Aussie email firm Atmail beats Gmail, Office 365 to Raine and Horne deal
Those of you with long memories may recall that Australia has its own version of Google’s Gmail or Microsoft’s Office 365 email platforms. The company is called Atmail and it’s based in Queensland. In November 2012 it picked up a cool $2 million in venture capital from Australian VC firm Starfish Ventures. Well, already Atmail looks to be picking up new local corporate clients. The AustralianIT reports this morning that real estate agency Raine and Horne recently picked Atmail for its new email platform, serving some 3,500 mailboxes.
Why is Transport for NSW signing a 10-year, 1bn deal with IBM?
IBM might have been banned from signing new contracts with the Queensland Government over the Queensland Health payroll systems disaster, but that apparently hasn’t stopped other Australian jurisdictions from dealing with the vendor. The Financial Review reports this morning that Transport for NSW (which was formed from the merger of the NSW RTA, maritime, transport construction authority and Country Rail groups) is poised to jump into bed with Big Blue in a big way.
Qld Govt releases detailed, comprehensive cloud-first roadmap
The Queensland State Government has published an extremely detailed cloud computing implementation model which it will use to formally push its many departments and agencies into a cloud computing-first procurement model, as the state attempts to address its substantial issues with fundamental ICT project and service delivery.
Back on track: Suncorp commits to 2016 core revamp
Second-tier bank and insurance company Suncorp has reaffirmed its plans to replace its legacy Hogan core banking platform with a more modern Oracle-based alternative in 2016, with the bank finally putting a date on an overhaul that has been on-again, off-again for several years.
15 years later, Health breaks up IBM’s crown
Fifteen years after it first outsourced its IT department to global technology IBM, in a deal renewed half a dozen times and worth hundreds of millions of dollars, the Federal Department of Health has finally placed key components of the deal back on the market, in its first formal request for the tender in the area since 1999.
The Australian Cloud: Is it delivering on its promises?
Half a decade ago, cloud computing was hyped to the max as a new class of technologies that would deliver radical improvements to the flexibility and agility of both private sector businesses and governments. But a few years down the track, is it delivering on those promises in Australia? We investigate in this extensive feature article.
Desktop disaster: So bad Vic Police use home PCs
Victoria Police's IT systems are so out of date that police officers often simply go home to open modern documents on their own PCs, a new report has found, and officers are also required to fax hardcopy documentation into a central repository following the end of their shift.
Defence appoints Mohan as new CTO
The Department of Defence has appointed a new chief technology officer, nicking senior Toll IT executive Aiyaswami Mohan to replace its previous CTO Matt Yannopoulous, who left in October last year to take up the role of chief information officer at the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
Recipe for disaster: NSW Education Dept turfs 600 techs
If you assume, as I do, that many of these staff spent much of their time 'putting out fires' -- reacting to the latest crisis in terms of their schools' IT infrastructure -- then removing those staff will create chaos across the board.
It’s nice to see government agencies share with each other
One of the most frustrating and, I think, silliest things I found when working in Australian government agencies was how almost every department, agency and statutory body developed almost all of its own policies, procedures, software and tools.
Small business missing the mobile, social, cloud revolution
Most companies that live and breathe the online revolution are not tech startups, but smart smaller firms that use online tools to run their core business better: to cut costs, reach customers and suppliers, innovate and get more control. Many others, however, are falling behind, according to a new Grattan Institute discussion paper.
Jeff Smith quits Suncorp for IBM
Second-tier Australian bank and financial services group Suncorp today announced that its long-serving top technology executive Jeff Smith would leave to take up a senior role with IBM in the United States, in an announcement which marks the end of an era for the nation’s banking IT sector.
CommBank reveals Harte’s replacement
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has promoted an internal executive who joined the bank in September after a lengthy career at petroleum giant VP and IT services group Accenture to replace its outgoing chief information officer Michael Harte, who announced in early May that he would leave the bank.
NZ Govt pushes hard into cloud
New Zealand's national Government announced a whole of government contract this morning for what it terms 'Office Productivity as a Service' services. This includes email and calendaring services, as well as file-sharing, mobility, instant messaging and collaboration services. The contract complements two existing contracts -- Desktop as a Service and Enterprise Content Management as a Service.
Turnbull outlines Govt ICT vision
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has published an extensive article arguing that the Federal Government needed to do a better job of connecting with Australians via digital channels and that public sector IT projects needn't cost the huge amounts that some have in the past.
