Publisher Len Rust

Computer systems and applications that constitute today’s information technology pervade every part of every business and government, throughout Australia. IT’s rapid evolution has challenged business, government and non-profit organisations to extract the most benefits from their systems and applications and to update them as the organisations needs evolve.

To some, IT departments should constantly modernise their systems, incrementally improving and adapting systems as needs and technologies change. But the reality is quite different. There are dozens of ways that systems can become suddenly and irrevocably out of date: current suppliers go out of business or are acquired; market trends shift and organisations are bought, sold or merged.

When reality finally does catch up, a thoughtful and thorough modernisation effort is the only solution. IT is one of the key factors driving ‘progress’ today it is transforming the way we live, learn, work and play. Advances in computing and communications technology are creating new infrastructures for business, governments, scientific research and social interaction. This expanding infrastructure provides us with new tools for communicating throughout the world and for acquiring knowledge and insight from information. Information technology is also helping us understand how we effect the natural environment and how best to protect it.

It also provides a vehicle for economic growth and makes the workplace more rewarding, improves the quality of healthcare and makes governments more responsive and accessible to the needs of our citizens. Australia needs significant new research on computing and communications systems. This research will help us address important societal problems such as education and protect us from failures of complex systems that underpin our transportation, defence, healthcare, business and finance infrastructures.

The last two decades have created a tsunami of change around the world and has brought people around the world together over distance and time. Some governments around the world have been catalysts of change by making online services widely available in their jurisdictions. Recent events confirm that technology evolutions are far from nearing an end. There will be many more evolutions in society overall. From an economic standpoint it is crucial that new technologies continue to evolve in the marketplace given that the vast majority of countries around the world rely on information and communications technologies. This is a time of rapid change and perhaps the fastest in all of our history.

It is surprising that there have been very few attempts to catalogue what is known about IT’s impacts on our economy. IT’s role in economic growth is more than an economy conducted on the internet. Rather it represents the pervasive use of IT in all aspects of the economy, including internal operations of organisations; and transactions between individuals, acting both as consumers and citizens and organisations. Core technologies will continue to get better, faster, cheaper and easier to use, enabling many new technologies and applications to be introduced on a regular basis. Our policymakers need to see IT not just as a narrow IT policy but as the centrepiece of economic policy and vision. This means putting issues of digital transformation at the front and centre of economic policy.

—Len Rust, rustoz@bigpond.com

• $240.3 million over four years for systems to enable the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
• $233.7 million has been allocated to further the national e‑Health agenda, and the electronic patient record database – the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) system – launching in July, on top of the $466.7 million already invested.
• $467.1 million over seven years for SuperStream with $14.6 million in 2012-13
• $58.7 million to the Australian Taxation Office to improve superannuation payment processing, and;
• $68.5 million to add geo-coding to improve company records on the Australian Business Register and related initiatives.

The AIIA also issued three media releases highlighting positives in the budget last week, praising the SchoolKids Bonus as a boost for innovative education, the upgrading of health systems via (PCEHR) as a progressive move, as well as the benefits of small business-focused budget initiatives. On health, CEO Suzanne Campbell said: “The renewed commitment by the Government to PCEHRs is a welcome move and the Government is to be commended for its far-sighted and pragmatic approach to health sector reform generally and especially electronic health records.”

It’s all about the data! Teradata whitepaper available for download
Government Agencies at both state and Commonwealth level need to find avenues to deliver more with less. Compounding this equation is an operating environment that is changeable and fluid where all constituents are expected to balance short-term operational imperatives whilst meeting long-term business efficiency and improvement dividends. Within the Defence, Intelligence and Law Enforcement domains this counterbalance has never been more finely nuanced. A new whitepaper from Teradata addresses some of the themes around the integration of data and the architectural and non-architectural considerations that we believe organisations need to take into account in order to successfully exploit data to provide agility in data-driven decision support. Click here to download the free whitepaper.

2016 Intelligent Transport Congress to be held in Melbourne
The Vic Government has announced that the prestigious Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) World Congress will be held in Melbourne on October 2016. VIC Minister for Tourism and Major Events Louise Asher said: “Hosting the Congress here in Melbourne would provide an opportunity to showcase the latest technical developments to a global audience, with delegates including private corporations, public agencies and academic institutions involved in the research, design and implementation of new technologies across all modes of transport.” Intelligent Transport System (ITS) technologies include communication, data processing and electronic technologies for in-vehicle, vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure and mode-to-mode systems that increase transport safety and mobility, improve the sustainability of travel, reduce congestion, and improve the performance and competitiveness of all modes of transport.

