From Esecurityvic

The Victorian Government ICT Industry Plan 2005-2010 reports that the Victorian ICT industry has recognised strengths in eSecurity as a horizontal applications solution that is relevant across ICT application sectors. However, it is generally acknowledged that the eSecurity industry is fragmented and faces strong competition from companies of all sizes around the world.

Increased industry collaboration in Victoria will help to overcome barriers to growth by broadening access to skills, and leveraging experience and resources to build scale, innovate, and gain international recognition.

Therefore, a steering group comprising members from industry and universities (see http://www.esecurityvic.org) is proposing to set up an industry cluster, supported by the Victorian Government, to facilitate better collaboration within the eSecurity industry.

The objectives of the eSecurity Victoria industry cluster are to establish collective competitiveness by connecting industry participants to:

1. grow demand for products and services associated with the security of electronic information (eSecurity) in Victoria;
2. grow the capability of industry in Victoria to meet this demand through enhanced innovation and commercialisation activities;
3. grow the capability of the Victorian eSecurity industry to succeed in national and international markets; and
4. ensure that people with suitable eSecurity skills are available for companies in the eSecurity industry and companies that are users of eSecurity products and services.

The industry cluster will seek members and support activities covering all aspects of eSecurity. This includes:

1. identity management
   • identity and access management;
   • e-identity establishment;
   • e-identity management and control (covering both physical and electronic artifacts that can be used to prove identity claims); and
   • identity protection.
2. applications and systems
   • security of converged services (ICT, entertainment, games);
   • security in service oriented architectures;
   • web-services security; and
   • security in software engineering methodologies.
3. specialised areas
   • document authentication; and
   • encryption.
4. security testing/assessment
   • vulnerability testing; and
   • technical security of security devices, components & systems with crypto functions.
5. information security management
   • security provisioning and management processes; and
   • security investment planning.
6. other
   • information security forensics;
   • dealing with fraud; and
   • privacy.

These objectives will be achieved by activities that:

1. encourage networking between suppliers of eSecurity goods and services, potential users of such goods and services, and students seeking a career in the eSecurity industry;
2. encourage collaborative activities between cluster members to develop new knowledge and technology as well as to leverage each other’s capabilities and strengths to provide the scale and breadth of capability to win new business and expand the capabilities of the industry sector;
3. provide interesting and enticing career pathways for students as a result of incorporating industry-relevant and supervised projects in undergraduate and postgraduate courses of study;
4. allow members to share insights concerning technology and market trends; and
5. promote awareness of the cluster and the capabilities of its members to local, national and international markets.

Collaborative activities will be of two main types:

1. collaboration between members to assemble a capability required for a proposal or project that exceeds the capability of any individual cluster member; and
2. collaboration to apply for research and industry development grants as part of an overall industry development strategy and where related activities are coordinated to minimise duplication and maximise the effectiveness of outcomes.

Macro outcomes will be industry growth through:

1. customers having increased confidence that their needs will be met through visibility of an industry made-up from necessary components and not just fragmented pieces;
2. micro-companies having increased opportunities to grow because of the ability to readily establish partnerships that allow them to succeed in projects that would have otherwise been too big for them;
3. the industry in Victoria growing as potential customers place higher credibility on the capability of individual companies as a result of their goods and services being seen to be associated with the general eSecurity capabilities represented by the cluster to the market;
4. providers of eSecurity goods and services benefiting by winning new local, national and international business as a result of being more easily able to find appropriate collaboration partners;
5. Victorian member universities attracting good students to eSecurity courses because the discipline of eSecurity will be increasingly seen as commercially relevant and there will be well-defined pathways for students into attractive careers; and
6. new jobs will being created in Victoria in companies providing eSecurity products and services.

For more information, contact Professor Lynn M. Batten via email or phone 03-9251-7474.