WA Govt can’t fund school IT upgrades
In news from The Department of Disturbing Facts, iTNews revealed late last week that Western Australia's Department of Education has run out of money halfway through the deployment of new fundamental IT infrastructure to the state's schools.
Ministers’ cloud approval lasted just a year
Remember how twelve months ago, the Federal Government released a new cloud computing security and privacy directive which required departments and agencies to explicitly acquire the approval of the Attorney-General and the relevant portfolio minister before government data containing private information could be stored in offshore facilities? Remember how the policy was strongly criticised by Microsoft, Government CIOs and Delimiter? Well, it looks like the policy is about to be reversed.
Westpac dumps desk phones for Samsung Android mobiles
The era of troublesome desk phones tied to physical locations is gradually coming to an end in many workplaces, with mobile phones becoming increasingly popular as organisations' main method of voice telecommunications. But some groups are more advanced than others when it comes to adoption of the trend. One of those is Westpac.
Qld’s Grant joins analyst firm IBRS
This week it emerged that Peter Grant, the two-time former Queensland Whole of Government CIO (pictured), has joined well-regarded analyst firm Intelligent Business Research Services (IBRS). We’ve long had a high regard for IBRS, and so it’s fantastic to see such an experienced executive join its ranks.
Super funds close to dumping $250m IT revamp
If you have even a skin deep awareness of the structure of Australia’s superannuation industry, you’ll be aware that much of the underlying infrastructure used by many of the nation’s major funds is provided by a centralised group, Superpartners. One of the group’s main projects in recent years has been to dramatically update and modernise its IT platform — its version of a core banking platform overhaul. Unfortunately, the $250 million project has not precisely been going well.
Australia still hearts Windows Server 2003
Research published by local analyst firm Telsyte and Dell yesterday suggests that one in five Australian businesses are still running Microsoft’s decade-old operating system Windows Server 2003, despite the fact that Redmond is about to stop supporting the dated software for good.
Vic Govt instantly blows $4.4m on Windows 2003
The Victorian Government has paid Microsoft a whopping $4.4 million for extended support for the now-defunct Windows Server 2003 operating system, in a move which sharply demonstrates the extreme cost of running operating systems which are no longer formally supported by their vendors.
Weather bureau gets $80m Cray supercomputer
The Bureau of Meteorology this week revealed it had signed a US$59 million (AU$80 million) contract with US supercomputer specialist Cray for a beefy machine that will deliver the agency about 16 times its current computing capacity and allow it to predict the weather that much better.
Datacom completes mammoth Health ICT takeover
New Zealand-headquartered IT services group Datacom this week announced it has successfully taken over the ICT infrastructure of the Federal Department of Health, in a long-awaited move which has seen the department remove large tranches of work from the hands of long-term outsourcer IBM.
ASG picks up $35m CIMIC IT services deal
Perth-headquartered IT services group ASG this week revealed it had picked up a deal worth at least $35 million over five years with CIMIC Group — the massive construction and contracting group previously known as Leighton Holdings.
ASD releases Windows 8 hardening guide
The Australian Signals Directorate appears to have released a guide to hardening Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system, three years after the software was released for use by corporate customers, and as Microsoft is slated to release its next upgrade, Windows 10.
Qld Govt Depts have no disaster recovery plan
Two sizable Queensland Government departments have no central disaster recovery plan, the state’s Auditor-General has found, despite the region’s ongoing struggles with extreme weather conditions that have previously knocked out telecommunications and data centre infrastructure.
Microsoft wants to win you back with Windows 10
The latest version of Microsoft’s Windows operating system will begin rolling out from Wednesday (July 29). And remarkably, Windows 10 will be offered as a free upgrade to those users who already have Windows 7 and 8.1 installed.
Legacy health software lands SA Govt in court
In which the South Australian Government comes up with complex legal arguments as to why it should be able to continue to use a 1980's software package.
Govt blows $14.4m on Windows XP, Server 2003 support
The Federal Government has paid Microsoft more than $14.4 million for custom support of the outdated Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 operating systems, in a costly move which further demonstrates the extreme cost of running operating systems which are no longer formally supported by their vendors.
Russian hacker manipulated Australian stockmarket
Police and the national markets regulator yesterday revealed that a Russian hacker had last year broken into IT systems in major Australian financial institutions and manipulated penny stocks for a profit.
Defence graduate allegedly leaked secret info to 4chan
If you're a regular user of 4chan, then you're probably aware that the Internet board is notorious for the number of Internet subcultures and memes it has created. What you probably wouldn't expect to find on 4chan is classified Department of Defence documents.
