The Distributed Systems Technology Centre (DSTC) was a leading research organization in the field of
information technology
Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system ...
in
Australia. It conducted
applied research focusing on a number of application domains, such as government, defence and
health care. It was a centre of excellence in distributed systems technologies and had an international reputation as one of the most effective and influential IT research organisations in Australia.
DSTC was supported by the Australian Government's
Cooperative Research Centre
Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) are an Australian Federal Government program and are key bodies for Australian scientific research. The Cooperative Research Centres Programme was established in 1990 to enhance Australia's industrial, comm ...
(CRC) program
and participants included universities, government, and industry players.
The company DSTC Pty Ltd was created in 1992 to manage the CRC for Distributed Systems Technology. It completed its research program in June 2000. A second CRC was established in July 2000: the CRC for Enterprise Distributed System Technology which was also managed by DSTC Pty Ltd. This CRC completed its operations on 30 June 2006.
DSTC was one of the most successful CRCs in Australia, and was a leading centre for expertise in distributed systems and information technology. It was a major contributor to the Australian information technology industry through its research, projects with industry, support for training and education. It organised the annual Evolve Conference, which brought leading international experts to Australia. It was a strong participant in international standards organisations such as the
Object Management Group
The Object Management Group (OMG) is a computer industry standards consortium. OMG Task Forces develop enterprise integration standards for a range of technologies.
Business activities
The goal of the OMG was a common portable and interoperab ...
(OMG),
World Wide Web Consortium
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is the main international standards organization for the World Wide Web. Founded in 1994 and led by Tim Berners-Lee, the consortium is made up of member organizations that maintain full-time staff working t ...
(W3C) and
(OASIS). The DSTC started and hosted the Australian W3C Office.
Spin-offs
Several spin-off companies were created from DSTC project
* In 1997, Active Tools commercialised
Nimrod (distributed computing), Nimrod, a tool for performing parameterised computations in a grid, as EnFuzion. EnFuzion is now owned and distributed b
Axceleon
* In 2001, Wedgetail Communications commercialised several security products including μPKI, a
PKI library for small devices, and a Java Crypto and Security Implementation (JCSI) Single Sign-On product. In 2004, the company was bought by Vintela, which in 2005 was in turn bought by
Quest Software
Quest Software, also known as Quest, is a privately held software company headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, United States. Quest provides cloud management, software as a service, security, workforce mobility, and backup & recovery. The ...
.
* In 2003
Mantaracommercialised
Elvin, a light-weight event notification service. In 2013, Mantara was effectively acquired by
Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG (), sometimes referred to simply as Deutsche, is a German multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Sto ...
.
* In 2004
Extensia Solutionscommercialised the RecordPoint shared electronic health record system.
* In 2006, distIP purchased some of the remaining intellectual property assets of DSTC. Trading a
Veriluma it commercialised the Sheba modeling system for intelligence assessment.
In addition to these commercial ventures, one of DSTC's greatest legacies is its alumni, some of whom have taken on prominent positions in academia, whilst others have found employment in some of the world's leading ICT companies. DSTC also made a massive contribution to computer science education, playing a major role in the education of many computer science students (including a large number of PhDs) in Australia, and particularly in Brisbane.
The CEO of DSTC in the early years had a prominent position in
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
politics, which led to DSTC getting a few mentions in the Queensland parliament. Queensland premier
Rob Borbidge
Robert Edward Borbidge (born 12 August 1954) is a former Australian politician who served as the 35th Premier of Queensland from 1996 to 1998. He was the leader of the Queensland branch of the National Party, and was the last member of that p ...
dismissively referred to DSTC as "a sort of gigabyte playpen for a few propeller heads" (Hansard 1996), which DSTC staff adopted as an informal motto.
See also
*
Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs)
References
Citations
Sources
Research centre folds, 70 jobs lost Julian Bajkowski, Computerworld, 11 July 2005.
A leader in research and development for major information technology initiatives IBM Case Study on DSTC Pty Ltd.
Marketing our Innovations - can we do it better? Submission to Australian House of Representatives Standing Committee on Science and Innovation, DSTC Pty Ltd, 9 May 2005.
Ministerial Statement 4687 (Rob Borbidge, Premier) Hansard (1996), State of Queensland, Parliamentary Debates, 29 November 1996.
{{authority control
Defunct technology companies of Australia
Research institutes in Australia
Companies based in Queensland
1992 establishments in Australia
Technology companies established in 1992