News, views and reviews from NZ’s tech sector No Images? Click here Dear , It’s a hard road being a farmer in New Zealand these days. What with M. bovis, environmentalists and pea burgers, the sector is under siege. But, as we reported a couple of weeks back, agriculture is increasingly looking to technology to guide it forward. And while the results aren't always successful – witness the failure of the NAIT ‘system’ – there is promise, and investment, flowing into the sector. From IoT-connected necklaces steering cows away from waterways to Chinese giant Huawei trialling IoT-assisted insemination, new solutions are emerging. Also spare a thought this week for Z Energy, caught up in the increasing focus on data breach and security vulnerabilities. The company took the spotlight off Auckland’s fuel taxes when a simple vulnerability in its fuel card system hit the headlines. We look at why businesses can expect more on that front. In other news this week:
We also reveal how this tax and accounting practice slashed the time it was taking to handle customer documentation, while also simplifying retrieval, thanks to a cloud-based system. And lastly, if year-end pain has you considering better accounting, you might want to attend our next webinar Best Practise ERP Evaluation. Happy reading, and a welcome from me to iStart readers, Heather Wright M. Bovis, IoT and the rise of NZ AgTechWith a little will and some clever new tech, New Zealand’s agricultural sector may be on the cusp of a tech revolution... While New Zealand farmers have never been tech-shy (tyranny of distance and all that) they seem a little slow at embracing everyone’s favourite emerging tech du jour, IoT. “Thankfully there’s more to New Zealand agtech than this mildly contagious mess.” Z Energy vulnerability highlights hole in NZ data breach lawsData breach reporting to become mandatory in New Zealand, could Z Energy have handled things better? Data breaches and security vulnerabilities may be daily news fodder overseas, but they’re still relatively rare in New Zealand. “They minimised what went on and claimed there was no real impact upon people.” The internet of hype?IoT overhype? The answer is not quite so clear-cut... The gap between early hype and the reality of the Internet of Things (IoT) is starting to show according to a recent IoT confessional, and it’s largely due to telcos not understanding their customers. “If your organisation doesn’t have a strong digital strategy for data, then attaining value out of your IoT solution will be difficult.” Surviving Amazon: What’s a retailer to do?Locals must ‘lead or leave’ the market, analyst says... Retailers across Australia and NZ are being urged to open up their IT wallets in order to compete as Amazon increases its assault on the region with the launch of Amazon Prime in Australia. “You sell it we ship.” NZTech to display 100 Tech WomenIf the girls can see them, will they come?... NZTech has launched another initiative in the ongoing efforts to swell the numbers of women in IT, this time showcasing ‘a collection of inspiring stories from New Zealand’s brightest female tech talent’. “The collection will become a valuable resource …to help [women] see what they can be.” TAGS count on Smart Work Gateway to save time and effortLooking for the best cloud technology, Glenn McTaggart went with Fuji Xerox ApeosPort for saving and retrieving customer documents… While TAGS Accounting & Taxation Ltd may be a new name in the Hutt, the name behind it, Glenn McTaggart, is not. “We’ve approximately halved the time it used to take us to scan and save a document to the cloud.” This week's sponsor: Upcoming events: > ITx 2018 Conference | July 11-13 | Wellington iStart is proudly supported by these leading Latest Buyer's Guides ERP Buyer's Guide | CRM Buyer's Guide | HR/HCM Buyer's Guide | BI Buyer's Guide Privacy statement: We have sent this weekly eNewsletter to you at your e-mail address: [email address suppressed]. iStart will never share your e-mail address, but you may from time to time receive other event invitations or partner communications from us. You can opt out of these by managing your subscription preferences, where you can also update your e-mail address and other details. Find out more about iStart | Advertise with iStart | Subscribe
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