Do you feel disrupted? Ten tech trends that defined 2021

Before we flop onto a beach towel to recover from another exhausting year living in the shadow of Covid, it's worth reflecting on a remarkable year in the world of technology.

Using data and analytics to transform the lives of New Zealand’s most vulnerable kids

As a provider of specialist home and school social services to New Zealanders between the ages of 5 and 12, Stand Children’s Services is one of the nation’s most recognisable charity organisations. Stand CIO Richard Parry discusses the potential for deep analytics in the organisation, and how Stellar Consulting has helped provide Stand with new insights.

Wellington Water delivers difficult infrastructure with the help of Mooven

Wellington Water and GHD worked together to get an in-depth understanding of what was happening around their projects and the impact on their community.

‘Hope is not lost’ – 2021 saw governments start to take cybersecurity seriously

Microsoft’s Digital Defence Report for 2021 is a sobering read. Over its 134 pages, it catalogues the sophisticated playbook of a global network of cybercriminals. 

Enhancing Trustpower’s customer service with improved data reporting

In one of the most competitive industries in the country, long-term Stellar customer Trustpower is wiping the floor in the retail energy sector; outperforming competitors on almost every indicator over the past year.

Aware Group releases Aware AI for Pathways, enabling cities and campuses to gather insights on their pathway usage

Aware AI for Pathways uses cameras with AI to provide accurate and comprehensive data that helps cities and campuses make informed decisions on the planning, development, zoning, and maintenance of their pathways and cycle lanes.

A smart city is a greener city – and our cities have to get smarter

When the world’s nations come together in Glasgow next month for the COP26 conference, there will no doubt be fierce debate as climate diplomats, including our own climate change minister James Shaw, over attempts to renew emissions reduction targets.

AI is growing up – four key trends transforming its use in business

Artificial intelligence has come a long way in the last few years, making meaningful contributions to automating mundane and time-consuming tasks and generating insights for data-driven decision making.

APEC countries make sluggish progress on digital trade and regulations

With APEC member countries representing 2.8 billion citizens and accounting for nearly 75% of New Zealand exports, the multilateral institution is an important club for us to belong to.

Empowering kiwifruit growers with live, interactive reporting

Eastpack is New Zealand’s largest kiwifruit packer, serving more than 700 grower-shareholders and generating annual revenue of more than $150 million.

What Amazon’s $7.5 billion investment means for NZ’s cloud computing market

It’s a rare event to see a multinational tech company announce a multibillion-dollar investment in New Zealand.

Government IT, financial services the highlights in post-pandemic IT spending

When it came to the digital transformation required for society and the economy to function through the Covid-19 pandemic, we went ‘hard and early’ in our part of the world, to borrow the Prime Minister’s phrase.

Technology can help us tackle the seemingly insurmountable climate challenge – here’s how

It should serve as the global wake-up call we need, a meticulously researched report from the world’s top climate scientists that suggests the world is driving towards a cliff with our foot planted firmly on the accelerator.

The Kiwi tech consulting company extending Power BI’s reach

Organisations all over the world are now using Microsoft’s popular business analytics service, Power BI. 

Improve your organisation’s adaptability through security and privacy

A discussion that explores why security and privacy are universal and critically important underpinnings for all modern organisations.

Big Tech just got much bigger – what to learn from their record profits

Using technology to bring together 12,500 residents across 41 villages in Australia and New Zealand

Technology partner to Ryman Healthcare, Aware Group, has developed technology solutions to connect all the villages for an upcoming sporting event. With the use of artificial intelligence and augmented reality technology, implemented safely and practically, Aware Group can help residents create new memories at a fun and engaging event.

Make data work for you in the ‘age of insight’ – HPE Discover 2021

The pandemic, more than anything else in recent years, has confirmed that data can inform better decision making, often with life-saving results.

Share your insight with the world – Introducing Binokula

Does your company use modern data visualisation and reporting tools to monitor their performance? Until recently your ability to share insights with your business affiliates might still have been relying on manual processes and outdated systems.

App modernisation: Everyone is doing it but how do you do it well?

Every organisation has its own unique story of digital transformation undertaken in the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It’s not all about the public cloud – Chorus eyes up market for edge computing services

The Courtenay Place telephone exchange in central Wellington is like a living museum charting the history of telecommunications in our country.

IBM banks on hybrid cloud and AI to get it back into growth mode

IBM’s Think 2021 virtual event this week was dominated by talk of artificial intelligence as a key tool of digital transformation and the company’s efforts to position itself as the lead player in hybrid cloud offerings.

From mussel buoys to rubbish bins – Spark’s ambitions for its IoT network

Spark's new innovation studio serves as a showcase of technology harnessing IoT and mobile networks to collect data in real-time to inform better decision making.

Processing Data at the Edge of the Edge: Reimagining Possibilities

How well do you know your organisation’s edge? Better yet, how far away is your data from it?

Hewlett Packard Enterprise accelerates space exploration with first ever in-space commercial edge computing and artificial intelligence capabilities

Astronauts and researchers can process data at the edge and speed time-to-insight from months to minutes with launch of HPE’s Spaceborne Computer-2, an edge computing system for the International Space Station

Hewlett Packard Enterprise to build $35M supercomputer for the NCAR to improve predictions of wildfires, hurricanes, and solar storms

National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) will use the new system to develop accurate digital models, from complex computations, for a wide range of earth’s phenomenal events; New system, powered by the HPE Cray EX supercomputer, is nearly 3.5X faster than NCAR’s existing system which it will replace in 2022

How Supercomputing is helping New Zealand businesses thrive

It might sound like a term straight out of science fiction books but the reality is that, in 2021, supercomputing is present in most people’s daily lives - whether they realise it or not.

Microsoft Ignite: Five key developments from the world’s largest software maker

Microsoft’s holographic video system Azure Mesh provided the sizzle at Microsoft’s virtual developer conference, but the underlying message was all about the accelerating power of working in the cloud.

Veeam and ExaGrid cut backup time in half for Trustpower

Veeam and ExaGrid cut backup time in half for Trustpower, a leading New Zealand power and telecommunications company.

Overcoming Covid technical debt: If it doesn’t bring you joy, ditch it!

With half of IT managers across Australasia admitting they are struggling with the legacy of IT systems hastily assembled during the pandemic, it's time to get out of the shadow of Covid technical debt.