ASIC won't strong-arm super trustees on Y2KAustralian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) will not force superannuation trustees to reveal their Y2K readiness to superannuation fund members, the commission announced yesterday. While ASIC believes trustees should consider voluntary disclosure, it has concluded that a variety of administrative and cost issues make itimpractical to demand Y2K disclosure.
Click on the link below for the full storyhttp://www2.idg.com.au/CWT1997.nsf/CWTCurrent/NT0000DC9ASmart cards not taking off, says DatamonitorSmart cards are catching on more slowly than expected, making their widespread use for electronic commerce unlikely in the next five years, according to a report issued by London-based Datamonitor yesterday. In the report "Smart Cards in European E-commerce Markets", Datamonitor reports that in 2003, Europeans will spend $US8.6 billion online, with goods purchased with smart cards making up only $623 million of the total.
Click on the link below for the full storyhttp://www2.idg.com.au/CWT1997.nsf/CWTCurrent/NT0000DC9EServices lead IT growth for next five yearsDriven by outsourcing, the services segment of the information technology (IT) market will grow faster than any other IT segment worldwide over the next half decade, according to a Dataquest analyst who spoke yesterday at its Predicts '99 conference. "The worldwide IT services industry will be growing faster than anything else over the next five years," said Roger Fulton, a Dataquest vice president and director.
Click on the link below for the full storyhttp://www2.idg.com.au/CWT1997.nsf/CWTCurrent/NT0000DCAAAsia telecom market thriving, but Internet slowInternet adoption is lagging in the Asian region, with the exception of Australia, according to telecommunications analyst Paul Budde. Despite telecommunications growth in Asia outpacing similar growth in other parts of the world, the Internet has been a "disappointment" in the region. Budde says.
Click on the link below for the full storyhttp://www2.idg.com.au/nwwdb.NSF/mailout/NT000064EAIP to dominate but not quite yet: MetaIP [Internet Protocol] will prevail as the universal networking platform in the years to come despite quality of service issues at the moment, according to the Meta Group. Paul Ventura, program director at Meta Group, said IP "has not quite made it" as the single protocol for organisations, but post-2002, the technology will come head to head with ATM.
Click on the link below for the full storyhttp://www2.idg.com.au/CWT1997.nsf/CWTCurrent/NT0000DCDAATO falls victim to Melissa-type virusThe Australian Taxation Office has been mopping up after a 'Melissa-type' computer virus infected its mail network on Wednesday. Detection of the virus prompted the ATO to close down its entire mail network - a combination of cc:Mail and Microsoft Outlook - to prevent the virus spreading.
Click on the link below for the full storyhttp://www2.idg.com.au/CWT1997.nsf/CWTCurrent/NT0000DCF6Qld water services run late in Y2K raceTerry Mackenroth, Queensland Minister for Communication and Information, has warned that some water and sewerage service providers in the state started Y2K projects very late, and could be at risk if unexpected issuesarise during remediation. "Some local governments and water boards appear to have started Y2K projects very late, with remediation and contingency planning not scheduled to finish until late in 1999.
Click on the link below for the full storyhttp://www2.idg.com.au/CWT1997.nsf/CWTCurrent/NT0000DCFEDataquest: Asian PC market turning cornerPC shipments in the Asia-Pacific region, excluding Japan, rebounded strongly in the first quarter of this year, reaching 2.72 million units, up 19 per cent from 2.28 million units reported in the same quarter last year, according to market research firm Dataquest.
Click on the link below for the full storyhttp://www2.idg.com.au/arndb.NSF/Current/NT0000CA86GST cost 'almost unimaginable': DeloittesThe cost to organisations of tailoring their systems to meet the demands of a food-free GST is "almost unimaginable", according to a leading consulting organisation. Jim Morrison, IT tax partner at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, said it has been attempting to put a dollar figure on the exact financial burden placed on Australian businesses as they struggle to re-jig their technological infrastructure in the face of the federal government's new-look GST.
Click on the link below for the full storyhttp://www2.idg.com.au/CWT1997.nsf/CWTCurrent/NT0000DD3EBanks emerge unscathed from weekend Y2K testBanks around the globe this weekend pretended it was January 2000, taking part in a simulation to see how cross-border payment systems will cope in the year 2000. The test, initiated by the US settlement company New York Clearing House, tested bank systems from countries including the US, Japan, Germany, Australia, France and Hong Kong, according to the German Bundesbank (Central Bank), which is helping coordinate the test results.
Click on the link below for the full storyhttp://www2.idg.com.au/CWT1997.nsf/CWTCurrent/NT0000DD2E
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