Dear Friends and Colleagues,
There is never a dull moment in this industry. But with the new regime in Canberra lifting the priority profile of ICT, it has just got more exciting.
Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd has named his Ministry, introducing some not-so-subtle changes of emphasis to portfolios that should be welcomed. Stephen Conroy has been appointed to the newly-named portfolio of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, while Kim Carr has been appointed Minister of the critical Innovation, Industry, Science and Research portfolio.
Importantly, Senator Conroy and Senator Carr are both in the Cabinet, giving the industry two voices at the most powerful table in the country. Add Mr Rudd, who has shown himself during the campaign to be personally engaged with the industry’s biggest issues – broadband infrastructure, skills, education and innovation – and you can see why this is an exciting time.
Senator Conroy has been a passionate advocate for the industry inside the Opposition party room. Labor’s national broadband pledge was incredibly ambitious. That the initiative was so big and announced so early in the campaign year had Senator Conroy’s fingerprints all over it.
The strength of some of Labor’s Industry initiatives announced by Senator Carr just days before the election took some of us by surprise, especially its welcome emphasis on fostering innovation and commercialisation – and in particular its plans focus on encouraging greater public and private research and development.
Lindsay Tanner’s appointment as Finance Minister in the Rudd Cabinet is also to be welcomed. Mr Tanner has been a Shadow Communications Minister and is very familiar with the industry. the Federal Government as a technology buyer wields tremendous influence. CeBIT Australia has had a long relationship with the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO), which falls within the Department of Finance, and we look forward to working with Mr Tanner.
Changes of Government can be unsettling. But at CeBIT Australia we are very encouraged by today’s appointments, and we’re very optimistic about the industry’s future.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
IBM, Yahoo update free enterprise search tool
IBM and Yahoo! has unveiled an updated version of its enterprise search software, which lets companies customise and personalise searches of information within their organisations and across the web.
The so-called IBM OmniFind Yahoo! Edition software was launched a year ago to provide a no-cost, full-featured search product that eliminated financial and technology barriers to information access.
Since its launch, nearly 25,000 users have downloaded the software and global organisations of all sizes are using it to improve enterprise search. In addition, numerous independent software vendors (ISVs) and businesses have developed applications that integrate with or support the free IBM search platform.
“Last year, IBM and Yahoo! came together to change the rules of enterprise search, defining a new market standard for search as a core capability that should be ubiquitous and free,” Yahoo! Search Distribution senior director of product management Joff Redfern said.
“We're committed to helping enterprises – both large and small – get more value out of their information quickly and inexpensively, and providing them with an on-ramp to leveraging the power of all their information.”
The new version of IBM OmniFind Yahoo! Edition provides the ability to create a number of collections, each indexing a different set of documents. This allows the user to limit the search to only the documents from a specific source, providing more accurate results.
It also provides the ability to define additional custom fields in the index allowing field values to be mapped from HTML meta tags, extracted from the document's own metadata, or pushed in from the push API.
The OmniFind Yahoo Edition software is based on the open source Lucene project. The update includes the latest version of the Lucene core.
For more Web Applications news, click here.
The so-called IBM OmniFind Yahoo! Edition software was launched a year ago to provide a no-cost, full-featured search product that eliminated financial and technology barriers to information access.
Since its launch, nearly 25,000 users have downloaded the software and global organisations of all sizes are using it to improve enterprise search. In addition, numerous independent software vendors (ISVs) and businesses have developed applications that integrate with or support the free IBM search platform.
“Last year, IBM and Yahoo! came together to change the rules of enterprise search, defining a new market standard for search as a core capability that should be ubiquitous and free,” Yahoo! Search Distribution senior director of product management Joff Redfern said.
“We're committed to helping enterprises – both large and small – get more value out of their information quickly and inexpensively, and providing them with an on-ramp to leveraging the power of all their information.”
The new version of IBM OmniFind Yahoo! Edition provides the ability to create a number of collections, each indexing a different set of documents. This allows the user to limit the search to only the documents from a specific source, providing more accurate results.
It also provides the ability to define additional custom fields in the index allowing field values to be mapped from HTML meta tags, extracted from the document's own metadata, or pushed in from the push API.
The OmniFind Yahoo Edition software is based on the open source Lucene project. The update includes the latest version of the Lucene core.
For more Web Applications news, click here.
