Stories by Julian Bajkowski

Best of breed roars at Lion-Nathan

Best of breed software specialists are winning out over mega-vendor application suites in the vital national industry of beer brewing, with beverage giant Lion Nathan toasting smaller brands as proving better value for its manufacturing operations.

NAB standardizes 33,000 desktops on XP

After some five years of successfully resisting unnecessary upgrades from Microsoft, the National Australia Bank has revealed it will finally retire Windows NT for a Windows XP standard operating environment - more than 10 years after the product was first launched.

Tiny electric robot planes skylark in Iraq

The Australian Defence Force is to send four, tiny robot planes to Iraq to provide protection and support to troops serving on the ground with the Al Muthanna Task Group (AMTG).

Keep marketing away from IT strategy or lose customers

Marketers fixated with short-term hype must not be trusted with product or enterprise technology strategies if companies want to maintain customers, according to former Telstra group managing director for technology, innovation and products, Ted Pretty.

Commonwealth Bank staff sit mandatory CRM exams

It may be called CommSee but for nearly 5000 staff the Commonwealth Bank's latest attempt at customer relationship management (CRM) is a must-see, with thousands of bank staff required to sit mandatory exams on the new technology.

Lonely Trujillo looks for tech solace to ease network pain

Having survived the wrath of hundreds of bitter and poorer shareholders at his first annual general meeting, Telstra CEO Sol Trujillo has been publicly revealed as feeling just a little like the only geek in the boardroom.

Customs CEO says system will not be switched off

Having survived a two-hour verbal beating from angry industry representatives during crisis talks last night, the Australian Customs Service will keep its besieged Integrated Cargo System (ICS) running rather than revert to its old system.

Enterprise import data exposed by Customs system

The Australian Customs Service has admitted some users have been able to access and view each other's import documentation under the latest phase of its beleaguered new Integrated Cargo System, despite security assessment under Defence Signals Directorate's I-RAP (Infosec-Registered Assessor Program).

NAB group CIO resigns

The continuing overhaul of strategy, business process and technology at the National Australia Bank (NAB) has seen another veteran IT strategist take the option of comfortable retirement, with 34-year veteran and group chief information officer Ian MacDonald announcing he will retire in 2006.

Former watchdog warns IT costs for compliance to rise

Technologists forced into cash-guzzling IT projects by corporate compliance requirements should brace for more budgetary pain, with Australia's former chief corporate cop warning legal requirements will only continue to escalate.

Give government ICT image a makeover: federal CIO

When it comes to an intellectually satisfying and financially rewarding career in ICT, the federal government has an image problem and could do with a marketing makeover, according to Australian government CIO Ann Steward.

South Australia onshores India's ICT skills

Australia's persistently controversial relationship with offshoring IT work to India has taken a new twist in South Australia.

Vista's licensing speeds NSW govt move to Linux desktops

The NSW Office of State Revenue (OSR) is taking a tough stance against Microsoft's decision to make an enterprise edition of Windows Vista only available to companies that have signed on to its Software Assurance program. The tax collection agency has declared it would rather switch desktop operating systems than lock itself into Microsoft's licensing regime.

Government employees to road test smartcards

Federal government employees will become human guinea pigs as a preliminary test to an Australia-wide rollout of smartcards federal government services delivery under a proposal floated by Special Minister of State, Senator Eric Abetz.

NSA patents Internet tracing technology

In a sign big brother is becoming a commercially mature technology player, the US National Security Agency (NSA) not only wants to find out exactly where you are from your VoIP phone or PC - it wants to own the intellectual property around the locating process as well.