News

Information technology (IT) in Australia & New Zealand

April 23, 2018 23 Apr'18
AI is renewing interest in high-performance computing

Growing adoption of artificial intelligence is spurring interest in high-performance computing beyond research institutions
April 22, 2018 22 Apr'18
Thales to open ‘digital factory’ in Asia

India and Australia are potential candidates for Thales’s new coding centre that will support digital transformation efforts
April 18, 2018 18 Apr'18
Australian supermarket chain hit by IT outage

Thirty-minute glitch knocked out checkout systems at half of Woolworths’ stores in Australia
April 17, 2018 17 Apr'18
Nginx debuts in Australia amid growing demand for microservices

The supplier of an open-source application platform is counting on the growing usage of microservices in the perennial search for agility and responsiveness among enterprises

April 15, 2018 15 Apr'18
Australian healthcare services most hit by data breaches

Nearly a quarter of data breaches reported under Australia’s new mandatory data breach regime took place in the healthcare sector
April 12, 2018 12 Apr'18
Machine learning is the new normal: AWS

Cloud supplier AWS wants to put machine learning capabilities into the hands of more people in the nascent market for cloud-based AI services
April 11, 2018 11 Apr'18
Australia needs to plug innovation gap

Being at the crossroads of technological change, Australia should decide if it wants to be a producer of cutting-edge applications or be contented with just being a user of technology
April 10, 2018 10 Apr'18
What Amazon’s ideal robot looks like

Robots should be available at the fingertips and work in tandem with humans and other machines to improve task efficiency, says the chief technologist of Amazon Robotics
April 09, 2018 09 Apr'18
Microsoft teams up with Japan’s JRCS on mixed reality

Software giant Microsoft has partnered with a Japanese supplier of maritime systems to test the use of HoloLens headsets for training and maintenance work
April 05, 2018 05 Apr'18
Microsoft outlines approach to intellectual property

Enterprises will own patents and industrial design rights that result from new technology jointly developed with Microsoft, among a raft of intellectual property principles unveiled by the software giant

April 02, 2018 02 Apr'18
Lawyers more influential than IT staff in cloud deployments

Traditionally considered risk-adverse, lawyers are twice as more influential than in-house technology staff about cloud, research finds
March 29, 2018 29 Mar'18
Most airports not protected from cyber threats

The chairman of the Israel Airports Authority paints a dismal picture of the state of cyber security in aviation, and offers advice on what can be done to avert the next disaster
March 28, 2018 28 Mar'18
AWS ups ante on cloud services for Australian government

Cloud supplier AWS says government agencies can now assess the prospect of running protected workloads, following an independent cloud security assessment
March 23, 2018 23 Mar'18
Private sector over-investing against nation-state attacks

The creator of a routing technique that protects the domain name system says the money spent on guarding against nation-state actors could have been better used for other purposes
March 22, 2018 22 Mar'18
Colt pioneers blockchain in telco voice wholesaling

Colt Technology Services and Hong Kong Telecom’s international unit PCCW Global teamed up to trial the use of blockchain in wholesale voice settlements
March 20, 2018 20 Mar'18
Australia, ASEAN deepen links on smart cities and digital trade

Besides fostering smart city development across Southeast Asia, Australia and ASEAN will also support the use of digital trade standards across the region’s booming e-commerce market
March 19, 2018 19 Mar'18
Australia pilots visa scheme to ease talent crunch

The Global Talent Scheme follows the government’s move to scrap the 457 visa, but industry watchers say smaller companies will struggle to meet its salary threshold
March 19, 2018 19 Mar'18
How airlines are gearing up for the digital shift

Asian carriers are counting on personalised services, blockchain-enabled loyalty programmes, automation and predictive maintenance to lower costs and improve passenger experience
March 14, 2018 14 Mar'18
Amazon Rekognition goes live in AWS Sydney region

The cloud-based AI service from Amazon Web Services has already drawn a diverse set of Australian businesses, paving the way for greater adoption of AI in Australia
March 14, 2018 14 Mar'18
APAC security chiefs expect imminent attack on critical systems

