.NET Program Launched in South Australia

By Greg McNevin

November 21 2008: The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) and Microsoft Australia have announced the South Australian Government’s successful launch of the SouthAustralia.NET (SA.NET) Industry Development Cluster.

Launched to an audience of over 170 representatives from Adelaide’s ICT community, the initiative was designed to bring together local ICT organisations and promote South Australia as a world class location for software development.

The AIIA says that the .NET program was specifically created for ICT businesses that innovate, develop and resell products and services on Microsoft’s .NET technology platform. It claims that this new Development Cluster will enable South Australian ICT businesses to combine their capabilities, work collaboratively with Microsoft and the Government of South Australia, and compete more effectively on a local and global scale.

The philosophy behind SA.NET is simple: that ICT small businesses can work with complementary companies to overcome limitations, generate new ideas, new ways of doing business and ultimately expand their market reach and penetration.

Peter Watson, Microsoft Australia’s Manager of Platform Strategy, says that the new cluster initiative provides South Australian software companies with an opportunity to pool their expertise, experience and resources to scale-up their businesses and tap into new market opportunities.

“SA.NET is really underpinned by a ‘better together’ philosophy, and could help IT businesses, for example, work together on a project that combines their individual areas of expertise,” says Watson.

The AIIA says that small-to-medium businesses are a vital part of the ICT industry, and make up nearly 80 per cent of all ICT businesses in Australia. Furthermore, the ICT industry is a driving force behind productivity growth in the Australian economy.

“This is an excellent initiative for the South Australian industry and an important platform for the development of local SMEs,” adds AIIA CEO Ian Birks. “Since registrations opened earlier this week, the value of .NET projects being undertaken by cluster members in South Australia has already topped $20 million dollars. This value will rise significantly as membership increases over the coming weeks.”

SA.NET is the sixth .NET cluster launched in Australia and follows the establishment of successful clusters in Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, ACT and the Northern Territory. The association says that has already signed up 42 member organisations employing 605 .NET specialists across 356 active programs.

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