Quote Of The Year

Timeless Quotes - Sadly The Late Paul Shetler - "Its not Your Health Record it's a Government Record Of Your Health Information"

or

H. L. Mencken - "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong."

Monday, February 01, 2021

Weekly Australian Health IT Links – 01 February, 2021.

 Here are a few I have come across the last week or so. Note: Each link is followed by a title and a few paragraphs. For the full article click on the link above title of the article. Note also that full access to some links may require site registration or subscription payment.

General Comment

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Things seem to have come back with a rush now we are past the holiday month. The big issue which will be interesting to follow is how vaccine administration is managed and how well the systems work. It will be a big challenge!

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https://www.itwire.com/health/coalition-of-health,-tech-experts-want-big-tech-to-reveal-%E2%80%98true%E2%80%99-extent-of-%E2%80%98misinformation-%E2%80%99-on-covid-19.html

Monday, 25 January 2021 13:33

Coalition of health, tech experts want big tech to reveal ‘true’ extent of ‘misinformation ’ on COVID-19

By Peter Dinham

A newly formed coalition of health and technology experts is calling on the Australian Parliament to force big tech companies to reveal the true extent of COVID-19 “misinformation”.

In a ​letter sent to the Australian Parliament on Monday​, the coalition warns “unchecked misinformation risks Australia's COVID-19 vaccination efforts”, and they have called on politicians to introduce a ​Big Tech 'Live List'​, which details the most popular coronavirus-related material being shared online.

The coalition, led by Reset Australia, includes the Immunisation Coalition, the Immunisation Foundation of Australia, Coronavax and the Doherty Institute.

"Rampant misinformation on social media is hampering Australia’s COVID-19 efforts and may deter widespread take up of the future vaccine," said Chris Cooper, executive director of Reset Australia, the local affiliate of the global initiative working to counter what it says are “digital threats to democracy and society”.

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https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/dataroom/affinity-equity-looks-to-sell-medtech-unit/news-story/65c434a528304fe29582481f709b60d8

Affinity Equity looks to sell medtech unit

Bridget Carter

Affinity Equity Partners is believed to be on the cusp of ramping up its sales campaign for its Medical Director healthcare business, according to sources.

Working as an adviser to the medical software provider is Jefferies Australia and a sale of the business has been anticipated for at least a year.

It is understood that sales plans were temporarily stalled amid the onset of the pandemic.

One of the parties set to watch in an up-coming auction will be Telstra.

Booming demand for the services provided by Telstra’s health business is believed to have prompted the telecommunications provider to consider more acquisitions for the business unit, and Telstra has looked at the business before.

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https://www.itwire.com/security/australian-govt-in-top-five-industry-sectors-for-data-breaches.html

Friday, 29 January 2021 10:51

Australian Govt in top five industry sectors for data breaches

By Sam Varghese

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner was notified of 539 data breaches during the July-December 2020 period, an increase of 5% on the figure of 512 reported during the previous three months.

The Australian Government figured among the top five industry sectors for the first time, accounting for 6% of the breaches, with human error blamed.

Malicious or criminal attacks were blamed for 310 of the breaches while system faults were responsible for 25 breaches.

Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk said 38% of the breaches were attributed to human error.

"In the past six months, we saw an increase in human error breaches both in terms of the total number of notifications received – up 18% to 204 – and proportionally – up from 34% to 38%,” she said.

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https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/the-heart-rhythm-society-and-apple-warn-about-iphone-12-magnets-and-medical-devices-implants/news-story/84818ac0236d051304439aea8d901324

The Heart Rhythm Society and Apple warn about iPhone 12 magnets and medical devices, implants

Chris Griffith

Placing an iPhone 12 model too close could interfere with implants and medical devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators.

Apple has issued a warning about it in a blog post. The warning covers the magnets inside iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and a range of MagSafe accessories.

