Furini talks up ACS members' qualities

Australia's IT leaders have been told by the Australian Computer Society (ACS) to have confidence in the quality and commitment of their IT professionals to deliver competitive advantage to the business, especially if those workers are members of the ACS.

Dennis Furini, ACS Chief Executive told Computerworld, IT leaders can be 100 per cent more certain with staff who are ACS members, as a person with ACS membership has had a broad education, mostly universitiy degrees or relevant experience in the IT industry and has gone through a strict application process.

Furini said ACS members also abide by and subscribe to a code of ethics and professional code of conduct.

Furini added that after gaining entry to the Australian Council of Professions more than 12 months ago, the ACS remains the only professional IT society in the world to hold full professional status in its own right.

Speaking at the CIO 2001 Conference in Sydney, Furini also said CIOs and IT directors should listen to their professional staff rather than relying on overseas ‘experts' to provide direction and strategy.

"They rely too much on overseas experts, when we have them in our own country. They should have a look in their own country," Furini said.

In a release by the ACS, Furini gives his message to senior management across both business and IT disciplines; " Listen to your professional staff and involve them in strategic decisions that seek to deliver competitive advantage to the business".

"If you have ACS Members in your team then it's highly likely they already have the technical knowledge and professional expertise you need to address your business challenges," Furini said.www.acs.org.au