Australian Customs' CIO, Murray Harrison, says service level agreements (SLAs) don't work in outsourcing arrangements and when vendors use the term "innovation", their suggestions generally works against the interests of the customer.
Australian Customs' chief information officer, Murray Harrison, says the department has almost completed rolling out Vista to its 6,000 PCs, and has improved security for its laptop fleet using Microsoft's encryption tool, Bitlocker.
Observers predict that Hewlett-Packard's acquisition of global outsourcer EDS for US$13.9 billion this week will bring a boost to the Australian integrated services market, but also warn the new Australian entity that its rivals will try to take advantage of the transition here.
After three years of losing large chunks from multi-billion dollar IT outsourcing deals, EDS's managing director Chris Mitchell is placing his bets on Defence to bolster the company.
Unwieldy IT procurement has led to widespread duplication, according to the new finance minister, Lindsay Tanner. However questions remain over whether greater centralisation will lead to actual savings on the AU$6 billion the government spends on IT each year.
On Thursday afternoon I witnessed about 30 CIOs from various companies being forced to do manual labour while getting shouted at and sprayed with sea water. I'd be surprised if any went home without at least a few bruises -- I know I have a few injuries from the day.
Banks obviously have an interest in making consumers feel safe. They are there to protect the customers' money. They want customers to use their online services, too, because the channel offers a lower cost per transaction than a branch. But giving away free security software to make customers feel safe is probably doing more harm than good.
It's just two months until Microsoft plans to pull the plug on Windows XP arguably its best operating system to date.
Following a rash of Telstra customers reporting phishing attacks, the telco has issued advice on how to discern the real Telstra from fake ones -- but the advice it gives is more likely to help phishers than its customers.
Sometimes companies create advertising campaigns that look and sound fantastic but on closer inspection are a real embarrassment -- and tech companies are often the worst offenders.
Australian Customs CIO Murray Harrison dislikes SLAs and runs away if a vendor talks to him about innovation. In this interview, he also explains why getting excited about gadgets can be dangerous and talks about how Customs' outsourcing strategy has evolved.
How do four of Australia's largest government agencies protect their networks from attackers? To find out, ZDNet.com.au went to Canberra and spoke to the CIOs of Customs, Centrelink, Defence and the Australian Tax Office.
Not every senior manager would consider riding with the courier or talking to individual customers. But to gain a true understanding tech leaders need to spend time directly with the end user, argues one CIO.
As one CIO explains, technology expertise and managing are only part of a tech leader's role. The ultimate, ongoing goal is melding technology to the enterprise business goals.
In this exclusive video interview, Optus chief information officer Lawrie Turner speaks to ZDNet.com.au about being the IT head for Australia's number two telco.
Australian Customs CIO Murray Harrison talks security.
Australian Customs CIO Murray Harrison dislikes SLAs and runs away if a vendor talks to him about innovation. In this interview, he also explains why getting excited about gadgets can be dangerous and talks about how Customs' outsourcing strategy has evolved.
Australian government CIOs from Customs, Defence, the ATO and Centrelink talk security. This video contains the highlights followed by individual interviews with the CIOs.
Government CIOs from the Australian Tax Office, Customs, Defence and Centrelink, talk security.
Lorie Buckingham, CIO of telecom solutions provider Avaya, talks about the promise of unified communications for its more than one million business customers around the world. She also discusses her passion for technology and strategy for integrating innovative communication technologies.
Only about 35 percent of large businesses plan to move up to the latest version of Microsoft's Office software next year, according to a new survey of chief information officers.
COMMENTARY--Microsoft's religion is one where products are good and services are a sin. But a big server product launch could alienate the very souls it wants to convert.
Why do it vendors insist on creating catchy phrases to sum up their products? Is it to further confuse us, or are they really trying to help?
Would you put the security of your company into someone else's hands? ZDNet Australia finds out what benefits and peace of mind a managed service can provide.
You've got a lot invested in that current infrastructure, but there are those who are telling you it's time to upgrade. When is really the right time?
Microsoft slams Google on privacy
Google's approach to privacy is a decade behind Microsoft, the Redmond software giant's chief privacy strategi… Watch it now
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