In this episode, iTnews host Jennifer O’Brien is joined by Stephanie Barnett, Vice President of Presales and Interim GM for Asia Pacific & Japan at Okta. Together they unpack why identity has moved from an authentication project to a board-level business layer, and why “attackers don’t break in – they log in”.

You will hear how organisations across Australia, New Zealand and the wider APJ region are responding to Essential Eight-driven identity requirements, the rise of non-human identities and AI agents, and the growing challenge of fragmented identity estates. Stephanie also shares what CISOs should be telling their boards in 2026, including practical steps to reduce risk while enabling productivity and secure automation.

Discover how private 5G is reshaping data-driven mining. Ian Ross, Head of Enterprise, Australia and New Zealand at Ericsson explains why fast, stable onsite connectivity is now essential for safer, more productive operations, from teleremote dozers to real-time digital-twins powered by smart sensors. Learn how 5G overcomes the limits of Wi-Fi and 4G and unlocks the next wave of mining innovation.

This episode, from late last year, sees ANZ's chief information security officer Dr Maria Milosavljevic talk all things security. We'll be back with a new episode soon.

Our guest this fortnight is Rob Ison, the chief information officer of Vocus. Rob takes us through the telco’s IT strategy, as well as its agile ways of working program. He also discusses infrastructure modernisation and an ongoing simplification effort that aims to optimise how customers experience and interact with Vocus’ services.

Our guest this week is Trent Dawson, the Chief information officer of Civil construction firm Symal.

Trent walks us through the past four years of IT transformation at Symal, which debuted on the ASX at the end of 2024. 

He also discusses the company’s burgeoning DevOps practice and AI capabilities, which tap into services and tools from Microsoft Azure.

NetSuite’s MCP connector enables organisations to harness Agentic AI to automate complex processes and improve decision-making. Operating within defined guardrails, Agentic AI manages tasks such as financial reporting while maintaining accountability. The MCP connector’s flexible API integrates with multiple AI platforms, supported by Fusion5’s tools for custom applications.

For more information on  NetSuite's MCP Connector, delivered by Fusion5 please visit www.fusion5.com/netsuite or click the link(s) in the description below.

Talk to a NetSuite expert in Australia

Talk to a NetSuite expert in New Zealand

Insignia Financial is consolidating its technology systems following a series of mergers and acquisitions, while also setting itself up to become an AI-enabled organisation.

Damien O'Donnell, who stepped into the CTO role at Insignia Financial in January, told the iTnews Podcast that “data and technology” system consolidation is key to realising its ambitions.  

This episode is brought to you by Digital Nation. Don’t miss the Digital As Usual: Cyber Security Breakfast on October 9 at the Sofitel Brisbane. The event will unpack three of the biggest cyber risks facing organisations today: human behaviour, financial risk, and supply chain vulnerabilities. Explore the findings in the full Digital As Usual: Cyber Security 2025 Report and find practical advice on how to stay secure. Head to the Special Reports section now at itnews.com.au and register for our Brisbane event today.

In this episode iTnews speaks with Stevie-Ann Dovico, CIO and Group Executive of Technology at Beyond Bank, about her first year in the role and the technology strategy she’s building to support the organisation’s ambition of becoming Australia’s best relationship bank.

Anthony Caruana speaks with Stephan Kaiser, Genetec’s general manager for AutoVu, about Community Connect — a framework that empowers communities to collaborate with police by securely sharing video infrastructure. This initiative is helping neighbourhoods, councils, and businesses work together with law enforcement to improve safety and response times.

From reducing violent crime in Detroit to virtually eliminating car theft at a Canadian airport, Community Connect is already proving its impact. It’s not a product to buy, but a new way of connecting communities and police, fostering safer streets and stronger neighbourhoods.