Facebook search could capture 22% of global search market
Findings from a survey undertaken by independent digital marketing agency, Greenlight, indicate that Google+ might be more successful than most have initially speculated and that Facebook could potentially capture close to a quarter of the search market globally were it to launch a search engine of its own tomorrow. This market share would make Facebook the second most utilised search engine in every major market except for China, Japan, and Russia, where it would occupy an uncontested third place. Greenlight’s global “Search & Social Survey (2011-2012)” asked 500 people in order to glean insight into how consumers engage with marketers today, and formulate views on what the future might hold. On the flip side, Greenlight found that Google’s own social endeavours with Google+ might be more successful than most have initially speculated. For instance, 23% of Google users have been +1′ing listings in Google’s search results, giving Google lots of data about what people like. When compared to the 35% of users that Greenlight’s survey found routinely ‘like’ a brand or company on Facebook, then it is not that significantly more than Google’s social signal collection, particularly as 28% of respondents said they had no idea what ‘+1′ actually meant, which says Greenlight, will invariably decrease rapidly over time.

Malicious Attacks Continue to Grow Rapidly

Symantec blocked more than 5.5 billion malicious attacks in 2011, an increase of 81 percent over the previous year. In addition, the number of unique malware variants increased to 403 million and the number of Web attacks blocked per day increased by 36 percent.

At the same time, spam levels fell considerably and new vulnerabilities discovered decreased by 20 percent. These statistics, compared to the continued growth in malware, paint an interesting picture. Attackers have embraced easy to use attack toolkits to efficiently leverage existing vulnerabilities. Moving beyond spam, cyber criminals are then turning to social networks to launch their attacks. The very nature of these networks makes users incorrectly assume they are not at risk and attackers are using these sites to target new victims. Due to social engineering techniques and the viral nature of social networks, it’s much easier for threats to spread from one person to the next.

Advanced Targeted Attacks Spread to Organisations of All Sizes

Targeted attacks are growing, with the number of daily targeted attacks increasing from 77 per day to 82 per day by the end of 2011. Targeted attacks use social engineering and customised malware to gain unauthorised access to sensitive information. These advanced attacks have traditionally focused on public sector and government; however, in 2011, targeted attacks diversified.

Targeted attacks are no longer limited to large organisations. More than 50 percent of such attacks target organisations with fewer than 2,500 employees, and almost 18 percent target companies with fewer than 250 employees. These organisations may be targeted because they are in the supply chain or partner ecosystem of a larger company and because they are less well-defended. Furthermore, 58 percent of attacks target non-execs, employees in roles such as human resources, public relations, and sales. Individuals in these jobs may not have direct access to information, but they can serve as a direct link into the company. They are also easy for attackers to identify online and are used to getting proactive inquiries and attachments from unknown sources.

Rise of Data Breaches, Lost Devices Concern for the Future

Approximately 1.1 million identities were stolen per data breach on average in 2011, a dramatic increase over the amount seen in any other year. Hacking incidents posed the greatest threat, exposing 187 million identities in 2011—the greatest number for any type of breach last year. However, the most frequent cause of data breaches that could facilitate identity theft was theft or loss of a computer or other medium on which data is stored or transmitted, such as a smartphone, USB key or a backup device. These theft-or loss-related breaches exposed 18.5 million identities.

As tablets and smartphones continue to outsell PCs, more sensitive information will be available on mobile devices. Workers are bringing their smartphones and tablets into the corporate environment faster than many organisations are able to secure and manage them. This may lead to an increase in data breaches as lost mobile devices present risks to information if not properly protected. Recent research by Symantec shows that 50 percent of lost phones will not be returned and 96 percent (including those returned) will experience a data breach.

Mobile Threats Expose Businesses and Consumers

Mobile vulnerabilities increased by 93 percent in 2011. At the same time, there was a rise in threats targeting the Android operating system. With the number of vulnerabilities in the mobile space rising and malware authors not only reinventing existing malware for mobile devices, but creating mobile-specific malware geared to the unique mobile opportunities, 2011 was the first year that mobile malware presented a tangible threat to businesses and consumers. These threats are designed for activities including data collection, the sending of content, and user tracking.

“In 2011 cybercriminals greatly expanded their reach, with nearly 20% of targeted attacks now directed at companies with fewer than 250 employees”, said Stephen Trilling, Chief Technology Officer, Symantec. “We’ve also seen a large increase in attacks on mobile devices, making these devices a viable platform for attackers to leverage in targeting sensitive data. Organisations of all sizes need to be vigilant about protecting their information”.

According to the survey, individuals are using more mobile devices, applications, services and networks than ever before and they are accessing critical personal and professional information while “on the go.” Despite this growth, consumer trust is uncertain. Just 15 percent of respondents have a great deal of confidence in the security of their mobile devices and services, while the vast majority – 63 percent – are at a crossroads and simply do not know if they should trust that their mobile experiences are secure.

This lack of consumer confidence puts mobile adoption at risk. The survey found that all it would take is a single security vulnerability – real or perceived – for people to change their mobile behaviours or abandon certain mobile services altogether.

The majority of people (71 percent) said they would stop using critical services like online banking (78 percent), that they would no longer send private communications (57 percent) and they would stop viewing medical (54 percent) or work-related information (52 percent).

According to the survey, mobile security is an important issue that affects everyone – not just corporations and many have a part to play in building more trusted mobile experiences.

