Hi there,

The Federal Government is counting on its $800 million digital technology package to help local businesses increase their digital capability and reduce red tape when it comes to digital dealings.

The funding package includes $250 million for its GovPass digital identity initiative ‘to enable more secure and convenient engagement with government services, and in future, the private sector’.

It’s a program that has already gobbled up more than $200 million and despite all that investment, is still a long way from reality – public beta is expected for late 2021, all going well, which given the project so far, could be a big ask.

The wheels may be turning, albeit slowly, but there are still plenty more obstacles to be overcome – including criticism from civil libertarians and security experts.

There is undeniable potential in digital ID schemes and governments around the world are embracing the concept. As yet, however, no clear 'killer app' has been found.

Perhaps we should be preparing for the dystopian vision of mass-chipping. Alongside the planet's need for mass-vaccination, what's the big deal?

In other news this week:

Accenture boosts SAP credentials with Zag acquisition
Google: How does a billion bucks for news sound?...first and final offer
Doctors' blood pressure climbs with virtual care
Is the cloud cheaper and greener?

And to further underpin Zag's SAP credentials, we take a look at Hydro Tasmania’s S/4HANA upgrade project – from SAP ECC to S/4HANA boosted with a bit of Fiori 3 – all delivered in the midst of Covid lockdowns.

Enjoy the read,

Heather Wright
Editor
editor@istart.com.au

DIGITAL ID

Why is launching a digital ID program so hard?

Australia’s digital ID project gets a AU$250m cash injection…

The details of Australia’s federal budget have been revealed, as the country looks to bolster its infrastructure and sharpen its digital chops for the post-pandemic future.

“This kind of confusing user experience teaches even normally vigilant users to ignore things that might otherwise seem odd.”

[Read more]

ACQUISITION

Accenture snaps up SAP specialist Zag

Zag zigs into big four consulting firm’s stable…

Professional services behemoth Accenture has bought Kiwi SAP and cloud solutions technology firm Zag for an undisclosed sum, bolstering Accenture’s SAP practice and cloud-first capabilities across A/NZ.

“By acquiring Zag, Accenture is now perfectly positioned to assist these organisations with their systems overhaul.”

[Read more]

GOOGLE vs ACCC

Google’s billion-dollar plan to solve its news woes

But not Downunder…

It started in May with a shot across Google’s bow courtesy of the ACCC, Australia’s competition regulator.

“This approach is distinct from our other news products because it leans on the choices individual publishers make about which stories to show readers.”

[Read more]

HEALTHCARE INVESTMENT

The new healthcare crisis

Covid-19 admin overload, virtual consults leading up stress and burnout…

Covid-19 has driven home the lack of investment in health IT, with extra admin driving up the blood pressure for local healthcare providers – but it’s also spurred much needed investment and change.

“Technology will be at the forefront of every discussion in the healthcare sector moving forward.”

[Read more]

GREEN CLOUD

Cloud: Saving money, saving the planet

The business forecast is for more cloud with a chance of significant savings…

It’s long been hailed as a cost saver for business, but now a new report from Accenture serves up figures not only for how much companies can save by moving to cloud (spoiler alert: It’s up to 40 percent TCO) but also how much greener cloud can make us.

“This magnitude of reduction can go a long way in meeting climate change commitments.”

[Read more]

CLIENT INSIGHT

Hydro Tasmania converts to the power of S/4HANA

Remote project delivery mid-pandemic proves a success…

Hydro Tasmania has teamed up with SAP specialist partner Zag to convert to SAP’s next-generation ERP, S/4HANA, along with Fiori 3.

“It’s now low effort for us to start bringing data that lives in different parts of SAP together on the same dashboard, making people’s lives a lot easier.”

[Read more]

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