The warning follows concerns in some medical circles, including by The Heart Rhythm Society, a specialist body that purports to represent medical, allied health, and science professionals from more than 70 countries who specialize in cardiac rhythm disorders.

The society this month produced a short paper (shared by financialeditiorial.com) that says where one author raised the possibility of device-device interaction due to presence of a strong magnetic array in the iPhone and MagSafe compatible cases.

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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/what-gps-can-expect-new-active-ingredient-prescribing-regime

What GPs can expect from the new active ingredient prescribing regime

Australian Doctor interviewed Dr Jill Thistlethwaite from NPS MedicineWise about what the new prescribing rules mean for GPs

27th January 2021

By Kemal Atlay

From next Monday, scripts for PBS-listed medications will need to use generic names under new active ingredient prescribing rules introduced by the Federal Government.

The rule applies to all prescriptions generated on a computer, although handwritten scripts and aged care medication charts are exempt.

Australian Doctor spoke with NPS MedicineWise medical adviser Dr Jill Thistlethwaite about what GPs can expect once the new rules are implemented, and how it will impact their practice.


Australian Doctor: What's the reason for these changes?

Dr Jill Thistlethwaite: In some cases, there may be two or three different brands names for the same medication.

In patients without a regular prescriber, they could be prescribed the same medication under different names and end up taking too much at once.

At the moment, the brand name is much more prominent on the packaging than the active ingredient, so some people may not realise they could be taking the same medication more than once.

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https://www.afr.com/companies/healthcare-and-fitness/doctor-care-anywhere-dials-up-70-per-cent-gain-on-asx-20210126-p56wxh

Doctor Care Anywhere dials up 70 per cent gain on ASX

Simon Evans Senior Reporter

Jan 27, 2021 – 4.54pm

The chief executive of newly listed telemedicine company Doctor Care Anywhere, which has delivered a share price gain of 72 per cent in seven weeks, says there is huge upside for the sector as the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates the take-up of digital healthcare.

Dr Bayju Thakar said on Wednesday it had been an extremely difficult past year for millions of people around the world, and emphasised he was speaking “with a degree of humility” about the structural shifts the pandemic had triggered.

“What COVID has done is not just to accelerate the uptake and adoption of telemedicine services, it has highly validated the structural reform that has been under way for the last decade,” Dr Thakar said.

“It is now abundantly clear that there is extraordinary growth potential for our sector,” he said.

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https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/education/university-hears-india-s-call-with-3d-body-parts-breakthough-20210128-p56xmo

Body parts for less than $40 – with an iPhone and 3D printer

Robert Bolton Education editor

Jan 29, 2021 – 1.53pm

Researchers at Wollongong University are exporting low-cost, portable 3D printers that can make body parts for less than $40 to medical centres in India.

The 3D Genii printer costs between $2000 and $3000, compared with up to $250,000 for a commercial 3D printer. It was developed by engineers at the university’s Intelligent Polymer Research Institute and at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES).

Research fellow and materials scientist Sepidar Sayyar said that cost factors apart, the essential requirements were portability and ease of use.

A patient’s head is scanned using nothing more than an iPhone. The image is then manipulated with an app and instructions sent to the printer, which fits in a suitcase.

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https://www.hospitalhealth.com.au/content/clinical-services/article/predicting-risk-of-spinal-fracture-using-bioengineering-119693427

Predicting risk of spinal fracture using bioengineering

By Assistant Professor Dennis E Anderson, Brett Allaire, Dr Hossein Mokhtarzadeh and Professor Mary L Bouxsein
Friday, 22 January, 2021

The World Health Organization has recently named the next ten years as the “decade of healthy ageing”.

But the global COVID-19 pandemic may hamper this goal, as reduced movement due to social distancing has the potential to negatively impact our physical fitness, leading to severe muscle and bone diseases.

One of the biggest health issues during ageing is osteoporosis, named a “silent bone disease” since there are not many symptoms visible to the naked eye.

