Publisher Len Rust

Information and knowledge are the competitive weapons of our time. Knowledge is more valuable and more powerful than natural resources, big factories or fat bankrolls. In industry after industry, success comes to the companies that have the best information or wield it most effectively – not necessarily the companies with the most muscle.

Today it’s a confusing business landscape, it’s no wonder that management trends and fads come and go as quickly as good witches and bad witches in the “land of 0Z”. We had re-engineering then beyond reengineering. There was the Third Wave and there’s the Second Curve. There’s the power of leadership and there’s the power of followship. There’s even fad and denouncing fads and then there’s politics but we won’t go there!

Technology alone is rarely the key to unlocking economic value; companies create real wealth when they combine technology with new ways of doing business. The current economic environment has also intensified the pressure to do more with less. Companies are cutting costs and working on becoming more efficient, but at the same time they need to stay focused on, driving their competitive edge and building their businesses.

There is an increasing awareness of the importance of being ahead of the next so called “wave” of innovation. Many nations and firms have missed these opportunities in the past because they imagined the future to be the same as the present. There is an increasing awareness that Australia cannot afford to miss the next waves of innovation. Many are now asking what exactly will be the next wave. In order for a wave of innovation to occur there needs to be a significant array of relatively new and emerging technologies and a well recognised genuine need in the market that is leading to a market expansion.Our success depends on how well we exploit our most valuable assets, our knowledge, skills and creativity. These are the keys to designing high-value goods and services and advanced business practices. They are all at the heart of a modern knowledge driven economy. The new world will challenge our businesses to be innovative and creative, to improve performance continuously and to build new alliances and ventures both locally and globally. But it also challenges our Governments Federal and State to create and execute new approaches to industrial policy and to better understand the benefits of technologies.

Business leaders and our politicians need critical knowledge about the current states of markets and the emerging trends. Our leaders must learn to navigate real-time changes – whether the changes come from security issues, competitors, users’ technologies or global economic factors. Developing and maintaining an ability to anticipate the future in the face of uncertainty, disruptions and at times chaos are an essential part of leading our future. Complex and fast changing trends must be integrated into business and government strategies.

The impact of technology on society has already been profound. Technology has reshaped the way we work, learn, govern and even play through a host of digital devices. The pace of change has been remarkable, with many things that were initially considered impossible or impractical only a few decades ago now are seen as routine. One big concern as we move into the next generation given the diversity of technologies and the complexity of the infrastructures underpinning them, the very nature of digital technology will represent a major accomplishment and a real challenge for computer science professionals.

To tackle problems in health, education and climate change we must seriously look at what it means to be a computing professional and the skills and attitudes that we need to develop collectively. In fact the boundary of the technology sector has enlarged to the point where it is becoming meaningless to think of just an IT sector.

—Len Rust, rustoz@bigpond.com

OAKTON (ASX: OKN) reported revenue $85.4m (down 7.2% on the prior corresponding period) EBITDA of $10.4m (down 7.1%). Neil Wilson MD and CEO commented “As indicated at our AGM in October 2011, market conditions were softening and as the first half progressed conditions further deteriorated as the impacts of international economic pressures were felt domestically. These pressures have lead to a large number of project deferrals and delays by clients which have materially impacted our trading performance in most locations”.

VOCUS COMMUNICATIONS (ASX: VOC) announced its expected results for the first half of FY2012. Expected revenue will be $21.9m up 57% from $13.9m in the previous corresponding period. Underlying Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) excluding foreign exchange gains and losses is expected to be between $7.5m to $7.6m up 63% from $4.6m. James Spenceley CEO of Vocus said “The results show the company transforming from a niche provider of wholesale Internet into a core provider of infrastructure based telecommunications services”.

RECKON (ASX: RKN) the CEO Clive Rabie said”The Reckon Group delivered a very solid profit result despite significant headwinds during the 2011 year”. Revenue increased 1% from $90.3m to $91.3m for the year ending 31st December. NPAT increased 6% from $17.3m to $18.3m. Clive Rabie commented “in particular cloud computing solutions in all our businesses is becoming increasingly demanded for by our clients and the market generally. The company is in an enviable position to provide these solutions and hence we are excited by the potential that this could provide”.

