NSW Govt implements new IT project assurance framework

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The New South Wales Government is implementing a new set of procedures as part of its plan to monitor projects more closely and protect departments from issues such as runaway budgets.

NSW Govt to buy services from DTO’s Digital Marketplace

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The NSW Government has announced it will become the first Australian state to find digital expertise on the Commonwealth Government’s Digital Marketplace.

Atos, Datacom and NEC signed up for $3bn WA GovNext plan

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Atos, Datacom and NEC have been selected by the WA Government to help it roll out its $3 billion GovNext ICT plan, according to The West Australian.

TAFE Queensland is rolling out TechOne’s education solution

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Australian enterprise Software as a Service (SaaS) provider TechOne has inked a deal to provide Student Management solution to TAFE Queensland, the vocational education and training organisation.

ANZ Bank reveals new tech structure

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ANZ has announced changes to the way it will operate its technology, operations and shared services following the departure of the bank's Group Chief Operating Officer.

Fujitsu wins grants management deal with Industry Dept

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Fujitsu has won a deal to build and implement an end-to-end grants management system for the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science.

DTO nicks Treasury CIO to be new COO

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The Digital Transformation Office (DTO) has nabbed Peter Alexander, the current Chief Information Officer at the Treasury, as its new Chief Operating Officer.

Aurecon appoints new tech chief

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International engineering and advisory company Aurecon has appointed ex-Toll Group tech specialist Carl Duckinson as its new Chief Information Officer.

Peregrine deploys Microsoft Power BI in IoT pilot

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South Australian convenience retailer Peregrine Corporation has announced plans to pilot an Internet of Things (IoT) and Microsoft Power BI data analytics solution to reduce business risks.

NAB appoints acting tech chief

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National Australia Bank has appointed a new acting Chief Technology and Operations Officer (CTOO), following Bob Melrose's move to the role of Executive General Manager, Retail Banking.

Australia’s first driverless bus takes to the road

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Australia’s first "fully driverless" and electric shuttle bus took to the streets of South Perth yesterday for the on-road stage of its ongoing trial, according to the RAC.

IBM selected to provide integration platform for the ANU

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The Australian National University (ANU) has announced that IBM has been selected to supply the application integration platform for its Data Integration project.

APF concerned about DTO’s identity framework project

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The Australian Privacy Foundation (APF) has raised concerns about the way the Digital Transformation Office (DTO) has proceeded about setting up its new Trusted Digital Identity Framework (TDIF) project.

How Adelaide City Council uses Skype for Business to reach constituents

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In 2015, the recently elected Adelaide City Council became the first in Australia to live stream its committee meetings using Skype for Business’s module Skype Meeting Broadcast. This is how it did it...

Domino’s Pizza to launch drone deliveries with new tech partner

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Domino’s Pizza has announced a new partnership with US-based drone delivery specialist Flirtey to launch what it claims will be the "first commercial drone delivery service in the world".

Medibank appoints new tech chief

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Private health insurance provider Medibank has announced the hiring of a new head of technology, effective from the end of November.

Xero migrates to Amazon Web Services

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New Zealand-based accounting software company Xero has made what it calls the "massive move" to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud platform.

Sky TV deploys Citrix to manage network demands during Olympic broadcasts

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New Zealand pay television provider Sky TV has deployed a Citrix networking solution to manage "unpredictable" network connectivity and high bandwidth demands during Rio 2016 Olympics broadcasts.

WA audit finds schools “struggling” with ICT management

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Western Australia's schools are struggling to keep on top of ICT management and students could be adversely affected if the situation is not remedied, according to the state's Auditor General.

NSW Govt adopts Android Pay

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The New South Wales Government has adopted Android Pay as a payment method at service centres across the state, and said it is the first Australian Government to do so.

Qantas CIO jets off to Airbus

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Qantas Airways' Chief Information Officer, Luc Hennekens, is leaving the company to take on the same role at Airbus, effective 1 October.

AGL to launch $300 million digital transformation

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AGL has announced the launch of a three-year, $300-million digital transformation programme aimed to improve customers' experience with the company.

DDoS takes down Census website

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The Australian Bureau of Statistics has said the 2016 online Census form was subject to four distributed denial of dervice (DDoS) attacks on 9 August that were of "varying nature and severity".

Pitcher Partners dumps desk phones for Skype for Business

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Australian accounting and advisory firm Pitcher Partners has announced the replacement of desk telephones with Skype for Business, alongside the implementation of VPN-like service Microsoft DirectAccess.

Cash Converters deploys Windows 10

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In a move aimed to "streamline its information ecosystem", Cash Converters has rolled out Windows 10 to 350 stores around the world, including Australia.

‘Big four’ bank invests $1 million in secure coding skills

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A "major Australian Big Four bank" has signed a $1 million, three-year deal with a startup called Secure Code Warrior to boost the secure coding skills of 4,000 of its software developers.

SA Police invests in facial recognition technology

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South Australia Police (SAPOL) has invested $780,000 in facial recognition software to be provided by NEC Australia.

Deakin Uni addresses student needs with Citrix cloud

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Victoria's Deakin University has deployed a cloud platform based on Citrix technology in order to provide a solution for the evolving needs of its 53,000 students, Citrix has announced.

Premier announces “technology revolution” for Victoria Police

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Victoria’s frontline police men and women will soon be kitted out with state-of-the-art mobile technology intended to bring about a "technology revolution", thanks to funding allocated in the latest state budget.

DTO celebrates achievements in first year

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The Digital Transformation Office (DTO) has celebrated its first birthday with a blog post penned by CEO Paul Shetler looking back at the "highlights and milestones" of its inaugural year.

Data#3 deploys Cisco network for Edith Cowan

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Australian technology provider Data#3 has announced the deployment of a "next-generation" Cisco network service for Edith Cowan University (ECU).

Optus signs ICT services deal with QBE

2
Optus Business has inked a new three-year ICT services deal with QBE Australia to deliver voice, mobile and data network services for the insurance multinational.

Virgin to launch in-flight Wi-Fi next year

0
Virgin Australia has announced it will introduce inflight Wi-Fi on its domestic and international fleet from next year.

Queensland Police starts body-worn camera rollout

4
The Queensland Police Service (QPS) has announced it is rolling out body-worn cameras (BWCs) for frontline police across the state.

Macquarie Bank planning OpenStack cloud solution with “large vendor”

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Macquarie Bank has indicated that it is planning the development of a cloud infrastructure based on OpenStack – an open-source cloud operating system.

US Court: Microsoft can’t be forced to hand over overseas emails

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A US Court has ruled that Microsoft cannot be forced hand over emails stored overseas even for domestic search warrants issued as part of criminal investigations.

Microsoft to offer Win10 as a service for businesses

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Microsoft has announced that it will soon be offering Windows 10 as a service for enterprises through its Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) channel.

IT firm Geek helps Adelaide accountants beat CryptoLocker attack

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Australian IT services firm Geek said it has helped an Adelaide accounting firm recover from a CryptoLocker malware attack in "just 15 minutes" using a US security product called Datto.

ANZ Bank says no business case for core banking IT overhaul

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Right now, there is a 'halo' effect that surrounds CommBank's core banking overhaul project that gives strong credence to the business case for its first mover advantage in the core banking IT race. I'm not sure that ANZ really understands just how powerful this overall effect can be. If it did, I would suspect it would be quite worried indeed.

Medibank IT glitch delays tax statements

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Australia's largest health insurance provider Medibank has announced that it is experiencing a technical issue which is "likely" to prevent it from providing annual tax statements to "a majority of customers" before its 15 July deadline.

The Good Guys calls in IBM for B2B digital portal launch

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The Good Guys, the Australian household appliance retailer, has said it collaborated with IBM on the construction of its new B2B online portal aimed to transform engagement with its business customers.

Ormiston College deploys smart Wi-Fi network to boost learning

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Brisbane's Ormiston College has deployed a high-capacity, high-speed Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi network across its campus to support the education of over 1,500 students.

WorldSmart boosts data analysis with Microsoft SQL 2016

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Retail technology specialist WorldSmart has deployed Microsoft SQL 2016 to greatly speed up its data analytics and digital marketing solutions.

