Natural language technology similar to that behind Google Now, Apple’s Siri and IBM’s Watson could soon find its way into the enterprise. [ + ]

The ACS has launched a consultation to help it develop a Consumer Cloud Protocol, designed to improve confidence in cloud services by encouraging vendors to be transparent about key issues. [ + ]

Try to imagine what you would do if ATMs stopped working, credit card transactions couldn’t be processed, online purchases weren’t recognised and retail registers refused to work causing shops to shut down. [ + ]

With Mike Quigley retiring as NBN Co’s CEO, analysts believe the company will be on the hunt for a successor with a track record of managing large projects and negotiating with contractors. [ + ]

Very few business decisions are now made without some consideration of the environmental impact. But decision makers are also sick of the ‘greenwash’ that is applied to almost every product and service. Is green a big issue or just more hype? [ + ]

Researchers have produced an optical switch using graphene that can achieve a response rate nearly 100 times faster than current technologies allow. [ + ]

A US judge has found Apple guilty of conspiring to raise e-book prices. [ + ]

The Russian agency responsible for Kremlin security is reportedly buying typewriters in an effort to avoid digital data leaks. [ + ]

German researchers have set a world record in the energy-efficient integration of silicon for waveguiding in optical networks. [ + ]

There’s recently been some backlash against cloud providers, including Amazon, Apple and Microsoft, for having ‘dirty clouds’. [ + ]

A new government report details the circumstances contributing to a shortage of domestic ICT skills and recommends a series of potential solutions. [ + ]

A group of academics involved in the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence (SETI) have formed a research network dedicated to sharing existing data and promoting more research. [ + ]

Telstra is considering plans to cut about 170 full-time jobs from its Network Applications and Services (NAS) division in Australia and outsource them to India. Workers’ unions have said they will try to prevent the job cuts. [ + ]

Office printing can be quite costly for businesses small and large. And while some organisations have implemented basic measures to reduce printing costs, there’s potential to cut these costs even further. [ + ]

Flinders University has teamed with Cisco and Dimension Data to build a campus network - including 802.11a/c Wi-Fi and a dedicated high-speed research network - for students and staff. [ + ]