DWS (ASX: DWS) revenue for the half year was up 14% to $55.3m EBITDA up 10% to $14.02m. The company stated the operating environment during H1 has been challenging but DWS delivered a solid result. Investment in new lines of business and new regions during FY11 is now providing revenue and earnings growth. The company is looking to continue building its pipeline of work with larger, solutions based on opportunities which will drive higher utilisation and longer engagements. Areas of focus also include cloud technologies and managed services.

Australian data centre spending to grow 10.6% in 2012: Gartner
CIOs ranked cloud and virtualisation amongst their top five technology priorities for 2012 in Gartner’s global survey of 2,300 CIOs. Spending on data centre hardware in Australia is projected to reach almost $2 billion (US$2.13 billion) in 2012, up 10.6 percent from 2011, according to Gartner forecasts.At Gartner’s Infrastructure, Operations and Data Centre Summit in March (5&6 – Sydney, Darling Harbour), analysts will explore the trends and technologies including virtualisation, cloud computing, BYO device programs, managing and securing mobile devices, the shrinking data centre, disaster recovery, unabated data explosion, fabric computing and infrastructure convergence. Visit http://www.gartner.com/ap/datacenter for more information.

2012 year of growth for cloud services: Telstra
Telstra predicts more Australian businesses will move to the cloud in 2012 on the back of a record year of investment. Research by Informa’s Telecom Cloud Monitor has identified Telstra as the fourth biggest investor of 127 cloud operators worldwide, behind AT&T and CenturyLink in the US and Japan’s NTT.Telstra CEO David Thodey unveiled an $800 million investment program in mid 2011 to support the growing demand from Australian business for cloud services over the next five years. Telstra Business Group Managing Director Will Irving said Telstra’s investment would help drive cloud adoption in the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector. “We now have more than 700 SME customers signing up for services each week and more than 1000 resellers on board,” he said. “Our research shows businesses could save up to $7000 a year over three years compared to what they would normally spend setting up on-premises servers and our customers can’t go past that value proposition.

Kiandra IT ranked 13 on MSPmentor top 25
Kiandra IT has been recognised as one of the fastest growing managed services companies, coming in at 13 on the MSPmentor Asia, Australia and New Zealand list. The MSPmentor ranks companies on a range of metrics, including annual recurring revenue (ARR), total devices managed, revenue per employee and growth rates (percentage and dollar figures). The MSPmentor ranks the top managed services companies globally as well as regionally. Chris Munro, Director – Technology Infrastructure, said: “Recognition is due to both Kiandra employees and customers, both of whom have a strong influence in our ongoing success, enabling us to deliver innovative solutions in a very competitive market.”

Mobile malware accelerates
Juniper Networks just-released 2011 Mobile Threats Report has shown that mobile malware has reached a new stage of maturation. The report, the company says, is one of the largest first-hand quantitative research studies of its kind. The top three findings were:

1. There is more malware than ever before.
2011 saw a record number of mobile malware attacks —particularly to the Google Android platform.
2. Mobile malware has gotten smarter.
Cybercriminals continue to hone their craft by finding new ways to exploit vulnerabilities and human behavior for profit across all mobile platforms and devices.
3. The barrier to entry is low.
Data shows an evolution from sophisticated, complex and deep technical attacks to schemes that are lightweight, social and able to deliver fast profits. As mobile users download more applications than ever before, applications themselves are becoming the “killer app” for hackers and the most popular way to compromise devices.

SilverStripe picks Victoria as Australian home
New Zealand technology company SilverStripe has chosen to set up its Australian headquarters in Victoria, bringing 50 new highly-skilled jobs to the state. Established in 2000, privately-owned SilverStripe is a leader in open source content management systems and a provider of web development services. Vic Minister for Technology Gordon Rich-PhillipsRich-Phillips said: “SilverStripe’s decision to establish its Australian headquarters in Victoria represents a boost for our state’s reputation as a leading technology hub and will deliver significant direct and indirect economic benefits,” Mr Rich-Phillips said.The rapidly growing company is the latest New Zealand technology company to establish a presence in Victoria, joining other industry leaders Gen-i, Xero and Tait Communications.