Bone fracture and its consequences

The human adult skeleton comprises nearly 210 bones that form the foundation of our body. Structural defects, particularly in the spine, can lead to fractures that result in chronic pain, disfigurement, reduced quality of life, and increased risk of dying.

Bone density scanning by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is routinely used to identify individuals at high risk of bone fracture.

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https://www.hospitalhealth.com.au/content/technology/news/report-finds-mobile-tech-making-healthcare-workers-jobs-easier-1570858738

Report finds mobile tech making healthcare workers' jobs easier


Monday, 25 January, 2021


Research reveals that more than 78% of Australian healthcare workers have been issued with new technologies, such as mobile devices, to support their duties during the pandemic. Highlighting the value of these technologies, all healthcare workers agreed that the use of mobile devices to complete administrative tasks while visiting patients in the field made their jobs easier, particularly during periods of increased demand for services in 2020.

The new research from mobile and IoT management solutions provider SOTI surveyed Australian home-care workers, visiting nurses and nurses in the field, in both private and public sectors. 74% of these workers said the main benefit of mobile devices was the ability to access employer systems remotely, which simplified tasks when visiting patients.

“Our latest research, which looked explicitly into how the use of technology can enhance patient care in the healthcare industry, has shown just how significant a role business-critical mobility plays in enabling Australian healthcare workers to do their jobs,” SOTI APAC VP of Sales Michael Dyson said.

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https://www.smh.com.au/national/western-australia/safewa-system-to-expand-to-cover-most-businesses-and-premises-20210128-p56xno.html

SafeWA system to expand to cover most businesses and premises

By Peter de Kruijff

January 29, 2021 — 9.08am

West Australians will need to sign into contact registers at nearly all businesses and premises in the state under an impending expansion of the SafeWA tracing system.

The government is also encouraging people who use public transport to register SmartRider cards with up-to-date details so they can be easily contacted in the event a COVID-19 outbreak is linked to bus, ferry, or train trips.

People who use free CAT bus services will be asked to scan a SafeWA QR code which will soon be rolled out through the transport network.

The changes to the system are deemed essential by the state government, which is concerned about the potential for more infectious strains of COVID-19 to rapidly spread through the community without a more expansive tracing regime.

Retailers, supermarkets, takeaway food shops, hospitals, events with more than 500 people, weddings, festivals, and commercial vehicles carrying more than 12 people will need to have contact registers from February 12 as part of the program expansion.

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https://www.zdnet.com/article/nsw-running-data61-de-identification-tool-across-covid-data-prior-to-public-release/

NSW running Data61 de-identification tool across COVID data prior to public release

The Personal Information Factor tool is claimed by the CSIRO to lower the risk of de-identified data being re-identified.

By Chris Duckett | January 27, 2021 -- 23:17 GMT (10:17 AEDT) | Topic: Security

The New South Wales government has been using a tool to help de-identify data related to COVID-19 prior to the release of that data to the public, the CSIRO said on Thursday.

The tool, dubbed Personal Information Factor (PIF), has been created by Data61, the NSW government, the Australian Computer Society, Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre (CSCRC), and "several other groups".

"The privacy tool assesses the risks to an individual's data within any dataset; allowing targeted and effective protection mechanisms to be put in place," the CSIRO claimed.

"The software uses a sophisticated data analytics algorithm to identify the risks that sensitive, de-identified and personal information within a dataset can be re-identified and matched to its owner."

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https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/548825/Covid-drives-patient-interactions-online.htm

 

Covid drives patient interactions online

Monday, 25 January 2021  

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

quarter of all patients enrolled with a GP in New Zealand are registered to use a patient portal.

New figures from the Ministry of Health show that as of September 2020, nearly 1.2 million people are registered to use a patient portal, up from 970,000 in September 2019.

