Australian policy makers need to explain the benefits of cloud services clearly if state and federal government adoption is to improve, according to Ovum Australia's research director, Steve Hodgkinson.

BlackBerry today reported a return to operating profit for its fourth quarter amid sales of 1 million Z10 smartphones. But there was also a decline of 3 million global subscribers, down to 76 million.

CIO Australia spoke to five IT leaders about the key technology and business strategies that will help drive growth across their organisations this year.

Most Internet users around the world would put an end to their personal data being collected and tracked by companies if they could easily do so, according Ovum’s latest Consumer Insights Survey.

A recent push in the IT industry to collect and monetize big data is headed for a clash with privacy concerns from Internet users and potential regulation from some governments, according to tech analyst firm Ovum.

A multinational survey more than 3,000 workers revealed that they believe their IT shops turn a blind eye toward the use of mobile devices for business purposes, either because theyre unaware of it or because theyre actively ignoring it.

As if data quality and stockouts weren’t enough of a day-today worry for CIOs, added pressure to serve demanding online customers and keep up with changing legislation are creating new challenges. With several retail giants lumbering online and the looming introduction of the government’s new carbon tax, CIOs need to be working with procurement, financial and other business leaders to ensure supply-chain systems are up to today’s new challenges.