NICTA targets industry productivity at Techfest 2012
Techfest 2012, the seventh annual showcase of ICT research from NICTA, will take place on Thursday 23 February 2012 from 1.00pm – 6.30pm at the Australian Technology Park in Sydney. The day will feature the opening of our new Digital Productivity Showcase, a purpose-built, permanent demonstration space inside NICTA’s ATP Lab which will showcase our latest applications for the digital economy. Visit http://www.nicta.com.au/events/techfest2012 for more information and to register.

Worldwide BI software revenue is forecast to reach almost US$12.5 billion in 2012, up 7.2 percent over last year. Gartner’s view is that BI will remain one of the fastest growing software markets, despite sluggish economic growth in some regions, as organisations continue to turn to BI as a vital tool for smarter, more agile and efficient business.

Chief information officers (CIOs) ranked BI and analytics as their top technology priority for 2012, according to a new Gartner survey of more than 2,300 CIOs worldwide.

Speaking ahead of his keynote address at the Gartner Business Intelligence & Information Management Summit in Sydney this month, Gartner managing vice president Ian Bertram said that during the next 10 years, the explosion of information will be the biggest opportunity for BI and also its biggest challenge.

“The extreme volume, velocity and variety of data will add stress to current approaches to BI and are increasingly capturing the attention of both the BI industry and buyers”, he said.

Mr. Bertram said that there was a widening BI maturity gap between organisations in Australia at the moment.

“In Australia, many organisations are still focused on foundational BI concepts that revolve around strategy, skills, competencies and process,” he said. “Then we have organisations looking for more advanced analytics capabilities to build on those foundations. This is really where they need to be to set themselves up for the future”.

According to Mr. Bertram, the success of business intelligence efforts in organisations will depend on how they handle big data and new styles of advanced analytics.

Business intelligence efforts flourish with large datasets. The larger the dataset, the easier it is to uncover hidden subtle patterns and trends and, therefore, opportunities that are likely to evade the competition. BI derived from big data is crucial to business competition and will depend on significant evolution of BI competencies and data warehouse architectures.

“It’s not just traditional BI performed on bigger datasets,” said Mr. Bertram. “It also tackles data variety, velocity and complexity. The business requirement to conquer and mine big data is here to stay for most enterprises. The potential value is huge, but the technologies and skills to manage big data BI depart drastically from traditional data warehousing, dimensional modelling, BI and OLAP”.

Advanced analytics

While BI serves a distinct purpose for sharing, summarising and manually exploring data and metrics, more advanced analytics can aid and even automate decision-making. Pending a convergence of these capabilities, Gartner advises organisations to consider BI and advanced analytics distinctly from one another, recognizing the advantages and unique use cases of each.

Next generation analytics will expand beyond measuring and describing the past to predicting what is likely to happen and optimizing what should happen based on an increasingly varied set of data sources and types. The addition of mobile, social and collaborative technologies to advanced analytics tools will give a broader set of users insight for decision making when and where they need it.

“Organisations will need to put in place new processes and technologies to capitalise on this opportunity,” said Mr. Bertram. “Lack of skills will be the biggest challenge to success”.

Further information about big data, advanced analytics and other advancements in business intelligence can be found in the report Ten Reasons to Reach Beyond Basic Business Intelligence, available on Gartner’s web site at: http://www.gartner.com/resId=1911314

IT managers at 6,000 SMBs in 18 countries, including 311 in Australia, were surveyed for the Acronis Global Disaster Recovery Index 2012. They predict that 29% of their servers will be virtualised by the end of the year, a growth rate of 21%. This is 50% higher than the pace identified in a recent Gartner report that predicted virtualisation adoption by enterprises is to increase by 14% over the same period.

Virtual Data at Risk
According to the Acronis survey, SMBs cite increased efficiency, flexibility and speed of deployment as the main drivers for server virtualisation. However, despite the planned adoption of virtual machines (VMs), the survey identified widespread backup and disaster recovery shortcomings, including:

• A third (33%) admit that they don’t back up their VMs as often as their physical ones (38% in Australia);
• •Almost half (49%) back up their VMs infrequently, typically weekly or monthly (62% in Australia);
• Just 37% back up their VMs on a daily basis (38% in Australia).

