In the second instalment of this DevOps series, we look at five best practices for embracing DevOps in the IT organisation. [ + ]

NBN Co has hired ex-Telstra director JB Rousselot to the new position of head of strategy and transformation, while making redundant Mike Kaiser, the company’s head of quality and an ex-Labor politician, in the process. [ + ]

The finding that AAPT breached the Privacy Act by failing to protect customer data from hackers serves as a reminder for other organisations to prepare for privacy reforms taking effect next year. [ + ]

The first article in this two-part series introduces the concept of DevOps, which is purported to help IT organisations deliver higher quality applications at a faster pace without having to spend more money. [ + ]

With the federal election now past, the opportunity for the incoming Coalition government to deliver on its plans for growing the economy and make real traction requires decisive action within the first six months of government, argues IIA CEO Peter Lee. [ + ]

Australia's telecom ombudsman has welcomed the 18% decline in customer complaints during FY13, hailing it as a sign the industry's revised consumer protection code is working. [ + ]

NEC Australia and the NT government will next year launch an IT apprenticeship initiative which will aim to produce 50 work-ready apprentices over five years. [ + ]

Labor MP Jason Clare has been appointed Shadow Minister for Communications, with Labor's recent communications ministers Stephen Conroy and Anthony Albanese being passed over for the role. [ + ]

Microsoft has pulled Windows RT 8.1 from the Windows Store mere days after its release, following reports that the OS update rendered some customers' devices unusable, or 'bricked'. Update: The company has now released a Recovery Image for Surface RT users. [ + ]

Researchers from security vendor FireEye say the behaviour of a mobile ad library used in 1.8% of the most popular Android apps presents broad security risks. [ + ]

Oracle has won a deal to provide the hardware for a project by HealthShare NSW - NSW Health's shared services arm - to deploy a new technology platform. [ + ]

System integrators face different barriers to most organisations when it comes to the cloud. What are some of these barriers and what can be done to overcome them? [ + ]

Cisco and Microsoft control over 40% of the $700m Australian UC market, but new trends such as the emergence of cloud-based solutions could shake up the status quo. [ + ]

Early bird registrations for the Melbourne Comms Connect event in late November close tomorrow, 18 October. The event, which will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on 20-22 November, will cover the latest in radio communications, including wireless networks, IP convergence, mobile broadband and more. [ + ]

Big data vendor Zettaset has sued Intel, claiming the chip maker misappropriated trade secrets related to its Hadoop management software. [ + ]