Hi there,

To pay or not to pay may not have been Hamlet’s actual words, but with real world stories of entire cities being crippled by ransomware demands, it’s a confonting question for victims of one of the plagues of our time.

Just as Hamlet questions whether to suffer the slings and arrows or take arms against the sea of troubles, so too are many businesses. Faced with an option of paying up to (hopefully, maybe…) get their data back, or standing strong against the ransomers and restoring their own systems, several US cities have capitulated.

Paying up, of course, comes with a cost – not just to the organisation paying, but to all of us, further encouraging the scoundrels behind these dastardly schemes.

In other news:

Mixed bag in SAP's latest results
The on-going privacy regulation saga
Cloud apps open cyber-attack vulnerabilities
NZ Govt heralds drones as new economic miracle (we beg to differ)

We also check out how Ballance Agri-Nutrients has mobilised information and analytics out onto the farm to create new data driven business opportunities for farmers.

And don’t forget, our next Lunch Box webinar on Evaluating Return on ERP Investment hits a screen near you next Tuesday – register now to get expert tips on measuring return on your technology investments.

Enjoy the read,

Heather Wright
Editor
editor@istart.co.nz

CYBERSECURITY

Paying the ransomware price

As some public sector victims give in to hackers’ demands, organisations downunder should take note…

So you’ve been hacked and your data is being held to ransom. When is it the right time to cut your losses and pay the ransom?

“Hard-line conversations about whether to negotiate with cybercriminals take a back seat to the reality that you are beholden to the business.”

[Read more]

TECH BUSINESS

SAP talks up cloud, XM as US-China trade war bites

Cloud under close watch, while experience rules…

SAP was talking up its cloud business in its latest financials, but it couldn’t mask a slowdown in cloud growth or the impact of the US-China trade war.

“We will use all aspects of XM as the differentiator for the intelligent enterprise, including employee, customer, product and brand experience.”

[Read more]

PRIVACY

Global privacy regulation juggernaut rolls on

It’s an increasingly complex regulatory environment but there’s more to come, says Forrester…

Another day, another jurisdiction somewhere passes a slew of new user data laws.

Security and risk leaders consistently rank compliance with global privacy regulations as one of their top three challenges.

[Read more]

CYBERSECURITY

The threats keeping IT execs up at night

Are IoT and cloud apps making your business a cyberattack target?…

Running cloud apps may be a helping businesses in many ways, but it’s keeping IT decision makers up at night, with nearly half of companies believing cloud apps make them a target for cyberattacks.

There’s a disconnect between the decision making and the implementation of cloud security. 

[Read more]

DRONES

NZ eyes $7.9b boost from drones

Will regulation help or hinder?...

New Zealand is eyeing up drones to help lift productivity – and the economy – higher, with a new report suggesting drone use could be worth $7.9 billion over the next 25 years.

“The Ministry of Transport is currently consulting on potential new powers.”

[Read more]

BUSINESS INSIGHT

Ballance Agri-Nutrients maps path to increased revenue

Driving business performance and sustainability on the connected farm…

Ballance Agri-Nutrients (Ballance) is a NZ farmer-owned co-operative that is committed to helping its customers farm more productively, profitably and sustainably.

MyBallance will be the common access point for all customer and third-party interactions.

[Read more]

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