Although VMs seem to get short thrift in the backup and DR department, survey respondents claim that the monetary value of data hosted on virtual servers is almost identical to that hosted on physical servers.

Commenting on the findings, Karl Sice, General Manager – Pacific at Acronis, said: “Virtualisation has become more affordable and relatively easy for SMBs to implement – the high growth rate of virtualisation adoption should not be a surprise. Since protecting data is a fundamental requirement and a best practice for any business of any size today, it’s particularly disappointing that VMs get overlooked. Some businesses are potentially playing Russian roulette with their virtual backups and, if their luck runs out, will face very real consequences that may adversely impact their business”.

A cloudy future?
When asked about cloud adoption, the vast majority of organisations (83%) (86% in Australia) surveyed have some form of cloud-based IT infrastructure, which has grown by 13%. As a specific category, cloud now represents a sizeable 19% of all IT infrastructure. In fact only 19% of businesses are using the cloud today, despite 87% predicting that usage would increase during 2011. SMBs cited several reasons for their less-than-expected cloud usage, including concerns about recovery of data in the event of a disaster, security risks and lack of trust in cloud providers.

2012 cloud usage predictions seem far more grounded with just one in four (26%) (18% in Australia) anticipating that more than 50% of their IT infrastructure will be cloud-based in 2012. Australian SMBs say that cloud adoption this year will be driven by three factors: lower IT operating costs; better quality infrastructure; and additional or flexible storage space. Other cloud findings include:

• Using the cloud for offsite backup is becoming a popular choice with over a fifth (21%) using it for this purpose (14% in Australia);
• Almost half (42%) still rely on the traditional approach of physically taking backup tapes or disk offsite each day (28% in Australia);
• Almost a quarter (23%) still don’t have an offsite backup strategy in place at all (in Australia this rises to an alarming 36%).

The Telsyte Australian media tablet study 2012 indicates more than 1.4 million media tablets were sold in Australia in 2011, representing an annual growth rate of more than 330 per cent. In 2012, Telsyte expects more than 2 million media tablets will be sold locally, growing to 5 million by 2016.

On current trends Telsyte estimates around half of the Australian population will be using a media tablet by 2016. According to Telsyte’s research, the media tablet market, at retail prices, generated around $1 billion in 2011. Apple’s iPad remains the most popular device making up around 76% of industry sales in 2011 or a little more than 1 million units.

Telsyte believes that Microsoft’s incoming Windows 8 operating system on tablet form factors has the potential to accelerate the market, particularly in the business segment. Telsyte predicts mobile carriers will be a growing channel for vendors, particularly with the arrival of LTE (4G) tablets in 2012.

The media tablet audience is also growing rapidly as device proliferation continues unabated, especially within families, where a device is often shared between two or more people. The rapidly growing audience is creating unprecedented opportunities for media publishers that are delivering their content via dedicated applications.

The Telsyte Australian media tablet study 2012 is a comprehensive 101 page report which provides subscribers with key market estimates, forecasts and vendor and platform shares across devices sold, installed based and audience. The report contains analyst insights and strategies for vendors, carriers, retailers and digital publishers looking to thrive in the fast growing media tablet ecosystem.

Telsyte’s media tablet research covers the A-to-Z of the media tablet industry, with more than 30 companies considered including: ABC, Acer, Apple, Asus, Avaya, Cisco, Dell, Google, Fairfax, Fujitsu, HP, HTC, Huawei, Lenovo, LG, Microsoft, Motorola, News Limited, NEC, Optus, RIM, Samsung, Sensis, Sony, Telstra, Toshiba, VHA, Viewsonic and ZTE.

Adrian Briscoe

Please provide a brief overview of the company.

Kroll Ontrack is the leading provider of data recovery, information management and legal technologies products and services. We help consumers, business and government entities with their requirements for data recovery, data destruction, paper and electronic discovery, document review, computer forensics, and ESI consulting. In Australia, we have offices and a cleanroom facility based in Brisbane which houses a team of laboratory experts able to fix mechanically failed hard drives and extract useful data.

What sets the company apart from your competitors?

Our customer service and technological leadership! Our unique customer service model allows customers to make informed decisions about their data recovery. We provide customers with a detailed listing of files that can be recovered before they commit to a data recovery. This prevents unnecessary cost and provides transparency in the data recovery process. We are able to perform data recoveries faster, on more data platforms and with greater success rates than any of our competitors. Our customers benefit because they get more of their data back and they get it fast. One aspect that is often overlooked with regards to data recovery is data security. If you are sending your data to a data recovery specialist you want to make absolutely sure they are reputable, have data security protocols in place, secure premises, and vet staff. Kroll Ontrack complies in all of these areas and meets the high requirements of government and law enforcement agencies. Always ask yourself if you can entrust your data with your service provider. We are the only data recovery company in Australia to offer a full suite of recovery solutions, enabling recovery anywhere, anytime from virtually any operating system, storage or media type and cause of data loss.

Who are your typical prospects and customers?

In reality, we assist anyone from a consumer who may have lost their cherished childhood photos to a financial services firm trying to retrieve key account transactions and a trail of business critical email evidence.

When talking to customers/prospects what things are top of their agendas today?

Most our customers wrestle with virtualisation, data in the cloud and ‘old’ data. Today, virtualisation is almost a mainstream concept but the high rate of human error we encounter in data recovery scenarios demonstrates that IT departments still struggle with virtualisation in their backup strategies and disaster recovery planning. The cloud brings new challenges with regards to where the data resides and who is responsible when things go wrong.  The impact of BYO devices into the workplace adds additional layers of complexity especially when data needs to be securely erased. Finally, lifecycle management and what to do with ‘end of life’ or old data is increasingly becoming a concern.

What are the company’s greatest challenges right now?

We are very proud of our advances in flash and solid state drive recovery and will keep on investing in this technology. However, in order to remain ahead of the market demand for recovery in this space, we are putting huge efforts into solid state device (SSD) research and development to build new tools to recover data. With the release of SSDs into enterprise storage, it will not be long before there will be requirements to help in data recovery and data erasing of this type of media.

And greatest opportunities?

Our greatest opportunities lie in the area of virtual environments, the cloud and high- end storage systems. Due to the increased complexity of data solutions and the amount of data involved, any data loss can seriously impact business operations and the future of a company. Having worldwide resources, a 24/7 service and being fast should position Kroll Ontrack well. We are also in the wonderful position that we are recommended by storage and device providers and our work does not void warranties with a number of vendors.

What are the core messages you want the marketplace to know about your company?

In spite of all precautions, contingency and disaster recovery plans, data loss is still a fact of live for consumers and businesses alike. If your data is valuable or business critical make sure you have it recovered by the best-equipped company in the world. In many case you will only get one good attempt at recovering data so try to avoid the temptation of trying it yourself or shop for cheap options. Also, no matter how catastrophic your data loss may look like, never assume all data is lost.  However bad the situation, there is always hope to recover data regardless of media type.

Meltwater partners with online promotions company Strutta
The Meltwater Group, online media intelligence company, and and Strutta Media, developer of social marketing applications and analytics for the next generation of online promotions, has announced a strategic partnership.  Through this venture, Meltwater will deliver a more robust social media marketing offering, helping companies to more effectively engage with their key stakeholders. Meltwater continues its growth after the acquisition of both JitterJam, a social CRM company, and IceRocket, a blog analytics tool, strengthening Meltwater’s capabilities in social CRM and search engine marketing.  More than ever, the company is now positioned to deliver a suite of social media marketing solutions for its clients and extend its core capabilities beyond social and digital analytics. “As more organisations move customer promotions and digital marketing to social channels, understanding the subsequent impact on your brand becomes an integral element of a successful marketing campaign,” said Niklas de Besche, Executive Director of Meltwater Buzz.

