AU: Vic govt to tap cloud, increase use of shared services
Cloud provides "much faster time to value,” says Victoria chief technology advocate, Grantly MailesThe Victorian government will use cloud computing infrastructure and increase the use of shared services to deliver its new whole-of-government ICT strategy, according to the state's new chief technology advocate, Grantly Mailes.
Victoria named Mailes the state’s first chief technology advocate earlier this month. The title is in addition to his previous role as deputy secretary, innovation and technology for the Victoria Department of Business and Innovation.
US: OMB pushes shared services for agency financial systems
The Office of Management and Budget is telling agencies to stop building costly, agency-specific systems when they modernize their financial management systems. Instead, going forward, agencies must use a federal shared-services provider when updating their accounting systems, according to a new memo from OMB Controller Danny Werfel."The traditional approach to agency-specific, large-scale financial systems modernization projects in the federal government has often led to poor results in terms of cost, quality, performance, and reporting," Werfel wrote in the memo, dated March 25. "In many cases, these projects — designed to meet agency-specific business processes and system requirements — have resulted in substantial cost overruns, systems that are so large and complex that they cannot be easily updated and lengthy delays in planned deployments or needed improvements."
US: California: Telemedicine with Privacy Protection
The way doctors practice medicine, and the way we the patients receive it, has gotten a lot more high tech in recent years with the prevalence of electronic medical records and telemedicine. One thing that hasn't changed is the concern for a patient's privacy.As of Monday, March 25, a new federal law is in place that will fine healthcare providers up to 1.5 million dollars for privacy breaches.
One high tech company is now providing secure connections between stay-at-home patients and their doctors.
EU: Less digging = cheaper broadband.
Commission proposes rules to cut broadband installation costs.The European Commission today proposed new rules to cut by 30% the cost of rolling out high-speed Internet. Civil engineering, such as the digging up of roads to lay down fibre, accounts for up to 80% of the cost of deploying high-speed networks. Today's proposal may save companies €40 to 60 billion.
High-speed broadband is the backbone of the telecoms and wider Digital Single Market, the Commission is attempting to build. Its rollout is currently slowed down by a patchwork of rules and administrative practices at national and sub-national levels. "In most places, today's rules hurt Europe's competitiveness," said European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes.
EU: Weniger Baustellen = günstigere Breitbandnetze.
Kommission schlägt Vorschriften zur Kostensenkung im Breitbandausbau vorDie Europäische Kommission hat heute einen Vorschlag für neue Rechtsvorschriften vorgelegt, durch die 30 % der Kosten für den Ausbau von Hochgeschwindigkeits-Breitbandnetzen eingespart werden sollen. Bis zu 80 % der Netzausbaukosten entfallen auf Bautätigkeiten wie z. B. Straßenbauarbeiten zur Verlegung von Glasfaserleitungen. Mit dem heutigen Vorschlag können Unternehmen 40 bis 60 Mrd. EUR einsparen.
Hochgeschwindigkeits-Breitbandinfrastrukturen bilden das Rückgrat des Telekommunikationsmarkts und des digitalen Binnenmarkts, an dessen Aufbau die Kommission derzeit arbeitet. Aufgrund eines Flickwerks an Regeln und Verwaltungsverfahren auf nationaler, regionaler und lokaler Ebene schreitet der Netzausbau jedoch nur langsam voran. „Vielerorts beeinträchtigen die heute geltenden Vorschriften die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit Europas“, so die Vizepräsidentin der Europäischen Kommission Neelie Kroes.