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Australia’s first two Indigenous-owned data centres will go live this year, ahead of more than 20 more to follow in a project aimed at providing cloud capabilities to remote locations.
Global secure access service edge (SASE) firm Netskope has been chosen to take the lead in securing and investing in Australia’s first Indigenous sovereign cloud project.
Netskope’s technology will be integrated into the Secure Indigenous Sovereign Cloud's infrastructure from the ground up, providing customers with secure connections to solutions hosted on the cloud while also providing access to other services, such as Microsoft Azure.
The aim of the project, led by Indigenous IT company Dickerson Digital in partnership with Microsoft, is to provide remote Australian communities with access to digital infrastructure to run IoT environments, remote sensors, and mobile platforms.
Indigenous-owned data centre builder Gambarra Kaha will be responsible for the development of more than 22 data centres across Australia in collaboration with local Indigenous communities. The first two data centres – in Toowoomba and Logan in Queensland – are expected to go live later this year.
The Kalinda Tiaki Foundation, alongside Dickerson Digital and Netskope, will provide training and qualifications for those taking part in the program, while both of the latter companies will assist in job creation with their teams.
“Netskope is a proud and longtime supporter of Australia’s economy,” Tony Burnside, vice president and head of Asia-Pacific region at Netskope, said in a statement.
“In recent years, we have helped to grow Australia’s infrastructure through the continued investments we have made in building out our NewEdge network and the Netskope One platform to help bolster the nation’s security and connectivity. Dickerson Digital’s ambitious vision of uplifting Indigenous populations in the process is one that deeply resonated with us, and we will be working hard to ensure we successfully deliver on the promises of this project.”
Michael Dickerson, CEO and founder of Dickerson Digital, said the company wanted to “blend the wisdom of the world’s oldest continuous culture with cutting-edge technology, building a future that honours our past and secures our legacy”.
“There is a massive digital divide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations, and we want to uplift these populations, to the benefit of us all. I’m glad to have Netskope on board for this endeavour, which is about empowering communities and paving the way for future generations of Indigenous tech leaders,” Dickerson said.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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