The economic volatility of the past few years has undoubtedly transformed the scope of technology for business, creating enormous pressure for CIOs globally. While market giants in the US and Europe struggle to weather the storm, Australia is in an enviable position, with forecasted growth significantly higher than other regions. Executives from across the technology industry believe now is the time to act and plan for the future. Opportunity is rife and the time to invest is now. So the NG CIO summit (hosted by GDS International) has been set in Queensland at the end of July to discuss who will be leading the way in shaping Australia’s technology future.

The role of IT in the next few years is crucial for any organization seeking to gain strides over the competition. CIOs in Australia recognize 2010 as an opportunity to explore IT best practices, which will not only optimize infrastructure in a cost-effective manner, but create opportunities for innovation and growth within the organization.

Within Australia, IT spend is anticipated to surpass 4% growth overall, with some technology areas like CRM and Virtualization catapulting to over 15% increase in sales. Initiatives such as the National Broadband Network in Australia will provide tremendous opportunities to organizations within the region looking to bring innovative platforms to their businesses and this has not goe unnoticed by the NG CIO Australia Committee.

Representatives from Adecco - Dominic Panzera, CIO , Australia Department of Immigration - Peter McKeon, Head of IT , Kiwi Bank - Ron van de Riet, GM IT , PepsiCo - Jackie Montado, CIO and Energy Australia - Sharron Kennedy, CIO expect a boost in Q3 and Q4 of 2010 and government tenders to drive considerable spending over the next 12 months. Key focus areas will include Regulatory compliance and the to need spend as a result of intense competition in the retail sector, spurring spending on customer relationship management (CRM) and back office systems.

New government projects in sectors such as e-government, healthcare and education are also a driving force for meetings such as the NG CIO Australia summit offering significant opportunities for IT vendors. In mid-2010, the Australian government is expected to launch a standardised reporting system scheme. Australia's National E-Health Transition Authority has the goal to create a paperless environment in Australia's health sector, including public hospitals and influenced the NG CIO committee to set there next meeting date for the end of July.

With so much change on the horizon who will be the first to capitalize?

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