NTT Data wins new $700m deal to operate Myki platform

2
NTT Data will continue to manage and operate the Myki ticketing system from the start of next year, following the signing of a new $700 million contract with Public Transport Victoria (PTV).

OneTable is scaling with Microsoft Azure

0
Ben Jackson has discussed how his organic food startup OneTable is scaling using Microsoft Azure, after a deliberately lean first year spent building support from the customers and developing the concept.

Gartner details top 10 strategic Govt IT technologies

2
Technology research specialist Gartner has published what it considers the "top 10 strategic technologies" of 2016, aimed to help IT leaders to better carry out government transformation initiatives.

Qantas CIO jets off to France

0
Qantas this afternoon revealed its chief information officer Luc Hennekens would leave the company at the end of September, after three years leading the IT operation of Australia's largest airline.

KPMG plans IBM Watson integration to boost audit analysis

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Big four auditing firm KPMG has announced plans to integrate IBM Watson's cognitive computing technology to a range of its professional services in the Australian market.

Domain dumps spreadsheets for Salesforce

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Real-estate marketing specialist Domain Group has abandoned spreadsheets and integrated with Salesforce's cloud platform in a bid to improve its customer relationship management process.

Cisco assists Queensland Uni with digital transformation

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Cisco has published a blog post discussing its partnership with the University of Queensland as the two organisations sought to bring digital transformation to the educational institution over the last few years.

University of Melbourne launches new hybrid supercomputer

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The University of Melbourne has launched a new supercomputing service called Spartan it says will boost research at the institution.

Pullman Sydney Airport hotel deploys cloud-based communications

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The newly opened Pullman Sydney Airport hotel, part of the AccorHotel Group, has deployed a cloud-based communications solution using technology by Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (ALE) and McLaren Technologies.

Survey warns Australian businesses may be in “digital denial”

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A new survey by Progress has found that, while most Australian business leaders recognise the benefits of going digital, over half said their organisations were "in denial" over the urgent need to transform their processes and services.

$752m: NSW Education Dept’s SAP-based LMBR system doubles in cost

3
Those of us who've been around the traps for a while know that it's extremely common for major IT projects to go over budget. 10 percent, 15 percent, 20 percent ... these are all normal amounts for a project's costs to blow out by, and of course delays to projects' delivery schedule are also common. However, what would you think of a project which doubled in cost over its lifetime?

Oil firm taps IBM’s IT experience with app management deal

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Oil and gas explorer and producer INPEX has announced the signing of a new application management deal with IBM in Australia.

La Trobe Uni deploys TechOne cloud app

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La Trobe University in Melbourne has extended its existing partnership with Australian software as a service (SaaS) provider TechnologyOne with the signing of a Student Management SaaS deal.

Qld Health CIO reportedly poached by IBM

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Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. Queensland Health CIO Colin McCririck has reportedly resigned for a job with IBM in the US.

Qld police officer charged with hacking over database access

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A Queensland police officer has been charged with hacking, according to the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC).

WA Govt agencies ignore constant warnings on IT security

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Western Australia's Auditor General has warned that over a half of government agencies are failing to heed advice on IT security.

Barden Produce deploys VMware’s vCloud Air

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Australian veg wholesaler Barden Produce has announced a move to VMware's vCloud Air to bring about a more flexible and agile business model.

Still in the doghouse: IBM’s Qld Govt ban very much alive

3
You'd have to expect that IBM has been able to come in from the cold with the Queensland Government. However, according to iTnews, this is not the case.

NSW ‘ChildStory’ IT project drags heels on deployment

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The NSW Department of Family & Community Services’ (FACS) ChildStory project has finally reached the deployment phase, despite being announced as far back as September of last year.

NSW TAFE to axe troubled LMBR student enrolment system

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NSW Technical and Further Education (TAFE) is to replace the Learning Management and Business Reform (LMBR) student enrolment system, which is run by Tribal Group and has been plagued with technical issue since it's launch late in 2014.

Five years later, Salesforce is still promising an Australian datacentre

0
Salesforce has been promising Australian customers for many years that it would start delivering some of its popular cloud offerings from a local datacentre for many years. So where is it?

Openstack gaining traction in Australia

1
A survey of attendees at the country's first OpenStack conference held in Sydney last month has indicated that OpenStack is likely to experience growth in the Australian market over the next 18 months.

Spark Ventures deploys BMC Remedyforce

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Digital services firm Spark Ventures has moved to BMC’s cloud-based Remedyforce solution to better manage the back-end infrastructure that supports its consumer and business digital services.

New IT system causes chaos at Cairns Hospital

3
There is absolutely no doubt that electronic health records system implementations have an extremely chequered history in Australia. Now a new catastrophe along these lines has appeared in Far North Queensland.

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank adopts IBM cloud

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Bendigo and Adelaide Bank has adopted IBM Cloud to boost development of new banking products and services for its 1.6 million customers.

AGL hiring new CTO after IT management chaos

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Energy utility AGL has revealed plans to hire several executives to fill new chief technology officer and head of IT service delivery roles, in a new wave of hires taking place after several years of turmoil in its IT leadership.

The Inside Track: What we learned from the Sydney AWS outage

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The Sydney Amazon Web Services outage could end up being a long-term positive, if it heightens the stability of major IT infrastructure. However, if IT professionals don't heed its lessons, then the opposite will be true. Where one outage can occur, others can follow. And the damage may not quite be as limited the next time around.

ASG sues Victorian Govt over cancelled ERP contract

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Australian IT services provider ASG is suing the State of Victoria with the aim of recovering its costs arising from a terminated contract.

Amazon UPS design at fault in Sydney outage

3
As you may have noticed, Amazon Web Services is not precisely having a fantastic week in Australia. And now we know why and how.

Jetstar appoints CIO with little IT experience

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National airline Jetstar this week announced it had appointed an executive with less than three years' worth of experience in a technology role as its new chief information officer, in an unorthodox move for a major Australian corporation.

Unisys IT modernisation gives Co-operative Bank a boost

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Unisys has released a statement saying that its New Zealand subsidiary has improved the Co-operative Bank’s IT infrastructure using Unisys ClearPath Forward systems.

Brisbane Airport extends IT services deal with Data#3

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Australian IT solutions firm Data#3 has announced the signing of a new deal that will see it continue to provide infrastructure support for Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) for a further two years.

The Australian government must take cyber security more seriously

1
Most of us can relate to the government’s plan to build 12 new submarines for A$50 billion, at least in principle. But you might be alarmed to hear the government is investing only a fraction of that amount on protecting us from cyberattacks.

Survey shows legacy tech blocking digital transformation

4
A new study from networking solutions provider Brocade has suggested that legacy technology is holding businesses back from the full advantages of digital transformation.

Brocade delivers LAN with New IP for secondary college

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Networking solutions firm Brocade has announced that it has rolled out a comprehensive campus LAN upgrade, including a New IP networking solution, for Mazenod College in Lesmurdie, Western Australia.

Victoria Police gives up trying to replace 25-year-old IT system

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I strongly urge the Victorian Government to address this issue as a matter of urgency. It will require not only a substantial funding increase for this area to Victoria Police, but also a number of senior appointments and strong Ministerial support to get this project moving and delivered.

Hack shuts down NSW Trainlink booking system

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NSW TrainLink has announced that its online reservations system has been taken offline following a hack and that some users' credit card data may have been compromised.

Medibank CIO quits after five months for Suncorp

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Banking and insurance giant Suncorp today revealed it had appointed Sarah Harland as its new chief information officer, just five months after the executive took up a similar position at health insurer Medibank Private.

Auditor General: WA Govt should “prioritise online delivery of services”

2
Western Australian Auditor General Colin Murphy has released a report saying there are "significant savings and benefits" to moving government services online.

Microsoft launches update for Dynamics CRM, hints at IoT future

0
Microsoft has announced the release of the Dynamics CRM Spring 2016 update, along with a preview date for its new product, Connected Field Service, which will offer the option to monitor Internet of Things devices.

UXC Oxygen delivers SAP HANA migration for SA Power Networks

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UXC Oxygen, a specialist SAP consulting and services company now owned by CSC, has deployed a new SAP HANA platform for Australian electricity distributor SA Power Networks.