Additional Key Findings Include:

A Complex and Confusing Mobile Landscape

• Mobile users worldwide own an average of three Internet-connected devices, while nearly one in five people (18 percent) own five or more devices.
• Three-quarters (76 percent) of mobile users access their banking or personal medical information while on the go, while 89 percent of respondents who use their personal devices for business purposes, say they access sensitive work information.
• Further, the trend toward a “bring your own device” (BYOD) enterprise is creating new concerns for IT leaders, with nearly half of all respondents using their personal device for work (41 percent) without permission from their company.

Key Stakeholders in Trust

• Mobile users rank network security (69 percent) and network reliability (45 percent) as the top two drivers of trust in their mobile devices, followed by device security (43 percent).
• The majority of mobile device users (63 percent) hold service providers most responsible for protecting their sensitive data, followed by device manufacturers (38 percent) and software security providers (34 percent).
• For advice on mobile security, people look to industry security experts (20 percent), service providers (14 percent), software security providers (13 percent) and device manufacturers (10 percent).

Nawaf Bitar, senior vice president, Security Business unit, Juniper Networks said: “The mobile revolution is unleashing massive opportunities, but our research shows we are at a critical turning point. The speed and scale at which mobile innovations can have a positive impact on society will depend on the industry’s ability to address new security vulnerabilities before they undermine people’s sense of safety. We must act now to protect and preserve trust in mobility”.

Dan Hoffman, Chief Mobile Security evangelist, Juniper Networks said: “Building trust in mobility is just as important as building great networks and powerful applications. Creating a safer, more secure and trusted mobile experience requires a sustained, collective effort by mobile service providers, device manufacturers, software developers, networking companies and security experts”.

In its latest forecast, the leading telecoms analyst house reveals global annual mobile phone shipments will grow at a CAGR of 6.3% between 2011 and 2017, driven primarily by demand from emerging markets where connection growth will continue to fuel handset shipments. Asia-Pacific will be the largest region in volume terms, shipping just over 200 million units by 2016. New shipments in developed markets, such as North America and Western Europe, will be almost entirely made up of smartphones, while feature phones will continue to play a small role in emerging markets in 2017.

“Android will dominate the smartphone market over the next five years”, said Adam Leach, principal analyst at Ovum. “While Apple has defined the smartphone market since it introduced the iPhone in 2007, we’re now seeing a sharp rise in the shipment volumes of Android, signaling its appeal to leading handset manufacturers”.

Smartphones based on Android accounted for 44% of the smartphone market in 2011, significantly up from 17% in 2010. However, its share will reach 48% in 2017, as Android-based smartphones are expected to grow at a CAGR of 26.8% over the forecast period. Apple’s iOS will be the second most widely deployed software platform in 2017, accounting for 27% of the smartphone market, a slight increase on the 23% share of the market it reported in 2011. Sitting some way behind the Android/iOS duopoly will be the remaining smartphone players.

“Although it will remain behind Android in terms of shipment volumes, Apple will continue to be a key player and innovator in the smartphone market over the forecast period,” says Leach. “We expect Microsoft, despite its slow start, to have established Windows Phone as a relevant smartphone platform by 2017”.

The Windows Phone platform, with the assistance of Nokia, will account for 13% of the smartphone market in 2017. Despite losing significant market share since its high point in 2009, RIM’s BlackBerry platform will still represent 10% of the market in 2017.

NZ’s SBS banks on Wynyard Group
Wynyard Group has won a multi-year contract with SBS Bank to supply its advanced financial crime detection solution that allows banks, insurers and wealth managers to monitor transactions, detect money laundering and prevent fraud.  The new contract, to be delivered in partnership with Starfish Consulting, will assist SBS Bank to implement and manage its compliance with New Zealand’s Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009 (AML/CFT Act) due to come into effect in New Zealand on 30 June 2013. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimated global money laundering through the world’s financial systems at $US1.6 trillion in 2009 and New Zealand is yet to enforce regulations which close the loop on these activities. SBS Bank General Manager Risk and Support, Mark McLean, said the bank had taken the initiative to implement Wynyard’s solution as part of its service to customers and the greater community by enhancing New Zealand’s reputation as a safe place in which to do business. “As New Zealand’s largest building society we have a strong customer service track record and part of this is managing any risk, particularly those that might damage our reputation and expose our customers to risk. “Wynyard will deliver us a comprehensive service for detecting, investigating and reporting suspicious activities along with local support and knowledge of the legislation.”

Wipro acquires Promax Applications Group
Wipro Technologies, global IT services business of Wipro Limited (NYSE:WIT), and Aussie-based Promax Applications Group (PAG), have entered into a definitive agreement for Wipro to acquire PAG. Don Nicol, CEO, Promax Applications Group said: “The combination of the two companies will enable a value proposition that includes globally scalable & integrated delivery of Trade promotion management, analytics and optimization. Clients will realize benefits from a single source provider that can leverage best in class application platform, advanced analytics & information management capabilities, infrastructure management, consulting and organization change management capability.”