Microsoft expects rapid Australian adoption of Windows 10
Microsoft this week said it expects Australian organisations to deploy its new operating system Windows 10 quite rapidly, on the basis of independent research showing that almost two in three local groups expect to adopt Windows 10 within the first 12 months of its release.
ANZ Bank appoints board-level tech advisory panel
ANZ Bank today revealed it had appointed what it described as “an international panel of technology experts” which it said would advise its board on the strategic application of new and emerging technologies and technological trends that could affect the bank’s strategy.
Logistics group Mainfreight deploys 1,500 Android devices
Tech vendor Zebra Technologies late last week revealed that global logistics provider Mainfreight would deploy some 1,500 Android-based handheld units across Australia and New Zealand, in one of the largest known corporate deployments of the Google technology down under so far.
DTO plucks teen coding genius from UK
The Federal Government’s fledgling Digital Transformation Office has hired a trio of high-profile digital government service delivery experts, including a 19 year-old hailed as one of the young guns of the UK’s equivalent agency on which the DTO was based, as it rapidly bulks up in the first few months of its existence.
Makita Australia tried to “break” Windows 10 and failed, so deployed it instead
The IT department at the Australian office of Japanese power tool maker Makita tried to “break” Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 operating system and failed to do so, so ended up deciding to deploy the software throughout its operations to staff, the company revealed last week.
Islamic State leaks ADF personnel data
If you've been following international news overnight, you're probably aware that Islamic State has released a large amount of data pertaining to US military personnel. This morning, the Federal Government confirmed that a number of Australian Defence personnel and one Victorian MP had had their details included as part of the leak.
Sayonara Fujitsu: NEC wins $37m DFAT deal
The local arm of NEC today revealed it had picked up a $36.6 million contract to operate the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s ICT support desk, in a deal which would appear to knock incumbent supplier and fellow Japanese technology giant Fujitsu off its perch.
Microsoft jacks up Aussie Azure cloud prices by 26 percent
Personally, I'd suggest that 10 percent is a figure chief financial officers can understand in this context. But 26 percent is likely enough to raise more than a few eyebrows.
DTO mandates APIs for Federal agencies
The DTO is looking to make it mandatory for government agencies to create APIs for all new services, and to consume their own APIs when delivering those services.
$145m project collapse: AFP fails to upgrade 18-year-old case management system
As regular readers of Delimiter will know, Australia's police forces have not precisely covered themselves in glory when it comes to upgrading their ageing IT systems.
Brookfield deploys Windows 10 instead of “old” 7 or “jarring” 8.1
Australian company Brookfield Global Integrated Solutions has revealed it is in the throes of a major deployment of Microsoft’s new Windows 10 operating system, taking the opportunity offered by corporate restructuring to go ahead with the upgrade.
NSW Police wants fingerprint scanners for Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4
The New South Wales police force has gone to market for fingerprint scanners to add to its fleet of existing Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphones, as part of a national trend that is increasingly allowing law enforcement authorities to examine biometric data to verify identities in the field.
ATO wants cloud HR platform
We're starting to see this kind of SaaS/cloud computing deployment in the Federal Government. It's a slow process, but each kind of 'safe' deployment such as this one -- with data and processes which could be considered non-mission-critical -- increases the comfort level of mega-agency chief information officers and secretaries regarding cloud computing. We're getting there.
IBM and Queensland squabble in court over Health payroll disaster
Remember that massive, billion-dollar payroll IT systems disaster at Queensland Health? Remember how the prime contractor IBM disavowed all responsibility for it? And how the Queensland Government subsequently sued the company and banned IBM from any further work with its departments and agencies? Yeah, good times.
Introducing a new Friday profile: Delimiter’s Friday CIO
When I think about the people that I personally most admire in Australia's technology sector, my thoughts usually go first to those working in chief information officer, IT director and IT manager positions. It's for these reasons that I'm planning to start a new regular profile for Delimiter.
Digital Transformation Office adds Sydney digs as formal hiring campaign kicks off
The Federal Government’s Digital Transformation Office has revealed plans to locate a small office on-campus at the University of Technology Sydney, as well as embarking on a rapid hiring campaign in which it will seek the best Australian technologists to help deliver lasting changing in government IT service delivery.
The Friday CIO: Bill Robertson
Every Friday Delimiter features an Australian chief information officer, IT director or IT manager. This week's profile is of Bill Robertson, the CIO/IT manager of De Bortoli Wines.
