Australian IaaS market grew 34% in 2021
The Australian infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) market grew 34% in 2021, totalling $1.9 billion, according to research firm Gartner. In 2020, the local market had grown 40.4%.
For market share, Microsoft continues to catch up to Amazon Web Services. Microsoft is still second with 30.1% market share and AWS remains No. 1 with 32.2%. In 2020, Microsoft’s market share increased significantly, and the company then had 27.3% of the local market share.
In 2021, Google remains in the third spot with 15.2%, followed by IBM with 5% and Alibaba with 4.4%.
Australia has a cybersecurity minister, again
After four years without a dedicated minister for cybersecurity, new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced the new Cabinet, which includes a cybersecurity minister.
On 31 May, the PM announced Clare O’Neil as the minister for home affairs and for cybersecurity. Her appointment comes after four years since the previous government moved the cybersecurity functions under home affairs.
In August 2018, the minister for law enforcement and cybersecurity, Angus Taylor, handed his resignation to Malcolm Turnbull, who was the PM at the time, amid a round of leadership challenges. Taylor attributed his resignation to his support for Peter Dutton, who had challenged the Turnbull as the Liberal Party leader.
Other significant industry appointments by Albanese include Ed Husic as minister for industry and science, Michelle Rowland as minister for communications, Jason Clare as minister for education, Brendan O’Connor as minister for skills and training, and Julie Collins as minister for small businesses, homelessness, and housing.
Cybersecurity centre offers free services in Sydney
A new cybersecurity centre based at the Western Sydney University’s Parramatta City campus is providing free services to help small businesses respond to cybersecurity incidents such as data breaches, ransomware, email compromise, phishing, and payment fraud, and to implement appropriate security controls.
Western Centre for Cybersecurity Aid & Community Engagement (Western CACE) also has services to help upskill staff and prepare businesses for future threats.
The centre is a partnership with NSW cybersecurity organisations Emergence, Gridware, DCEncompass, and Secolve, as well as the NSW Cybersecurity Innovation Node. The centre has been established with the help of more than $745,000 in funding from the Australian government’s Cyber Security Business Connect and Protect Grants Program.
Cybersecurity program offers opportunities for 1,200 candidates
The University of Wollongong (UOW), Deloitte, TAFE NSW, and Swinburne University of Technology have partnered to create a “cyber academy” and fast-track the cybersecurity careers of 1,200 candidates.
Expressions of interest are now open for the three-year program. Candidates will be employed by Deloitte, a NSW government department, or an industry partner while undertaking online face-to-face training. Upon completion, graduates will gain a diploma of information technology (cybersecurity) from TAFE NSW and a bachelor of computer science (cybersecurity) from UOW.
New South Wales sets $10 million in funding for women-led startups
The New South Wales government has set $10 million from the 2022-2023 budget for a venture capital fund for women-led startups. The fund will help early-stage startups.
Just as there is a pay gap between men and women, there is an investment gap when it comes to female-led business. That is what the Carla Zampatti Fund aims to tackle. The government also expects to grow the fund by partnering with the private sector.
Applications are expected to open in the final quarter of 2023.