News, views and reviews from AU’s tech sector No Images? Click here Dear , It’s human nature to dwell on the negative, whether in the news, or in life. But when it comes to Australian government tech, it has been the default setting. With a slew of high profile IT failures, from the Census fail to Centrelink’s Robo-Debt debacle, it’s easy to think good government systems are a pipe dream. Imagine our surprise then when none other than the UN piped up with a podium award for Gov.au, ranking it second only to Denmark for e-government development. Jonathan Cotton unravels the report – and suggests we take a moment to bask in a little glory. In other news:
And in amongst all our pontificating on new technologies and the benefits thereof, many a business is hobbled by a serious crutch. The humble yet hoary, macro-infused, all-things-to-all-people spreadsheet. Cincom have supplied a perspective from their ERP partner Priority on why the spreadsheet needs a closer examination when it comes to eliminating risk in your business 'systems' landscape. Happy reading, Heather Wright A shining beacon of e-govt on the world stage?The results are in and, counter to practically everyone’s expectations, Australia has received a big thumbs up for e-govt from the UN... If you follow the news – this site included – you may have noticed the Australian Government doesn’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to the rollout of IT projects. Maybe there is a grain of truth to the idea that all these public IT disasters receive such a lot of coverage because they are public facing projects. No data-sharing please, we’re AustralianThe government may be guaranteeing free and easy access to consumer financial data, but it’s a “thanks but no thanks” from customers... With market changes, the big players of the Australian banking scene may finally be coming around to the potential – if not inevitability – of the brave new world of Open Banking. “Tech firms, online retailers and fintechs face an uphill battle [due to] the banks’ stronger trust connection with clients.” Data Literacy: Finding information in the dataJust as we had to become digitally literate, now the onus is on to become data literate... Big data and analytics aren’t enough. “Business leaders are demanding that their employees leverage data day-to-day to drive actionable insights." Microsoft’s cloud business grows like topsyAzure almost doubles revenue in hot cloud market… Not so long ago, cynics met the concept of cloud computing with scepticism. Running business-critical applications on remote data centres was just a step too far. “Long-standing relationships with corporates could help Microsoft gain ground as companies move to the cloud.” Industry 4.0 ‘revolution’ yet to fire up?Is there a disconnect between IT ambitions and industry reality?… Robot ‘employees’ with sensors and cognitive tools, drone-based wireless systems scanning and locating items, ML, AI and automation – it’s the Industry 4.0 dream. “As manufacturing goes through its next revolution, most developed countries are embracing Industry 4.0.” Spoiler alert: "Your spreadsheets are holding back your business"With so many alternatives available today, businesses still clinging to the all too familiar spreadsheet need to jump ship if they want to dive into (and stay afloat in) the digital age... When the spreadsheet first hit our computer screen, it single-handedly changed the way we did business, saving us lots of time, lots of money and lots of headaches. “It’s now a super-fast evolving business world and spreadsheets are no longer the right tool for the job.” This week's sponsor: Upcoming events: > Technology in Government | Aug 7-8 | Canberra iStart is proudly supported by these leading Australian software providers: Latest Buyer's Guides ERP Buyer's Guide | CRM Buyer's Guide | HR/HCM Buyer's Guide | BI & Analytics Buyer's Guide Privacy statement: We have sent this weekly eNewsletter to you at your e-mail address: [email address suppressed]. iStart will never share your e-mail address, but you may from time to time receive other event invitations or partner communications from us. You can opt out of these by managing your subscription preferences, where you can also update your e-mail address and other details. Find out more about iStart | Advertise with iStart | Subscribe Please support independent journalism! If you feel the same way, and like what we do, then we welcome your support through crowdfunding platform PressPatron. |