Nearly 70% of cyber security leaders in the APAC region believe a major attack affecting critical infrastructure across multiple countries will happen in the next two years, a survey reveals
March 08, 2018 08 Mar'18
Kiwi airport testing avatar service to ease staff workload

Auckland Airport is testing an AI-powered avatar at the arrivals area to answer biosecurity questions from travellers
March 07, 2018 07 Mar'18
Developed APAC countries well-poised for the cloud

With strong policies in data protection and cyber security, Japan, Australia and Singapore are among countries that are most prepared to reap the benefits of the cloud
March 01, 2018 01 Mar'18
ANZ organisations grappling with cloud outages

A majority of organisations from Australia and New Zealand admitted in a survey that they had not fully evaluated the impact of cloud outages which were longer than they had expected
February 26, 2018 26 Feb'18
OpenStack gains early foothold in Australia

Although the open source technology has its cheerleaders, OpenStack has yet to crack Australia’s mainstream and challenge the market share of proprietary cloud suppliers
February 22, 2018 22 Feb'18
Hitachi Vantara ups ante on industrial IoT

Potential internet of things powerhouse believes its deep expertise in operational technology will give it a leg up over traditional IT rivals
February 21, 2018 21 Feb'18
Digital economy to make up 60% of APAC’s GDP by 2021

The surge in GDP contribution will come as more organisations shift from digital transformation initiatives aimed at shoring up productivity towards digital product development
February 15, 2018 15 Feb'18
Dell EMC’s IoT revenue in APAC surpasses $1bn

The milestone in Dell EMC’s internet of things revenue underscores the APAC region’s rapid uptake of sensors and other IoT devices in industries and smart city projects
February 14, 2018 14 Feb'18
Australia’s national payment system will ease peer-to-peer payments

New Payments Platform is expected to accelerate the decline of cash and cheques in Australia, as well as simplify invoicing for businesses through overlay services
February 12, 2018 12 Feb'18
APAC fintech market set to bloom

Government support, the rise of digital payments and a new breed of financial services will put the region’s financial technology market in overdrive over the next few years
February 04, 2018 04 Feb'18
APAC business leaders divided on impact of AI

Around half of business leaders in the APAC region do not think they will have greater job satisfaction by offloading work to machines, or see a need for machines to decipher between good and bad commands
February 01, 2018 01 Feb'18
Australia needs to invest more in R&D to move forward

Innovation and Science Australia has made 30 recommendations for the government to consider if the nation is not to become a global backwater
January 31, 2018 31 Jan'18
Australia’s internet speeds limiting productivity

Australia’s broadband networks, already among the world’s slowest, could be further strained by the emergence of virtual and augmented reality
January 31, 2018 31 Jan'18
What CIOs need to watch out for in digital transformation

IT head honchos will need to consider new performance indicators, adopt an embedded digital business model and build up an enterprise-wide digital platform to avoid digital deadlock
January 31, 2018 31 Jan'18
Data breach disclosure law will lift Australia’s cyber security game

New rules underscore Australia’s recent efforts to tackle cyber security challenges on the local and international stage
January 22, 2018 22 Jan'18
Taking complexity out of cyber security

The key to improving the cyber security posture of organisations is to keep complexity at bay, according to a senior Microsoft executive
January 21, 2018 21 Jan'18
Telstra invests in two new submarine cables to bolster Asia-US connectivity

The Hong Kong Americas and Pacific Light Cable Network cables will provide more robust connectivity to support the Asia-Pacific region’s growing internet traffic
January 17, 2018 17 Jan'18
Australia’s Citic Pacific Mining uses IoT to track vehicles

Perth-based iron-ore mining giant has implemented an analytics and internet of things system from SAP to track its assets and shore up operational efficiency
January 17, 2018 17 Jan'18
Davos: Disintegration of the internet could create economic turmoil

Politicians and business leaders will discuss the risks posed by fake news, cyber attacks, and artificial intelligence to jobs, political stability and global security, at the World Economic Forum in Davos
January 16, 2018 16 Jan'18
Telstra adds narrowband capability to its IoT network

Australian telco claims to be one of the first in the world to support both narrowband internet of things and Cat M1 technologies
January 08, 2018 08 Jan'18
IT Priorities 2018: ANZ ups ante on cloud services and software