Survey reveals most organisations use multiple clouds

1
A new survey by Veritas has revealed that the majority of businesses are moving data to the cloud and utilising both private and public cloud services, creating a fragmented approach that could create IT "blind spots" and increase information-based risks.

Queensland policeman charged over unauthorised database access

4
A police constable from Queensland has been removed from official duty and charged with misconduct over unauthorised access of a police database, after an investigation by the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC).

NSW Govt appoints whole of government CIO

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news The NSW Government has appointed respected former Westpac, Macquarie Bank and Woolworths IT executive Damon Rees to the newly created role of whole...

AGL turns to Microsoft for project management tools

1
AGL Energy has deployed Microsoft’s Project Online in order to more efficiently manage projects across the company.

Former Sydney University ICT manager found to be corrupt

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The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has ascertained that a former ICT manager at the University of Sydney carried out corrupt acts during his time at the institution.

Qantas’ Amazon website cloud move will save it $30m

3
Over the past several years it has become a very common story to see major organisations shifting IT infrastructure, particularly their public-facing websites, into cloud computing facilities. Major banks have done it. Government departments have done it. And now, as has been outlined in a slew of articles over the past week, has Qantas -- well, at least it's in the throes of the migration.

Australian Federal Police fails cybersecurity health check

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The Federal Auditor-General has criticised the Australian Federal Police for not meeting federal cyber-security standards, in a wide-ranging audit that exposed a number of issues with the law enforcement agency's ability to secure its own IT systems.

Pact Group makes strategic IT shift into Microsoft’s cloud

1
Regional packaging manufacturer Pact Group has said it is making strategic investment in Microsoft cloud technologies aimed to boost growth and assist its push towards integrated automated manufacturing.

Budget 2016: NEC to deploy CrimTrac’s new biometrics platform

0
NEC Australia has been awarded the contract to deliver CrimTrac’s "next generation" biometrics crime-fighting tool, the Government has announced.

Budget 2016: Govt establishes joint taskforce to fix myGov

5
The Government has established a joint taskforce to remediate its troubled myGov digital identity and verification platform, bringing in experts from a number of government departments and throwing $50.5 million at the project.

Budget 2016: Major Child Care, Veterans’ IT reform projects approved

2
The Federal Government has approved several hundred million dollars' worth of funding to reform key IT platforms in the Department of Human Services and Veterans' Affairs, in moves that will unlock substantial IT transformation packages of work.

Budget 2016: Major Police IT projects win funding

3
Commonwealth law enforcement agencies such as the Australian Federal Police and Crimtrac have won big in this year's Federal Budget in terms of their IT infrastructure programs, with the Government greenlighting a series of major initiatives.

NSW Govt to appoint yet another whole of government CIO

1
I'll be the first to admit if -- and I'll be happy about it -- I am proven wrong. But all the evidence from the past shows that this appointment will ultimately amount to little.

Woodside connects 200k IoT sensors to Amazon

3
There are some fascinating case studies coming out of Amazon Web Service's Summit in Sydney this week. One of the ones that we found the most interesting was a story regarding resources giant Woodside, which has conducted one of the largest Internet of Things projects we've seen yet in Australia.

Unisys wins IT outsourcing deal with Merck KGaA

0
Global IT firm Unisys has announced that it has won a new five-year contract to provide Merck KGaA with end-user IT services for its 48,000 employees in 90 countries worldwide, including Australia.

Farce: WA Health can’t manage to find a CIO after six years

8
Every major organisation in Australia needs a senior executive to hold its top technology role. The minute you abandon that concept, is the minute you invite the kind of IT disasters and cost blow-outs that are already rife within Australia's state-based public sector.

DTO confirms govCMS as GOV.AU platform, ending cold war

1
The Federal Government's two centralised IT decision-making agencies have buried the hatchet in their cold war over which content management system will be used for Canberra's 1,500-odd websites, announcing plans for the GovCMS platform to be used for the new GOV.AU project.

Transport for NSW signs huge IT deal with CSC

2
Transport for NSW has announced the signing of a "major contract" with multinational IT corporation CSC to transform its back-of-house IT systems.

Fujitsu wins $140m IT services deal with Gold Coast

3
Global IT services provider Fujitsu has won the contract to manage Gold Coast’s ICT infrastructure and applications services.

Victoria to trial IoT tech for better water management

1
In what it is calling "an Australian first", Victoria's South East Water has started trials of a new low-powered Internet of Things (IoT) technology to improve real-time monitoring and help to boost the reliability, efficiency and safety of its water and sewer assets.

Victoria Police … plastering over underlying IT disasters with sexy gear?

5
The boys in blue are in line, apparently, for hot new gadgets such as body worn cameras, tablets and more, in an effort to modernise the force. Not mentioned, of course, are the significant problems which Victoria Police faces with fundamental IT service delivery.

Australia Post trials drone deliveries

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Australia Post has announced the it will be the "first major parcels and logistics company" in Australia to trial package delivery by remotely piloted aircraft, also called drones.

TPG wins deal with I-MED for national network

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TPG Telecom has inked a "multimillion dollar" deal with medical imaging company I-MED Network that will see the telco deliver a dedicated high-speed network connecting all I-MED locations across Australia.

Investigation reveals significant problems in Defence’s Telstra deal

5
In April 2013, the Department of Defence signed a massive new contract with Telstra. With a value of $1.1 billion, the deal was one of the largest telecommunications services contracts signed by any customer organisation in Australia. However, as iTnews reports today, the deal is suffering significant problems.

DTO signs MOU with UK’s Government Digital Service

3
The Federal Government's Digital Transformation Office (DTO) has announced that it has signed an agreement with the UK's Government Digital Service (GDS) that is aimed to help both organisations progress their digital efforts.

Microsoft reveals roadmap for new Windows 10 business features

1
Microsoft has published details of its roadmap for new Windows 10 business features that are likely to make their way to users' machines in the near future, with security seeming a high priority.

US Govt proposes US$3.1bn fund to upgrade “legacy” IT systems

1
The US Government has proposed the creation of a US$3.1 billion (A$4.8 billion) modernisation fund to improve cybersecurity and save money by replacing or modernising "antiquated" IT systems with more secure, efficient and up-to-date technology.

CSIRO starts converting fleet to electric cars

2
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has announced it is taking steps to reduce its carbon footprint with the rollout of 100% electric cars to its national fleet.

NSW Govt hires Data61 to ease traffic congestion with big data

3
Data61 (formerly National ICT Australia) has partnered with the New South Wales Government on a big data project that is aimed to ease congestion in the state, according to a statement from Transport for NSW.

Online retailers yet to harness big social data

1
A large volume of social media data gets created on a daily basis from these customer service interactions. Companies need to be examining both the volumes of unstructured social media data created by their own processes as well as by their competitors for a better understanding of necessary process improvements.

Fujitsu to deploy emergency dispatch system for Tasmania

0
Fujitsu has signed a contract with the Tasmanian Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management for the implementation of a new computer-aided dispatch system for emergency services.

Atmail loses Raine & Horne as Office 365 slides in

0
Just two years after it announced a switch to the independent Atmail email platform, real estate giant Raine & Horne has revealed a migration to a new platform, with Microsoft's Office 365 and Exchange platforms getting the nod over for more than 3,000 staff.

The plot thickens in CBA/ServiceMesh IT bribery scandal

1
There have been a series of new revelations in the Commonwealth Bank's IT bribery scandal over the past several days.

Now Qld Govt has to pay IBM’s costs in failed litigation

5
Things are not going well for the Queensland Government in its lawsuit against IBM over the incredibly botched payroll systems upgrade project at Queensland Health.

Suncorp CIO resigns for Commonwealth Bank role

0
Banking and insurance giant Suncorp this afternoon announced that its chief information officer Matt Pancino had resigned, with the executive to reportedly take up a senior role at the Commonwealth Bank.

Federal Govt to establish new telco services panel

2
The Federal Government has announced it will establish a new telecommunications services panel to replace three existing bodies that will expire this year.

