Hi there,

To quote Dickens, ‘it was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness’.

While Dickens' winter of despair might feel more apt as restrictions and cancellations coincide with autumn's arrival, the past week has shown us that even in the darkness, and with plenty of foolishness (panic buyers, we’re looking at you), there is still positivity. Witness the likes of Good George Brewing, which has taken its distillery skills (and equipment) and turned them to making hand sanitiser. Or the multitude of small New Zealand businesses pivoting to offer online services such as streaming fitness classes, virtual training or serving up new offerings.

In a time of upheaval, we’re seeing things talked about for years – including remote working – suddenly becoming a reality.

Yes, these are challenging times for us all. But we can still make the best of them to build future resiliency and new ways of working. And that will be a win when the best of times return.

In this special Covid-19 edition:

Supply chain impacts on grocery and retail
The virtual healthcare opportunity – its time is now
IDC takes red ink to IT spending forecasts
Trump misstep crashes Covid-19 assessment site

And at a time when inventory management is front of mind for many, we take a look at how to pick an inventory management solution which can easily flex and adapt with your business – and market conditions.

Stay safe and keep washing those hands!

Heather Wright
Editor
editor@istart.co.nz

REMOTE WORKING

Demand for remote working surges

Let the grand remote working experiment begin…

While the Kiwi and Australian governments haven’t ordered everyone home just yet, forward-thinking companies are trying to get ahead of the curve, signing off on remote work plans and testing their business continuity capabilities now.

Will we actually want to return to the office?

[Read more]

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

Retail supply chains under pressure

Resilience being tested and forcing change on sector…

Covid-19 is highlighting weaknesses in supply chains and e-commerce, but it’s also providing learnings and new opportunities and will likely see an upswing in adoption of some technologies.

“Anything sudden that happens like this exposes all the weaknesses in the supply chain.”

[Read more]

HEALTHCARE

Urgent govt support and funding needed for virtual healthcare

Is it time to stop putting all our eggs in the Healthline basket?…

The head of NZ’s Health IT body NZHIT is calling on the government to push some of any future Covid-19 relief funding into encouraging GPs to deliver virtual healthcare services to patients.

“GP practices need to be incentivised and supported to make the change – and to make it fast.”

[Read more]

IT SPEND

IT spending forecasts slashed

AI, cloud and servers were on the spend list, but now analysts aren’t so sure…

What a difference a month can make.

“Businesses that can shift technology capacity and investments to digital platforms will mitigate the impact of the outbreak.”

[Read more]

CORONAVIRUS

Trump jumps gun on Covid-19 triage website

Google’s beta coronavirus screening site immediately overwhelmed…

A coronavirus triage site from Google's sister company Verily, which was the focus of a bumbling announcement from President Trump was fully subscribed within hours.

“You cannot fight a fire blindfolded.”

[Read more]

DISTRIBUTION

Whitepaper: How to pick an inventory management solution that scales with your business

Learn how to pick a software solution that supports the mission of a growing company…

With the right inventory management solution in place, distributors can flex and adapt quickly regardless of market conditions, challenges or changing business models.

A good inventory management system that scales will serve as the framework for your entire business.

[Read more]

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