ANZ Bank inks $450m deal with IBM
ANZ Bank this morning revealed it had signed a $450 million deal with global technology firm IBM that would allow the bank to access all of IBM’s technology and feature an ‘Innovation Lab’ to more rapidly bring new products and services to market.
NT Police rapidly expanding use of facial recognition technology
news The Northern Territory Police Force has revealed it is rapidly expanding its use of facial recognition technology it has purchased from Japanese vendor...
Cartridges retailer dumps Microsoft, Salesforce, Magento for NetSuite whole-of-business ecommerce platform
Australian online printer cartridge retailer CartridgesDirect will shortly replace its existing Magenta-based web platform with a whole of business ecommerce solution from NetSuite, as the US software as a service firm continued to pick up mid-sized customer wins in Australia.
Qld Health outlines $1.2 billion IT modernisation strategy, seeks CIO to lead it
Queensland’s Department of Health has kicked off one of the largest IT modernisation projects in the state’s history, outlining a solid $1.26 billion in planned investment to bring its IT systems into the modern age and advertising for a chief information officer to lead the ’20-year’ strategy.
CIO Curran outlines ambitious Westpac IT consolidation strategy
news Westpac chief information officer Dave Curran has outlined an ambitious IT platform consolidation strategy for the bank which will result in a centralised...
NSW Education SAP ERP project turning from bad into Queensland Health-style “complete disaster”
Here at Delimiter we've been tracking the NSW Department of Education and Communities' long-running Learning Management and Business Reform project for quite a few years already. And the project just keeps on going from bad to worse, by all appearances.
NSW Dept of Finance seeks group CIO
The New South Wales Department of Finance, Services & Innovation (DFSI) has advertised for a new group chief information officer, with its longstanding incumbent CIO Malcolm Freame reportedly shifting into a different role inside the state’s public sector.
Agile, user-focused IT development getting results at NSW FaCs
The Federal Government's Digital Transformation Office has been talking a lot recently about the need for more rapid technology development cycles in the public sector, but its' not the only home of innovation in government around Australia.
ASD adds ‘little clouds’ to list of Govt-approved cloud computing platforms
The Australian Signals Directorate appears to have added two smaller providers to its list of approved cloud computing services for use by Federal Government departments and agencies, with small local suppliers Sliced Tech and Vault Systems taking pride of place alongside major multinational vendors.
Is HP currently cutting Australian jobs?
Global technology giant HP has refused to say whether or not the 25,000 to 30,000 job cuts it is making globally will have an impact on the company’s extensive Australian workforce, although speculation flying around Australia’s IT industry this afternoon and the company’s past history suggests Australia will not be spared.
NSW Police deploys on-body Fujitsu camera solution
The NSW Police Force last week revealed it would start deploying an on-body camera solution from Japanese vendor Fujitsu to frontline police, as part of a global trend which is seeing the technology increasingly adopted by law enforcement authorities around the world.
DHS finally goes to market to replace 30-year-old payments IT system
30 years after it was first developed, the Department of Human Services has finally gone to market to replace its ageing welfare payments system, in a move that will formally kick off the Federal Government’s latest massive IT transformation initiative.
Microsoft’s giant Aussie Office 365 migration has started
Software and services giant Microsoft last week revealed it had started migrating the data of its Australian customers onto datacentres based locally, in a move that will affect customers in Australia, Fiji and New Zealand.
Medibank Private dumps seven other telcos, keeps Telstra and … Skype?
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?
Watch out, CIOs — CMOs are stealing chunks of your IT spend
Chief marketing officers are increasingly making technology decisions for their organisations, according to a new study published today by technology analyst firm Telsyte.
Qantas Credit Union deploys Infosys Finacle’s ‘core banking as a service’
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.
Salesforce.com is making in-roads into Australia’s banking sector again
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.
Australia tax reversed: Office 2016 pricing better in Australia
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.
myGov has potential but is far from finished
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.
Infrastructure Dept signs ASG for ICT services again
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.
Victorian radiologist picks IBM cloud
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.
Technology One making inroads into Federal Govt
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.
Macquarie Uni dumps Gmail for Office 365 for staff
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.
The Inside Track: What’s behind Macquarie Uni’s move to ditch Gmail
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.
WA appoints first whole of government CIO
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.
Five months after deleting it, AGL reinstates CIO role
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.