“Waste of money”: Sydney Grammar School bans laptops in class

22
According to at least one school, these new-fangled devices are a "waste of money" and should be banned.

WA public transport agency downed by hack attempt

5
It appears that IT staff at Western Australia's Public Transport Authority had a rather different kind of weekend: One in which they descended into the hell of trying to clean out hackers from their IT systems.

Digital Transformation Office unveils gov.au prototype

5
The Digital Transformation Office (DTO) has revealed the "Alpha" prototype of gov.au – the new governmental web platform that aims to present information and services based on usability, rather than the structures of government.

Google leaves Australia off cloud expansion list

8
Google has announced two new regions for its Cloud Platform network of datacentres, with more on the way, but it is still unclear if Australia will eventually be included in the list.

Interesting thoughts on IT outsourcing in the cloud era

3
It's now been several years since cloud computing became mainstream in Australia. Small businesses are using it. Major corporations such as Australia's largest banks and insurers are using it. And even the public sector has started using it. With this breadth of adoption has also come a deepening of our understanding of how large organisations should use cloud computing.

HPE may cut 200 Adelaide jobs, just months after hiring binge

4
Just months after flagging a sizable expansion of its business in South Australia, insiders have revealed Hewlett Packard Enterprise is actually in the throes of cutting several hundred staff from the state.

Telstra bets on Windows 10 solution to boost retail engagement

6
Telstra is rolling out Microsoft Windows 10 on Surface devices at its retail outlets in a move aimed to blur the line between in-store and online sales.

Digital Realty flags new datacentre construction in Melbourne

0
Global technology firm Digital Realty is to establish a new datacentre in Victoria that will create hundreds of new jobs in the state.

There is a cold war going on between Govt CMS platforms

5
The new kids on the block may do well to remember that the DTO has only been around for a very short period of time, and could easily be deleted again by a hostile Federal Cabinet during tough budget times. The folks who set up GovCMS paved the way for an agency like the DTO to do great things.

GovCMS adoption ‘doubled expectations’ in first year

0
The government's web content management system GovCMS has reportedly seen more than twice the number of agencies and institutions adopting the service than initially estimated.

Human Services Dept renews $484m contract with IBM

3
The Department of Human Services (DHS) has renewed a contract with IBM for the delivery of new technology that is aimed to drive new products and services.

Unisys launches IT support desk for NSW government agencies

0
Global IT provider Unisys has launched a new service desk that will provide centralised IT support services to NSW Government departments and agencies under the GovConnectNSW banner.

Deakin Uni first in Australia to get Cisco’s new SDN gear

0
I'm attending Cisco Live in Melbourne this week, and I have to say that while there is a lot of marketing hype out there about software-defined networking and the kinds of complex network/app/processing integration that Cisco is hyping up, there is also a lot of real-world activity building out there with respect to this new paradigm.

Business “translation” key for CIOs, says Melbourne Airport IT chief

1
The chief information officer of Melbourne Airport has told attendees at the Cisco Live conference in Melbourne this week that the ability to translate technical projects and language into business outcomes and concepts was still key for chief information officers.

Adecco dumps handsets for softphones with Optus, Cisco

0
news Human resources group Adecco yesterday revealed it had undertaken a substantial refresh of its internal telephony and Internet platform with the primary assistance...

Microsoft’s Dynamics AX for Azure cloud to launch in Australia

0
Microsoft has announced that Dynamics AX, the latest version of its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software product, will soon be available in Australia and hosted in local data centres.

Dept of Defence extends Unisys IT support contract

0
The Department of Defence has announced it will extend its contract with Unisys that sees the US-based firm's local subsidiary provide IT support services at locations across Australia.

Victorian Govt continues to suffer major issues with ICT projects

6
A new report from Victoria's Acting Auditor-General Dr Peter Frost has criticised the state government over failed and badly planned ICT projects that he said were, in some cases, "not acceptable".

Cisco Live 2016 in Melbourne: Photo gallery

2
Your writer is down in Melbourne attending Cisco Live 2016. We had a fantastic time yesterday and will be posting quite a few stories today from the event. Here's a bit of a window into this huge tech conference with a few photos of what's going on.

Govt CIOs focusing on analytics, cloud, infrastructure

2
A new survey has revealed that analytics, infrastructure and cloud computing are the top three technology priorities for government CIOs, with digital transformation still lagging behind.

Movie effects firm Animal Logic deploys Brocade network switches

4
Digital animation and visual effects studio Animal Logic has announced it will deploy network switches from Brocade in order to cope with the data demands of the next generation of 3D movies.

“Pure noise”: The backlash against Slack begins

14
Recently I've begun to detect a wave of dissent against Slack. The platform opened up a great deal of communication and collaboration options for corporations ... but at the same time, it has also created yet another distraction into our modern workplace. It may end up creating as many problems as it solves.

ICAC finds training institute IT manager guilty of corruption

0
An investigation by the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has found a former IT manager at the TAFE NSW South Western Sydney Institute (SWSI) guilty of corruption in his official role at the training organisation.

TransGrid: Dumping Oracle support for Rimini Street slashed fees by half

1
Electricity utility TransGrid has said dumping Oracle as the provider of annual maintenance and support for its own database product brought significant savings.

US tech visionary Harper Reed to keynote Cisco Live

0
Technology giant Cisco has unveiled the line-up for its Cisco Live confab in Melbourne next week, with US-based technology evangelist Harper Reed to feature as one of the main keynotes, alongside several senior global Cisco executives.

Defence brings massive IT services deal back to the market

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The tender was put on ice some two years ago, as it was undertaking several other major IT purchasing efforts at the same time. However, iTnews reported today that the contract had been brought back.

Even major banks still use archaic Excel spreadsheets for complex tasks

5
I hope this Suncorp example can serve as a stimulus for other organisations to shift off Excel for these kinds of complex tasks as well.

Australia Post accelerates digital push with Data61 partnership

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Australia Post has announced a new partnership with the country's largest data innovation group Data61 that is aimed to drive continued transformation into a digital services company.

Google’s Australian MD joins ANZ as head of digital banking

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Google's regional Managing Director Maile Carnegie has joined ANZ bank as its new Group Executive of Digital Banking.

Monash University invests $4.1m in supercomputer project

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Monash University has announced it has invested $4.1m in a high-performance computing facility with plans to build a new supercomputer.

Adelaide Festival Centre deploys Red Hat Linux on Azure cloud

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Adelaide Festival Centre has chosen to shift its Red Hat Enterprise Linux system from physical servers to Microsoft’s Azure could computing platform.

Most Qld Govt cloud data is going straight offshore

5
Queensland's Auditor-General has revealed that the State Government's 'cloud-first' policy has resulted in three quarters of the government data placed into cloud computing platforms going offshore, despite the availability of Australia-based cloud computing solutions.

British Airways workers to rally against Tata outsourcing of IT jobs

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British Airways workers are to protest against the outsourcing of IT jobs to foreign workers employed by Tata Consultancy Services at a rally organised by general workers' union, the GMB.

SA Govt follows WA, Qld away from ICT shared services

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One would hope that the Federal Government will be closely examining the experiences that states such as South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia have had with shared services, before it commits to its own shared services approach. Because to rush in haphazardly would be dangerous indeed.

IBM, VMware sign strategic cloud partnership

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IBM and VMware have agreed a strategic partnership aimed to make it easier for businesses to advantage of the cloud’s speed and economic factors.

Qantas to use NBN, ViaSat to deliver in-flight Wi-Fi from 2017

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Qantas is set to introduce inflight Wi-Fi from next year under a partnership with international broadband services provider ViaSat and the NBN network.

Federal Govt cloud computing use is exploding

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The Federal Government's adoption of cloud computing technologies has been quite a slow one. However, according to an article published this week by ZDNet, the situation may be drastically changing.

Tyreright chooses Rackspace for cloud and hosting services

2
Automotive e-commerce site Tyreright has moved to Rackspace for its cloud and hosting services.

IBM’s Watson is reportedly expanding into Woodside’s desktops

1
For most of the time that IBM's Watson artificial intelligence (for want of a better word) system has been around, I suspect many technology journalists such as myself have viewed the platform as something of a toy -- a pet project which Big Blue can use to demonstrate its deep technology research credentials and wow live quiz shows on television. But if this article by iTnews is any indication, Watson is moving past that into something rather more functional.

