Top 10 IT disasters
Number 10, BBC’s Digital Media Initiative
When the British Broadcasting Channel launched its Digital Media Initiative back in 2008, it was an attempt to create a digital production system to improve the way workers created, used, and shared audio and video content.
The project was put to a halt in the middle of 2012 after an internal review was launched. The review found that the BBC displayed significant weakness in project management and reporting as well as a lack of focus on business change.
The project was halted in mid-2012 after the BBC Trust launched an internal review. It engaged PwC at a cost of £250,000 to review the management and reporting of the initiative. All in all £100 million was spent on the project
Number 9. Distribute.IT hack
In June 2011, domain registrar Distribute.IT was attacked. This resulted in the loss of information on it’s servers which caused an estimated 4800 websites and related data to 4000 customers to be lost.
Who was the cause of this attack? A truck driver from Cowra in NSW was charged for the cyber attack as well as attacks on the University of Sydney and Platform Networks.
The attack crippled Distribute.IT and they were put out of business soon after the attack.
Number 8. HealthSMART modernisation program
During 2008, the Australian government displayed its $360 million HealthSMART program which would modernize and replace IT systems across the public sector.
Last October, the costs for just implementing the new system had surged to $145.3 million, 150% more than the original budget of $58.3 million according to a report. The report also suggested that the absence of efficient controls and effective mitigation’s at certain sites pose significant risks to patients.
Number 7. MyKi smart card system
The Australian government’s myki public transportation smart card system has been constantly troubled with problems which have caused delays and the cost to rise significantly.
The smart card system along with HealthSMART and the Regional Rail Link were the cause of an estimated $2 billion in cost overruns for the government. Myki was estimated to cost $1.4 billion by itself and early reports state that the card is not user friendly. In fact, some customers wait up to three days for their funds to be transferred from the website to the card.