Logica and Cisco install intelligent network at King Island power upgrade
Logica Australia, IT and business services provider has partnered with Cisco to upgrade the communications network at Tasmania’s King Island power station. The upgrade is a key component of Hydro Tasmania’s $46 million King Island Renewable Energy Integration Project (KIREIP). The King Island project will see 65% of the island’s energy needs supplied from renewable sources. It will combine wind, solar, storage technology and smart grid management systems while also trialling biodiesel. If the biodiesel trial is successful, CO2 emissions will be reduced by up to 95%. David Brown, Project Manager Hydro Tasmania, explains: “We selected Logica and Cisco because they offered a robust, state-of-the-art, reliable communications system for a very complex power station operating in harsh environmental conditions, combined with a good commercial outcome. They helped us deliver a key aspect of the King Island Renewable Energy Integration Project.”

Liberty chosen for Kangan Institute Library and Learning Centre
Kangan Institute, a Victorian TAFE with six campuses across Melbourne, has chosen Liberty to facilitate its resource management and learning objectives. Developed by Softlink, a world leader in library and knowledge management solutions, Liberty is a web-based information management solution that offers 24/7 connectivity to resources across multiple devices. Softlink’s Liberty package won out over several other international library system vendors after the Kangan Institute went to tender for the Library and Learning Centre’s new system. Their main requirement was for a “cutting-edge Library Management System” and Liberty became their preferred option. “Liberty presented the strongest overall package, with specific features such as Moodle integration and federated search already developed and included within the package,” said Mehmet Tuncel, Learning Resource Services Manager of Kangan Institute.

Logan City Council rolls out BlinkMobile Interactive
Logan City Council will extend its mobile strategy across more Council departments using BlinkMobile Interactive, an Australian Platform-as-a-Service provider which enables the rapid development and deployment of mobile business services. The roll out follows a successful recent trial in which Logan City Council’s Information Services (IS) team and its City Standards branch began working together with Rype, a Queensland-headquartered mobile and cloud integration consultancy, to provide a mobile data collection capability so that Council inspectors can spend more productive time out in the field rather than being back in the office attending to paperwork.  Chief Information Officer, Jim Barclay says, “The team who trialled the mobile technology decided … unanimously that the pilot was a success, delivering increased productivity and efficiency for officers.  Inspectors found they were able to stay in the field for longer and didn’t have to return to the office as frequently to input the data they had collected. This is something we’ve been working on for around ten years now and the Rype/BlinkMobile solution has been pivotal in getting us to this point. They’ve enabled us to develop a platform which allows mobile devices to have secure access to Council’s systems with fantastic outcomes.”

StayinFront to automate turn in orders for J.A. Davey pharmacy
StayinFront, a leading global provider of customer relationship management systems and mobile sales force effectiveness tools, is continuing its highly successful expansion into Australia’s Over the Counter (OTC)/pharmaceutical distribution network with the announcement of J.A. Davey Pty Ltd as the latest customer of the StayinFront EdgeCG SaaS (software-as-a-service) consumer goods CRM and Analytics solution. Melbourne-headquartered J.A. Davey supplies medical equipment and healthcare products from leading brands such as Omron and Kobayashi to pharmacies across Australia. The company wanted to lift the effectiveness of its national pharmacy team with a strategic shift from paper to a cloud-based, fully automated field force sales and marketing solution. The key requirements were for a fully-hosted SaaS solution which could be rapidly implemented and was easy to use, minimising disruption to the J.A. Davey field representatives. Kerrie-Anne Turner, StayinFront’s APAC Vice President and Managing Director Australia, said: “Our growing reputation in the highly competitive OTC market segment is making it easier for companies like J.A Davey to evaluate our offering and confirm our credentials for a fast transition to effective field force automation.”

G&D to supply turnkey TSM solution for CBA mobile payment rollout
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia is adding multiple mobile phone-based payment options to its range of mobile banking services. Greman Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) is providing the technology to allow secure contactless payments using mobile phones featuring Near Field Communication (NFC). In the first phase, Commonwealth Bank is giving iPhone 4 and 4S owners the opportunity to transfer their MasterCard® PayPass™ details onto their smartphone. Since the iPhone does not currently feature an NFC chip for contactless payment, a special cover with a Secure Element has been developed for iPhones to enable NFC data transfer.The iPhone cover, which can be ordered through Commonwealth Bank, is hooked up to the iPhone data interface and automatically communicates with the “Commbank Kaching” app installed on the iPhone. In the next phase, this set of mobile payment functions will also be made available to Android users.