Kmart calls police to investigate IT security breach
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.
Now David Jones gets hacked
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...
Another great Aussie IT company to go overseas? CSC makes offer for UXC
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.
Manly Council CIO on board with Microsoft Internet of Things
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.
New Microsoft Surface + Lumia devices to hit Australia before Christmas
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.
18 months later … WA Health finally advertises for CIO
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.
A code of ethics in IT: just lip service or something with bite?
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.
“Alarming” amount of end of life software in Vic Govt: Microsoft + Oracle in...
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.
DTO looking to create Govt cloud marketplace
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.
Microsoft to kill off SQL Server 2005 support in April
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.
Turnbull wants whole Cabinet to use Slack
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.
Cisco hikes Australian prices by 13 percent
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.
SA Housing Trust dumping mainframe, possibly for cloud ERP
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
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.
Lockheed Martin close to completing Defence private cloud build
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.
IBM unveils Watson centre in Melbourne as AI adoption takes off in Australia
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.
Medibank nicks ANZ exec to lead IT operations
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.
WA utility deploys Azure, business intelligence to track grid
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.
Outsourcer Salmat dumps Microsoft Office for Google Apps, Chromebooks
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.
NSW Govt adds to Qld and Victoria’s appalling record on IT disaster recovery planning
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.
Microsoft inks giant cloud, software deal with NSW Govt
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.
Toll dumps IT outsourcing plan
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.
Police unions want $100m national case management IT system
Police unions nationally have called for a mega-IT system to allow them to collaborate more effectively.
Qld Govt fires bureaucrats over OneSchool IT nightmare
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.
Australian CIOs will be focused on business intelligence, cloud in 2016
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.
Three Australian corporate tablet case studies … and will the Surface boost adoption?
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.
Acer wins $70m PC contract with Victorian education department
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.
Data#3 to deploy Cisco network for Edith Cowan University
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).
SAP Institute for Digital Government opens in Australia
The SAP Institute for Digital Government officially opened in Canberra last week, marking the occasion with the delivery its first research results.
Capgemini deploys Amazon cloud insurance platform for SICorp
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
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.
Government Departments lost in digital transformation
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.
Survey: Mainframe usage still growing in Australia
US software giant BMC has released survey findings revealing that mainframe usage continues to grow – both globally and in Australia.
Report: Australia must take steps to capitalise on IoT revolution
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
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.
Red Cloud to build $40m next-gen datacentre in Hobart
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.
Unita dumps MYOB, Excel spreadsheets for NetSuite
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.
Optus signs $115m contract to manage telecoms for immigration department
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).
ATO hires its former Accenture account manager as CIO
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.
Dimension Data overhauls ‘mediocre’ Deakin University wireless network
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
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.
Queensland TAFE suffers security breach, student data accessed
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.
Tasmania to build on-island cloud for community and government services
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.
Clothing with Bluetooth safety alerts idea wins mining hackathon
After over two days of non-stop brainstorming, a team composed of university students and scientists has won the 2015 Unearthed Melbourne Hackathon.
WA sports dept emerges as cloud leader in Azure deployment
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.
NSW Office of Environment and Heritage boosts mobility with shift to Office 365
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
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 :)
Construction giant trials ‘smart’ hardhats to track employee health
Multinational construction company Laing O'Rourke has come up with a novel way to monitor and protect employee health – an interactive 'smart' hardhat.
STM Bags dumps MYOB and SugarCRM for NetSuite
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
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, a customer relationship management software package, has passed Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) certification to host unclassified but sensitive government data.
University of Newcastle to roll out Windows 10 to 10,000 devices
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.
Knight Frank rolls out Skype for Business to get staff talking
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
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.
Western Australia announces major cloud push
The Western Australian state government has announced a cloud computing initiative that is aimed to boost services while cutting back on overall spending.
Dimension Data to fit out flagship Queensland Government skyscraper
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’
Multinational insurance company IAG has appointed Deloitte's Peter Bonney to a newly established 'Disruptive Technology and Architecture' role within its IAG Labs division.
NextDC confirms second Melbourne data centre will follow equity raising
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.
Empired eclipses Fujitsu in Horizon Power IT deal
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.
[ad] Today’s Delimiter webinar has been postponed
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.
Salesforce a winner as NSW’s ChildStory project announces vendors
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.
Moula Money banks on Rackspace
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.
Government to retain ownership of Canberra’s ICON network
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.
Delimiter files FOI request for Govt ICT Audit
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.
