Stories by Len Rust

Organisations fail on data strategy

Fifty-four per cent of organisations around the world are still neglecting one of their most profitable assets: data, according to Experian QAS, This is mirrored for Australian organisations, with 45 per cent of businesses unable to confirm that a documented strategy exists to keep their contact data accurate and up-to-date.

Paperless offices remain elusive

Australian businesses are producing more hardcopies today than five years ago, reinforcing that years after talks of paperless offices began, the concept remains an elusive dream, according to IDC.

WiMAX begins to gain momentum

The WiMAX broadband wireless access technology is expected to begin gathering momentum in the Asia/Pacific region, with WiMAX services revenues estimated to grow from $US58 million in 2007 to $US5.46 billion by 2012, according to Springboard Research. That growth translates to a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 148 per cent for the period.

Aussies worth watching

ADAPTIVE SOLUTIONS is a consulting company that builds, secures, and maintains business networks and IT systems. The company's project methodology is based on six independent and multi-disciplined roles: strategic management, project management, implementation, testing, user experience, and release management. Clients include Greenway, Krost, Shaw of Australia, and TMG.

China in top gear

During the late 1980s and early 1990s I often travelled in China and saw the country as it was before the economic takeoff. Now the pace of change is incredible, especially in the lead-up to the 2008 Olympic Games.

Power poser for Indian data centres

The Indian market is experiencing substantial growth and will reach a value of more than $US1.5 billion by 2010, according to a report from consulting company and data centre market specialist BroadGroup

Pacific cable bubble is avoidable

Asia has seen fast growth in demand for international capacity in recent years, driven mainly by consumer Internet demand. According to Ovum, investment in new Asian cables was dormant between 2002 and 2006 as a glut of capacity was slowly used up. However, during 2007 a number of new trans-Pacific and intra-Asian cable investments were announced.

New methods of access drive Internet growth

Almost a quarter of the world's population -- roughly 1.4 billion people -- will use the Internet regularly in 2008. This number is expected to surpass 1.9 billion unique users, or 30 per cent of the world's population, in 2012, according to IDC's Digital Marketplace Model and Forecast.

Aussies worth watching

The spotlight this week falls on RosterLive, Virtual.Offis, Aurion Corporation, Distribution Central, APA Management Systems, Omni Meta

Green IT works for the environment, and the bottom line

Green IT is a growing global phenomenon, with customers now seeking out IT vendors whose offerings are more energy-efficient, more material-efficient, less hazardous, designed for greater recyclability, and supported by end-of-life recycling programs, according to IDC's green IT research team.

Bright forecast for managed services

In terms of managed services uptake in the Asia/Pacific region, excluding Japan, Australia and New Zealand is the most mature sector, according to Frost & Sullivan. At the same time, many of the large and medium-sized organisations are looking at how they can optimise their IT investments and become more effective in utilising IT with the help of managed and hosted services.

Gaming becomes big player

Worldwide mobile gaming revenue is on pace to total $US4.5 billion in 2008, a 16.1 per cent increase from 2007 revenue of $US3.9 billion, according to Gartner. While mobile gaming revenue will continue to lag behind other value-added entertainment services -- such as music and adult content -- the market still has much potential.

Networks concern IT managers

In a recent survey of more than 1100 IT decision makers in the Asia/Pacific region, IDC measured the importance of 10 key solution areas touted by IT services vendors globally. Network infrastructure solutions came up as being most important, with more than 70 per cent of respondents in markets such as Australia, China, and India indicating that solutions pertaining to the network were either important or very important.

Shake up for A/P delivery locations

Changing economics and market drivers are shaking up the market for global delivery locations within Asia/Pacific. As the focus shifts away from costs, the differentiation between cities is being reduced while competition for lucrative offshore spending is increasing. These shifts have conversely impacted different segments of the market, with formerly low-cost destinations becoming less desirable and higher cost skills-based propositions becoming more popular.

Asia-Pacific telcos fight back

In 2007, many developed market Asia/Pacific fixed voice, mobile, and broadband operator incumbents out-performed their market in certain areas, according to Ovum Research. Market share losses have been reversed as incumbents come to grips with competition and learn to leverage differentiators.