EYEfi launches Aussie technology with Telstra
Melbourne based technology developer and application services provider, EYEfi Pty Ltd, has licensed its spatial video technology to Telstra Corporation in a multi-year national agreement.  EYEfi Founder and tech entrepreneur, Simon Langdon, says that the agreement comes off the back of 6 years development work and is another important milestone in a series of steps the business will take this coming year, as EYEfi continues to trail-blaze at the government and industry end of the cloud application spectrum. The unique engagement between the small Collingwood based tech SME and Telstra, has EYEfi continuing to focus on the development of its cutting-edge technology and solution roadmap, while Telstra takes primary role in taking the product to market as an innovative subscription based cloud service for government and industry customers across Australia.

STERLING IT provides a single source for computing and networking hardware, software and supporting services. The company specialises in small business, corporate and government markets. Sterling IT supports clients around Australia, China, New Zealand and Fiji. Sterling’s commitment is to service, combined with technical expertise, product knowledge and dedicated employees to deliver the technology solutions customers need. www.sterlingit.com.au

BRIGHTLABS is a multi-award winning online solutions agency that provides strategic, creative and results-focused online solutions for the corporate and consumer markets. Brightlabs core services comprise Online Strategy, Web Design, Web Development, Online Marketing and Infrastructure supported by an advanced and secure technology platform. Brightlabs’ strategic approach to delivering online solutions has resulted in the servicing and retaining over 300 clients from major businesses, government departments and household brands. www.brigtlabs.com.au

RED RIVER SOLUTIONS combines the skills and experience of business analysts and consultants in the areas of Accounting, Business Management and Project Management. The company assists clients develop business intelligence and CRM solutions that help achieve their performance and profitability goals. The Red River Solutions software development team utilise solid business understanding with cutting edge development technology to build intelligent software for today’s demanding business environment. www.redriver.com.au

LOCATRIX is a developer of mobile location-based and social networking application services. When deployed by operator partners Locatrix solutions engage mobile subscribers and unlock the mobile social networking market. Inspired is a location-based content-management system (CMS), which allows the creation of directed media-rich mobile applications to deliver learning experiences, reward-based treasure-hunts and mobile games. Chime™ is a voice-to-SMS gateway ideal for markets wishing to augment SMS revenues with engaging user experiences. www.logicalTech.com.au

LOGICAL TECH partners with its clients to deliver robust and secure business solutions. Logical Tech has a strong sense of family and integrity. The Logical Tech people are an essential ingredient of the company; teams are made up of the industries’ most talented professionals from across Australia and around the globe with over 15 different nationalities represented. The company considers relationships with partners are the as important as relationships with customers. www.logicalTech.com.au

Adobe appoints English Group Marketing Manager, ANZ
Adobe has announced the appointment of Ben English as Group Marketing Manager, Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) reporting to Mark Phibbs, Senior Director, APAC Marketing. He will lead Adobe’s marketing strategy to meet the company’s business objectives and drive brand awareness across the region. With more than 15 years’ experience in ICT marketing, Ben will play an instrumental role in the development and execution of customer focused strategies across all of Adobe’s channels in Australia and New Zealand, working closely with the sales team to deliver best of breed service and results. He will also be responsible for Adobe’s program planning, demand marketing, resource and relationship management, and will manage the Adobe marketing teams in both countries. Prior to joining Adobe, he held senior marketing and customer relations roles at Microsoft UK and Australia, IBM UK and Australia, and ran his own marketing consulting business. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Mathematics from the UK’s Teesside University, and a Master of Business Administration from Warwick University.