Investigation finds WA Dept of Health botched Fujitsu core computing contract

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Western Australia's Auditor General has released a damning report identifying weakness and inconsistencies in the management of the Centralised Computing Services contract at the Department of Health.

Optus to transition Adelaide Festival Centre to Office 365 and Azure

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Optus is to transition the existing IT infrastructure platform of the Adelaide Festival Centre to a hybrid cloud platform leveraging Microsoft Azure and Office 365.

Trojan takes down entire WA Parliament IT, phone system

1
Bad news for the Western Australian Parliament, which, it appears, didn't have the most hardened IT security systems on earth. The ABC is reporting today that a "trojan virus" has knocked the Parliament's IT and telephone systems offline.

Servcorp deploys Dropbox Business for cloud storage

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Following a consultation with staff members, Servcorp has moved to Dropbox Business to better fulfil its cloud storage requirements.

Insurance network deploys Microsoft business intelligence

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Insurance Advisernet (IA) has deployed Microsoft's Business Intelligence data visualisation suite in order to bring greater efficiency and customer understanding network of independent advisers.

NEC ‘near completion’ of WA water management platform

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Technology giant NEC Australia has announced it is nearing the completion of a new IT system that is aimed at improving the sustainable management of Western Australia’s water resources.

Now Toll dumps Google Apps rollout, reconsiders SAP plan

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Toll has reportedly stopped the rollout of a Google Apps deployment to its staff and is developing a new plan for its proposed SAP-based finance transformation.

Law firm Macpherson Kelley deploys Commvault data platform, flash storage

1
Australia-based law firm Macpherson Kelley has deployed Commvault's data platform and Pure Storage FlashArray in order to improve information management and boost efficiency.

Campari replacing HP tablets with Microsoft Surface Pros

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Specialist beverage company Campari has replaced HP tablets with Microsoft Surface Pros within its sales team, and is now rolling out the devices across the remainder of the business.

VMware introduces new desktop virtualisation platform

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Virtualisation giant VMware has unveiled a new platform for delivering secure digital workspaces for flexible working on any device.

NAB to roll out new personal banking platform this month

2
National Australia Bank (NAB) is to roll out a new personal banking platform in a move it calls "the biggest technology overhaul in the bank’s history".

Govt launches ‘government as an API’ through new CMS

2
The government has implemented a 'Government as an API' service that is aimed to provide more powerful and consistent use of digital content across multiple services.

Hospital’s Windows XP virus has spread into other facilities: Read the internal email

1
Sounds like there is still quite a bit of work to do in nailing this one down, and making sure this kind of situation never happens again.

NSW Education Dept’s SAP-based billion-dollar LMBR system is still malfunctioning

1
Those of you with an enduring interest in State Government IT projects will recall that Delimiter has covered the NSW Education Department's Learning Management and Business Reform (LMBR) project on many occasions.

Nine deploys Centrify to assist with Mac/Active Directory admin

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Identification management and security vendor Centrify has revealed the Nine Network has deployed its solution to drastically simplify administration of its recently expanded fleet of Apple Mac desktops.

Oracle CEO jets into Australia to reassure customers on support offshoring, flag huge sales...

3
Fresh off the back of claims that Oracle has just dumped its entire Australian support operation, news has arrived from the Financial Review this week that global Oracle co-chief executive Mark Hurd has landed in Australia.

Sources claim Oracle has completely dumped its Australian support centre

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Delimiter has been contacted by several sources who have stated that The Register's report is accurate, and that Oracle has indeed completely offshored its Australian support centre in the past month.

“Grow a spine” and get off Windows XP: An epic “intervention”

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Perhaps one of the most irritating pieces of legacy software that is still kicking around is Microsoft's most famous operating system, Windows XP.

Royal Melbourne Hospital still has not fixed its Windows XP virus problem

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As it turns out, two weeks on, the hospital still has not quite got control of the IT infection

Microsoft beating Google in cloud email race, says Gartner

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A study by analyst firm Gartner has found that 8.5% of global public companies use cloud email from Microsoft's Office 365 service, with just 4.7% using Google Apps for Work.

DHS hires pinch hitter NAB exec for billion-dollar Centrelink IT revamp

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The Department of Human Services today confirmed it had hired senior National Australia Bank executive John Murphy to lead its billion-dollar Welfare Payment Infrastructure Transformation (WPIT) project, in a move which creates an immediate direct rival to existing DHS CIO Gary Sterrenberg.

Turnbull’s DTO may take over governance of the Govt’s pathetic myGov site

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Those of you who run your own business and thus have had the unfortunate experience of being forced to interact with the Government's myGov website will be aware that the site is, to put it rather bluntly, something of a piece of crap.

Turnbull’s Department seeks replacement CIO

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The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) is looking for a new Chief Information Officer following the departure of Radi Kovacevic to the DTO.

ANZ CEO announces head of digital role in raft of executive changes

0
Along with a number of significant changes to the executive team at ANZ, the bank's new CEO Shayne Elliott has announced plans to create a role for a new head of digital banking.

Labor claims DHS telephone and IT systems ‘collapsing’

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Labor has released a statement over what it calls a "collapse" in the standards of telecoms and IT services at Centrelink and Medicare.

Report: Oracle may be dumping its Australian support centre

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Spend a lot of time calling Oracle's Australian support centre for those pesky database support enquiries? Well, if a report late last year and mutterings this week around the traps are any indication, you could shortly be speaking to someone in somewhere like Romania instead.

Microsoft recalls 285,000 Surface Pro power cords in Australia

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Microsoft is recalling 285,000 Surface Pro power cord sets sold in Australia over a fault that can expose live wires and represents a risk to consumers.

ICT Audit largely clears Federal Govt of problems

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A comprehensive ICT audit of the Federal Government's ICT operations has largely found they are sound and performing to required standards, with expenditure within appropriate levels and only a small proportion of major ICT projects at risk.

Hospital attack shows the risk of still running Windows XP

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A virus attack on the computer system of one of Melbourne’s largest hospital networks is cause for concern because it affected machines running Microsoft’s Windows XP, an operating system no longer supported by the software giant.

Windows XP virus takes down Royal Melbourne Hospital

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You would think, you would really think, that pretty much every organisation Australia-wide would have gotten the picture by now that Windows XP is an outdated platform and needs to be replaced. But sadly this is not the case. From Victoria comes the news that the Royal Melbourne Hospital has had its operations knocked offline by a Windows XP virus.

Govt creates new digital agency to fix e-health issues

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The government is seeking a CEO to head the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) – a newly created body set up to revamp the underachieving My Health Record initiative.

Federal Govt explicitly explores IT offshoring in landmark move

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If you have spent any time working in IT in Australia's public sector, you are probably aware that there is something of a taboo in government departments and agencies using offshored IT services such as are provided from countries such as India, as well as increasingly Malaysia, the Philippines and other countries. However, this may be about to change.

Global Health inks e-health deals with SA, ACT govts

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Global Health has inked a deal with SA and ACT governments to roll-out its proprietary electronic medical record (EMR) system across the Adelaide Primary Health Network and in the ACT.

Innovation in Govt must be a tool: Not the end goal

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Innovation and transformations do not, by themselves, improve government. They are simply techniques and can be implemented both well and badly, depending on the people, culture and environment they are employed within.

DHS issues show Turnbull’s innovation talk just ‘spam’, says Labor

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Labor has criticised the Turnbull government over recent IT and other issues at the Department of Human Services (DHS), saying they reveal that the Prime Minster's talk of Innovation is just "spam".

Ruckus to deploy Wi-Fi network at Western Sydney University

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Ruckus Wireless has been selected to roll out 'smart Wi-Fi' across all Western Sydney University (WSU) campuses.

ASG to provide Windows 10 desktop as a service for Finance Dept

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IT services player ASG Group has inked a four-year agreement with government to provide a 'desktop as a service' solution for the Department of Finance.

Immigration Dept creates innovation division to drive digital transformation

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The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) has formed an innovation division to help accelerate the pace of its digital transformation.