ShoreTel deploys unified communications for Brimbank City Council
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.
CIO exits Toll as IT outsourcing plan falls in a heap
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.
ABC claims “massive” Chinese IT attack on Bureau of Meteorology supercomputer
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.
Disaster in the making? Govt embarks on mammoth IT shared services scheme
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.
Telstra deploys eHealth record solution for St John of God
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.
Cyber breach at the Bureau of Meteorology: The who, what and how, of the...
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.
Judge sides with IBM in Qld Health payroll lawsuit
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.
NSW Cancer Council ditches desktop PCs, phones forever
'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.
Seeing Machines replaces Salesforce.com, MYOB, Excel and Outlook with NetSuite OneWorld
Seeing Machines, an Australia-based developer of driver fatigue and distraction detection technology, has deployed NetSuite OneWorld across its global operations.
Lockheed Martin spin-off to create new IT services firm with giant Defence, ATO contracts
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.
IAG creates next-gen IT leadership structure as the IT dept starts to break down
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.
WA Government to complete delayed school IT upgrades
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.
Great example of how politics can destroy necessary IT projects
To my mind, this situation reflects the perfect example of politics interfering with sensible IT project delivery.
Treasury switches to virtual desktop platform from Nutanix
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
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has switched to Amazon Web Services (AWS) for the hosting of digital services across all its public-facing websites.
Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog targets Ultranet schools IT project
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.
DTO seeks top execs to lead gov.au, Digital Marketplace
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.
Govt admits staff lost IT equipment valued at over $100k
Government employees have cost the taxpayer may thousands of dollars-worth in lost or stolen IT equipment, it has been revealed.
DTO immigration project passes first test
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.
eHealth NSW hiring for yet another CIO
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 reveals progress on digital transformation projects
The Digital Transformation Office has revealed the state of progress on a number of Digital Delivery Hubs that were set up in October 2015.
Defence kicks off mammoth ERP transformation program
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".
Western Sydney Uni deploys 5,000 Microsoft Surface tablets
Western Sydney University is to deploy 5,000 Microsoft Surface 3 devices in order to boost flexible learning within its courses.
Specsavers outsources key IT services to Accenture
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.
Qld eHealth agency reportedly stands down CIO after just one month
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.
NSW education board seeks Chief Digital Officer to drive innovation
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.
DHS issues due to ‘chronic’ IT underfunding, says union
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).
ASG to provide Windows 10 desktop as a service for Finance Dept
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
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) has formed an innovation division to help accelerate the pace of its digital transformation.
Ruckus to deploy Wi-Fi network at Western Sydney University
Ruckus Wireless has been selected to roll out 'smart Wi-Fi' across all Western Sydney University (WSU) campuses.
DHS issues show Turnbull’s innovation talk just ‘spam’, says Labor
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".
Innovation in Govt must be a tool: Not the end goal
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.
Global Health inks e-health deals with SA, ACT govts
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.
Federal Govt explicitly explores IT offshoring in landmark move
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.
Govt creates new digital agency to fix e-health issues
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.
Windows XP virus takes down Royal Melbourne Hospital
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.
Hospital attack shows the risk of still running Windows XP
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.
ICT Audit largely clears Federal Govt of problems
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.
Microsoft recalls 285,000 Surface Pro power cords in Australia
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.
Report: Oracle may be dumping its Australian support centre
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.
Labor claims DHS telephone and IT systems ‘collapsing’
Labor has released a statement over what it calls a "collapse" in the standards of telecoms and IT services at Centrelink and Medicare.
ANZ CEO announces head of digital role in raft of executive changes
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.
Turnbull’s Department seeks replacement CIO
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.
Turnbull’s DTO may take over governance of the Govt’s pathetic myGov site
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.
DHS hires pinch hitter NAB exec for billion-dollar Centrelink IT revamp
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.
Microsoft beating Google in cloud email race, says Gartner
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.
Royal Melbourne Hospital still has not fixed its Windows XP virus problem
As it turns out, two weeks on, the hospital still has not quite got control of the IT infection
“Grow a spine” and get off Windows XP: An epic “intervention”
Perhaps one of the most irritating pieces of legacy software that is still kicking around is Microsoft's most famous operating system, Windows XP.
Sources claim Oracle has completely dumped its Australian support centre
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.
Oracle CEO jets into Australia to reassure customers on support offshoring, flag huge sales...
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.
Nine deploys Centrify to assist with Mac/Active Directory admin
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.