Organisations in Australia and New Zealand are bullish on IT spending, particularly in cloud infrastructure services, cloud applications and all-flash storage arrays
January 04, 2018 04 Jan'18
Intel, Nokia prepping APAC telcos for 5G wave

The two tech firms are among others that have been working with telcos across the Asia-Pacific region to test 5G technologies and applications
December 25, 2017 25 Dec'17
Top 10 Australia IT stories of 2017

Australia capped the year with a slew of game-changing technology initiatives, from bolstering its supercomputing infrastructure and productivity of police officers to outlining an ambitious space programme
December 22, 2017 22 Dec'17
Air New Zealand to trial digital translation technology

Airline becomes one of the first companies to try out a business case for Google's real-time translation technology
December 19, 2017 19 Dec'17
Australia to focus on cyber security and IT outcomes in 2018

Besides transforming themselves through AI and automation, businesses down under will keep a closer eye on cyber security and the outcomes of their technology investments
December 19, 2017 19 Dec'17
Australia’s Kogan.com breaks IT silos

E-commerce company used to run separate systems across different business functions, but has implemented an SAP system to streamline operations
December 11, 2017 11 Dec'17
Perth airport security plans stolen by Vietnamese hacker

Australian authorities have named a Vietnamese hacker they say was able to break into the IT systems at Perth International Airport and steal security information
December 10, 2017 10 Dec'17
Australian genome researchers solving big data problems

Researchers at the Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organisation have developed a cloud-based tool to look for the needle in a haystack in what they have described as the "datafication of everything"
December 06, 2017 06 Dec'17
Australian businesses need to up their game in cyber security

With threat actors becoming more innovative, businesses must start getting their security fingers into every system they buy or build, experts say
December 04, 2017 04 Dec'17
Australia-Singapore submarine cable connection cut again

The damage to the SEA-ME-WE3 cable took place more than 1,000 km from Singapore, affecting Australian internet users who can expect increased latency to Asian destinations
December 01, 2017 01 Dec'17
Australia testing robots to track spent nuclear fuel

International teams at a robotics competition in Australia have developed robots that prevent spent nuclear fuel from falling into the wrong hands
November 30, 2017 30 Nov'17
Top IT predictions in APAC in 2018

A “mega cloud” that weaves together multiple private and public clouds, along with the use of AI to perform data-driven “thinking tasks”, could emerge next year
November 29, 2017 29 Nov'17
Cracking genomic codes with the cloud

Australian researchers are using Amazon’s Lambda serverless computing service to solve pressing health problems
November 28, 2017 28 Nov'17
IoT and artificial intelligence dominate APAC tech landscape in 2017

Businesses across the APAC region have started to dip their toes into AI and the internet of things to improve operations and stay competitive
November 27, 2017 27 Nov'17
Australian IT landscape maturing amid budget cuts

Australia has matured in its use of technology in 2017, but more investment is needed for it to continue its good run and to combat cyber threats
November 21, 2017 21 Nov'17
Ransomware rages on with no signs of abating

The rampant digital extortion facilitated by ransomware in 2017 will continue next year, with healthcare and industrial systems expected to be new prime targets
November 20, 2017 20 Nov'17
Australian broadcaster hit by data breach

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is the latest organisation to fall prey to misconfigured Amazon S3 storage buckets, exposing database backups and sensitive data such as login credentials
November 15, 2017 15 Nov'17
How the biggest cyber security disasters could have been avoided

The headline-grabbing breaches that hit Accenture and Equifax in 2017 could have been averted had basic cyber hygiene been in place
November 13, 2017 13 Nov'17
Cyber and physical security are inseparable

Biometrics and pattern recognition, coupled with data from internet of things sensors, will provide the fabric of future smart ecosystems
November 07, 2017 07 Nov'17
CrowdStrike outlines expansion plans in APAC

Endpoint security expert CrowdStrike plans to double its workforce in the APAC region next year on the back of triple-digit growth in sales and bookings since it opened its Sydney regional headquarters in June 2016
November 06, 2017 06 Nov'17
DXC to launch digital transformation centres in Australia