Pacnet accelerates expansion of CloudSpace
Pacnet has announced the expansion of its CloudSpace data centre facility in Sydney to meet the growing demand for data centre services in Australia. “This is the latest in our series of investments into growing our CloudSpace infrastructure, as we expand our capabilities to help businesses take advantage of the cloud,” said Bill Barney, Chief Executive Officer, Pacnet. “In addition to upgrading our current facilities, we are also looking at new geographies as part of our plans for our next phase of CloudSpace data centre expansion.” According to the latest research from Frost and Sullivan, the Australia data centre services market is forecast to grow from US$447 million in 2010 to US$1.2 billion in 2017, at a compounded annual growth rate of 15.1 per cent. The Sydney CloudSpace1 (SYCS1) data centre located at Liverpool Street was first launched in February 2011 and this second phase of expansion will add up to 700 racks and 3 MW of power to the facility when completed, complementing the capacity from four other data centres that Pacnet operates in Australia.

Fluke Networks and Cisco team up
Fluke Networks has announced that it has teamed with Cisco, the worldwide leader in networking, to offer customers AirMagnet Planner for Cisco Small Business. The solution will help Cisco small business resellers meet the challenges associated with deploying and planning an 802.11 a/b/g/n wireless network and help organisations better address emerging performance challenges associated with the Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) phenomenon. Wayne Allen, program manager, Fluke Networks, said, “Wireless is a critical business application not only for the enterprise, but also for SMBs. Ensuring these networks perform at the highest levels possible requires accurate planning and deployment. Fluke Networks AirMagnet Planner is the de facto solution for wireless network planning and we’re excited to join forces with another market leader to offer the solution to SMB customers.”

BlueArc rings up new business
BlueArc Group, Aussie digital agencies, has inked two significant new account wins with appointments by Jenny Craig and Virgin Mobile Australia (VMA). BlueArc has been engaged by Jenny Craig to deliver a major digital project of works, including consolidation of existing websites using Sitecore and incorporating the creative look and feel of the recently updated US site as well as e-commerce functionalities to support their online delivery model. BlueArc has also been appointed by Virgin Mobile Australia to support their ongoing commitment to delivering superior customer service across multiple digital touch-points.

NZ Ministry for Primary Industries selects Fujitsu
Fujitsu has been selected as one of three service providers announced as members of the panel for the provision of IT managed services by the Ministry for Primary Industries NZ. The announcement is the outcome of a project led by MPI, and supported by other public sector agencies, to develop a syndicated procurement agreement. It covers the provision of service aggregation, service desk support, user device support, server support, procurement services, database management and other IT services. Under the new agreement, MPI has engaged Fujitsu New Zealand to deliver IT managed services from 1 November 2012 in a 4 plus 3 year contract. The syndicated agreement is intended for use by agencies that already use service aggregation (multi-sourced integration) as their ICT operating model, and those that intend to progress towards this model.

IDEAS adds new Indonesian client
Ideas International has added Indonesian energy company PT PLN (Persero), as a customer.”We are delighted to add our first end user company in Indonesia,” said Stephen Bowhill, IDEAS chief executive officer.”"This shows that IDEAS Advantage is relevant for large corporations that want to ensure that they are making the right IT buying decisions and need an independent frame of reference,” Mr. Bowhill continued. “For IDEAS, adding new, large corporate end users is consistent with our strategic direction of diversifying our client base using a low-cost-of-sale, scalable subscription model,” added Mr. Bowhill. This strategic panel win positions Fujitsu to extend its existing strong base of NZ Government Managed Services customers.

Aussie not-for-profits embrace Cloud
Infoxchange Australia, a not-for-profit social enterprise with the vision of Technology for Social Justice,  has announced that it has assisted a score of not-for-profit organisations (NFPs) to move to cloud technology with Microsoft Office 365. The move to the cloud has enabled the NFPs to lower their IT costs, increasing productivity and strengthening the communications NFPs have with their partners, stakeholders and donors. NFPs have further benefited from the charity pricing that Infoxchange has negotiated with Microsoft and Telstra. David Spriggs, General Manager, Infoxchange said: “Many organisations in the public, private and charitable sectors have seen that cloud computing has opened new opportunities for them to better achieve their missions and accelerate their impact. We’ve seen NFPs dramatically improve their operations through cloud technology enabling them to do what they do best – positively impact people’s lives – but more effectively, efficiently and at less cost.

Willoughby City Council selects BlinkMobile
Willoughby City Council has announced the selection of BlinkMobile Interactive to implement the first phase of its mobilisation strategy to enable ratepayers to access the council’s website and e-services across a range of multiple mobile devices. Willoughby City Council selected the Blink Mobility Platform for its unique ability to repurpose content already on the web and reconfigure it for any mobile device, satisfying one of council’s most important criteria, to provide its ratepayers with easy access to council services and information.

