Hello World. We are DSPANZ.
Over the weekend, we are rebranding ABSIA as the Association of Digital Service Providers Australia New Zealand or DSPANZ (dee-spanz) for short.
Our new name and branding is public acknowledgment of the increasingly central role our organisation plays in supporting software developers in Australia and New Zealand. It recognises the "whole of system" approach that our government partners are taking to engage with software developers, and the broad opportunities for our members to make an impact across the digital economy.
We started in 2014 as an offshoot of the ATO's Software Developer Forum with dedicated volunteers, loaned resources from the ATO and a
handful of members. Today, we have 12 Elected Directors in Australia and New Zealand, full time staff based in Adelaide and Sydney,
and our members' products are supporting millions of business customers and their users.
What is a digital service provider?
Digital Service Providers, or DSPs, create and sell software, apps and platforms that businesses and government agencies use to securely capture and share information.
DSPs are streamlining and transforming payroll, superannuation, tax, accounting and finance operations by delivering new, secure digital solutions to businesses and government. Applications and solutions developed by DSPs are fuelling the digital economy whilst improving user experiences and government policy outcomes.
The term digital service provider is becoming increasingly common in Australia and New Zealand, and throughout the world. In recent years, it has expanded to describe companies who are working to digitise business or employment processes in Australia and New Zealand; developing APIs and digital identity solutions to harness government data or delivering open banking and consumer data right across the finance and energy sectors.
It remains our intention to promote and expand the opportunities for digital service providers across the region and grow the
ecosystem to better reflect the dynamic and vibrant Australian and New Zealand software industry.
New name, bigger vision, same mission
Aside from a trading name change (the legal entity remains the same) and a refreshed look, not much else is changing. At our core, we exist to help digital service providers be more successful by:
- Sharing knowledge, expertise and industry updates
- Building strong trans-Tasman networks
- Connecting government and industry to solve challenges together
- Engaging with government on our members' behalf to inform policy development and increase understanding of key issues for the industry
- Enabling consultation with our members on G2B and B2B projects that require technology-led solutions and change business processes.
What happens next?
Next month, we will be launching our New Zealand member sub-committee, which will be chaired by Emma Dobson and will include representatives from our NZ-based organisations.
2021 will also be a busy year for DSPANZ. We will be focusing on outreach and creating new opportunities for all members to become involved in our work and represent the broader software industry. Following the success of our Webinar Week last month, we are relaunching our sub-committees and interest groups. If you would like to take part - please reach out.
We will also be reviewing the Security Standard for Add-on Marketplaces (SSAM) in light of the upcoming changes to the DSP Operational Framework that will better reflect the new requirements for Peppol e-invoicing, ANZ open banking and the consumer data right.
If you have feedback, we want to hear from you. So please contact - hello@dspanz.org.
While you're here, be sure to follow us on our new social media accounts: