Archived News for IT Professionals

Global consultancy firm Analysis Mason has released the findings of its report into the National Broadband Network, praising the $36 billion project for anticipating an expected massive spike in data demand in the coming decades.

The Victorian Technology Minister Gordon Rich-Phillips Government has launched the government’s new $11 million Digital Futures Fund.

Interactive, a systems availability provider, plans to build a new IT facility alongside its existing high-tech facility in Port Melbourne.

Interactive provides products and services for cloud computing, data centre operations, disaster recovery and hardware maintenance as well as managed services to more than 1,900 businesses, including BMW Australia Ltd, Austar, Bluestone, Lonely Planet and Flight Centre.

Interactive managing director Chris Ride said the new facility would enable Interactive to expand on its world-class cloud service delivery to local and multi-national organisations throughout the Asia-Pacific region, while sustaining employment for Victorians in the technology industry.

"With significant growth in recent years, this new high technology facility will allow Interactive to provide the highest quality availability services to local businesses at competitive prices," Mr Ride said.

Interactive currently has more than 350 employees Australia-wide.

Research conducted by the University of Sydney’s Business School has found that executives are increasingly relying on a multitude of smart technology to assist them in their daily work.

 Victorian company Geomatic Technologies (GT) has secured a contract with NBN Co to deliver a defect-management solution as part of the National Broadband Network (NBN).

Optus’ parent company SingTel has announced a ‘bold organisation’ restructuring in an attempt to capture emerging opportunities.

The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) has released its long anticipated Content Regulation and Convergent Media report into content censorship in Australia.

The Report of the Independent Media Inquiry has recommended the establishment of a statutory News Media Council that would set journalistic standards and handle complaints for news reporting on all media, including online.

Emerging ISP Exetel has announced the appointment of the company’s co-founder, Steve Waddington, to the role of Chief Operating Officer, after the passing of the company’s founder and CEO John Linton.

iiNet has announced its plans to launch an NBN satellite service later this month on a $49.95 plan.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced it has accepted Telstra’s structural separation undertaking (SSU) and approved its draft migration plan.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has made a decision to declare the local bitstream access service. This declaration is intended to cover the ‘last mile’ of fibre to residences and small businesses on networks that are not owned by NBN Co and does not apply to mobile, wireless or satellite networks.

The first Digital Hub and Digital Enterprise services, which will be rolled out to help businesses and communities in the up-take of the NBN, have been launched in Townsville.

Victorian company GRG International Limited, through its 100 per cent owned Indian subsidiary GRG Banking Solutions Pty Ltd, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Madhya Pradesh Consultancy Organisation (MPCON) to supply ATMs and cash dispensers for eligible recipients to access payments using transaction cards that will also be issued by GRG.

Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, GRG supplies and distributes GRG Banking ATMs and management software and additional banking products and services.

One of the key outcomes of the MOU will be a distribution system for payments made under India’s National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

The Act provides a legal guarantee for 100 days of employment each year to rural households in return for public work – introduced with the aim of improving the purchasing power of rural people.

The Indian Government supplies around US$30 billion to the States for the scheme. Due to a lack of adequate distribution systems the States return only approximately 60 per cent to the central government.

The GRG system will provide a solution to this problem.

Subject to final contracts GRG expects to deliver 5,000 ATMs, 25,000 point- of-sale terminals and four million cards, to be deployed over three years under a 10-year agreement.

Mr Jeff Barrow, Chairman and Managing Director of GRG International, said that within the next quarter GRG anticipated securing its biggest contract to date through this joint venture.

“This is large scale and GRG has the resources and technical know-how to implement this new efficient welfare system,” Mr Barrow said.

“This project will substantially improve the efficiencies of government welfare. Identification and payments systems and records will be transformed from archaic to world’s best practice,” Mr Barrow said.

“This agreement is expected to create 50 new jobs in Victoria and $500 million in Victorian exports over the next 10 years.

GRG International is in partnership with GRG Banking of Guangzhou, the largest ATM manufacturer in China. GRG International was founded to distribute GRG Banking products in English-speaking markets. GRG International has exclusive rights to distribute GRG ATMs in the US, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom and Ireland and non-exclusive rights to the Mexican, South African and Indian markets. GRG Banking has the world's largest dedicated R&D centre for ATM technology development.

Telstra has announced it has lodged a revised Structural Separation Undertaking (SSU) with the Australian competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for final approval.

The South Australian Government is hosting an open industry briefing to provide industry representatives with inrformation regarding the next round of strategic ICT Procurements.

Initial SenseT projects will focus on Tasmanian communities most affected by the transition in the forestry industry.

QUT researchers are developing smart technology that combines 2D and 3D video images taken from a variety of challenging environments to make it possible to identify a person without the need to stand face on to a camera.

La Trobe University has signed a Memorandum of Understanding twith Indian ICT company, HCL Technologies o collaborate in research, development and commercialisation activities. The collaboration will focus on research and development for Intelligent Transport Systems.

Physicists at the University of New South Wales have created a working transistor consisting of a single atom placed precisely in a silicon crystal.