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News

• Brands, take note: Customers still struggle to reach you

  In any given year, more than 80 percent of consumers try to reach a brand, and for most of them, it's an exercise in frustration, according to new data from The Northridge Group.

• Almost half of Australian digital consumers have accessed illegal content

  Nearly half of Australians who consume digital content have engaged in illegal copyright infringement, according to research from the Australian and UK governments.
  

• Importance of chief digital officer role in Australia is rising: Report

  The role of chief digital officer (CDO) is set to invade Australian organisations and could well be at the expense of the CIO, a new report claims.

• IDC: No end in sight for rising smartphone sales

  Emerging markets and lower prices will push worldwide smartphone shipments close to the billion-unit level this year, according to the latest forecast by IDC.

• CFOs are becoming more strategic: Report

  The role of the CFO has become more strategic over the last three years and is one which can drive change across the whole organisation, a new survey claims.

• Big data opens up big returns and not just in marketing: report

  Many companies are ramping up their big data initiatives in areas like sales, marketing, customer service and R&D and claiming returns of at least 25 per cent.

• Laptops walking out the door of policy-free firms

  Concerned that your employees are being a bit lax when it comes to looking after their laptops? Steal them yourself, one vendor has advised in the wake of yet another damning security report that suggests laptops and other equipment are literally walking out of Australian companies that are still operating at far below world's best practice when it comes to device security.

• Local CIOs see open source as strategic, still lack policy

  A recent global survey by analyst firm Gartner has found more than half of organisations have adopted open source software (OSS) solutions as part of their IT strategy, but only 30 per cent of CIOs have a formal policy in place.

• Server sales post biggest jump since 2003, IDC says

  Worldwide server sales posted their biggest jump since 2003 during the second quarter as Hewlett-Packard outsold rival IBM to take the top spot among server vendors, IDC said Tuesday.

• Android growing much faster than expected, say analysts

  Google's Android was expected to become the world's second most-used smartphone OS by 2012, after the Symbian OS, but now accelerating sales will help it get there this year, according to analysts.

• Data retention strategies causing IT mistakes: Survey

  Most enterprises know a formal data retention plan is important, but only half have one in place which is leading to informantion management mistakes, according to a new survey of IT and legal professionals.

• Study reflects weak server spending this year

  Overall server spending in enterprises remains weak in 2010 as companies continue to look for ways to save money following the economic downturn, research firm TheInfoPro said in a study released on Monday.

• Public clouds open data storage services: analyst

  Data storage services are becoming available in public clouds with the move set to cut enterprise IT costs and make life easier for CIOs trying to best utilise cloud computing.

• ISuppli raises semiconductor foundry revenue forecast

  ISuppli has increased its 2010 revenue forecast for semiconductor foundries, driven by a resurgence in demand for consumer products, the analyst firm said on Thursday

• Gartner rolls back 2010 IT spending forecast

  Gartner has dropped its 2010 IT spending forecast, citing currency fluctuations caused by the ongoing European debt crisis.