Empired signs 3 year agreement with St Barbara Limited
Australian listed IT Services Company Empired Ltd has inked a three year contract with St Barbara Limited worth up to $1.5M per annum.Under the terms of the contract Empired will deliver a comprehensive range of services including service desk, desktop, server and network managed infrastructure services. In addition to the base contract, Empired will deliver a range of consulting and project services. St Barbara is one of Australia’s largest ASX listed gold producers and explorers. St Barbara’s key assets include its Leonora and Southern Cross Operations located in Western Australia. Commenting on the successful conclusion to contract negotiations, Managing Director, Mr Russell Baskerville said “I am delighted with the outcome and the prospect of working with St Barbara over the coming three years or more. Empired and St Barbara have developed a true business partnership built on Empired’s core EPIC values of Excellence, People, Integrity and Collaboration.”Mr Peter Simko, St Barbara Limited General Manager IT & Business Systems said “The partnership with Empired is very much focused on leveraging technology and services to deliver improved business outcomes for St Barbara. These range from ensuring robust, scalable business systems to innovative thought leadership and the application of technology to mining in the 21st century.”

Oxygen wins tender to upgrade Toyota
SAP consulting firm, Oxygen Business Solutions, specialist SAP software and services company, has won a competitive tender to upgrade Toyota Australia’s core SAP operating systems.The project which kicked off on April 2 involves a technical upgrade and merge of Toyota’s SAP ERP4.7 and HR ECC5.0 systems to a newly integrated ECC6 platform. The work will also include an upgrade from SAP ESS/MSS Portal to EP7.3 and a migration of SAP GRC5.3 Governance and Risk Management processes to GRC10. Toyota CIO, James Scott, says the company selected Oxygen because it offered the best mix of technical expertise and value for money. “Oxygen also scored well in our risk analysis,” says Scott. “When we looked at all these factors Oxygen was the clear winner. We then did a thorough reference check of existing Oxygen customers and were very happy with the feedback we received,” he said.

Beam receives a $5 million commitment from Telstra
Beam Communications owned by World Reach Limited (ASX: WRR), has received a commitment from Telstra to purchase a minimum of USD5.1 M of Iridium based satellite docking stations and product bundles over the next 12 months. The initial shipment (valued at USD1.65 M) is expected to be fulfilled by 30 June 2012. With the release of Iridium Extreme, the toughest satellite handset ever made, Beam Communications has developed and manufactured a range of next-generation docking stations. Beam was the first company globally to receive certification from Iridium Satellite LLC for the docking solutions developed for this new Extreme Satellite Telephone. Beam docking solution extends the functionality of the Iridium Extreme Satellite Phones so they can be used for voice, data and tracking services indoors, in-vehicles, on vessels and in other remote locations where easy or enhanced access to satellite communications is required. “The new order from Telstra in the Australian market is further reinforcement of Beam’s global positioning as the leading provider of handset docking stations for Iridium and Inmarsat, the world’s largest satellite operators,” said Michael Capocchi, Managing Director at World Reach and Beam Communications. “Due to our long and close relationship with Telstra we have been able to develop these products to be user friendly and reliable which is crucial for the areas where most satellite users are.”

Primus selected by NBN Co
Primus has announced that it has been chosen by NBN Co as the lead partner in its UNI-V Enhancement Program. Primus was appointed following an Expressions of Interest process that restricted applications to companies that could meet strict selection criteria outlined by the NBN Co including that the applicant must have already entered into a Wholesale Broadband Agreement with NBN Co and be certified to supply the UNI-V product component. As part of the program, Primus will work with NBN Co to help determine a suitable test plan for the UNI-V enhancements covering both SIP level testing and electrical interface testing. Primus will also execute test plans and regularly provide reports which specify test success or issues. Primus CEO Tom Mazerski said “Our objective in working with NBN Co is to ensure our customers get an equal or better quality voice connection whilst transitioning from copper to fibre.  It will enable us to fully utilise the UNI-V port connecting all phones in the home or business to offer our True Fibre Voice™ product to all NBN consumer and business fibre customers.”

JUMBUCK ENTERTAINMENT is one of the world’s leading developers of mobile phone applications. The company provides social media-based mobile phone applications to over 120 mobile carriers globally. Jumbuck also has a growing stake in the rapidly changing social media-based mobile application markets of Australia, Asia, Europe and the Americas. Jumbuck recently announced an exclusive partnership with the RaboDirect Pro 12 rugby competition to deliver a full-featured iPhone application; the new application provides instant access to rugby fans everywhere. www.jumbuck.com

BEST PRACTICE SOFTWARE develops and markets a range of software products that are designed for use in medical practices. The company currently supplies two software products to Australian doctors. Best Practice Clinical is an SQL application that is rich in functionality, the product has been specifically designed so that it improves efficiencies within practices. Best Practice Management is a billing and appointment book module that can be used with the core clinical software application. The product allows doctors to submit Medicare and DVA BulkBill claims electronically and have them processed and paid overnight. www.bpsoftware.com.au

