CenITex to become service “broker”
CenITex, the Victorian government’s troubled ICT shared services agency, appears to be planning to shift from a provider to a broker of ICT services.
Stories by Byron Connolly
UNSW engineers create low cost solar silicon
Engineers at the University of New South Wales have developed a way to dramatically improve the quality of low-grade silicon to improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of solar panels.
Bureau of Meteorology switches on online ads
The Bureau of Meteorology will be the first federal government agency to accept commercial advertising on its website starting this week.
First space passengers soon: Sir Richard Branson
Earth dwellers with a spare US$200,000 may have the opportunity to become astronauts next year if Virgin Galatic's commercial flights blast off on time.
CA unveils tech planning app for iPads
CA Technologies has unveiled an app that enables C-level executives to manage IT investments from their iPads.
Scientists demonstrate key component of quantum machine
Mass production of incredibly powerful quantum computers may be only 10 years away thanks to researchers at the University of New South Wales who have demonstrated a quantum bit based on the nucleus of a single atom in silicon.
Newcastle Permanent searching for a CIO
Newcastle Permanent is looking for a CIO to lead a team of 70 IT staff and drive the $8 billion retail banking provider’s systems development, IT operations and overall technology direction.
Get some perspective on IT pricing, says licensing expert
Software specialist Filipa Preston has weighed in on the IT pricing debate, saying although prices are in most instances too high, many of the figures quoted during last week’s parliamentary inquiry were “not representative of the reality.”
IT pricing committee to explore Apple’s music claims
The IT pricing inquiry committee will take up Apple boss Tony King’s suggestion of approaching record labels to discuss the issue of Australians paying higher prices for digital music.
Inquiry will 'weigh on' vendors setting future pricing
The scrutiny applied to Adobe, Apple and Microsoft at last week’s IT pricing inquiry was a small victory for consumers despite each vendor's response not “coming close to a justification for higher prices”, said Matt Levey, head of campaigns at Choice.
Microsoft blames costs and competition for higher pricing
Microsoft Australia boss Pip Marlow blamed labour and rental costs, compliance with local laws, customer perception and increased competition as key reasons for up to a 70% price disparity between the company’s products in Australia and the United States.
NAB operations overhaul to save $800 million annually
National Australia Bank (NAB) expects to save $800 million annually in a five year plan which includes reducing the complexity of its technology systems, centralising operations and support functions, and reshuffling senior management positions.
Telstra to deliver unified comms from the cloud
Telstra is delivering integrated voice, video, presence and mobility applications as a cloud service, following a new agreement with networking equipment vendor Cisco.
Google Australia boss quits
Google Australia boss Nick Leeder has quit his post and will move overseas to run the organisation’s operation in France.
Rural and regional Aussies to get better broadband from space
Communications minister Stephen Conroy claims two satellites, to launch in 2015, will offer broadband services to the bush that will be faster than most people receive in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney on the current copper network today.