NBN Address checker

If you were wondering when the nbn will be available at your home or business, the nbn have recently improved their address checker on their website (http://www.nbnco.com.au/connect-home-or-business/check-your-address.html). This will now give an estimate of the availability of the nbn at your address and the type of connection you can get. It is based on nbn's updated three year construction plan. If a rollout is not planned or underway then you will be advised that you can access the skymuster satellite service. This is an improvement as previous searches only advised when building may commence and did not give a detailed description of what you may be able to access. 

In the Chittering Shire, the address checker advises that nbn fixed wireless services are planned to be available in March 2017 in Upper Chittering. It should be noted that these plans are subject to change, but this is looking promising for that area. Lower Chittering and Bindoon are slated for October to December 2017 and will also be receiving fixed wireless within that coverage area.  Building has also commenced in townsites throughout the Gingin Shire, with some sites already available.

The nbn coverage map is useful if you would like to see how far the fixed wireless coverage goes in your area. It will also show the progress of the fixed wired technologies and can be accessed at the nbn website (http://www.nbnco.com.au/learn-about-the-nbn/rollout-map.html). 

Tech for non-profits

If you are involved in a not-for-profit (NFP) or income-tax-exempt (ITE) organisation, then it may be possible for you to get discounted technology for the use within that organisation. TechSoup is a global alliance of technologies companies that provide discounted products to NFP organisations. Donor companies include Microsoft, Google, Cisco, Symantec and Adobe, to mention a few. In Australia, Connecting Up is the Australian partner of the TechSoup alliance and you will need to register with them to access these discounts.

Some of the examples of products available under the program are all of Microsoft's licensed products including Office suites and Desktop and Server licenses. There are some limitations as to the number of licenses that can be redeemed within a two year allocation cycle. Similarly, Google's Apps for non-profits (G Suite) is available and this provides access to Google's cloud services for business, such as docs, email, calendar etc. There are also security products available and discounts on accounting software. In addition discounted hardware can also be redeemed, including laptops, desktops and networking equipment. A full list of donors and products can be found here https://www.connectingup.org/discounts. Connecting UP also offer a premium membership model which costs $150 per annum. In addition to accessing the partner program (which is available under free membership), you will also be able to access events, mentoring and promotional facilities provided by Connecting Up (https://www.connectingup.org/membership/benefits).

Joining Connecting Up is as simple as registering your details and providing information about the NFP. Within three working days, your details should be validated and if successful, you can then start ordering from their site. Being listed on the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Register or income tax exempt on the Australian Business Register will help with qualification for the program. In addition, donor companies may require other criteria to be met for their products. Details can be found at https://www.connectingup.org/help/will-my-organisation-qualify-connecting-ups-donation-and-discount-program.

Once you have qualified and your account is setup for purchasing, you can place a donation request through the Connect Up site. Not all products are free. Some are discounted from retail pricing. In addition, there may be an administration fee charge by Connecting Up when making donation requests. Some partners restrict the number of requests that can be made. The details are available at https://www.connectingup.org/help/how-often-and-how-much-can-i-order-from-each-of-your-partners. 

So if you are involved in a NFP group that may benefit from reduced tech purchases, I would recommend taking advantage of the discounts offered by Connecting Up. For more information go to their website https://www.connectingup.org.