DHS issues due to ‘chronic’ IT underfunding, says union

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Computer malfunctions and other issues at the Department of Human Services are due to "chronic and prolonged underfunding" according to the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU).

NSW education board seeks Chief Digital Officer to drive innovation

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The New South Wales Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards (BOSTES) is seeking a Chief Digital Officer to drive innovation across schools in the state.

Qld eHealth agency reportedly stands down CIO after just one month

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In mid-December 2015, the Department promoted the fact that it had appointed a new chief executive and chief information officer of eHealth Queensland -- the agency within the Department which is responsible for resolving the state's ongoing eHealth mess. Less than one month later, the executive has reportedly been stood down as part of an internal investigation.

Specsavers outsources key IT services to Accenture

1
Global optical chain Specsavers has partnered with professional services company Accenture to help manage its IT services as it focuses on increasing the digital side of its business.

Western Sydney Uni deploys 5,000 Microsoft Surface tablets

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Western Sydney University is to deploy 5,000 Microsoft Surface 3 devices in order to boost flexible learning within its courses.

Defence kicks off mammoth ERP transformation program

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Those of you who got too deep, too early into the silly season around Christmas time may have missed the fact that the Department of Defence has taken a strong step forward in the mammoth ERP consolidation program known as "Defence Insight".

DTO reveals progress on digital transformation projects

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The Digital Transformation Office has revealed the state of progress on a number of Digital Delivery Hubs that were set up in October 2015.

eHealth NSW hiring for yet another CIO

1
New South Wales' peak electronic health agency NSW eHealth has yet again advertised for a new chief information and chief executive officer, as the latest swing in a revolving door of senior executives.

DTO immigration project passes first test

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A new booking service being developed by the Digital Transformation Office (DTO) and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection for people about to take their citizenship test has passed its first assessment.

Govt admits staff lost IT equipment valued at over $100k

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Government employees have cost the taxpayer may thousands of dollars-worth in lost or stolen IT equipment, it has been revealed.

DTO seeks top execs to lead gov.au, Digital Marketplace

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The Digital Transformation Office (DTO) is seeking a top level executive to lead the new Digital Marketplace announced in the government's Innovation and Science Agenda just two weeks ago. A head is also being sought for the transformation of the gov.au web platform that is aimed to make it quicker and easier to access government services online.

Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog targets Ultranet schools IT project

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Victoria's Department of Education and Training’s $180 million Ultranet IT project is to be the focus of public hearings held by the state's anti-corruption commission next year.

Treasury switches to virtual desktop platform from Nutanix

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The Commonwealth Treasury has deployed a virtual desktop platform from Nutanix with the aim of facilitating the delivery of Australia’s economic framework, the Federal Budget.

Australian Electoral Commission moves website to Amazon Web Services

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The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has switched to Amazon Web Services (AWS) for the hosting of digital services across all its public-facing websites.

Great example of how politics can destroy necessary IT projects

3
To my mind, this situation reflects the perfect example of politics interfering with sensible IT project delivery.

WA Government to complete delayed school IT upgrades

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The Western Australian Government has announced an IT investment at the state's schools that will allow students and teachers to use wireless devices around campuses and bring greater mobility to classrooms.

IAG creates next-gen IT leadership structure as the IT dept starts to break down

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Insurer IAG has created a sophisticated new IT leadership structure reflecting the fact that digital disruption is sweeping through its business and it needs to have multiple divisions focused on different aspects of technology -- from operations to testing out new and innovative ideas.

Lockheed Martin spin-off to create new IT services firm with giant Defence, ATO contracts

0
From The Wall St Journal earlier this month comes confirmation that military equipment specialist Lockheed Martin still expects to sell or spin off the IT services business which the company has long had tacked on to its manufacturing operations.

Seeing Machines replaces Salesforce.com, MYOB, Excel and Outlook with NetSuite OneWorld

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Seeing Machines, an Australia-based developer of driver fatigue and distraction detection technology, has deployed NetSuite OneWorld across its global operations.

NSW Cancer Council ditches desktop PCs, phones forever

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'Mobility' has been one of the hottest buzzwords in Australian IT departments for some time now. Smartphones, tablets, laptops -- and allowing users to access their corporate data wherever they feel is the most appropriate place and time and in the most appropriate format -- these are all the hallmarks of the new evolving mobility landscape inside major and minor organisations. However, few have taken it to the extremes that the NSW Cancer Council has.

Judge sides with IBM in Qld Health payroll lawsuit

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This week it appears as though Queensland's actions have blown up in its face again with respect to its botched payroll systems upgrade at Queensland Health.

Cyber breach at the Bureau of Meteorology: The who, what and how, of the...

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If the hackers were state-sponsored Chinese hackers such as the People’s Liberation Army Unit 61398, then the target of the hack would have been wide-ranging but possibly focused on information related to Australian defence and security services and capabilities.

Telstra deploys eHealth record solution for St John of God

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Telstra Health has announced it has deployed an electronic medical record (EMR) system at St John of God Midland public and private hospitals in Perth.

Disaster in the making? Govt embarks on mammoth IT shared services scheme

13
The Federal Government has issued a landmark discussion paper seeking industry and other stakeholder opinions on how it can best implement a strategic shared services scheme to serve the needs of its departments and agencies, despite the fact that this very same model has abjectly failed several Australian State Governments over the past half-decade and been abandoned.

ABC claims “massive” Chinese IT attack on Bureau of Meteorology supercomputer

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The ABC this morning reported that the weather boffins at the Bureau of Metorology had suffered a "massive" IT attack on its systems, including the supercomputer which it uses for weather forecasting, with the source reportedly being based in China.

CIO exits Toll as IT outsourcing plan falls in a heap

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Toll Group chief information officer John Ansley has resigned from the group just a year and a half after taking up the role, in the wake of the failure of an ambitious IT outsourcing plan.

ShoreTel deploys unified communications for Brimbank City Council

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ShoreTel, a California-based provider of phone systems and unified communications (UC) solutions, has announced it has deployed a unified communications solution for Brimbank City Council in Victoria.

Delimiter files FOI request for Govt ICT Audit

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Technology media outlet Delimiter has filed a Freedom of Information request seeking to retrieve the unreleased comprehensive ICT Audit which the Federal Government presented to Finance Minister Mathias Cormann in January this year.

Government to retain ownership of Canberra’s ICON network

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The Federal Government has announced it will not sell off the Intra Government Communications Network (ICON) – a fibre network connecting public service buildings throughout Canberra.

Moula Money banks on Rackspace

1
US-based cloud computing firm Rackspace has released a case study spelling out how its services have helped online lending startup Moula Money scale its systems to keep pace with its rapid growth.

Salesforce a winner as NSW’s ChildStory project announces vendors

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The NSW Department of Family & Community Services' ChildStory project has announced the winning vendors for a $100-million IT platform that is aimed to boost child safety in the state.

[ad] Today’s Delimiter webinar has been postponed

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As you may recall, Delimiter was planning to hold a webinar this morning on transitioning to Office 365. This is just a quick email to let you know that, due to events beyond our control, the webinar has been postponed for a couple of weeks. It's unfortunate -- I was looking forward to it, and we have some great content.

Empired eclipses Fujitsu in Horizon Power IT deal

0
IT services group Empired has just clinched a deal to manage the ICT infrastructure of electricity provider Horizon Power – a state government-owned company providing electricity to Western Australia.

NextDC confirms second Melbourne data centre will follow equity raising

0
Australian firm NextDC has announced it plans to raise equity to fund the building of two new data centres, including a second facility in Melbourne.

Dimension Data to fit out flagship Queensland Government skyscraper

0
Global ICT services provider Dimension Data has won the bid to fit out and support the networking infrastructure for the Queensland Government’s new flagship offices at 1 William Street, Brisbane.

Insurer IAG hires Deloitte exec as digital ‘disrupter’

0
Multinational insurance company IAG has appointed Deloitte's Peter Bonney to a newly established 'Disruptive Technology and Architecture' role within its IAG Labs division.

Western Australia announces major cloud push

2
The Western Australian state government has announced a cloud computing initiative that is aimed to boost services while cutting back on overall spending.

