Security to have the most impact on industry: ACS

Australian Computer Society president, Anthony Wong.

Cloud computing, security and the offshoring of companies are likely to have the greatest impact on the ICT industry in the next 10 years, according to an Australian Computer Society (ACS) Victoria survey.

An ACS report of the survey, entitled <i>What is the Future of the ICT Industry in Australia?</i>, was conducted in September and October this year with Victorian members to find out what changes would have the most impact on the industry over the next 10 to 20 years.

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ACS found that 54 per cent of members cited ICT security as a concern while 43 per cent of respondents were troubled by offshoring of operations. In addition, Cloud computing was mentioned by 34 per cent of members. Respondents wrote that they wanted to explore the impact these three trends may have on the ICT industry’s future.

The availability of high-speed networks everywhere, including developing countries and changing supply chains of goods and services, were also mentioned by 27 per cent of members. Another concern for 24 per cent of respondents was the increasing volumes of consumer data.

ACS president, Anthony Wong, said in a statement that the findings of the report supported the work of the Cyber Taskforce it established to respond to the Government’s Cyber White Paper.

The White Paper, which is available from the Department of the Prime Minster and Cabinet’s website, will look at how both the federal and state governments, businesses and consumers can make use of the National Broadband Network (NBN) while ensuring cyber security risks can be properly managed.

“In our response to this discussion paper, we recommended a greater focus on education, assistance to small and medium sized business, policy coordination on trusted identities, and better coordination of cyber related education and research to help us benefit from ICT security issues,” he said.

In November, the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) also drafted a formal submission to the White Paper based on a survey conducted with AISA members.

According to the results, 98 per cent of respondents indicated that online threats to Australia are set to increase while 86 per cent wrote that security skills are not integrated with the rest of the IT workforce.

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