NSW Education Dept’s SAP-based billion-dollar LMBR system is still malfunctioning
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.
Hospital’s Windows XP virus has spread into other facilities: Read the internal email
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.
Govt launches ‘government as an API’ through new CMS
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.
NAB to roll out new personal banking platform this month
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".
Campari replacing HP tablets with Microsoft Surface Pros
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
Virtualisation giant VMware has unveiled a new platform for delivering secure digital workspaces for flexible working on any device.
Law firm Macpherson Kelley deploys Commvault data platform, flash storage
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.
Now Toll dumps Google Apps rollout, reconsiders SAP plan
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.
Servcorp deploys Dropbox Business for cloud storage
Following a consultation with staff members, Servcorp has moved to Dropbox Business to better fulfil its cloud storage requirements.
NEC ‘near completion’ of WA water management platform
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.
Insurance network deploys Microsoft business intelligence
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.
Trojan takes down entire WA Parliament IT, phone system
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.
Optus to transition Adelaide Festival Centre to Office 365 and Azure
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.
Investigation finds WA Dept of Health botched Fujitsu core computing contract
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.
IBM’s Watson is reportedly expanding into Woodside’s desktops
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.
Tyreright chooses Rackspace for cloud and hosting services
Automotive e-commerce site Tyreright has moved to Rackspace for its cloud and hosting services.
Federal Govt cloud computing use is exploding
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.
Qantas to use NBN, ViaSat to deliver in-flight Wi-Fi from 2017
Qantas is set to introduce inflight Wi-Fi from next year under a partnership with international broadband services provider ViaSat and the NBN network.
IBM, VMware sign strategic cloud partnership
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.
SA Govt follows WA, Qld away from ICT shared services
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.
British Airways workers to rally against Tata outsourcing of IT jobs
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.
Most Qld Govt cloud data is going straight offshore
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.
Adelaide Festival Centre deploys Red Hat Linux on Azure cloud
Adelaide Festival Centre has chosen to shift its Red Hat Enterprise Linux system from physical servers to Microsoft’s Azure could computing platform.
Monash University invests $4.1m in supercomputer project
Monash University has announced it has invested $4.1m in a high-performance computing facility with plans to build a new supercomputer.
Google’s Australian MD joins ANZ as head of digital banking
Google's regional Managing Director Maile Carnegie has joined ANZ bank as its new Group Executive of Digital Banking.
Australia Post accelerates digital push with Data61 partnership
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.
Even major banks still use archaic Excel spreadsheets for complex tasks
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.
Defence brings massive IT services deal back to the market
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.
TransGrid: Dumping Oracle support for Rimini Street slashed fees by half
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
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.
ICAC finds training institute IT manager guilty of corruption
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.
“Pure noise”: The backlash against Slack begins
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.
Govt CIOs focusing on analytics, cloud, infrastructure
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
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.
Victorian Govt continues to suffer major issues with ICT projects
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".
Microsoft’s Dynamics AX for Azure cloud to launch in Australia
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
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.
Cisco Live 2016 in Melbourne: Photo gallery
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.
Adecco dumps handsets for softphones with Optus, Cisco
news Human resources group Adecco yesterday revealed it had undertaken a substantial refresh of its internal telephony and Internet platform with the primary assistance...
Business “translation” key for CIOs, says Melbourne Airport IT chief
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.
Deakin Uni first in Australia to get Cisco’s new SDN gear
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.
Unisys launches IT support desk for NSW government agencies
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.
Human Services Dept renews $484m contract with IBM
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.
GovCMS adoption ‘doubled expectations’ in first year
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.
There is a cold war going on between Govt CMS platforms
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.
Digital Realty flags new datacentre construction in Melbourne
Global technology firm Digital Realty is to establish a new datacentre in Victoria that will create hundreds of new jobs in the state.
Telstra bets on Windows 10 solution to boost retail engagement
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.
HPE may cut 200 Adelaide jobs, just months after hiring binge
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.
Interesting thoughts on IT outsourcing in the cloud era
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.
Digital Transformation Office unveils gov.au prototype
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
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.
WA public transport agency downed by hack attempt
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.
“Waste of money”: Sydney Grammar School bans laptops in class
According to at least one school, these new-fangled devices are a "waste of money" and should be banned.
Federal Govt to establish new telco services panel
The Federal Government has announced it will establish a new telecommunications services panel to replace three existing bodies that will expire this year.
Suncorp CIO resigns for Commonwealth Bank role
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.
