Stories by Helen Han

5 minutes with... Tony Forward, CIO, BT Financial Group

BT Financial Group's CIO Tony Forward shares his IT experiences with Computerworld's Helen Han.

As downturn fades, spending and jobs set for an upturn

While the IT downturn has strangled tech spending over the last few years - forcing most companies to defer spending on big projects - indicators point to an upturn in the next 12 months.

IT governance poses evolutionary dilemma

Business leaders often misguidedly assume IT governance is all about the nuts and bolts of technology, when IT governance is about the information viability of an organization, according to Butler Group research director Tim Jennings.

Ideas International acquires DH Brown Associates for $1 million

Ideas International has completed its $1 million buyout of DH Brown Associates, a US-based IT research consultancy, helping to expand its own core services in infrastructure technology performance and price assessment through competitive profiling.

Microsoft debuts CRM for small business

Microsoft Australia made its foray into the small-business CRM market this week with software aimed at making service and sales professionals in SMEs and divisions of large companies more productive.

Hiring practises may hinder recruitment

Haphazard business processes in some organizations hinder effective employee relationship management and the ability of a company to balance its workforce and skills demand, Jason Averbook, PeopleSoft global product marketing director for human capital management (HCM) solutions, said.

IT evolves to costly, dead-end role

In the past five years companies have moulded IT professionals into back-end process managers heading up a cost centre that simply services the business, according to Meta Group's Asia Pacific managing director Mary Ann Maxwell.

Unions wage war against Telstra over outsourcing

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) will conduct a concerted campaign against Telstra and the federal government to stop the national carrier from sending jobs offshore, according to ACTU president Sharan Burrow.

IT unemployment outstrips national average

Australia's IT unemployment rate is 77 percent higher than the national jobless average but incredibly, the rate is an improvement on the year before, according to the Australian Computer Society's (ACS) 2003 ICT Employment Survey.

eFunds acquires Webpay's IP

eFunds has acquired the intellectual property of local Internet payment technology provider Webpay's products, as well as its CEO and five software development staff.

Accountancy group updates financial solutions

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (ICAA) is replacing its 10-year-old financial management system with an integrated finance and accounting software solution.

Brightmail opens Sydney Office

US antispam vendor Brightmail opened its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Sydney today and launched its suite of spam-blocking technology.

Seminars highlight business role in IT security

Two security companies will kickoff a seminar series next week presenting real-world advice on building an integrated security environment.

Future unclear for Kodak IT staff

Kodak Australia is not commenting on the future of the company's 30 IT jobs after the company's US parent unveiled its strategy to move away from film as it embraces digital imaging.

Bank pins down $6m ATM upgrade

The Bank of Queensland has embarked on a $6 million upgrade of its 20-year old automatic teller machine (ATM) network across metropolitan, regional and rural Queensland.