BIZCAPS SOFTWARE creates and maintains product data catalogues of some of Australia’s largest organisations. Bizcaps are specialist providers of certified software to provide access to GSInet, the primary repository of product data for sellers and buyers in the grocery, liquor, healthcare, office products and hardware markets. Bizcaps Product Lifecycle Management Software helps suppliers to expedite and manage new product introductions. Bizcap Workflow Manger Software helps companies define and document complex business processes. www.bizcaps.com

DESIGNCROWD is an online marketplace providing logo, website, print and graphic design services by providing access to freelance graphic designers and design studios around the world. The company gives access to a ‘virtual team’ of over 73 thousand designers (via cloud sourcing) helping clients to tap into the very best international design talent available at a lower cost. Post a project on DesignCrowd and watch designs pour in from around the world (the average project receives 50+ designs. www.designcrowd.com

BIZCOVER has simplified the process of purchasing business insurance by creating the first online business insurance marketplace in Australia, arguably the world. Bedcover enables customers to instantly compare, select and buy the policy that best suits their needs in one single online place and all in a matter of minutes. BizCover offers professional indemnity, public liability and business insurance from many of Australia’s leading insurers. www.bizcover.com.au

Oki Data Australia appoints new MD
Oki Data Australia has appointed Dennie Kazuo Kawahara as the company’s new managing director for Australia based in Sydney. Kawahara has more than 20 years of experience in the IT industry specialising in project, partner and account management, as well as in sales and marketing roles.  He has worked his entire career at Oki, in Japan, Europe and North America and in his new role at Oki Data Australia he will be responsible for directing all Australian sales, new business development, partner management and distribution. Prior to his most recent role in Japan managing the EMEA market development support team, Kawahara worked for Oki Europe Ltd at the company’s EMEA regional headquarters in UK where he was Product Planning and Delivery Manager, responsible for new production introductions, outsourcing, alliance and partner management. Before joining Oki Data, Kawahara was based in Japan at Oki Electric Industry Co Ltd, the company’s parent organisation, where he was Account Manager with responsibility for international business development for telecommunications products and systems.

ComOps founder Bradley retires
ComOps’ Managing Director, Mr Richard Bradley, has tendered his resignation, effective Friday 11 May 2012.Bradley founded ComOps in 1972 as a software bureau in Sydney and has been the Managing Director for the past 40 years, growing the company to its present day size with 6 locations worldwide. A decade after founding ComOps, Mr Bradley changed the direction of the company from a services only offering to a software solution provider, installing their very first ERP client in 1982. From here he drove the pioneering ventures into the mobility market with the first release of ComOps’ mobility platform in 1994. Bradley went on to float ComOps in 1999 and remains the largest shareholder today. Over the last two decades, Mr Bradley has managed the acquisition of 5 subsidiary companies that have expanded the range of solutions the company currently takes to market.Bradley announced his retirement plans late last year and  has tendered his resignation in line with this. Mr Bradley will also resign as a Director of the Company, taking leave for at least a year, in compliance with recommended corporate governance.

Senetas appoints new Director
Senetas has announced the appointment of Melbourne corporate advisor, Mr Francis Galbally, as a NonExecutive Director. Galbally has had over 30 years’ experience in international business. He is a graduate (First Class Honours) in Law at Melbourne University and practised in business law for 15 years. As an investor and corporate advisor Mr Galbally specialises in the Technology, Environment, Food, Mining and Energy sectors. He is an investment banker and major shareholder in Southbank Capital Pty Ltd. Galbally was responsible for recovering more than $1 billion in investor funds ($1 for $1) lost as a result of the major corporate failures (Pyramid Building Societies, Estate Mortgage Trusts) in the early 90′s. He is the major shareholder and Director of Southbank Capital Pty Ltd and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

John Ruthven, ex-CA, secures Zuora ANZ role
Zuora, the subscription billing and commerce has announced the substantial expansion of its presence in the Asia Pacific region with the appointment of John Ruthven as Vice President for Australia and New Zealand based in Sydney. Ruthven will direct all regional sales and marketing operations across Australia and New Zealand, enabling Zuora to meet growing demand for its subscription-based service solutions. Ruthven has more than 20 years’ commercial experience in the IT industry, including 15 years at CA Technologies where he held senior executive roles in Australia, Asia Pacific, Japan, and emerging markets. Ruthven initially joined CA Technologies as Sales Executive in Sydney and then went on to run the company’s ANZ operation as Managing Director, before being promoted to Senior Managing Director for Asia Pacific Japan. Most recently, he spent four years with CA Technologies in the US where he took on several global role, including Executive Vice President for Global Sales Operations, and General Manager and Managing Director – Growth and Emerging Markets.

Integral appoints Sean Kelly to National Practice Manager
Integral (Technology Solutions) has appointed Sean Kelly, National Practice Manager (NPM), Information Management — to lead the Integral growth nationally for the fast growing Data Warehouse, Business Intelligence, Data Mining and Cleansing sectors, coupled with Enterprise Web Content Management service lines. He joins David Mason (NPM) Project and Program Delivery and Warwick Sweeney (NPM) Technical Services. Kelly brings significant expertise in sales strategies for business development and a proven track record in leading growth and change. HE will be responsible for developing new technology opportunities and solutions for customers. He joins Integral with significant enterprise IT solutions experience both nationally and internationally. He was one of three Directors who established Eos Solutions – an Australian company, established in 1996, which was later acquired by Certus Solutions Limited.

