Recovering accidentally deleted messages and collecting data for investigations or e-discovery are the most common uses for email data-recovery software, a survey suggests. [ + ]

US government body NIST has kicked off a year-long challenge aimed at helping global communities develop smart city technologies and processes. [ + ]

Microsoft has sued Samsung Electronics, claiming the South Korean electronics manufacturer has been dodging its obligations under a patent agreement between the two companies. [ + ]

Telco industry body Communications Alliance has urged the government to take a cautious, balanced approach to any moves to amend copyright law to crack down on online piracy. [ + ]

For the first half of 2014, more than 375 million customer records were stolen or lost as a result of 559 breaches worldwide, says SafeNet. [ + ]

Pacnet has been picked to join the Australian Government Data Centre Facilities Supplies Panel, allowing it to provide data centre services to public sector organisations. [ + ]

The federal government's Online Copyright Infringement discussion paper puts forward solutions that are likely to pass costs on to all internet users without dramatically reducing rates of piracy, says Consumer advocacy group CHOICE. [ + ]

Technologies such as email once drove a dramatic improvement in business efficiency, but are too slow for the modern era. IT professionals agree that service automation could provide the next leap forward. [ + ]

Organisations that begin a journey towards adopting cloud must begin with a clear understanding of the destination, or be left with disappointing results. [ + ]

Over 6000 Australian visitors have been exposed to the mobile component of the Koler ransomware, which disguises itself as messages from the AFP or other authorities. [ + ]

Digital creative agency Loud&Clear has made a formal partnership with the Swinburne University of Technology R&D department, following the launch of the university's new software innovation lab. [ + ]

Newcastle's city council will replace its disparate IT systems with OneCouncil, a single enterprise solution from TechnologyOne. [ + ]

Organisations delving into big data often run into two difficulties: not knowing where to start, and not knowing how to justify a big data investment. [ + ]

CIOs need several capabilities to overcome the challenges presented by the surge in virtualisation, cloud computing, mobility and video. [ + ]

The threat posed by mobile ransomware has grown considerably this year, and the first Android variant that encrypts phone data has been discovered in the wild, according to Fortinet Labs. [ + ]