Hi there,

The Australian government has been forced into gulping back SAP's kool-aid, with the Department of Finance announcing plans for a mega-deal to upgrade its GovERP shared service platform to SAP’s S/4HANA.

It’s a sweeping project to consolidate and standardise the delivery of core transactional services across the government’s six shared services hubs, which currently serve 73 agencies.

And the key reason for the decision? The vendor advising that the current version will no longer be supported, warning of much higher maintenance costs.

It’s a very different approach to that seen over in New Zealand, where departments have been left to choose their own path when it comes to enterprise applications, in part to avoid such sweeping impacts from vendor lock in.

In other news:

The bad Duck targeting IoT, manufacturers and Win 7
CompTIA survey reveals barriers to tech innovation
NZ gaming industry's growing export earnings
Singapore, Chile and NZ move forward with digital trade agreement

And we also chat with Shoptech, an ERP SaaS player which has just entered the Australian market and which sees big potential here. Its points of differentiation: A focus on small and medium manufacturing companies with a fully web-based offering that accelerates Industry 4.0 ambitions.

Enjoy the read,

Heather Wright
Editor
editor@istart.com.au

GOVTECH

AU gears up for Govt-wide ERP

End of support prompts move to SAP S/4HANA for GovERP…

Things are getting underway for the Australian Government’s sweeping ERP project, with SAP’s S/4HANA platform chosen to support the project.

“SAP will no longer actively support this ERP version, so the Hubs will need to move to an alternative solution or pay a premium for maintenance.”

[Read more]

CYBERSECURITY

Manufacturers, IoT in sights of new malware campaign

This little yellow duckie is targeting IoT devices…

Lemon Duck Malware attacking manufacturers

Manufacturers are being targeted by a new malware variant which is exploiting flaws in IoT devices using Windows 7.

“The manufacturing sector faces large challenges due to its reliance on embedded devices running legacy operating systems.”

[Read more]

TECH SECTOR

Innovation and emerging tech in focus

Local business more circumspect than global counterparts on emerging tech...

Local companies might have innovation as a top priority and be enthusiastic about emerging tech, but they’re not necessarily being lured in by hype.

Risk aversion, budget constraints and, importantly, a lack of a clear business case are among the primary factors causing a go-slow approach.

[Read more]

INTERACTIVE MEDIA

NZ gaming industry hits next level

Tencent investments underpin rapid growth...

NZ fastest media sector - Interactive media

It’s the quiet achiever of the New Zealand tech and creative industries, and while interactive game development might not be garnering Lord of the Rings style attention, it’s an exploding industry.

“It makes the interactive media sector New Zealand’s fastest tech or creative industry.”

[Read more]

DIGITAL TRADE

DEPA agreement looks to solve the big digital trade issues

What’s behind the new NZ/Singapore/Chile digital economy partnership deal?…

NZ exporters and SMEs are set to take full advantage of emerging international digital trade opportunities thanks to a new deal between NZ, Chile and Singapore.

“One of the key focuses is facilitating the electronic exchange of trade documents for business-to-business transactions and customs clearances.”

[Read more]

MANUFACTURING ERP

SME manufacturers get options with new ERP entrant

Shoptech hits local market with full SaaS offering…

SMB manufacturing ERP provider Shoptech has set its sights on the Kiwi and Australian markets, and aiding local companies with their move to Industry 4.0.RP

The fourth industrial revolution is the wave of the future and the biggest trend in manufacturing.

[Read more]

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