More than 680 general practices are offering portals, which allow patients to interact with them online by booking appointments, ordering repeat prescriptions and viewing lab results, and some primary health organisations now have all practices offering the digital service.

Chair of GPNZ Jeff Lowe says that while having a quarter of eligible patients registered nationally is an improvement, it is still “pretty poor uptake” given that portals have been available for more than a decade.

“I don’t think it’s good enough. I think far more practices and practitioners should be using portals as I’m sure that if patients are given the choice, they will use them,” he tells eHealthNews.nz. 
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https://www.tenders.gov.au/Cn/Show/?Id=de28deba-c979-413f-a3c1-dcf217cd8f80

Contract Notice View - CN3745889

AusTender holds Contract and Standing Offer Notices for the 07/08 financial year forward. For information related to previous years, please refer to https://data.gov.au/dataset/historical-australian-government-contract-data

Subcontractors:  For Commonwealth contracts that started on or after 1 December 2008, agencies are required to provide the names of any associated subcontractors on request.  Information on subcontractors can be sought directly from the relevant agency through the Agency Contact listed in each Contract Notice.

Personnel recruitment

Agency Details

Email Address: contracts@digitalhealth.gov.au

Office Postcode: 2606

CN ID: CN3745889

Agency: Australian Digital Health Agency

Publish Date: 29-Jan-2021

Category: Personnel recruitment

Contract Period: 2-Jun-2020 to 30-Jun-2021

Contract Value (AUD): $80,000.00

Description: Personnel recruitment

Procurement Method: Open tender

ATM ID: DH2746V

SON ID: SON3557594

Agency Reference ID: DH2746V


Supplier Details

Name: Pinpoint Talent Pty Ltd

Postal Address: Town/City: SYDNEY

Postcode: 2000

State/Territory: NSW

Country: AUSTRALIA

ABN: 81 609 473 743

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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/new-zealand-central-bank-postpones-statistics-releases-after-data-breach-560118

New Zealand central bank postpones statistics releases after data breach

By Staff Writer, Printweek on Jan 25, 2021 6:44AM

For a number of weeks.

New Zealand's central bank said on Friday that it will postpone publication of most of its statistical data releases for a number of weeks while it investigates a cyber attack that led to a serious breach of its data systems.

The breach was announced earlier this month and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) said a file sharing service provided by California-based Accellion was illegally accessed.

Statistics on bank customer lending, credit card balances and spending, new mortgage commitments, bank liquidity, non-bank lending institutions, and retail interest rates would be delayed, the bank said.

"RBNZ will be postponing publication of most statistical releases. We will provide an updated release calendar when we can, but we expect delays of 3-4 weeks to most publications," RBNZ said in an email.

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https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/asic-says-it-was-hit-by-cyber-attack-20210125-p56wsc

ASIC says it was hit by cyber attack

Max Mason Senior reporter

Jan 25, 2021 – 9.27pm

The Australian corporate regulator has become the latest high-profile victim of a cyber-attack related to the same software used to hit both the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and law firm Allens.

On Monday evening, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission said it was hit by “cyber security incident affecting a server used by ASIC”.

ASIC said it became aware of the incident on January 15 and had launched an investigation.

“This incident is related to Accellion software used by ASIC to transfer files and attachments. It involved unauthorised access to a server which contained documents associated with recent Australian credit licence applications,” ASIC said in a statement.

“While the investigation is ongoing, it appears that there is some risk that some limited information may have been viewed by the threat actor. At this time ASIC has not seen evidence that any Australian credit licence application forms or any attachments were opened or downloaded.”

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https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/asic-cyber-attack-linked-to-rbnz-breach/news-story/fa4e38dac3db4710bc5c8a46f607aa8d

ASIC cyber attack linked to RBNZ breach

David Swan

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has halted credit applications after it was hit by a cyber attack, and says some credit information may have been viewed.

ASIC is investigating after it became aware of a cyber attack on one of its servers on January 15, involving unauthorised access to a server containing documents including Australian credit licence applications.