Now Qld Govt has to pay IBM’s costs in failed litigation
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.
The plot thickens in CBA/ServiceMesh IT bribery scandal
There have been a series of new revelations in the Commonwealth Bank's IT bribery scandal over the past several days.
Atmail loses Raine & Horne as Office 365 slides in
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.
Fujitsu to deploy emergency dispatch system for Tasmania
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.
Online retailers yet to harness big social data
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.
CSIRO starts converting fleet to electric cars
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
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.
US Govt proposes US$3.1bn fund to upgrade “legacy” IT systems
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.
DTO signs MOU with UK’s Government Digital Service
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
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.
Investigation reveals significant problems in Defence’s Telstra deal
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.
TPG wins deal with I-MED for national network
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.
Victoria Police … plastering over underlying IT disasters with sexy gear?
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
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.
Fujitsu wins $140m IT services deal with Gold Coast
Global IT services provider Fujitsu has won the contract to manage Gold Coast’s ICT infrastructure and applications services.
Transport for NSW signs huge IT deal with CSC
Transport for NSW has announced the signing of a "major contract" with multinational IT corporation CSC to transform its back-of-house IT systems.
Victoria to trial IoT tech for better water management
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.
DTO confirms govCMS as GOV.AU platform, ending cold war
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.
Farce: WA Health can’t manage to find a CIO after six years
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.
Unisys wins IT outsourcing deal with Merck KGaA
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.
Woodside connects 200k IoT sensors to Amazon
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.
NSW Govt to appoint yet another whole of government CIO
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.
Budget 2016: Major Police IT projects win funding
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.
Budget 2016: Major Child Care, Veterans’ IT reform projects approved
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: Govt establishes joint taskforce to fix myGov
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: NEC to deploy CrimTrac’s new biometrics platform
NEC Australia has been awarded the contract to deliver CrimTrac’s "next generation" biometrics crime-fighting tool, the Government has announced.
Pact Group makes strategic IT shift into Microsoft’s cloud
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.
Australian Federal Police fails cybersecurity health check
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.
Qantas’ Amazon website cloud move will save it $30m
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.
Former Sydney University ICT manager found to be corrupt
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.
AGL turns to Microsoft for project management tools
AGL Energy has deployed Microsoft’s Project Online in order to more efficiently manage projects across the company.
NSW Govt appoints whole of government CIO
news The NSW Government has appointed respected former Westpac, Macquarie Bank and Woolworths IT executive Damon Rees to the newly created role of whole...
Queensland policeman charged over unauthorised database access
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).
Survey reveals most organisations use multiple clouds
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.
UXC Oxygen delivers SAP HANA migration for SA Power Networks
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.
Microsoft launches update for Dynamics CRM, hints at IoT future
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.
Auditor General: WA Govt should “prioritise online delivery of services”
Western Australian Auditor General Colin Murphy has released a report saying there are "significant savings and benefits" to moving government services online.
Medibank CIO quits after five months for Suncorp
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.
Hack shuts down NSW Trainlink booking system
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.
Victoria Police gives up trying to replace 25-year-old IT system
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.
Brocade delivers LAN with New IP for secondary college
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.
Survey shows legacy tech blocking digital transformation
A new study from networking solutions provider Brocade has suggested that legacy technology is holding businesses back from the full advantages of digital transformation.
The Australian government must take cyber security more seriously
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.
Brisbane Airport extends IT services deal with Data#3
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.
Unisys IT modernisation gives Co-operative Bank a boost
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.
Jetstar appoints CIO with little IT experience
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.
Amazon UPS design at fault in Sydney outage
As you may have noticed, Amazon Web Services is not precisely having a fantastic week in Australia. And now we know why and how.
ASG sues Victorian Govt over cancelled ERP contract
Australian IT services provider ASG is suing the State of Victoria with the aim of recovering its costs arising from a terminated contract.
The Inside Track: What we learned from the Sydney AWS outage
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.
AGL hiring new CTO after IT management chaos
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.
Bendigo and Adelaide Bank adopts IBM cloud
Bendigo and Adelaide Bank has adopted IBM Cloud to boost development of new banking products and services for its 1.6 million customers.
New IT system causes chaos at Cairns Hospital
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.
Spark Ventures deploys BMC Remedyforce
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.
Openstack gaining traction in Australia
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.
Five years later, Salesforce is still promising an Australian datacentre
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?
NSW TAFE to axe troubled LMBR student enrolment system
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.