Software Engineering Australia (SEA) this week announced a partnership with the European Software Institute (ESI), through which Australia will be included in a global network of ESI centres.
With the formation of ESI Centre, Australia promises to help represent software excellence around the world and demonstrate the nation's potential for international software industry competitiveness. Victorian Minister for Information and Communication and Technology Marsha Thomson officially launched the centre.
In a global market, SEA CEO Nathan Brumby said international partnerships are essential and represent a real step forward for local industry. “We wanted a partner that had global reach and the right products and services that would benefit us. As ESI is more than 10 years old, and has a very successful reputation, it was a good fit,” Brumby said.
The next step, according to Brumby, is for Australian industry to recognise the importance of software process improvement as a tool for improving business competitiveness.
“Software process improvement is about cutting costs and improving quality – and that’s what Australian developers need to be doing if they are going to compete at an international level and take advantage of global business opportunities,” Brumby said.
SEA has now consolidated its business focusing on education services and the delivery of its SoftwareMark program nationally.
SoftwareMark is a program in which companies can participate to be benchmarked in line with globally recognised methodologies. The program focuses on the company to align its processes and business goals with internationally recognised standards and process.
Those that participate in the program have, in a sense, the SoftwareMark 'badge', which serves as a marketplace differentiator and a brand identity and represents a ticket of entry to a software community of interest.
“Our prime product is the SoftwareMark, which allows companies to have good software practice and good business practice,” Brumby said. “We now have an opportunity to license the product around the world.”
European Software Institute managing director Manu Prego believes an Australian partnership was necessary to ensure the global network was complete.
“The last two years we have been assessing countries around the world, and identified Australia as a region with a future, as country that has the political support, and its market has the size, structure and future to grow and succeed in this industry,” Prego said.
"The next year will see Australia become one of the key players in the industry, based on its resources and its strong connection with the US market."