Stories by Stephen Bell

InternetNZ's departing CEO looking for next career opportunity

Departing InternetNZ CEO Vikram Kumar, who is resigning from his position at InternetNZ at the end of this month, says he has not been offered another job; he is leaving simply because he considers it the right time to move on and broaden his perspective.

BYOD study wins IITP research prize

Winner of the annual student research contest organised by the Institute of IT Professionals is Nathan Hopkins of Victoria University’s School of Information Management, with a study on school students’ use of “bring-your-own” digital devices.

Govt not complying with its own web standards

Not one government website complies fully with web standards laid down by the government itself in 2003, says a monitoring report released this month on New Zealand’s compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.

Govt procurement should encourage local industry: NZRise

More open and transparent government procurement processes and the appointment of an Ombudsman to help sort out procurement disputes are two recommendations from an exercise coordinated by NZRise to improve the effectiveness of public-sector procurement, particularly on the ICT front.

$100m govt investment in second Pacific cable urged

A $100 million cornerstone government investment like that proposed by the Green Party in a second Pacific fibre-optic link, would have enabled Pacific Fibre to go ahead, says Lance Wiggs, co-founder of the now defunct second-cable venture.

Secrecy continues to surround Auckland TPPA negotiations

Concerned local business-sector representatives have had the chance to engage with local and overseas negotiators on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement at a stakeholders' forum, during the latest round of negotiations, in Auckland.

Green MP sparks intellectual property debate

Green MP Gareth Hughes, in a blog post, has sought to reignite public debate on the intellectual property provisions of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. Media discussion of the proposed international treaty has recently focused on access for agricultural produce and regulations governing overseas investment and pharmaceuticals.

Digital pick-pocketing risk highlighted at Kiwicon

An emphasis on vulnerabilities in mobile devices featured in this year’s Kiwicon hackers’ conference, says Kyle Gibson, director of Wellington security consultancy Confide; “there was a lot of discussion of email hacks on iPhone and Android,” he says.

Galleries create apps for art's sake

The Art Gallery of New South Wales -- a century-old institution -- has been faced in the past two years with the disruptive force of endemic mobile technology among its visitors, the National Digital Forum in Wellington recently, heard.

MSD to appoint chief information security officer

The Ministry of Social Development will appoint a chief information security officer following the second phase of the Deloitte report on its security, says chief executive Brendan Boyle.
“I am creating a new senior management position of chief information security officer to support the implementation of all of the recommendations from the two Deloitte reports.
“This role will report directly to the deputy chief executive, people, capability and resources, and I have formally assigned information security management to that deputy chief executive to provide a single point of responsibility for driving information security activity across the ministry.”

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