Located in Melbourne and Canberra, the two centres will help Australian organisations build digital capabilities when ready in 2018
October 24, 2017 24 Oct'17
Inside Australia’s supercomputing journey

The country’s Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organisation has upgraded its high performance computing infrastructure to keep pace with global research
October 23, 2017 23 Oct'17
Microservices are about organisational change

Microservices technology can pave the way for companies to decentralise the way they build software to deliver innovation and reduce the cost of failure
October 19, 2017 19 Oct'17
China and Russia set to drive growth in PC market in 2018, says Gartner

The market will be buoyed by stronger spending on business PCs in Russia and adoption of Windows 10 in China, according to Gartner
October 13, 2017 13 Oct'17
Australia's state of cyber security report reveals rise in phishing attacks

Amid growing cyber threats, the country's cyber security centre calls for businesses to be more open about cyber incidents and plug potential loopholes in their supply chains
October 12, 2017 12 Oct'17
AI set to be cloud computing’s killer app

Major cloud suppliers are already offering artificial intelligence capabilities that are expected to account for a greater share of the cloud computing market in years to come
October 11, 2017 11 Oct'17
Australia outlines space ambitions

A national space agency would put the country in the league of nations with space capabilities, but questions about its true value remain
October 09, 2017 09 Oct'17
Rackspace expands APAC footprint, eyes multi-cloud opportunity

The managed cloud service provider has established a new office in Singapore to tap into the growing APAC market for cloud-based infrastructure
October 04, 2017 04 Oct'17
How Australia is tackling cyber crime

Telcos such as Telstra and industry associations in Australia are chipping in to help enterprises that are being targeted by cyber criminals with phishing and social engineering exploits
September 28, 2017 28 Sep'17
Coming to grips with managed security services

Outsourcing IT security to a third party can improve an organisation’s cyber security posture, but in-house capabilities, such as drawing up security blueprints and strategies, should still be retained
September 26, 2017 26 Sep'17
Australians need to develop digital competencies

With nearly 40% of jobs expected to be automated, Australians need to develop additional skills to take on roles like robot teachers and empathy trainers
September 25, 2017 25 Sep'17
Red Hat opens innovation lab in Singapore

Besides getting a taste of Red Hat’s open culture, APAC organisations can develop applications to solve business problems through a residency programme at the new lab
September 25, 2017 25 Sep'17
Veritas to invest more in APAC

Software company Veritas is upping its investments in India and Japan, and partnering with more local and specialised cloud providers in the region
September 19, 2017 19 Sep'17
Veritas takes stock of data management play

Software supplier Veritas says it has delivered on its promises but there is still work to do in realising its data management vision
September 17, 2017 17 Sep'17
AI poses no threat to IT careers

A SolarWinds survey reveals that IT professionals are more concerned with cyber security than losing their jobs to artificial intelligence
September 14, 2017 14 Sep'17
Technology chiefs need to act like CEOs

KPMG Australia CIO Craig Wishart says his counterparts need to start running IT like a business service and that the days of doing large SAP implementations are over
September 04, 2017 04 Sep'17
AWS eyes Australian government growth

Amazon Web Services is eyeing the Australian public sector for growth, with increased budgets and IT disasters in the past pushing government organisations towards the public cloud
August 30, 2017 30 Aug'17
VMware Cloud on AWS pricing will vary in APAC

Prices for the hybrid cloud service in Asia-Pacific will differ based on market differences such as scale and maturity in adopting virtualised infrastructure
August 22, 2017 22 Aug'17
SAP Ariba gaining ground in APAC

Companies like Woolworths and DuluxGroup in Australia are using the cloud-based service to reduce procurement costs and risks
August 21, 2017 21 Aug'17
Australian government to invest A$10m in IoT

The Australian government pledges more funds towards deploying a Sigfox-based network that will be used to power smart city and clean energy applications across the country
August 15, 2017 15 Aug'17
Microsoft to open new Azure regions in Australia in public sector push

Hosted by Canberra Data Centres, Microsoft’s additional Azure datacentre regions will provide the necessary security controls for handling government data in Australia
August 14, 2017 14 Aug'17
Higher IT salaries in Australia and New Zealand amid talent crunch

