Synergetic has been developed by CDA using our history of over 30 years in providing solutions to school management through increasingly integrated computer systems.


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Computing Directions

Managing Director

Timothy Dawson

Business Director

John Lynch

Development Manager

Andrew Rose

Resource Manager

Andrew Paydon

Support Manager

Chris Steel

Database/Network Administration

Stephen Lynch, David Armstrong, Dody Kurniawan

Accounts

Jeremy Livera

Administration & PA to MD

Mia Cuttriss

Software Development

Simon Welsh, Yoga Santosa, Peter Berry, Alan Massing

Software Testing

Ryan Fernando

Crystal Reports & Customisation

Terasa Benson, Nick Jandric

Implementation & Conversion

Ian Johnson, David Cooper, Michael Blucher

Senior Trainers

Anelie Somodio, Tony Pentogenis

Project Management

Tony Pentogenis, James Overell

Customer Liaison

Bill Triskelidis, James Overell

Customer Support & Training

 

Luke Wilhelm, Bill Triskelidis, Daniel Marion, Chamil Fernando, Phillippa Hall, Ravish Aggarwal


 

Established in 1978 by John Lynch, Computing Directions Australia has secured a strong client base of independent schools and colleges in Victoria, Western Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, ACT, Tasmania, South Australia and New Zealand.

 

John’s involvement with management information systems for educational institutions was initiated during his time with the Management Consultants division of Price Waterhouse. He was responsible for the recommendation of computer systems to audit clients.

At the time of John’s decision to establish his own software company, schools were moving in the direction of first-time, in-house systems. John’s personal commitment to clients has, over many years, won him a loyal client base and a reputation for software of quality and reliability.

To maintain the high level of personal support to clients and continue growth, John recognised the need to expand the company. Tim Dawson joined CDA in 1986.

In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s as clients invested in networked PCs and a range of operating environments - a major impact for applications software systems - John and Tim responded with the DOS based NICHE Management Systems for Schools.

Throughout 1998/99 Computing Directions Australia progressively released SynergyOne, an ODBC compliant database designed specifically for educational institutions management in the Windows environment.

SynergyOne was renamed in 2002 becoming SYNERGETIC Management System for Schools.

As a director and co-owner of the company Tim is responsible for the planning and design of SYNERGETIC into the future. Together, John and Tim have demonstrated their expertise and experience in the complex world of changing technology, languages and development tools.

With the appointment of Andrew Rose in 1993, and subsequent elevation to Development Manager the company further demonstrated its commitment to product evolution, client service and support. Andrew is responsible for many of the advanced features of SYNERGETIC and he is now involved in evolving our next generation of software – web access.

During 2004 in recognition of our company’s growth we relocated from Mt Waverley to our present office in Burwood East. Our new facilities also include a custom computer lab to facilitate ongoing client training.

Tony Pentogenis and Anelie Somodio are our Senior Trainers. Tony conducts the finance training courses and also has the role of Project Manager, responsible for the scheduling and planning of new installations. Anelie has a teaching background and looks after training in the Assessment, Development and Future Student areas.

Simon Welsh, Yoga Santosa, Peter Berry and Alan Massing make up our Software Development team. The team has experience in Delphi, .NET and SQL Servers. Simon Welsh has experience in Delphi and has been previous involvement in developing Point of Sale software system. Peter has over 25 years in Software Development, is a senior member of the Australian Computer Society and is currently undertaking postgraduate studies in technology management. Alan is our newest member with over 10 years experience in software development, including educational software.

James Overell is our Client Liaison and also has a hand in Project Management. He has degrees in IT and Commerce and has joined us from an existing Synergetic School, so we welcome his hands on experience. Working with James is Ryan Fernando. Ryan has a degree in Business Systems and has joined the company from a banking background. He is involved in software testing and documentation.

Our Resource Manager is Andrew Paydon. He is responsible for the preparation and costing of task specifications and the allocation of appropriate staff to fulfil client requests in the areas of Crystal Reports and training. He has a Diploma in IT Software Development with proven retail customer service abilities. Andrew has the support of two specialist developers, Terasa Benson and Nick Jandric, to assist in the production of Crystal Reports and custom work required by clients.

Steve Lynch, David Armstrong and Dody Kurniawan form our Database Administration/Network Tech Support Team.
Steve has training in Microsoft network administration and SQL Server. He joined the company mid 1999 in a support role and is now responsible for Database Administration, SQL Programming and Network Tech Support. David has a Bachelor of Computer Science, and has worked his way from Support to Data Conversion, and now into his role as a Database Administrator and SQL Programmer. Dody has completed a Postgraduate Degree in Business and Information Technology and is MCSA qualified. Dody’s role is Network Tech Support and specialises in server implementations.

Our Conversion team comprises Ian Johnson, David Cooper and Michael Blucher. Ian has a broad SQL Server background and has several years of financial systems experience. David has experience working as a applications designer and developer, and in the development / maintenance of software packages used for reporting student enrolment statistics to government departments. Michael is the newest member of our implementations group, with over 18 years experience in School Administration Software Packages. The conversion team work together to ensure the migration of new clients to Synergetic is made as smooth as possible.

Jeremy Livera looks after Accounts. Jeremy is an experienced accountant with membership of CPA Australia. As well as performing accounting and business management duties for the company his experience and knowledge are used by our support and development teams.

Mia Cuttriss is currently the Personal Assistant to the Managing Director and has an extensive customer service and administration background and also looks after the general administration of the office, including coordination of internal client training courses held at our lab.

Our Support team comprises Chris Steel, Bill Triskelidis, Luke Wilhelm, Daniel Marion, Chamil Fernando, Phillippa Hall & Ravish Aggarwal.

Chris is our Support Manager. He joined the company in 1999 and has extensive knowledge of the Synergetic system. Bill works in a support and training capacity and also fulfils a role as client liaison. Bill is responsible for maintaining the data export routines are regularly kept up to date. Luke comes to us from an existing Synergetic school and brings to the support team finance and IT experience. Luke is also involved in the running of client finance training courses. Chamil has had extensive experience in support call centres and has a reputation for quality in this area. Phillippa is an experienced Synergetic user from WA, having used the system as a Deputy Business Manager in Perth. Ravish has a Masters in IT and has previous experience working in IT support. Daniel is the newest member of the team having worked as a Manager for Optus Telecommunications and a background in software programming.

 

Computing Directions Australia P/L specialises in the development and support of management information systems for schools and colleges. While leading product development and rigid adherence to standards are the trademarks of Synergetic Management Systems, the continuing support by our experienced staff ensures that our client’s software investment remains secure.