University of Newcastle to roll out Windows 10 to 10,000 devices

5
The University of Newcastle (UON) this week said it would roll out Microsoft Windows 10 to around 10,000 devices across its campuses by the end of 2016.

Construction giant trials ‘smart’ hardhats to track employee health

3
Multinational construction company Laing O'Rourke has come up with a novel way to monitor and protect employee health – an interactive 'smart' hardhat.

Knight Frank rolls out Skype for Business to get staff talking

1
Real-estate consultancy Knight Frank is to roll out Skype for Business across its Australian offices in a push for a more "agile and collaborative" working environment.

Google takes on Microsoft with ‘free’ Apps offer

0
As part of its ongoing attempt to help itself to a big slice of Microsoft's pie, Google is offering companies 'free' use its online suite of apps for enterprise. There are conditions, however.

STM Bags dumps MYOB and SugarCRM for NetSuite

0
STM Bags, an international designer and distributor of laptop bags, tablet and phone cases, has deployed NetSuite OneWorld to manage its business operations as the company continues to expand worldwide.

Microsoft’s Dynamics Online wins ASD certification

1
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, a customer relationship management software package, has passed Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) certification to host unclassified but sensitive government data.

NSW Office of Environment and Heritage boosts mobility with shift to Office 365

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The New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) says it has rolled out Office 365 in order to boost mobility for its many employees.

Microsoft Ignite 2015 (Gold Coast): Photo gallery

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Several thousand Australian technologists are currently on the Gold Coast attending one of Australia's technology conferences -- Microsoft's Ignite conference. If you want to get a feel for what you're missing out on, we recommend you check out some of these great photos taken at the event :)

WA sports dept emerges as cloud leader in Azure deployment

0
The Western Australian Department of Sport and Recreation (DSR) has moved a number of servers to Microsoft’s Azure Cloud to better connect its 17 locations throughout the large state – including some in the more remote Pilbara and Kimberly regions.

Clothing with Bluetooth safety alerts idea wins mining hackathon

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After over two days of non-stop brainstorming, a team composed of university students and scientists has won the 2015 Unearthed Melbourne Hackathon.

Tasmania to build on-island cloud for community and government services

0
The Tasmanian Government has announced it will build an on-island cloud service that will host most government data and services in the near future.

Queensland TAFE suffers security breach, student data accessed

1
The Queensland Government says is working with security experts to assess a security breach of the TAFE Queensland and Department of Education and Training websites in which students' details have been exposed.

Dimension Data overhauls ‘mediocre’ Deakin University wireless network

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ICT solutions and services provider Dimension Data has overhauled the wireless network at Deakin University's campuses across Victoria to address a "mediocre" previous system that was causing connectivity issues for both students and staff.

Australian Defence College pilots Google Apps for academic programs

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The Australian Defence College (ADC) has launched a pilot scheme that will see its academic programs using Google Apps, Senator the Honourable Marise Payne, Minister for Defence, announced this week.

ATO hires its former Accenture account manager as CIO

0
The Australian Taxation Office appears to have taken the unorthodox step of appointing one of the key figures in its relationship with IT services partner Accenture, a 29-year veteran of the firm, as its new chief information officer.

Optus signs $115m contract to manage telecoms for immigration department

0
Optus Business has announced a three-year deal to supply end-to-end telecommunications and managed IT services for Australia’s Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP).

Red Cloud to build $40m next-gen datacentre in Hobart

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Red Cloud Ltd, a data centre services provider, has announced it will build a $40-million, resilient, Tier-3 data centre in Hobart using proven state-of-the-art modular technology.

Report: Australia must take steps to capitalise on IoT revolution

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Australia must take care not to miss out on the benefits of the ‘next great disruptor’ – the Internet of Things – according to a report published last week by the newly formed Communications Alliance Internet of Things (IoT) Think Tank.

HostUs moves to IBM cloud in search of efficiency, cost savings

0
Australian IT and telephony service provider HostUs is moving its entire IT environment to IBM Cloud – a shift that IBM says will enable the firm to scale its infrastructure within hours rather than months, without the need for upfront capital expenditure. 

Unita dumps MYOB, Excel spreadsheets for NetSuite

0
Interior-construction company Unita has replaced a number of instances of MYOB, Accentus and Excel spreadsheets with a single instance of NetSuite OneWorld to manage its core business processes.

Survey: Mainframe usage still growing in Australia

2
US software giant BMC has released survey findings revealing that mainframe usage continues to grow – both globally and in Australia.

Government Departments lost in digital transformation

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Less than 30 percent of Australian public sector officials are confident in their organisations’ ability to respond to digital trends, according to a Deloitte global survey published last week.

Capgemini deploys Amazon cloud insurance platform for SICorp

0
Consulting company Capgemini this week announced that it has successfully implemented a new cloud-based system to deliver a complete outsourced core insurance platform for the New South Wales Self Insurance Corporation (SICorp).

Cloud computing player Ninefold shuts down

5
Ninefold, the Macquarie Telecom-owned cloud computing company which provides infrastructure as a service offerings, has decided to shut down, with its last day of operation being January 30, 2016.

SAP Institute for Digital Government opens in Australia

0
The SAP Institute for Digital Government officially opened in Canberra last week, marking the occasion with the delivery its first research results.

Data#3 to deploy Cisco network for Edith Cowan University

2
Business technology provider Data#3 this week announced it had inked a multi-million dollar deal to provide a “highly available, scalable and future-proof” communications platform for Western Australia’s Edith Cowan University (ECU).

Acer wins $70m PC contract with Victorian education department

5
Acer, which believes it is the largest supplier of computers to the Australian K-12 education market, has won a further $70 million contract from the Victorian Department of Education and Training, continuing its track record of engagement with the Victorian public sector.

Three Australian corporate tablet case studies … and will the Surface boost adoption?

3
CRN has come to the rescue and has published a series of three case studies on the topic of tablet deployments from a number of different organisations.

Australian CIOs will be focused on business intelligence, cloud in 2016

1
The annual survey of Australian chief information officers by analyst firm Gartner has found business intelligence software and cloud computing platforms will be the hottest technologies in large Australian organisations over the next year.

Qld Govt fires bureaucrats over OneSchool IT nightmare

5
When major IT projects go wrong in government departments, often nobody loses their job. Public servants have significant tenure in their positions, and they're very difficult to fire -- even if it can be comprehensively demonstrated that millions of dollars have been wasted. However, in the unfolding case of the OneSchool IT systems glitch in Queensland, it appears the Queensland Government is taking the matter seriously enough that heads are rolling.

Police unions want $100m national case management IT system

4
Police unions nationally have called for a mega-IT system to allow them to collaborate more effectively.

Toll dumps IT outsourcing plan

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Logistics giant Toll has revealed plans to dump its plans to outsource key parts of its IT infrastructure, as well as application support and development, in a rapid and unexpected turnaround.

Microsoft inks giant cloud, software deal with NSW Govt

1
The New South Wales Government this morning revealed it had signed a new deal with Microsoft that will give the state access to the vendor’s extensive product suite on a wide-ranging basis, with a focus on departments and agencies adoption collaboration and cloud computing technologies.

NSW Govt adds to Qld and Victoria’s appalling record on IT disaster recovery planning

2
The NSW Government’s Auditor-General has severely criticised eight of the state’s agencies for failing to have basic elements relating to disaster recovery planning, in comments that come after the Queensland and Victorian Governments have recently suffered similar criticism.

Outsourcer Salmat dumps Microsoft Office for Google Apps, Chromebooks

19
Last month Macquarie University generated quite a lot of headlines when it confirmed it would ditch Google’s Gmail platform and migrate instead to Microsoft’s Office 365 ecosystem. Well, now the shoe is on the other foot, with CRN reporting that Australian marketing outsourcer Salmat is in the midst (with the assistance of Accenture-owned Cloud Sherpas) of removing Microsoft Office from its operations and deploying Google Apps with Chromebooks instead.

WA utility deploys Azure, business intelligence to track grid

0
Microsoft revealed this week that state-owned electricity distributor Western Power had deployed Microsoft’s cloud computing Azure platform coupled with its Power BI product to automatically collate, analyse and visualise the data from millions of electricity meters deployed around Western Australia.

