Hi there,

With seven straight days of zero new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand, many are celebrating the country’s success in apparently beating Covid.

A return to normal routine is welcome, but celebration is misplaced. With a $19 billion hole in the economy from tourism alone, our challenges have only just begun. We must drive forward with urgency to get back to business, get smart with our border management and contact tracing, and remove remaining restrictions on economic activity.

I caught up with ASB economist Nick Tuffley this week and he warns that while the health crisis may be easing, the economic one is only just starting.

That long road to recovery is going to see three stages, Tuffley says, and in each stage, technology – practical, straight-forward operational technology, not moonshot projects – will help enable businesses. The positive for the tech sector is that there is now a much greater appreciation of the role that technology can play in both delivering efficiencies and driving revenue.

In other news:

Covid tech: The weird, the wacky and the wonderful
Facebook Shops: Free and open for business
The numbers behind data-driven business success
Wearables start bridging the medical divide

And, at a time when having real-time information about company performance has never been more important, we take a look at the CFO 3.0 and the changing face of financial reporting.

Enjoy the read,

Heather Wright
Editor
editor@istart.co.nz

#MAKENZGREAT

Tech's role in the new normal

ASB economist says keep it simple and practical…

Technology will play an important role in getting NZ businesses, and the wider economy, up and running again, according to ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley – but he warns ‘normality’ is still a long way off.

“It has been – and will continue to be – a time of swiftly making hard decisions.”

[Read more]

NEW INVENTIONS

Mother of invention: Covid spurs new creations

The weird, the wacky and the wonderful…

Just as World War II spawned numerous inventions, so too is the global war against Covid.

The dual sensor thermographic camera can detect a ‘feverish suspect’ and track them in a crowd, notifying a paramedic.

[Read more]

Running successful online virtual events

ECOMMERCE

Facebook ups e-com push with Shops for small businesses

Social media giant bets on increased advertising…

Facebook might be billing the launch of its Shops feature as an effort to help with economic recovery, but the company is also betting on the new offerings to bolster its ad business.

“We’ve changed our approach.”

[Read more]

BUSINESS ANALYTICS

Turning data into revenue

Data-driven companies 58 percent more likely to beat revenue goals…

It’s an often heard refrain: Data is the new gold. But raw, unstructured data by itself is little more than a deposit – just like gold it needs work to provide its true value.

“Data-savvy businesses were 162 percent more likely to say they had significantly overperformed on revenue goals.”

[Read more]

WEARABLES

The new wearables: Diagnosing epilepsy, heart attacks and preeclampsia

Are legal and liability issues stifling further wearable development?…

An Australian project has won funding to help realise the medical potential of wearable technologies through developing wearable bio-diagnostic devices to diagnose medical conditions.

“Getting the tech right and getting it through the regulatory system takes time and money.”

[Read more]

CLOUD FINANCIALS

CFO 3.0 and cloud financial reporting: A match made in heaven

Can working in the cloud make your finance team more effective?…

Is cloud financial reporting a key component for you and your finance team?

Financial data with context and a clear story can be very useful.

[Read more]

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