Hitachi Data Systems ANZ appoints Roscarel to lead media and entertainment
Hitachi Data Systems Corporation has appointed Keith Roscarel as principal consultant for its media and entertainment business, across Australia and New Zealand. Based in Sydney, he will be responsible for driving sales of Hitachi products to communications, media and entertainment (CME) customers in the region. Keith joins the company with over 20 years’ experience in the IT industry, including previous roles as CIO of Nine Network Australia, program manager for FOXTEL and general manager of software development for CPH and PBL Media. “The growing media and entertainment industry in Australia and New Zealand represents a huge opportunity for our business and Keith’s appointment, along with the recent acquisition of BlueArc, give us a compelling offering to this sector,” said Neville Vincent, general manager, Hitachi Data Systems Australia and New Zealand.

Emerson Network Power Asia appoints Churchill VP for services and projects
Emerson Network Power, a business of Emerson (NYSE:EMR) focused on maximizing availability, capacity and efficiency of critical infrastructure, has announced the appointment of Paul Churchill as vice president for services and projects, covering Australia and New Zealand, South East Asia, Japan, South Korea and Pakistan. Churchill will report directly to Anand Sanghi, president of Emerson Network Power, Asia market. Churchill started with Emerson Network Power in Australia in 2004 and was made director of Emerson’s Asia Pacific service business three years later. He was promoted to senior director, service and project management in 2010. Since joining the company, he has spearheaded the rapid growth of Emerson Network Power’s business in the region, anchored around its service delivery processes.

NICTA welcomes new Board member Tony Henshaw
Tony Henshaw has been appointed to the NICTA Board. Henshaw has worked in the industry for over 35 years, holding senior roles at Telstra, Unisys, EDS, Aspect Computing and Computer Power. Mr Henshaw recently retired from NYSE-listed IT software and services company Unisys, where he was Vice President and General Manager for the company’s outsourcing and infrastructure services business in the Asia Pacific. “The way NICTA connects university and public sector research with commercial outcomes is particularly inspiring,” said Mr Henshaw. “I look forward to working with the Board to guide NICTA as it pursues opportunities for wealth creation for Australia.” Henshaw has been extensively involved in the development of IT and telecommunications in Australia. He was a member of the Federal Government’s Industry Research and Development Board for 5 years (1988 to 1993), including acting as Chair of the Board for 12 months.

Willox appointed as Australian Industry Group Chief Executive
The Australian Industry Group National Executive meeting in Canberra last week saw the appointment of Innes Willox as the organisation’s new Chief Executive. Willox succeeds Heather Ridout in this important industry leadership role.  His appointment is effective from 1 May. Ai Group National President Lucio Di Bartolomeo said: “Mr Willox is a highly regarded member of Ai Group’s leadership team and has had a key role in the organisation’s policy development and advocacy work.  We have great confidence in his ability to continue to grow the organisation in the years ahead.” “In making the appointment, the National Executive recognised Mr Willox’s achievements in his current role as Director International and Government Relations, a position he has held since joining Ai Group in 2008.  It noted Mr Willox’s strong background in senior roles in the private and public sectors both in Australia and internationally,” Mr Di Bartolomeo said.

Varicent appoints Flanagan as country manager
Varicent Software, provider of incentive compensation and sales performance management (SPM) solutions, has announced the appointment of Keith Flanagan as Country Manager for Australia. In this new role, Flanagan will be responsible for managing the company’s growth in Australia, building the Varicent brand’s presence among partners and customers and expanding Varicent’s service offering in support of global and local brands. Flanagan brings over two decades of experience in the IT sector to Varicent’s Australian operations. Having worked with organisations such as Lucent Technologies, Verint and many of Australia’s largest System Integrators, Flanagan’s depth of experience will enable Varicent to expand their Australian operations and provide effective incentive compensation and sales performance management solutions to Australian companies.

CDRU hires Peter Dimauro
ICT cost management consulting firm CDRU, a BRW Fast starter (60th position in 2011), has hired Peter Dimauro. Previously he was the sales Director at IT Newcom. TPI and ITNewcom are competitors to CDRU in the IT outsourcing advisory marketplace, and the team is pleased to have Peter join Cost Down Revenue Up ‘CDRU’.  Peter Dimauro has over 25 years IT experience.  He has focused on the Government and enterprise Australian outsourcing services market over the past few years. CDRU has offices in QLD and NSW and is expanding into other states.