IT professionals in Australia and New Zealand are earning more compared with last year, a TechTarget survey has found, but more needs to be done to address the gender gap
August 03, 2017 03 Aug'17
Keeping Australia’s aeromedical service connected to the cloud

The Queensland section of the Royal Flying Doctor Service has improved its access to cloud apps without spending more on bandwidth
August 01, 2017 01 Aug'17
Price war blamed for poor fibre broadband speeds in Australia

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has ordered a review into the problem of broadband speeds, which one ISP says is compounded by NBN’s pricing model
July 26, 2017 26 Jul'17
RSA president calls for business-driven security

A business-centric rather than one-size-fits-all approach to cyber security will help organisations mitigate cyber attacks that have become bolder than ever
July 25, 2017 25 Jul'17
Australian businesses bullish on AI

Demand for artificial intelligence technology is growing in Australia amid looming fears over job losses
July 25, 2017 25 Jul'17
APAC public cloud market to surpass $10bn in 2017

Led by growing demand for cloud infrastructure services, the public cloud market is now dominated by Microsoft, Amazon and Alibaba, which is expanding its footprint outside China
July 14, 2017 14 Jul'17
Australia to push ahead with decryption plans

The Australian government remains undaunted in requiring tech firms to provide access to encrypted communications in law enforcement efforts
July 13, 2017 13 Jul'17
The dawn of a new era for Dell EMC

Dell EMC’s Paul Henaghan is no stranger to industry consolidation, having worked for tech companies that were acquired by Oracle and Software AG. Here, the president of Dell EMC in South Asia and Korea shares what it is doing to streamline its ...
July 12, 2017 12 Jul'17
Australia’s Whispir dials into global market

Fast-growing cloud-based communications service provider expects to more than double its workforce within a year, and grow its business in the double-digit range
July 07, 2017 07 Jul'17
MyRepublic outlines regional ambition, eyes IPO by 2018

The Singapore ISP is gearing up for a public listing that will support its efforts to deliver mobile and broadband services in seven new markets
July 05, 2017 05 Jul'17
Australia eases skilled visa restrictions amid criticism

Move applauded by industry lobby group, but some emerging roles are missing from the list of skills covered by the Temporary Skill Shortage visa scheme
July 03, 2017 03 Jul'17
CISOs in Australia, Singapore concerned with cloud security

Unsanctioned cloud apps continue to be major bugbear among security chiefs in the two countries, a Symantec survey has found
June 30, 2017 30 Jun'17
Dreamscape to merge with Singapore hosting provider in regional expansion

The Australian hosting provider will tap Vodien’s infrastructure to address the needs of mobile-first businesses in Southeast Asia that are going online for the first time
June 29, 2017 29 Jun'17
Petya ransomware hits Aussie businesses

The latest ransomware attack has reached Australia’s shores, prompting calls to dump on-premise IT infrastructure for the cloud
June 28, 2017 28 Jun'17
Singapore authorities issue alert on Petya ransomware

The country’s emergency response team has called for users to boost their cyber defences as the Petya ransomware rages through IT systems in Asia and Australia
June 21, 2017 21 Jun'17
Telstra cuts workforce amid market pressures

Australia’s incumbent telco will cull 1,400 employees in the next six months, with the bulk of the job losses in New South Wales and Victoria
June 21, 2017 21 Jun'17
Pirated software used to spread malware in APAC

A regional study by a Singapore university has found that counterfeit software distributed through discs and file-sharing networks is plagued by malware
June 20, 2017 20 Jun'17
NTT Docomo turns to SAP Hana to boost customer experience

Japanese telco NTT Docomo rolls out in-memory database in eight months to analyse data from retail outlets and customer call centres in a bid to improve service levels
June 19, 2017 19 Jun'17
Australia’s blockchain adoption at tipping point

Although blockchain is no silver bullet, experts say Australian organisations should embrace and invest in the technology
June 16, 2017 16 Jun'17
Australia’s decryption plan seen as untenable

Experts say efforts to get technology and social media firms to cooperate with the authorities in decrypting communications will be hard to achieve