Talking ’bout neXt generation
Published in MIS magazine at http://www.misweb.com/magarticle.asp?doc_id=25944&rgid=2&listed_months=0

VoIP is well-entrenched in the corporate vocabulary. But spin doctors are still building the road NGN will travel into the IT lexicon.

Next Generation Networking may need a little more spin doctoring before it becomes a bona fide buzzword, but a survey of Australian chief information officers and chief network officers shows they are planning on investing in higher capacity networks and embracing the IP-based functionality, which is at the heart of NGN.

The Next Generation Networks study, conducted by Fairfax Business Research (FBR), asked CIOs and CNOs about their network infrastructure and planned upgrades.

It found just 54 per cent of them were able to spontaneously provide a correct explanation of the term NGN, and specifically identify key features of the technology.

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Democrats lash out at endorsement of Gates

From www.itnews.com.au 29 June 2004

The Australian Democrats have lashed out at John Howard’s strong endorsement yesterday of Microsoft and its founder and chairman Bill Gates.

Howard and Gates were sharing a stage in Sydney to announce increased funding for the community computing project, Unlimited Potential.

Gates announced that Microsoft has upped its philanthropic investment in Australia by $1 million a year for the next five years, spending $40 million on the Unlimited Potential program. Speaking at the announcement, Howard hailed the Microsoft boss as the world’s “most significant social coalitionist”.

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