The attack has links to the recent Reserve Bank of New Zealand security incident, with both organisations relying on 20 year-old software from Californian provider Accellion.

“While the investigation is ongoing, it appears that there is some risk that some limited information may have been viewed by the threat actor,” the watchdog said in a statement.

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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/asic-joins-reserve-bank-nz-as-victim-of-accellion-hack-560170

ASIC joins Reserve Bank NZ as victim of Accellion hack

By Staff Writers, Reuters on Jan 26, 2021 3:41PM

Used server to transfer files on credit licence applications.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) disclosed a cyber security breach at a server it used to transfer files including credit licence applications where some information may have been viewed.

ASIC said it became aware of the incident on January 15 although it does not appear the credit licence forms or attachments were downloaded.

“While the investigation is ongoing, it appears that there is some risk that some limited information may have been viewed by the threat actor,” the regulator said in a statement.

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https://www.itwire.com/security/asic-sic-d-by-sickening-cyber-security-incident.html

uesday, 26 January 2021 22:21

ASIC sic'd by sickening cyber security incident

By Alex Zaharov-Reutt

On the 25th of January, ten days after ASIC became aware of a cyber security incident affecting a server used by ASIC, the world was notified of the ASIC hack attack.

ASIC is the Australian Security and Investments Commission, and on Monday of this week it reported a cyber security incident.

The government organisation reports the incident is "related to Accellion software used by ASIC to transfer files and attachments."

We are told that it "involved unauthorised access to a server which contained documents associated with recent Australian credit licence applications".

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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/australian-govt-entity-hit-by-brute-force-attack-560343

Australian govt entity hit by brute-force attack

By Ry Crozier on Jan 28, 2021 12:51PM

Agencies rack up reportable data breaches in back half of 2020.

An undisclosed Australian government entity suffered a data breach following a brute-force attack in the back half of last year, one of 33 breaches that agencies reported.

The 33 notifiable data breaches in six months put the Australian government among the top five industry sectors for reportable data breaches for the first time.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) said [pdf] that government entities subject to notifiable data breach (NDB) reporting accounted for six percent of all data breaches between July and December last year.

That equated to 33 data breaches in real terms. 

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https://www.afr.com/technology/nsw-health-sbs-probe-potential-cyber-attack-damage-20210128-p56xg6

NSW Health, SBS probe potential cyber attack damage

Michael Roddan and Max Mason

Jan 28, 2021 – 11.48am

The NSW government’s cyber security agency is investigating whether the state’s health department and other agencies have been victims of a high-profile cyber attack that has hit the corporate watchdog, law firm Allens and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.

The country’s multicultural broadcaster, SBS, has also taken the Accellion file transfer software offline as it probes any potential impact from the cyber attack that exploited a vulnerability in the legacy platform late last year.

The file-sharing system provided by Californian cloud company Accellion and used by numerous local and international organisations was compromised late last year.

Accellion’s file transfer application system, which was used to store and share sensitive information, is a two-decade-old product but was updated last year when it learnt of a vulnerability in the system.

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https://www.healthcareit.com.au/article/himss-insights-special-edition-apac-digital-health-trendbarometer

HIMSS Insights Special Edition - APAC digital health trendbarometer

Dean Koh | 26 Jan 2021

The recently launched HIMSS Insights Special Edition - APAC digital health trendbarometer report provides readers insights on the state of digital health developments in the APAC region.

The findings are based on a survey conducted from October to December 2020 from 17 countries. The report includes insights from five healthcare technology experts on common upcoming priorities in digital health, as well as some of the recommended approaches to the adoption of technology.

“Awareness of digital technology’s value is the key success factor (of digital health innovations) in both Singapore and South Korea in my opinion. Policymakers and C-suites should always focus on the purpose of digital technology,” – Dr Hwang Hee, CIO, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, South Korea.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic which has been raging for the past year, digital health and its related technologies into the fore, with unprecedented rates of adoption in telemedicine/teleconsultation services, virtual/remote care, and accelerated measures for healthcare staff to work remotely.

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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/oaic-finds-multiple-australian-companies-downplaying-data-breaches-560345

OAIC finds 'multiple' Australian companies downplaying data breaches

By Ry Crozier on Jan 28, 2021 12:48PM

Forces them to redo customer notifications.

Australia’s privacy watchdog has taken aim at a growing number of organisations that it says take too long to assess data breaches or that downplay the significance in customer notifications.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) issued multiple warnings in its latest report [pdf] on notifiable data breaches (NDB).

While acknowledging the complexity of some breaches, the OAIC said it was “increasingly ... seeing instances of organisations taking much longer than 30 days to complete their assessments, with further significant delays before they notify affected individuals.”

“Additional time taken to assess a breach must be reasonable and justified in the circumstances, with notification to individuals to occur as soon as practicable,” the OAIC said.

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28 Jan 2021 12:41 PM AEST –

PKS executes $2.5m renewal agreement with Philips                      

Highlights:

  • Renewal Agreement continues Philips’ use of PKS’ RippleDown product, which is now an integral part of Philips’ newly developed Laboratory Information System clinical platform replacing the current separate add-on software solution;  
  • Philips to offer its newly developed platform which includes PKS’ RippleDown product to all of their 26 customers at no charge, thereby increasing the number of RippleDown customers.  
  • Strong interest in the platform has been shown by potential new customers in the Netherlands and Philips are planning to roll the new platform out to other parts of Europe. 
  • The commercial terms have been changed from fixed license fees to a per episode fee and the forecasted income for PKS over the 5-year period is in excess of €1.5m Euro (c$2.34m AUD); and  
  • The term is extended to 30 August 2025 and includes automatic 1-year renewal periods.

PKS Holdings Limited (ASX: PKS) (“PKS” or the “Company”), an Australian pioneer of advanced data services in healthcare, is pleased to announce it has renewed and amended its ongoing Software License and Maintenance Agreement with Philips Nederland B.V. (“Philips”) for the PKS RippleDown CDS Software. The Agreement extension is forecasted to be in excess of €1.5m Euro (c$2.34m AUD) and has been signed with a backdated effective date of 1 September 2020. 

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www.alcidion.com

Alcidion Q2 FY2021 Business Update
Breakthrough sales quarter with milestone contracts signed

 

Melbourne, Australia – Alcidion Group Limited (ASX: ALC) today released its Appendix 4C for the three-month period ended 31 December 2020 (Q2 FY2021) and this business update.

Highlights:

  • $12.6M revenue added in Q2, 163% up on the prior quarter and 260% up on pcp (Q2 FY2020)
  • Revenue of $21.7M able to be recognised in FY2021 as of Q2 FY2021 (i.e. 6 months remaining in the year), already 17% greater than FY2020 full year revenue of $18.6M
  • Further $23.0M of sold revenue to be recognised out to FY2026
  • Milestone $11.3M five-year deal with South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for Alcidion’s full suite of products and services including Miya Precision & Better’s OPENeP
  • Strong cash reserves of $12.5M as at 31 December 2020, strengthened by further receipt of $3.0M in early January 2021 relating to the South Tees contract
  • Other significant contracts signed or announced in Q2 FY2021:
    • NextGate – expanded reseller partnership to include UK and Ireland
    • NT Health – program management services contract extension
    • ACT Health – contracts for further integration services
    • NSW Health – extension to Child Data Hub (CDH) technical services contract

https://www.itwire.com/telecoms-and-nbn/amta-reminds-aussie-about-privacy-on-28-january,-international-data-privacy-day,-with-six-top-tips.html

Monday, 25 January 2021 13:23

AMTA reminds Aussies about privacy on 28 January, International Data Privacy Day, with six top tips

By Alex Zaharov-Reutt

The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) has taken the opportunity to remind Australians about the importance of mobile phone data privacy as we begin a new year.

With our day-to-day activities on our mobile phones leaving a trail of data from payment details and location information through map apps, to browsing data and login information, it’s no surprise that International Data Privacy Day was created in 2007 and has been an annual event ever since.

The purpose of the day is to create awareness about the importance of respecting privacy, safeguarding data and enabling trust, with more information available here and here

AMTA notes that nearly 9 out of 10 Australians own a smartphone, according to a 2017 Deloitte report, meaning “it’s important that Australians take the time to understand how their personal information is collected, stored and used on their mobile phone."

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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-floats-250mbps-minimum-order-to-get-free-fibre-upgrade-560235

NBN Co floats 250Mbps minimum order to get free fibre upgrade

By Ry Crozier on Jan 28, 2021 7:04AM

Draft criteria comes into focus.

Users in NBN Co’s fibre-to-the-node footprint that wish to qualify for a free full-fibre upgrade may need to place a minimum 250Mbps order and/or commit to a minimum contract term under draft rules being canvassed with retail service providers.

NBN Co this week started a “multi-stage consultation” with retail service providers (RSPs) that will shape the rollout of a $2.9 billion upgrade of half of fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) users to fibre-to-the-premises.

While plans for the upgrade were revealed in late September last year, criteria for what would qualify - or guarantee - a full-fibre upgrade have been hard to pin down.

A large part of the difficulty is that NBN Co is yet to formally determine the criteria.

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https://www.itwire.com/telecoms-and-nbn/nbn-retailer-questions-need-for-enterprise-ethernet-in-fibre-areas.html

Monday, 25 January 2021 09:10

NBN retailer questions need for Enterprise Ethernet in fibre areas

By Sam Varghese

An NBN retail service provider has questioned the need for a service like the NBN Co' Enterprise Ethernet in places where fibre connections are already available at a much lower cost.

Damian Ivereigh, the chief executive of Launceston-based Launtel, said in a blog post that while the product was good for companies that needed it, the problem he found that Enterprise Ethernet was being oversold to firms that had no need for it.

"The original NBN was to be almost all fibre – FttP. Had that FttP rollout continued I don’t believe that Enterprise Ethernet would be a product today," he said.

"Unfortunately Enterprise Ethernet’s main purpose is to make up for the deficiencies in the network that occurred due to NBN Co’s switch to the MTM (aka using all the existing copper, HFC etc that was already in the ground)."

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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-tips-sky-muster-plus-to-top-20000-customers-560124

NBN Co tips Sky Muster Plus to top 20,000 customers

By Ry Crozier on Jan 25, 2021 12:03PM

Growth anticipated through the first half of 2021.

NBN Co anticipates having at least 18,000 customers on its Sky Muster Plus product by the end of June, effectively doubling the number of customers it had in October last year.

The company said in a brief response to the senate that it “anticipates 18,000-20,000 Sky Muster Plus services by [the] end of financial year 2021.”

Back in late October last year, chief development officer for regional and remote Gavin Williams told a senate committee that it was “early days” for the product, but that there were “about 10,000 customers” already connected.

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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-saves-1m-a-year-by-powering-down-idle-line-cards-560044

NBN Co saves $1m a year by powering down idle line cards

By Ry Crozier on Jan 25, 2021 6:28AM

ROI put on 2017 automation project.

NBN Co has put a $1 million a year number on the energy savings it gets from an automation script that powers off idle or otherwise unused line cards in its nodes.

The company revealed the automation project back in late 2017 and suggested there were “considerable” energy savings to be had.

When a new street node is provisioned, all line cards within the node are active and powered on, however they may not be utilised fully until end user demand for services connected to that node increases, iTnews reported at the time.

Some line cards are warm spares that can be activated if another line card fails.

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Enjoy!

David.