Greenpeace dumps on Microsoft, Nintendo
GREENPEACE has slammed console makers Microsoft and Nintendo for their poor environmental credential in the latest edition of its quarterly Guide to Greener Electronics.
The latest Guide to Greener Electronics includes the environmental scoring of consol manufacturers for the first time.
Nintendo earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first company to score 0/10 while Microsoft did little better with a score of 2.7/10.
Heading the ranking, Sony Ericsson took over the number one spot from Nokia while Samsung and Sony surged ahead to occupy second and third positions. Nokia and Motorola had a penalty point deducted after a Greenpeace investigation found their claims of global takeback were not being matched by reality.
The Guide to Greener Electronics focuses on toxic chemicals and takeback policy because of the rapid growth in quantities of toxic e-waste being dumped in developing countries like China and India.
While Nintendo's Wii console appears to be more energy efficient compared to the Microsoft Xbox and Sony Playstation, energy use is not yet covered in the ranking.
Companies making the most progress with new products without the worst toxic chemicals are now ranking higher than companies who have only committed to remove them in the future. Toshiba has laptops free of toxic chemicals like vinyl plastic (PVC) and has reduced the use of brominated flame retardants (BFRs).
Apple's score improves slightly due to new iMacs reducing the use of PVC and BFRs. All new mobiles from Sony Ericsson and Nokia have been free of PVC since the end of 2006.
For more Future Parc news click here .
The latest Guide to Greener Electronics includes the environmental scoring of consol manufacturers for the first time.
Nintendo earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first company to score 0/10 while Microsoft did little better with a score of 2.7/10.
Heading the ranking, Sony Ericsson took over the number one spot from Nokia while Samsung and Sony surged ahead to occupy second and third positions. Nokia and Motorola had a penalty point deducted after a Greenpeace investigation found their claims of global takeback were not being matched by reality.
The Guide to Greener Electronics focuses on toxic chemicals and takeback policy because of the rapid growth in quantities of toxic e-waste being dumped in developing countries like China and India.
While Nintendo's Wii console appears to be more energy efficient compared to the Microsoft Xbox and Sony Playstation, energy use is not yet covered in the ranking.
Companies making the most progress with new products without the worst toxic chemicals are now ranking higher than companies who have only committed to remove them in the future. Toshiba has laptops free of toxic chemicals like vinyl plastic (PVC) and has reduced the use of brominated flame retardants (BFRs).
Apple's score improves slightly due to new iMacs reducing the use of PVC and BFRs. All new mobiles from Sony Ericsson and Nokia have been free of PVC since the end of 2006.
For more Future Parc news click here .
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
AIIA welcomes change of Government
POLICY implemented in the next three to five years will largely determine how successfully the nation engages with the global information economy, according the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA).
The top priority for the Rudd Labor government should be to give the ICT industry and the wider community “clear plans and a concrete timetable” for the nationwide broadband roll-out, AIIA chief executive Sheryle Moon said.
Welcoming the change, Ms Moon said the AIIA looked forward to working with the new government during what will be a “pivotal” three years.
“The leadership and policy delivered to the industry over the next three to five years will to a large degree define our future stake in the international information economy as well as our ability to successfully meet Australia’s most pressing domestic issues.” Ms Moon said.
In other areas the AIIA said that the government has presented strong policies addressing a number of significant industry concerns.
“In particular, we look forward to working with the new government to address ICT workforce pressures and reinvigorate the R&D sector,” said said.
However, more will be required if ICT is to maintain a viable contribution to the economy and wider issues affecting Australia.
“The ALP’s Innovation Future for Australian Industry … recognises many of the imperatives that must be addressed if the ICT industry is to maintain a vibrant contribution to Australia and its interests,” said Ms Moon.
“The challenges it identifies are significant, however, and the clock is ticking,” she said.
For more e-Government news, click here.
The top priority for the Rudd Labor government should be to give the ICT industry and the wider community “clear plans and a concrete timetable” for the nationwide broadband roll-out, AIIA chief executive Sheryle Moon said.
Welcoming the change, Ms Moon said the AIIA looked forward to working with the new government during what will be a “pivotal” three years.
“The leadership and policy delivered to the industry over the next three to five years will to a large degree define our future stake in the international information economy as well as our ability to successfully meet Australia’s most pressing domestic issues.” Ms Moon said.
In other areas the AIIA said that the government has presented strong policies addressing a number of significant industry concerns.
“In particular, we look forward to working with the new government to address ICT workforce pressures and reinvigorate the R&D sector,” said said.
However, more will be required if ICT is to maintain a viable contribution to the economy and wider issues affecting Australia.
“The ALP’s Innovation Future for Australian Industry … recognises many of the imperatives that must be addressed if the ICT industry is to maintain a vibrant contribution to Australia and its interests,” said Ms Moon.
“The challenges it identifies are significant, however, and the clock is ticking,” she said.
For more e-Government news, click here.
Internet capacity problems by 2010: Study
CONSUMER and corporate internet usage demands could outstrip global network capacity by 2010 if billions are not invested now, a new report reveals.
The findings of the Nemertes Research study indicate that by 2010, the Internet’s capacity will not likely accommodate user demand and users could increasingly encounter internet “brownouts” or interruptions to the applications they’ve become accustomed to using. It may take more than one attempt to confirm an online purchase or it longer to download the latest video from YouTube.
“The immediate impact of the inadequate infrastructure will be to slow the pace of innovation, Nemertes warned. The next Amazon, Google or YouTube might not arise – not from a lack of user demand, but because of insufficient infrastructure preventing applications and companies from emerging,” the report said.
The investment required to bridge the gap between growing demand and capacity was between US$42 billion (A$48 billion) and US$55 billion for the US market alone. And this required investment is above and beyond the US$72 billion that service providers are already planning to invest.
The new study, from Nemertes Research, found the required investment globally was estimated at US$137 billion. The research, titled to “The Internet Singularity, Delayed: Why Limits in Internet Capacity Will Stifle Innovation on the Web” indicates that Internet access infrastructure, specifically in North America, will cease to be adequate for supporting demand within the next three to five years.
“This groundbreaking analysis identifies a critical issue facing the Internet – that we must take the necessary steps to build out network capacity or potentially face Internet gridlock that could wreak havoc on Internet services,” said Internet Innovation Alliance co-chairman Larry Irving.
“It’s important to note that even if we make the investment necessary between now and 2010, we still might not be prepared for the next killer application or new internet-dependent business like Google or YouTube,” Mr Irving said.
Nemertes Research president and senior founding partner Johna Till Johnson said: “This is the first study to independently model both Internet capacity and demand.”
For more Telecommunications news, click here.
The findings of the Nemertes Research study indicate that by 2010, the Internet’s capacity will not likely accommodate user demand and users could increasingly encounter internet “brownouts” or interruptions to the applications they’ve become accustomed to using. It may take more than one attempt to confirm an online purchase or it longer to download the latest video from YouTube.
“The immediate impact of the inadequate infrastructure will be to slow the pace of innovation, Nemertes warned. The next Amazon, Google or YouTube might not arise – not from a lack of user demand, but because of insufficient infrastructure preventing applications and companies from emerging,” the report said.
The investment required to bridge the gap between growing demand and capacity was between US$42 billion (A$48 billion) and US$55 billion for the US market alone. And this required investment is above and beyond the US$72 billion that service providers are already planning to invest.
The new study, from Nemertes Research, found the required investment globally was estimated at US$137 billion. The research, titled to “The Internet Singularity, Delayed: Why Limits in Internet Capacity Will Stifle Innovation on the Web” indicates that Internet access infrastructure, specifically in North America, will cease to be adequate for supporting demand within the next three to five years.
“This groundbreaking analysis identifies a critical issue facing the Internet – that we must take the necessary steps to build out network capacity or potentially face Internet gridlock that could wreak havoc on Internet services,” said Internet Innovation Alliance co-chairman Larry Irving.
“It’s important to note that even if we make the investment necessary between now and 2010, we still might not be prepared for the next killer application or new internet-dependent business like Google or YouTube,” Mr Irving said.
Nemertes Research president and senior founding partner Johna Till Johnson said: “This is the first study to independently model both Internet capacity and demand.”
For more Telecommunications news, click here.
Amazon kindles e-book device market
IN a bid to kick-start the e-book market, online retailer Amazon.com has launched a wireless reader device with “electronic paper” features for downloading books, blogs, newspapers and magazines.
Called the Amazon Kindle, the device has a high-resolution electronic paper display that looks and reads like paper – even in bright sunlight – and is priced at US$399 (A$452).
