Stories by Hamish Barwick

Exclusive: Microsoft Australia's chief security advisor to join NBN Co

NBN Co has confirmed to Computerworld Australia that Microsoft Australia's chief security advisor, Stuart Strathdee, is joining NBN Co's Information Security Office and also hinted that more security hires would be made in the future.

Smartphone safety campaigns need to be sexier

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) have called for targeted smartphone and cybersafety campaigns and the use of social networking sites to make sure messages get through to more consumers.

Andy Lark leaves Dell US for CBA

Dell's US public and large enterprise global marketing vice president and expat New Zealander, Andy Lark, has been lured back down under with a chief marketing officer role at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA).

Aussie Net traffic growth to surpass global average

Increased adoption of smartphones and tablets such as the iPad are set to drive Australia's Internet Protocol (IP) traffic up 41 per cent year on year, eventually surpassing the average global growth rate of IP traffic, according to a Cisco report.

Two thirds of Aussie businesses suffer cyber-attacks: Symantec

More Australian businesses are sitting up and taking a good look at their security regimes in the wake of costly cyber-attacks and lost productivity, according to security vendor Symantec.

What does the future hold for data centre cooling?

As Westpac Bank recently proved, data centre cooling is serious business. The bank made headlines after an air conditioning outage at its data facilities pulled down automatic teller machines (ATMs) and EFTPOS facilities for hours.

NBN Co signs with Ericsson, Silcar

Telecommunications vendor Ericsson and construction firm, Silcar are the major beneficiaries of two NBN Co contracts awarded this week.

CeBIT 2011: NBN could be a cybercriminal's best friend: iWebGate

Once the National Broadband Network (NBN) rolls out, the ability to take down companies -- who have yet to invest in network security and publish network services to the internet -- will become much easier, according to a security expert.

CeBIT 2011: Joint taskforce needed on cybercrime: A-G secretary

The federal Attorney-General's department has called for the creation of a national online fraud taskforce that will include banks, internet service providers (ISPs) and merchants.

CeBIT 2011: Mobile networks key to Japanese disaster recovery

Building strong mobile networks and identifying alternative sources of energy are just some of the lessons Japanese authorities have learned in the wake of the deadly tsunami on March 11 this year.

CeBIT 2011: Vendor standards key to Government Cloud adoption

Cloud vendors need to provide standards and improve security, according to an Australian Government senior policy secretary.

NBN to drive Australia's digital economy: Conroy

$96.2 million over the next four years has been set aside to aid the development of an Australian digital economy by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy.

New security guidelines for govt agencies needed: A-G

New guidelines for government agencies designed to help protect Australians' personal and financial information were being developed for a roll out later this year, according to Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland.

Aussies urged to slash digital footprint, change passwords: PayPal

A survey commissioned by online payments company, PayPal Australia, has revealed that some Australians don't know the number of websites holding their personal information and many are using the same passwords across multiple accounts, much to the alarm of security experts.

CBA breach may create trust issue for customers: Sophos

The fallout from the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) credit card breach may affect future customer confidence in the financial institution, according to one security expert.