Stories by Jeanne-Vida Douglas

APC targets channel with services

American Power Conversion (APC) has announced a series of global services designed to provide a significant value add to the channel.

Games developers meet in Melbourne

The Academy of Interactive Entertainment and the Game Developers Association of Australasia have banded together to host the Australian Game Developers Conference (AGDC) in Melbourne.

Avnet through the DataMirror

In a move set to increase its Australian presence, e-business technology vendor DataMirror Corporation has signed high-end integrator Avnet Enterprise Solutions as a value-added reseller (VAR) of the Transformation Server and High Availability product suite.

LEAD FEATURE: Taming the tender

In the 1997/98 Budget the Federal Government announced its "whole of government information technology infrastructure consolidation and outsourcing initiative". The initiative proposed that all government IT services and infrastructure be outsourced to the private sector. In a massive undertaking, the Government called for 11 tenders, and predicted that the outsourcing process would save approximately one billion dollars over seven years.

KAZ smells sweet in Singapore

In an extension of a deal established in September 1999, KAZ has won the tender to provide outsourced help desk support for fragrance and flavour manufacturer Givaudan.

Luck of the Irish

When Volkswagens were new cars, Mike Sheeran's family arrived in Sydney having felt the lure of immigration advertising in the UK.
Originally from Ireland, they had been living in what Sheeran describes as some of the toughest parts of London. When they arrived in Sydney, Sheeran's parents sought out the type of suburb they had seen in the black and white depictions of Australian life.

Exploiting niche markets

The story of SignIQ is a classic example of the "find a niche market and exploit it" genre. In the early 80s, Ben Hoffman saw an opening for branded sign and tag writing software in the retail sector.

IBM GSA staff not happy in three states

Approximately 50 IBM GSA staff gathered in Elizabeth Street, Sydney in a stop-work meeting last week to discuss and vote on the question of possible further industrial action against the IT services giant.

Australians prefer own e-tailers

One of the small chinks of hope for traditional Australian retailers grappling with the effects of e-commerce offerings is the popularity of Australian e-tail sites among Australians.

Interplay dumps Village Roadshow

Citing changing markets and a shifting business focus, games publisher Interplay has ended a five-year distribution relationship with Village Roadshow.

Sign of the times

Newly formed software vendor SignIQ is already seeing the benefits of selling through the channel.
Garry Campbell, director of business development at SignIQ, told ARN that the company has already worked with networks or resellers throughout Australia and they were now working on expanding their market offshore.

UDATE: Union plans IBM GSA strike

The CPSU (Community and Public Sector Union), also known as the Communications Union has announced plans to hold a stop work meeting on the 5th of October effecting operations of IBM GSA, the services arm of IBM.

Union plans IBMGSA protest strikes

The CPSU (Community and Public Sector Union), also known as the Communications Union, is threatening to take industrial action against IBMGSA, the services arm of IBM.

Northerners snap up a GEM

Danish business consulting firm Aston IT Group has found an opening in the Asia Pacific market through its acquisition of Sydney based integrator GEM Integrated Solutions.

Informing the Channel

After working in the Australian distribution channel, David Hancock realised there was a lack of informed research on the "engine room of the IT industry". Five years on, he speaks with Jeanne-Vida Douglas about the research company he helped to found and the role that Inform plays in the channel

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