“Our top design objective was for Kindle to disappear in your hands – to get out of the way – so you can enjoy your reading,” Amazon.com founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos said.
“We also wanted to go beyond the physical book. Kindle is wireless, so whether you're lying in bed or riding a train, you can think of a book, and have it in less than 60 seconds,” Mr Bezos said.
“No computer is needed – you do your shopping directly from the device.”
Kindle is lighter and thinner than a typical paperback and fits in one hand. Its built-in memory stores more than 200 titles, and hundreds more can be stored with an optional SD memory card.
The Amazon wireless delivery model in the US uses the mobile phone network, and books can be downloaded in less than a minute, while newspapers and blogs are delivered automatically to subscribers.
Amazon pays for the wireless connectivity bills for Kindle, so there are no monthly wireless fees, data plans, or service commitments for customers.
For more Digital Content news, click here.
Called the Amazon Kindle, the device has a high-resolution electronic paper display that looks and reads like paper – even in bright sunlight – and is priced at US$399 (A$452).
“Our top design objective was for Kindle to disappear in your hands – to get out of the way – so you can enjoy your reading,” Amazon.com founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos said.
“We also wanted to go beyond the physical book. Kindle is wireless, so whether you're lying in bed or riding a train, you can think of a book, and have it in less than 60 seconds,” Mr Bezos said.
“No computer is needed – you do your shopping directly from the device.”
Kindle is lighter and thinner than a typical paperback and fits in one hand. Its built-in memory stores more than 200 titles, and hundreds more can be stored with an optional SD memory card.
The Amazon wireless delivery model in the US uses the mobile phone network, and books can be downloaded in less than a minute, while newspapers and blogs are delivered automatically to subscribers.
Amazon pays for the wireless connectivity bills for Kindle, so there are no monthly wireless fees, data plans, or service commitments for customers.
For more Digital Content news, click here.
HP unveils automated services tools
US tech giant HP has bolstered its service offerings with a suite of new software and services to help customers transform their IT operations and automate the management of business operations.
The HP Automated Operations 1.0 offering is a set of products that automates IT operations, eliminating labor-intensive tasks and ad hoc, error-prone manual processes. The company says the product dramatically lowers the day-to-day cost of IT operations.
The HP Automated Operations 1.0 software suite is composed of IT Service Management, Business Service Management and Business Service Automation solutions.
It also launched its HP Business Service Automation software, a single platform to automate all IT processes and drive change across applications, servers, networks, storage and clients.
“We have been aggressively expanding our software portfolio in the last two years to broaden and deepen our capabilities to help customers improve their top and bottom lines,” HP’s Software senior vice-president Tom Hogan said.
IDC Enterprise Management Service research director Stephen Elliot said business service automation was an opportunity for IT organisations to more closely align with business objectives such as compliance, security, and cost reduction, and the delivery of innovative products.
“The legacy manner in which many IT organisations execute enterprise infrastructure management processes is quickly becoming obsolete as they are too static, take too long to execute and lengthen time to market cycles,” Mr Elliot said.
“IT organisations must mature toward processes and technologies that enable a more dynamic, business-driven impact.”
For more IT Services news, click here.
The HP Automated Operations 1.0 offering is a set of products that automates IT operations, eliminating labor-intensive tasks and ad hoc, error-prone manual processes. The company says the product dramatically lowers the day-to-day cost of IT operations.
The HP Automated Operations 1.0 software suite is composed of IT Service Management, Business Service Management and Business Service Automation solutions.
It also launched its HP Business Service Automation software, a single platform to automate all IT processes and drive change across applications, servers, networks, storage and clients.
“We have been aggressively expanding our software portfolio in the last two years to broaden and deepen our capabilities to help customers improve their top and bottom lines,” HP’s Software senior vice-president Tom Hogan said.
IDC Enterprise Management Service research director Stephen Elliot said business service automation was an opportunity for IT organisations to more closely align with business objectives such as compliance, security, and cost reduction, and the delivery of innovative products.
“The legacy manner in which many IT organisations execute enterprise infrastructure management processes is quickly becoming obsolete as they are too static, take too long to execute and lengthen time to market cycles,” Mr Elliot said.
“IT organisations must mature toward processes and technologies that enable a more dynamic, business-driven impact.”
For more IT Services news, click here.
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