ACS Week in Review: 16 Nov 2012
Reports out this week
ACS in the news
- Computer society wants more leavers to seek technology careers, The Australian
- A brilliant career – but not in ICT, SMH
- Australia’s ICT graduate crisis, ITnews
- ICT experts shortage worsens in Australia as students shun computer technology courses, International Business Times
- More ICT jobs as industry grows 11 per cent, CIO
ICT in the Media
- Digital Economy: Australian online shopping grows 27 per cent in a year. Top hedge funds picked up Facebook, Yahoo amid third quarter
- Cyber Security Internet Filter plan abandoned, tough debate expected in upcoming UN internet summit
- ICT jobs market and skills: Firms face mainframe skills shortage
- Telecommunications: Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen releases iPad app News for ACS newsfeed
Digital Economy
- Online shopping activities grew 27 per cent in the 12 months to July 12, according to a new report by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
- ‘Gif’ enters the lexicon as the US edition of the Oxford English dictionary’s word of the year 2012.
- Facebook’s disastrous second quarter earnings report, which sent the shares of the social network down 32 per cent in a week, has attracted some of the top hedge fund stock pickers.
- Don't cry for Sinofsky: He has $17.5M in Microsoft stock SEC filings show former head of Windows division won't be standing in the unemployment line
Skills & Training
- ALMOST 80 per cent of Australian organisations are expected to face a shortage of mainframe skills in the future, with 57 per cent having some difficulty in finding talent, a survey finds.
- AUSTRALIA'S peak ICT professionals association has repeated calls to encourage school-leavers to consider technology careers, saying the skills gap is still a live issue for the sector and the country.
Cyber Security
- The Federal Government has abandoned plans for an Internet filter, and will instead rely on major service providers to block ''the worst of the worst'' child abuse sites.
- The US faces a tough debate with emerging nations such as India and Brazil at an upcoming UN conference discussing global rules for the internet, the US delegation chief says.
- It's one of the most glaring security holes I've ever seen from a major online service provider: Anyone could have hijacked your Skype account if they knew the email address you used to set up your account.
Telecommunications
- Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is enthusiastic about Windows 8 tablets but a new entertainment app he's releasing this week is coming first to Apple's iPad.
- Shares of Cisco Systems rose 7 per cent on Wednesday after the network equipment maker's results surprised investors who were expecting a weak European economy and cuts in enterprise and government spending to hurt the company.
Government announcements
- New Grants for Clean Tech The Gillard Government is providing new grants from the Clean Technology Investment Programs worth a combined $30 million to help 89 Australian manufacturers improve energy efficiency.
- NBN fibre in the streets of Goodna The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, and the Federal Member for Oxley, Mr Bernie Ripoll, were in Goodna, Queensland today, where they hauled the first National Broadband Network fibre in the area.
- New Telehealth Centre officially opened at Princess Alexandra Hospital The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, and the Queensland Minister for Health, Mr Lawrence Springborg today officially opened a new telehealth centre at Princess Alexandra hospital, which is making healthcare more accessible to people living in regional and remote Queensland.
- First NBN fibre hauled, as NBN training services come to Coffs Harbour Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, and Labor Senator for NSW, Senator Matt Thistlethwaite, today announced that the Gillard Government is providing $273,767 to the Coffs Harbour City Council to help local people and businesses understand better the potential benefits of the National Broadband Network.
Opposition announcements
- Conroy Backs down on internet filter Stephen Conroy has today announced a humiliating backdown on his proposed Government-imposed Internet filter after five years of attempts to bully the industry.