The laptops will be supplied to council members along with subsidies for ADSL connections so correspondence and agendas can be received and stored in accordance with the State Records Act of 1997.

"It's a huge investment and the biggest IT upgrade undertaken by the council," Poyner said. "It's critical that the network is regularly updated and protected from virus and spyware attacks," he said.

In 2003, when searching for a solution to the council's redundant fax remittance system, Poyner came across the Windows-based GFi FAXmaker, a server that redirects faxes and SMS to users' mailboxes.

Satisfied with the service and ease of use, and needing network security software, Poyner moved onto GFi's spam and virus filters for employees' e-mail clients.

"Mail-related viruses were a big problem, but now the staff no longer has to wade through 30 e-mails every morning trying to sell them penis enlargers or Viagra," he said.