A taxing year: How IRD responded to the pandemic while keeping its massive tax system upgrade on track

9 better ways to use tech with clients

Technology enables strong, trusting client relationships, but many assume it’s no substitute for face-to-face interaction. Here are nine tips to use high-tech tools in ways that’ll enhance your relationships with your clients.

Farming for the Future

3 dynamic enterprise templates to craft your roadmap, now

Caught up in the day-to-day minutiae and processes of managing projects, we risk losing sight of the goals that matter. Here are three roadmaps to keep your mission on track.

It’s finance but not as we know it – the Kiwi fintech startup taking the hassle out of getting a loan

Yes, the PowerDollar is yet another digital currency, but PowerFinance plans to use it to let any business embed finance into their product offerings.

UX design – be a leader not a follower

The explosion of digital channels has created an empowered customer. This customer wants to get their job done quickly – and the sooner we can get out of their way, the better.

“One bizarre year” – Inside the health tech response to Covid

The health sector wasn't prepared for a major pandemic. But it managed to mount a response to Covid-19 that has laid the groundwork for a new approach to public health.

Cloud-based public agencies had an edge in the Covid response – AWS

Whether it is making wage subsidies available for furloughed restaurant staff or expanding hospital call centre support, time is of the essence when it comes to meeting the myriad challenges the coronavirus pandemic has created.

Design technology for everyone – not just the able-bodied

The pandemic made us more reliant on technology to get by, so spare a thought for the tens of thousands of Kiwis with disabilities who have had to struggle with inaccessible tech.

New Zealand’s media landscape – it’s changing fast

Enlighten Designs is co-founder of Microsoft’s Data Journalism programme. They’re also one of the key collaborators on Umbrellar Connect on its mission drive to showcase and provide tangible value for New Zealand and global innovators. We asked company lead Damon Kelly what’s he’s noticing about today’s journalism, whether the risks outweigh the opportunities, and what a best practice framework might look like.

#SocialMedia – 5 tips from iconic Kiwi brands

Shareability is key in any social media strategy.

Creating a culture of change with agile

Cross-functional teamwork - its becoming more and more fashionable for the global market, and a key aspect of agile business, but what is its true value, and how can I make my team more agile?

Count your beanies: A clever, tech-based solution for small business accounting

Beany sets out to disrupt the tried and true accountancy model by taking insights and adding a layer of very human interpretation, all at a low cost to clients.

‘Which Tool, When?’ A webinar to level up Microsoft 365 users

We need tools that work well together. Here’s New Zealand’s The I.T. Team on how with the cloud, it’s even more possible.

Ignite 2020: Five key takeaways from Microsoft’s annual geekfest

Microsoft went fully virtual for Ignite 2020 which didn't stop the Redmond giant from releasing a stack of new product updates for everything from Azure to Teams to Power BI.

How to talk tech to the C-suite: Insights from CEOs

Goal focused conversations can be the bridge to getting CEOs or tech decision makers across the line with transformative technology solutions, say two technology industry CEOs.

The role of the state in technological leadership – a New Zealand perspective

As we enter what the World Economic Forum has termed the Fourth Economic Revolution, New Zealand’s future prosperity is highly dependent on its ability to adopt technology and engage with technological solutions. Government doesn’t tend to be as agile as business, but future government is being pressured to keep up.

Six steps to success: Using CMS to ‘get personal’

Content Management Systems have always been valuable tools but with many making the move into personalisation, they now promise more engagement and better user experiences for customers – which means higher conversion rates for your business.

Not just a ‘big business’ thing: Why all organisations must respond to the Privacy Act 2020

It is New Zealand’s first big change to bring privacy to the internet agenda, and both big and small companies will be affected.

What is a CMS and why does your website need one?

With so many acronyms in the IT world to figure out, no-one has time to cover them all. Instead, this post will stick to just CMS – a rather important one when considering a new website or looking to update an existing one.

Crisis leadership: How to give people psychological safety

By Timothy R. Clark, founder and CEO of LeaderFactor

Digital transformation equals higher revenues and lower costs – the evidence

Hybrid cloud strategies are the key to leveraging new opportunities in the pandemic business worlds and beyond.

Why workplace culture matters now more than ever

In the current era of the virtual worker, workplace culture must be top of mind for leaders.

Could tech shape culture? Global employee confidence trends suggest yes.

An ‘anywhere, anytime, on any device’ approach could be the ideal way to build – and protect - employee confidence. Here are the key insights from global research in the face of COVID-19.

New tech: Samsung, Jabra, Microsoft and Huawei

Paul Spain and Bill Bennett discuss the latest tech news including current geopolitical matters and share thoughts on the latest tech including the Samsung Note 20 Ultra, Jabra Evolve2 65 bluetooth headset, Jabra Panacast conferencing camera, Microsoft Surface Go 2 – and a first look at Huawei’s upcoming MateBook 13.

Business is changing – how can we keep up?

What happens when business change initiatives don't take off as we aim? Experts say it's seldom about technology. More often, it’s because people didn’t change with technology.

Zero trust should be the new normal for security – Forrester

With IT security spending likely to be stagnant, companies have to be smart and adopt a zero-trust approach to reduce the risk of crippling cyber-attacks and build resilience to future disruptive events.

A multi-billion dollar boost to the economy if we embrace the cloud – Xero

Research from NZIER and Xero suggests billions in productivity gains could be achieved by accelerating businesses' move to the cloud - but businesses may need incentives to speed up the migration.

Three ways tech is supporting the real gig economy

Concerts and live performances are still struggling to find a pulse in a post Covid world. But when they do get out of economic ICU, here are three ways technology will continue to drive productivity for the people behind the shows.

This high-tech sign language glove could speak to your smartphone

A new innovation from UCLA can translate sign language with 99-percent accuracy.