The Vertigan panel's recommendation to split NBN Co has received a mixed response; ACMA sends iiNet and Dodo to the naughty corner; and Alcatel-Lucent has sold its Enterprise division to a Chinese company for $290 million. [ + ]

Microsoft is reversing some of the unpopular decisions it made with Windows 8 for Windows 10, which enters the preview stage today. The company has also added enhancements tailored for the enterprise. [ + ]

This week we have a look at a Wi-Fi service that takes your children, Google's Project Loon, Microsoft's decision to get out of robotics, a new clock that essentially keeps perfect time and the US$2.1 billion spent so far on the 'Obamacare' website. [ + ]

New cloud providers, builders and aggregators have signed on for Cisco's project to build an internet-scale network of connected clouds. [ + ]

Lockheed Martin Australia has picked Melbourne to be the location of its new Asia-Pacific ICT engineering hub. [ + ]

A project to cut down on the data centres used by US government departments is on track to generate about $3.8 billion in savings (US$3.3 billion) by end-FY15, but some agencies are not seeing benefits, a report finds. [ + ]

The Australian Senate last week passed laws that would allow ASIO to monitor every device on the internet; Michael Brown has been appointed permanent CEO of Symantec, replacing sacked former-CEO Steve Bennett. [ + ]

High-quality, low-cost sensors have entered the market, putting biometrics in the hands of consumers for the first time. But availability doesn't necessarily translate to viability. [ + ]

Big data, ITaaS, the continuing shift to the cloud, location-free workplaces and wearables are some of the technology trends forecast to strengthen in 2015, according to a survey of Australian CIOs and IT decision-makers. [ + ]

Big data can deliver benefits across all departments in your business, but it is vital to ensure that you know who is leading the big data push, and that they have a suitable strategy in place. [ + ]

Passwords are a flawed method of maintaining online security and should be replaced with identity management systems, Centrify Regional Manager Derek Morwood has argued. [ + ]

Three-quarters of Australian businesses are investing in the cloud, even though many still lack confidence in cloud services. [ + ]

Some 86% of IT decision-makers believe that all data has value if it can be stored and analysed, but only 52% are retaining all available data. [ + ]

A vulnerability found in the ubiquitous Bash Unix shell has been described as more severe than Heartbleed and affecting the "largest ever attack vector surface" of any bug. [ + ]

Apple's 'flexi' phone vs Blackberry's "bizarre" one; Bionic brains will be analog; When your car just won't listen; Home Depot needs data DIY.