Retail Directions continues APAC expansion with new hires
Retail Directions has announced the appointment of two new senior executives for Australia and the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.  Bringing over 50 years of combined experience, Jim Christie and Thomas Pilcik will help drive the company’s business strategy and increase awareness of the Retail Directions brand. Christie has 25 years of experience in sales and marketing working for organisations such as Kronos, Exinda Networks, Aprisma Management Technologies, QAD and JBA International. Jim has dealt with multinational businesses at a global level and has achieved significant success in the retail and hospitality industries.  Pilcik is a seasoned professional in the ICT sector with many years of experience in working with large organisations in the APAC retail industry, providing them with IT solutions.  In his career, Thomas has worked for organisations such as Microsoft, JD Edwards and Intentia, and was instrumental in growing their retail customer base and securing some flagship retailers as new customers.

Enprise ANZ appoints new GM and opens Vic office
Enprise Group has opened a second Australian office as it rolls out its Australian growth plan following a recent management buyout led by MYOB EXO inventor Mark Loveys. The new Enprise Melbourne office follows the opening of a Sydney office last year. Further rapid Australian growth, including by acquisition, is planned. Heading up the Enprise Melbourne office is newly-appointed General Manager Gary Christieson – who moves to Enprise from a Melbourne-based business development role with MYOB EXO Business and SAP Business One reseller Oxygen Express. Christieson was General Manager of Enprise Waikato before departing for Australia to take up the Oxygen Express role.

Allied Telesis appoints Enterprise BDM
Allied Telesis has announced the appointment of Rick Yakob as Enterprise Business Development Manager based in Sydney. Yakob will be responsible for channel partner support and business development for a range of video, voice and data network solutions to clients in multiple markets, including government, healthcare, defence, education, retail, hospitality and network service providers. Yakob joins Allied Telesis with more than 10 years’ experience in the IT industry.  Previously, Yakob spent five years at Hewlett Packard where he held a number of commercial account and business development roles.  During this time, he also worked closely with senior executives within key accounts to strengthen Hewlett Packard’s presence and acquire new business.

Dimension Data Australia names new Director of Solutions
Dimension Data Australia, ICT services and solutions provider, has announced that Neil Campbell has been appointed Director of Solutions, Australia. Campbell, who brings more than 20 years’ experience to the role, has worked with Dimension Data for ten years.  For the past four years, he held the position of General Manager of Security, Global, leading a 600-strong team and holding responsibility for more than 6,000 clients across 51 countries, including many of the world’s biggest companies. In his new role as Director of Solutions, he will manage the go-to market strategy for all solutions offerings including security, converged communications, customer interactive solutions, data centre solutions, Microsoft solutions and network integration. He will also manage vendor and partner relationships.

Publisher Len Rust

Healthcare is the fastest growing segment of the Australian economy. Costs must be lowered and outcomes must be improved. Paper records are incomplete, inaccurate, inaccessible and isolated and growing silos, with loads of old computers.

Transferring patient records to electronic forms is the future of healthcare and is seen as a way to reduce out-of-control healthcare costs while improving patient care. Hospitals today in common with most other organisations depend on a wide range of documents for the day-to-day accomplishment of work. These documents take on a myriad of formats, both paper-based and computer-based.

As Bill Gates said in the Road Ahead “We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will happen in the next 10”. He’s right but currently we are on the cusp of many things. Online collaborative services and content management systems today are essential.

Modern information technology offers unprecedented opportunities to improve healthcare for Australians promising better quality at a lower cost. Health systems must change dramatically to address many challenges over the next decade. Health IT solutions will improve the quality and efficiency of care but only if physicians and hospitals implement and operate them effectively – better enabling free and easy exchange of information among departments and organisations.

The challenges for hospitals are enormous a critical one being to offer services in a coordinated and seamless way across all access points. To date, things are fragmented with little coordination among a myriad of providers. Content Management systems have evolved to take control of more and more of the unstructured data – scanned documents, physical and electronic records, faxes, emails, web pages, messages, images etc. Key drivers of ECM are: productivity in document-centric processes, improved knowledge sharing, coordinated customer service, reduced compliance risk and unified legal discovery.

The idea of replacing paper based processes with technology is regularly met with resistance from a commonly held belief that a paper trail provides certainty, comfort and the perception of a guarantee. Considerable research, observation and reporting by Gartner and other analysts have identified a blind spot in the evolution of processes. This blind spot is in the ability of leaders to lead organisations to electronic document exchanges. Hospital studies show that when health information technologies replace paper forms and handwritten notes, both hospitals and patients benefit strongly.