Medibank nicks ANZ exec to lead IT operations

0
Health insurer Medibank Private this week revealed it had nicked a senior IT executive from ANZ Bank who had also led IT for the UK’s National Health Service to lead Medibank’s IT operations.

IBM unveils Watson centre in Melbourne as AI adoption takes off in Australia

1
Global technology giant IBM last week officially opened a new client experience centre in Melbourne where it will show off its Watson artificial intelligence platform, which is increasingly being adopted by major Australian organisations such as Deakin University, ANZ Bank, Customs and Woodside.

Lockheed Martin close to completing Defence private cloud build

0
iTWire revealed late last week that Defence contractor Lockheed Martin is just now putting the finishing touches on private cloud infrastructure for the department, using hardware from storage giant NetApp.

SA Housing Trust dumping mainframe, possibly for cloud ERP

2
The South Australian Housing Trust has revealed plans to undertake a project to replace its mainframe-based business systems, with one option being considered being to shift onto a modern cloud computing platform for the provision of its services.

Digital Transformation Office announces ambitious work program

1
The Federal Government’s Digital Transformation Office has announced its work program over the initial period of its operation, listing a number of thorny problems that have been plaguing Australians for some time in terms of their interaction with the Federal Government.

Cisco hikes Australian prices by 13 percent

4
It's not easy being a buyer of technology products and services in Australia at the moment. The continually sliding value of the Australian dollar means that vendor after vendor is hiking the Australian prices of their products. Australians are increasingly paying more Australian dollars for precisely the same product.

Turnbull wants whole Cabinet to use Slack

18
We knew that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was a technophile, but I suspect many of us didn't quite appreciate how focused on technology the Member for Wentworth truly is.

Microsoft to kill off SQL Server 2005 support in April

1
Software giant Microsoft has revealed it will formally end extended support for its ageing SQL Server 2005 database product in April next year, in news that will most likely not be welcomed by the substantial numbers of Australian organisations struggling to stay up to date with Microsoft’s refresh cycle.

DTO looking to create Govt cloud marketplace

0
If you've been following public sector IT for a while, you're probably aware that Australia's Federal Government has not precisely set the world on fire when it comes to its adoption of cloud computing platforms. Most Government CIOs consider the cloud a little risky, both for control reasons, but also because of data sovereignty issues. However, much of that may change, if Malcolm Turnbull's Digital Transformation Office gets its way.

“Alarming” amount of end of life software in Vic Govt: Microsoft + Oracle in...

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Victoria’s acting Auditor-General has blasted the state’s departments and agencies for continuing to use IT systems which have reached their end of life state, as well as for ignoring its ongoing recommendation that the state put together a whole of government disaster recovery framework.

A code of ethics in IT: just lip service or something with bite?

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The emissions scandal that has rocked the car maker Volkswagen has again raised the issue of ethical standards in the tech industry. Reports so far say the company is pointing finger at the “unlawful behaviour of engineers and technicians involved in engine development”. But that’s led to questions about the strength of any codes or practice or ethics that such operators are supposed to comply with. So are such codes any good or are they just words? Here two software experts present both sides of the argument.

18 months later … WA Health finally advertises for CIO

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18 months after a state parliamentary committee ordered it to, Western Australia’s Department of Health has finally advertised for a permanent chief information officer to end years of bungled major IT projects.

New Microsoft Surface + Lumia devices to hit Australia before Christmas

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Microsoft’s new range of Surface convertible table devices will launch in Australia in mid-November, the global technology giant announced this week, as well as a clutch of new Lumia-branded handsets to keep Windows mobile enthusiasts happy.

Manly Council CIO on board with Microsoft Internet of Things

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Microsoft has revealed that Sydney’s Manly Council is using its ‘Internet of Things’ software to significantly enhance its capabilities for operating infrastructure such as the council’s parking metres and CCTV cameras, in one of the first known deployments of this kind of environment for Microsoft in Australia.

Another great Aussie IT company to go overseas? CSC makes offer for UXC

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I personally feel it would be a real shame to see UXC snapped up by CSC. UXC is a strong Australian business, with its Red Rock, Oxygen, Connect, Telsyte and other brands being very well-known in Australia. Of course, CSC would be likely to keep most of its staff intact. But the Australian IT services market would feel a lot less ... Australian without UXC existing on its own.

Now David Jones gets hacked

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news David Jones today notified customers that it had become the latest casualty in a hacking spree which appears to be targeting Australian retailers. The...

Kmart calls police to investigate IT security breach

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National retailer Kmart has called in the Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner to investigate an IT security breach which it has confirmed saw customers’ data accessed by unknown parties.

Five months after deleting it, AGL reinstates CIO role

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Utility AGL Energy this week revealed it had hired a new permanent chief information officer, pinching a senior Commonwealth Bank IT executive to fill the role it had deleted from its executive roster only five months ago.

WA appoints first whole of government CIO

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Western Australia has appointed its first permanent whole of government chief information officer, with acting CIO Giles Nunis taking on the role on an ongoing basis to help the state cut its costs, develop an overarching IT strategy and build the capacity of WA’s growing ICT sector.

The Inside Track: What’s behind Macquarie Uni’s move to ditch Gmail

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Macquarie University’s very public decision this week to dump the Gmail platform it adopted with great pomp and ceremony just five years ago sends a clear message to Australian chief information officers of what they can expect when they buck corporate IT trends: Internal insurrection and ongoing dissent.

Macquarie Uni dumps Gmail for Office 365 for staff

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Macquarie University yesterday revealed it had decided to ditch Google’s hosted email and calendaring platform and would migrate its staff to Microsoft’s rival Office 365 platform, in the wake of a controversial decision by Google to shift the university’s data from its previous datacentre location in Europe and move it to the United States.

Technology One making inroads into Federal Govt

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Home-grown Australian software firm Technology One appears to be making significant inroads into the Federal Government, with a $5.8 million deal with the Federal Department of the Treasury reportedly building on existing success the company is having selling its software into major institutions.

Victorian radiologist picks IBM cloud

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Global technology giant IBM this week revealed Victorian company GIG Radiology has deployed its cloud computing services to enable quicker diagnosis relating to the more than 50,000 daily images the company generates in its clinics across the state.

Infrastructure Dept signs ASG for ICT services again

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If you were working in Federal Government ICT circles back in 2008, you may recall that the then-Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government signed a $30 million deal (PDF) with local IT services group ASP for a comprehensive range of services ranging from desktop support to servers, laptops, printers and more. Well, news arrived this week that the Department is so happy with ASG — after seven years — that it has re-signed the contract.

myGov has potential but is far from finished

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MyGov – or something like it – is part of a 21st century government. It is the way of the future. But it needs careful development, testing, and selling.

Australia tax reversed: Office 2016 pricing better in Australia

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Microsoft has reversed a lengthy trend towards jacking up the pricing on its software for the local market, with analysis showing Australians will actually pay significantly less for its brand new Office 2016 suite released this week than users in the United States.

Salesforce.com is making in-roads into Australia’s banking sector again

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Cloud computing vendors such as Salesforce.com have had a bit of a difficult relationship with Australia's banking and financial services sector. This week from the company's Dreamforce conference in the US comes news that Salesforce.com is yet again making some headway.

Qantas Credit Union deploys Infosys Finacle’s ‘core banking as a service’

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One of Australia’s largest credit unions, the Qantas Credit Union, has revealed it will deploy a new core banking platform from Infosys’ Finacle division (EdgeVerve Systems(, as well as a host of other related services, in a move that the bank says will see it transition to a ‘core banking as a service’ model.

Watch out, CIOs — CMOs are stealing chunks of your IT spend

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Chief marketing officers are increasingly making technology decisions for their organisations, according to a new study published today by technology analyst firm Telsyte.

Medibank Private dumps seven other telcos, keeps Telstra and … Skype?

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I've got a number of questions about this deal ... namely: How the hell was Medibank Private -- a huge corporation -- even using eight different telecommunications suppliers in 2015 to start with? Why has it taken the company so long to consolidate the numbers of suppliers down? And since when, as Telstra detailed in its media release, has Telstra been selling Skype for Business services (owned by Microsoft) as part of its service offering?