ITPA Newsletter - The Download No.8

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In this Edition:

ITPA response to Commonwealth Joint Standing Committee Report on NBN Rollout
ITPA partners with Guild Insurance to offer members premium savings
Read All About It - CPM Profile: Stuart Read
ITPA Contributing to National Stay Smart Online Initiative
From the Fifth Estate - a media watch on the IT industry
Don’t miss our Short Courses!
How to become a Certified Practicing Member
ITPA Advice Forums

Hi <<First Name>>,

It has been a watershed month for the National Broadband Network currently under construction in Australia and I am very pleased to see that this project that is failing badly is finally getting the dose of blow-torch-to-the-belly that it deserves.

Firstly there was a comprehensive chronicle produced by the Joint Standing Committee which was assembled to report to the Commonwealth Parliament on progress of the roll-out of this failed national infrastructure project.

Our response to the findings and recommendations to emerge from this scathing report are featured elsewhere in this newsletter. It would appear that the Government successfully buried the report by releasing it late on the Friday eve of Australia's footy grand finals weekend. There was little coverage and the ongoing debacle, again, largely stayed out of the limelight.

This was followed a few weeks later by a 4Corners expose on the ABC that thankfully gained a lot more attention, so much so that we saw the NBN and Government spin doctors go into over-drive trying to divert blame and hurry the news cycle onto other matters.

In regards to the 4Corners program. It is great that "mainstream media" has started to pay attention - but the program itself was really just a surface skim - I was expecting more in-depth analysis from 4Corners. There was nothing new exposed.

The comments from NBN Co. CEO, Bill Morrow were interesting - not that they gave us anything new, but they seem to confirm some things we already suspected such as; he's been handed a plan not of his choosing/design, and been told to implement it.

The whole show felt like it exposed more "between the lines" than it actually said - the issue of cost of CVC was touched upon briefly via comments from the CEO of Aussie Broadband, but not really pushed very hard which I would have liked to see. Wholesale pricing structure is a key issue in provisioning quality, affordable services to Australian homes and businesses.

Industry analyst, Paul Budde made a good point about what people can afford to pay. To truly advance the nation’s digital opportunity, high speed internet should be cheap and available to everyone at maximum capacity. One speed for all; the best possible speed.

How can you put a price on the opportunity to lift communities through better health, education and information services. Who is to discriminate that a good idea in Nurioopta, Broome, Dubbo or Longreach will have a fair chance of flying?

Every individual in Australia deserves the opportunity to be the next Facebook, Google or Amazon entrepreneur.

For these reasons, regional roll-out and the wholesale pricing structure implemented by NBN Co. is a huge issue which it doesn’t have to be. It is a consequence of the whole notion that NBN has to be a profit/loss ledger as opposed to a nation building project similar to the way our railways, roads, ports, schools and hospitals etc. are built.

Also, the fact that the "last mile" can deliver 40Mbps but users only get ~12Mbps in peak wasn't pushed hard enough - it also a disturbing issue. Common consumer rights to get what you pay for are being flaunted.

I also applaud some attention being focused on the digital divide being created and its impact on real estate prices. It would also have been good to see more from experts on social impact regarding the availability of quality broadband.

There is quantitative evidence of how ubiquitous broadband access has had positive impact on society, particularly on those of lower socio-economic standing. There is also studies showing how not having access reduces the opportunity for bridging the gap.

It is the equivalent of ignoring communities with poorer quality sanitation, health services and education; leaving them to fend for themselves. There are going to be consequences to emerge from that division of quality of life and we need to stay on top of them.

There is way too much focus from NBN Co. to have the network built "faster, cheaper”, so it can be sold off sooner, rather than doing it right, to provide Australia with a solid foundation for the future.

Our promise to members is that we will continue to raise awareness of these and other issues that impact on the IT industry, the people who work in it, and the broader community.

As a member of ITPA - an organisation that has now grown to be in excess of 17,000 members - you too should put your hand up and add weight to our growing voice.

Upgrade your ITPA membership NOW!

Cheers.
Robert Hudson,
ITPA President

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Breaking down the 23 recommendations delivered by a scathing Commonwealth Government, Joint Standing Committee report on current status of the NBN rollout.

A new partnership, and a new benefit for ITPA members.
ITPA has partnered with Guild Insurance to deliver premium insurance products with reduced premiums. Read how members can benefit.

Sydney-based Stuart Read is a 40-something IT professional and golfing enthusiast who was passionate about technology from an early age. He’s been working in the industry for over 25 years, recently joined ITPA and has subsequently embraced the Certified Practicing Member (CPM) program.

ITPA backs Commonwealth Stay Smart Online initiative, joining collective of IT organisations urging broader community focus on corporate and personal online safety.

What the Media is talking about

A somewhat irreverent look at some of the media chatter on the IT industry that has been happening over the last month.

Don’t miss our Short Courses!
One of the exciting new services we will be offering as the ITPA is quarterly, free, online Short Courses. The courses will normally be five weeks in duration with four weeks of study followed by an optional assessment in the 5th week.

In most cases, they will be advanced ‘500 level’ courses designed for experienced IT Pros and will be delivered by senior ITPA Members and or third-party industry experts.

ITPA's short courses are the foundation stones of our commitment to professional development an a pathway to Certified Practising Member status, so get keen and get registered.

So far, we are planning to run Short courses on the following:

IP6 Masterclass
Configuration Management
Cisco CCNA v3
Pen Testing Masterclass

If you have ideas for other Short Courses you think will be relevant to skills development for the membership, get in touch with ITPA via: sponsorship@itpa.org.au

Membership Growth: ITPA is Delivering Value
Since launching in November 2016, ITPA's membership numbers have grown rapidly to now be over 17,000.

As part of our professional development and skills verification agenda ITPA offers an official certification program for practicing members.

In a similar way to which accountants or other professionals need to continue improving and demonstrating their skill sets to retain their accreditation, ITPA offers a Certified Practicing Member (CPM) level of membership.

With the cost of an individual membership only $165 per year, you should really think about making that commitment, getting involved with ITPA and taking advantage of the knowledge sharing and credibility benefits that come with being a member.

For all information on ITPA membership levels, see the dedicated section of the website including specific information about the CPM program

ITPA Advice Forums

One of the most valuable services currently offered to ITPA financial members is the Advice Forums which are hosted on the MyITPA section of the ITPA website. This service offers members the opportunity to engage and share knowledge with other ITPA members through reading and contributing comments on a range of subjects that are industry-based, technical or otherwise of interest to members.
Once logged in, members can start new threads, pose questions, answer questions or just engage in conversation with their industry peers. This peer review ensures that information shared is accurate and up-to-date while the closed nature of the lists means that members can ask questions without fear of reprisal for sharing information in a public domain.
The Forums receive an average of 22 posts per day and this is expected to grow rapidly in line with an expanding number of financial members under the new ITPA umbrella.
Below are some recent topics that have been discussed: