New Zealand), with Collections MOSAiC cumulatively licensed to over 700 sites. Distribution is entirely direct via the website — there are no resellers or channel partners — and the majority of new sales originate from customer recommendations and word-of-mouth, supported by an industry-association partnership with the Australian Museums and Galleries Association (AMaGA) and an extensive library of customer testimonials on the website. The business is operated by a small team of 1–10 employees led by technical director and sole software developer Andrew "Rew" and his wife Sally-Anne, who manages finance, administration, and customer-facing operations. There is no external investment, no institutional funding, and no disclosed revenue.

Name

Information Services & Technology

Legal name

Information Services & Technology Pty Ltd

Website

https://istechnology.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Information Services & Technology (IST) is a Perth-based, family-owned Australian software company that develops Collections MOSAiC, a Windows-based collections management system used by museums, galleries, historical societies, and cultural heritage organisations across Australasia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Collections Management Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (51321), Libraries and Archives (519210), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Collections management software
• Museum software
• Cultural heritage software
• Gallery management system
• Archival collections software

Headquarters

HQ city

Perth

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software License Sales: One-time per-computer license purchase with no annual licence fees. Software is licensed on a per-computer basis. Evaluation with 50-record limit free; license unlocks full functionality.
2. Annual Support Contracts: Optional annual support contracts available after initial 6-month free support period included with purchase. Provides ongoing technical support via email, telephone, and remote access.
3. Training Workshops: Fee-based training workshops offered in-person or online. Topics include Data Entry, Advanced Searching, Personalisation, and Advanced Collections Management.
4. MOSAiC Online Subscription: Web-based hosting option for publishing collections online, available as separate product with its own pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Information Services & Technology develops and licenses Collections MOSAiC, a desktop collections management system for museums, galleries, historical societies, libraries, and cultural heritage organisations to catalogue objects, photographs, documents, archives, books, artworks, and associated people, places, and events. The company also sells MOSAiC Online (a separate web publishing subscription) and offers fee-based training workshops and remote technical support for its software.

Product overview

Information Services & Technology offers a single core product called Collections MOSAiC, a collections management system for museums, galleries, and cultural heritage organisations. The product suite includes the desktop-based Collections MOSAiC software (currently at version 12) and MOSAiC Online, a companion web publishing add-on that allows organisations to share their collections online. The company also provides associated training workshops and remote support services, all delivered by the software's original developer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Collections MOSAiC: Collections management system for museums, galleries, historical societies, libraries, and cultural heritage organisations. Simple enough for beginners, sophisticated for professionals, and flexible enough to suit collections of any size.
• MOSAiC Online

Products and services

• Collections MOSAiC Desktop collections management software for museums, galleries, historical societies, libraries, and cultural heritage organisations. Supports Object, Photograph, Document, Archives, Book, Artwork and custom record types, links People, Places, Events and unlimited Objects, attaches unlimited images, documents, and oral histories, includes built-in and customisable reporting, and complies with International and Australian collection documentation standards. Licensed per-computer on a perpetual basis with no annual licence fees.
• MOSAiC Online Web-based publishing module that lets organisations upload collection data from Collections MOSAiC and expose it on the internet with controlled access permissions for public or staff searching. Sold as a separate product with its own subscription pricing.
• MOSAiC Training Workshops Fee-based day workshops delivered in-person (onsite at customer premises or regional locations) and online. Topics include Data Entry, Advanced Searching, Personalisation, and Advanced Collections Management. Maximum 16 participants per workshop. Delivered by the original software developer Rew.
• IST Remote Support Remote technical and user support service for MOSAiC clients via telephone, email, and remote desktop connection. First 6 months included with purchase for new clients; optional annual support contracts available thereafter; all clients receive one free support call per calendar year.

Quantifiable outcome

• 700+ sites licensed throughout Australasia
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Australian Museums and Galleries Association (AMaGA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAMaGA is the national organisation for the museums sector. IST references AMaGA resources and links to their site. AMaGA provides an online community for sharing information, ideas and news for the sector.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lucidea: Provider of Argus (museums) and CuadraSTAR (archives/special collections) CMS products. Directly comparable as a vertical CMS for cultural-heritage institutions, with similar emphasis on small and mid-sized cultural organisations.
• PastPerfect Software: US-based vendor of PastPerfect, a desktop collections management system widely used by small and mid-sized museums. Directly comparable to Collections MOSAiC in SMB positioning, perpetual-license model, and target customer profile, though concentrated in North America.
• Vernon Systems: New Zealand-based provider of Vernon CMS, a direct competitor in the Australasian market serving museums, galleries, libraries and archives. Highly comparable in vertical, geography, customer type, and pricing model, and the most direct head-to-head rival within ANZ.
• Adlib Information Systems: Dutch vendor of Adlib Museum and Adlib Archive collections management systems, used globally by museums, galleries and archives. Directly comparable in vertical, customer base, and features, with stronger enterprise and European footprint.
• Gallery Systems: Developer of TMS (The Museum System), the dominant global collections management system for museums and galleries. Directly comparable to Collections MOSAiC in target market, core functionality, and customer type, though typically serving larger institutions than IST's ANZ SMB niche.
• Axiell Group: Swedish-owned vendor of Axiell Collections (formerly Modes Complete), a leading museum and archive CMS used across Europe, Australia and globally. Closest large-scale competitor to MOSAiC in feature scope, with a cloud/SaaS architecture and broader geographic reach.

Emerging players

• CollectiveAccess: Open-source collections management platform used by museums, archives, and libraries. Comparable in core functionality and target market, but differentiated by open-source/community-driven model versus IST's proprietary Windows desktop product.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Information Services & Technology