Archived News for IT Professionals
The South Australian Government has extended its existing agreement with Hewlett-Packard for the provision of mainframe computing services.
Minister for the Public Sector, Michael O’Brien, said this will ensure access to the capability required to run critical applications used by most South Australian Government agencies including the Justice Information System, Police Offender Information and some accounting, HR and payroll systems.
Under the “platform-as-a-service” arrangement, HP owns the infrastructure and operating system licences and the government owns and manages the applications that run on the mainframe.
ANZ signs managed service agreement for IT services
ANZ bank has announced it will enter into a managed service agreement with French IT giant Capgemini to supply the bank with IT testing and environment management services for its global services.
NBN report finds parents lacking in e-teaching
A new report released by the National Broadband Network Co (NBN Co) has found that parents must do more to prepare their children for the ‘fiercely competitive’ internet enabled future.
Australia a den of IP thieves
Over a quarter of Australians are either active or ‘lapsed’ intellectual property thieves according to the Intellectual Property Awareness Foundation (IPAF).
Internode builds IPv6 base
Internode Service Provider (ISP) Internode has announced it has doubled the number of its users on the IPv6 platform, joining the world’s four most visited websites - Google, Facebook, YouTube and Yahoo! – as a key participant in World IPv6 Launch Day.
NBN Co expands wireless service
The National Broadband Network Co (NBN Co) has unveiled the names of the next round of communities in Northern NSW, the Hunter and the southern part of the Darling Downs in Queensland that will benefit from the rollout of the company’s fixed wireless service.
Australia Post enters strategic partnership with Telstra
Australia Post and Telstra have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will see the ISP become a participant in Australia Post’s Digital Mailbox system.
Cybersafety summit to be held in Canberra
The Federal Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, will open the 2012 Cybersafety Summit in Canberra on the 12th of June.
Piracy inevitable. It's AFACT
The managing director of the country’s leading anti-copyright theft body, the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT), has admitted that online piracy of television programs and movies is an inevitability.
Study shows comparable costs between Tasman ISPs
A study conducted by Sydney based telecommunications specialist Market Clarity has found that Australian and New Zealand Internet Service Providers (ISP) pay comparable costs for services such as domestic international IP Transit.
US ISP to roll out 300 Mbps plan
US based ISP Verizon has announced it will roll out its first ultra-high-speed home broadband service, offering speeds of up to 300 Mbps, in a bid to cater for the boom in demand for bandwidth-intensive applications.
Hackett to join iiNet board
Internet Service Provider Internode’s founder Simon Hackett has announced he will step down from his executive duties to assume a seat the board of the company’s new owner, iiNet.
INSPIRE Centre to lead ICT in education
A $7 million centre, the INSPIRE Centre, designed to lead research and practice in the use of technology, has been launched at the University of Canberra.
Wollongong ICT incubator launched
The University of Wollongong has launched its StartPad ideas incubator, a joint initiative with Wollongong City Council, NSW Trade & Investment, Enterprise Connect, and RDA Illawarra local business and entrepreneurs.
With initial funding of $50,000 from NSW Trade & Investment and Wollongong Council providing the space, in iHub, StartPad has also been supported by state and local governments.
Councillor Bradbery said: “The development and nurturing of companies in StartPad shows that Wollongong is developing as a city where companies and entrepreneurs can work innovative applications and tools to deliver new businesses and employment opportunities.
“Council is keen to see this area of the city cultivated to support entrepreneurs who have ideas and foresight,” Cr Bradbery said. “This is an opportune time to support a dynamic growth industry in our city.”
“We have a tidal wave of innovation going on and we need to get involved in this evolving digital age. We may become the ‘silicon beach’,” he said.
StartPad is a component of the iAccelerate program built around entrepreneurship and fast growth businesses. The program was developed by the University of Wollongong to position the Illawarra as the capital for ICT in NSW.
The driving force behind iAccelerate, Elizabeth Eastland, Innovation and Commercial Research Director at The University of Wollongong said: “iAccelerate and its associated programs represents a turning point in the industry profile of the Illawarra and will support the growing innovation ecosystem here.
“StartPad delivers real opportunities for companies identified through the Universities Entrepreneur Club, a pipeline of highly engaged and talented graduates into the Illawarra innovation ecosystem.”
Dr Tamantha Stutchbury, General Manager of StartPad said: “Already, in the short time we have been operating, we have seen our eight companies grow and achieve some big goals. Having 16 entrepreneurs co-located in an open-plan space makes for an amazingly vibrant and creative environment.”
A call for applications from early staged technology businesses to join StartPad will begin in mid-2012. For more information about StartPad go to www.startpad.com.au
ACCC to authorise NBN Co / Optus HFC subscriber agreement
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has issued a draft determination proposing to grant authorisation for an agreement between NBN Co and SingTel Optus for the migration of Optus’ HFC subscribers to the NBN and the decommissioning of parts of Optus’ HFC network.
Dual SKA announced
The International Square Kilometre Array Organisation has announced a dual site solution for the construction of the Square Kilometre Array telescope, with Australia, New Zealand and South Africa sharing the construction of the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope.
Wespac backs down on outsourcing IT jobs
Two hundred IT workers at Westpac bank’s Kogarah site have won a reprieve after the bank backed down on plans to outsource their jobs.
Committee to review IT pricing
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Communications has announced it will conduct an inquiry into the pricing of IT software and hardware in Australia compared to overseas markets.
Telstra cloud service security approved
Telstra’s new infrastructure-as-a-service cloud service platform has been independently certified as complaint to industry security standards.
Queensland announces ICT audit
The Queensland Government has begun its ‘comprehensive audit’ into information and communication technology systems used by the state’s public service in an attempt to identify savings and efficiencies.
Review finds NBN vital for remote Australia
The Federal Government has released the 2011-12 Regional Telecommunications review Committee report, concluding that the National Broadband Network (NBN) is crucial for the development of regional telecommunications.