Working in the Vortex

The modern CIO has become integral to long-term corporate health and strategy. Oliver Barrett offers practical insights into how best to manage additional challenges.

Open season

The true figures may not be known but there are growing signs that the influence of open source on corporate computing is gaining pace, Sarah Stokely writes.

Cracking the code

Technology is raising the stakes for corporate IT security. Regular audits adhering to minimum standards are necessary, but determining appetite for risk is even more important, Michael Crawford writes.

Building IT advantage

Construction projects have become so complex and time sensitive that investing in cutting-edge IT is vital to getting the job done, Jeanne-Vida Douglas writes.

Skills to suit

Graduates are no longer beating a path to the doors of IT firms and the industry needs to take a look in the mirror and ask itself why, Paul Smith writes.

Take a fresh look at skills

The issue of attracting people into the IT industry has been a vexatious and controversial one for some time. For an industry that less than a decade ago was "the way of the future", it is strange that we are consistently fighting for the attention of the talented.

A model for sharing costs

Proper measurement and allocation of the costs of delivering IT services, also called chargeback, is a key part of building co-operation in a well-governed enterprise, Ross Storey reports.

Roadworks - mobility roundtable

Mobile devices let staff operate remotely but create big cost and technology-compatibility challenges. This MIS round table, sponsored by Motorola, gives CIOs a chance to share views and suggest solutions.

Data breach debacle

Losing confidential client information through a misplaced laptop can be a public relations nightmare. Michael Crawford explores ways to handle the fallout.

Capital T for trouble

The 'T' in Tcard should stand for transport system, but in beleaguered Sydney, it still means no more than a costly ticket to nowhere, Julian Bajkowski writes.

Trivial pursuits

Some say the internet messes with our minds. This amazing technology can expand our horizons, or simply drive us a-twitter, Steve Hodgkinson writes.

Not quite there

The HP-EDS merger may create a formidable entity, but it will still have obstacles to overcome before it can be classed with IBM or McKinsey, Chris Morris writes.

Personality test

Predicting the behaviour of IT professionals during a major upgrade is a fine art. Mary Ann Maxwell describes the five character types to keep one step ahead of.

Restricted access

From safeguarding staff details to knowing when copyright or privacy has been breached, it is essential to understand all aspects of the law, Damian Ward writes.

Smart power networks gridlocked by regulation

Power distributors are taking cautious steps toward bringing their grids into the 21st century, but say much of the technology and massive spending needed to create so-called intelligent networks is bogged down in regulatory limbo.

Finally a fare go for stately smartcards

The adoption of smartcard technology in Australia was dealt a big blow last year by the incoming Labor government's decision to pull the plug on the Howard government's ill-fated Access Card project.

Suncorp's own mobile windfall

Queensland-based insurance and banking firm ?Suncorp saved millions on developing its mobile phone banking platform because it was developed by one of its 21-year-old graduate employees as a side project.

Accenture beats Infosys on BHP software contract

Information systems integrator Accenture has emerged as the preferred supplier for a ?BHP Billiton software outsourcing contract worth as much as $50 million a year, pipping rival Infosys at the post.

Teamwork to tackle welfare fraud

Federal government computer systems designed to track welfare cheats will be overhauled under a project that will make it easier for Centrelink and Medicare Australia to co-operate on fraud investigations.

Conroy resists change to free-to-air

Stephen Conroy, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (pictured), is resisting calls from subscription television operators to immediately review the government's anti-siphoning list because of the increased potential for offering live sports on the internet.

Record e-health cares

Australia's top e-health authority has called for public comment on a privacy blueprint that will help to establish patient information protections for a national electronic health record.

Big Four bank to call for $1.3bn bids

Commonwealth Bank of Australia is preparing a $1.3 billion telecommunications services contract that will compete for the attention of carriers as they vie for the right to build the federal government's $4.7 billion national broadband network.

Oracle financials system takes off at Qantas

Qantas is set to complete the introduction of Oracle Financials across the group soon, a move that may finally allow the airline to see the back of its long-running eQ software project.

PayPal backdown a blow for eBay

Online auction giant eBay has dumped its controversial bid to force buyers to use its wholly owned subsidiary ?PayPal as the sole means of electronic payment for purchases on its website.

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