The increased availability of technologies today is helping to unlock the healthcare sector into another world. The division between those who use technology and everyone else no longer exists. We all use computers, internet, phones and devices and thus all contribute to IT on a general level. The IT executive by whatever title is therefore no longer in charge of a single sector, but is responsible for the technology which acts as the liaison between patients and healthcare workers finding ways to move data from solely in the hospital out into the community and from the GP’s office or even the home to the electronic medical record meeting privacy criteria.

—Len Rust, rustoz@bigpond.com

VIC state budget delivers some cheer: Ovum
While the Baillieu Government’s first budget last year was an IT disappointment, with the funding tap for new IT investment turned firmly off, the 2012 budget seems to hold better prospects for the local ICT sector and investment, according to Ovum’s Steve Hodgkinson, Research Director. $258M in new investment is now set to flow into targeted portfolios over the next four years – primarily health, emergency services and water management. The largest investment is $100M over 4 years allocated to a Victorian Innovation, E-Health and Communications Technology Fund to support Public Health Services ICT projects, including system and software upgrades and installations. Funding of $16.6M is also allocated for Victoria’s ongoing contribution to the funding of the National eHealth Transition Authority for the next 2 years. The Department of Sustainability & Environment received $27M for making fire risk mapping data available free of charge and for a range of water modelling and management systems. The Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority received a further $21.9M to enhance its computer aided dispatch system. In Transport, further asset funding of $32.5M is allocated to completion of the Metropolitan Train Safety Communications System … and, a further $50M has been allocated to continuation of the Metcard ticketing system in parallel with Myki. Hodginkson said: “While perhaps better than expected, the Budget nonetheless provides slim pickings for the IT industry in terms of substantial new projects. Overall, the Government has spread $4.1B of investment across hundreds of new policy and service delivery initiatives … some of which will no doubt pull through some IT projects … but this is in exchange for savings expectations of $1B to be achieved by cuts to other programs and productivity improvements. The IT investment agenda for the next few years will thus very much be driven by the need to extend the life of existing assets and systems while finding ways to fund productivity boosting IT investments from within existing department and agency appropriations.”

XENON helps build research cloud for Melbourne Uni
XENON, Aussie provider of high-performance computing, has helped The University of Melbourne to build the first node of a national research cloud designed for Australian researchers. The National eResearch Collaboration Tools and Resources (NeCTAR) research cloud, which is an Australian first, went live on February 1, 2012. NeCTAR’s new research cloud enables Australian researchers of all disciplines to easily put their ideas, tools, research applications and data online instantly. In equipping researchers with new self-service abilities to share, compute and publish data, it fosters innovation in research software applications and services by reducing barriers to rapid deployment and sharing of applications.  The University uses two data centres for the NeCTAR project, which currently operates 3840 cores and is expected to reach 25,000 cores nationally during the next 18 months. “The research cloud project delivered a complex, sophisticated national cloud computing platform within four months showing just how collaboratively the internal teams, external partners, researchers and stakeholders worked. It’s an incredible project to be part of, and XENON’s expertise and responsiveness formed a strong part of that,” said Tom Fifield, Technology Team Lead of the NeCTAR Research Cloud Node at the University of Melbourne.

ANZ recycling platform signs 16 new members
The Australia and New Zealand Recycling Platform Limited (ANZRP)  has announced 16 new members have joined its industry-led e-waste recycling service.  Joining last week Amicroe Australia, Bluechip Infotech Pty Ltd, Brother International (Aust) Pty Ltd, Dell Australia Pty Ltd, Dicker Data Ltd, Direct Memory Access Pty Ltd, EMC Global Holdings Company, Epson Australia Pty Limited, Medion AG, NEC Australia, Pioneer Electronics Australia Pty Ltd, Rectron Electronics Pty Ltd, Targus Australia Pty Ltd, The Reject Shop, Thorn Group Ltd and Uniden Australia.  Canon, Epson, HP, Panasonic and Toshiba joined ANZRP in April 2012. Under ANZRP’s service, the community gains free and more extensive access to permanent e-waste collection sites and events across Australia commencing in July 2012 with access to services expanding across Australia by the end of 2013.

CollabIT funding a boost for ACT SMEs: AIIA
The ACT Government’s announcement that it has doubled its funding for the CollabIT project as part of a range of initiatives to help develop and support business in the Territory has been welcomed by the Australian Information Industry Association. As part of a wide range of initiatives, the ACT Government announced it had increased its funding of CollabIT, the program managed by AIIA, to $100,000. “This substantial additional funding is recognition of AIIA’s strong management of CollabIT and the opportunities the program provides to small and medium enterprises in the Territory,” Ms Campbell said. “At a time when many Governments are looking to cut back on the services they provide, the ACT has recognised the value of investing in the future through ICT for the Territory’s enterprises and businesses. The ICT industry is critical to the ACT’s economy, with the Territory home to more than 1000 ICT businesses which together employ around 8500 people. At the core of the local ICT industry strength is the Australian Government, which spends more than $4 billion annually on ICT-related products and services.