Waikato Business News September/October 2017

More documents

Recommendations

Info

6 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS September/October 2017 IT BUSINESS SOLUTIONS What is a modern workplace? The modern workplace is the intersection of people, business and technology. How you take advantage of the latest advances in technology is an ever-increasing consideration. Today businesses are enabling their teams to enter data securely from almost any location or device as well as view information in simplified visual ways, in real time. After more than two decades of working with businesses and helping them improve productivity we have found it’s common to unravel poor or redundant technology and to eliminate double entry by putting in new and more effective integrated solutions. It is recommended you start by analysing your total solution for all aspects of your business that need computerised systems as opposed to starting with individual siloed systems. Think big picture first! There are a few solution providers that spring to mind such as Google and Microsoft that provide systems that help businesses across a wide range of their business needs. We have found that when you factor integration of software, security of company data and application familiarity into the equation, the Microsoft Office 365 products provide a great solution for many businesses. Microsoft Office 365, what’s under the hood? Their business premium offering provides you a base collaborative Email, Calendar and Contacts; skype for business which adds ability for webinars and sharing content; SharePoint which ticks all the boxes as far as secure document management and team collaboration; OneDrive for file storage and the Microsoft Office suite of products - Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. But what you may not know is that you also get Teams which is an application that brings together in one place team communication, documents, screen sharing and project and team planning. Other products bundled with your subscription are tools handlings bookings, fuel and mileage tracking and Outlook Contact Manager which is built into Outlook and is a basic CRM; Power Apps which enables you to build simple mobile and tablet customized solutions yourself and Flow which enables you to trigger workflows between software solutions. These tools are integrated, secure and ready to add productivity to your team. One of the hidden gems in the suite of products is Power BI which enables you to quickly and visually display large amounts of complex data. You don’t need to be a software programmer to use it! If you want mobile, secure, and integrated solutions, you won’t go wrong with Microsoft Office 365. Talk to an IT advisor to understand how Office 365 can help improve productivity in your organisation. Three basic tips for Cyber security Continually evolving cyber security threats are a nightmare for business owners. Ransomware Lately one form of cyber-threat known as ransomware creates havoc with businesses and organisations world-wide. Ransomware works by encrypting your files. A ransom is then demanded to get the decryption key. Unfortunately, some cyber criminals don’t honour this. They just take your money. Ransomware generally arrives in email as an attachment or link to a malicious or compromised website. Software downloads, websites and advertising delivered online may also aid in delivery. What can you do? 1 Staff education is the best defence. In every case our office has seen, the ransomware package was detonated by a human. - Three years ago, (the olden days), the rule was, don’t open an email or attachment from someone you don’t know. That rule still applies, however malware is often “redistributed” to everybody in the victim’s address book, so it’s not just the unknown. - Think about that attachment or link. Were you expecting an invoice from your mother? Where did the police get your email address for that traffic ticket? - Any doubts, contact the sender and ask for confirmation. Better safe than sorry. 2 Backup or Pay up. - Backup your data often. Not to a shared drive, as most ransomware spreads to every “share” it can find. Unfortunate if that is your backup. Unless you want to risk paying the ransom, recovering from backup is your only option. - Test backups often. 3 Secure your devices. - All devices in your network must have up to date business grade Anti-Virus. - Apply operating system and application patches. Microsoft and others regularly release patches etc. to fix vulnerabilities. - “Automatic” updates don’t always work. Have a regime to check this. - Use the latest operating systems. Windows 7 is good; however, Windows 10 is inherently more secure. - Restrict administrative privileges. Log in as administrator to perform administrative functions only. Allocate standard user rights for everyday logins. This lowers the risk of “accidentally” installing malware. CYBERCRIME HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU’RE A SITTING DUCK? DON’T BE THEIR NEXT VICTIM FREE REPORT - 7 URGENT SECURITY MEASURES YOUR BUSINESS SHOULD HAVE IN PLACE NOW CTS.NET.NZ/SERVICES • ICT Infrastructure • Support • VOIP P7852W 07 850 5742 | info@cts.net.nz | www.cts.net.nz 94 London Street, Hamilton
IT BUSINESS SOLUTIONS WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS September/October 2017 7 Awards double whammy Company-X was recognised, and recognises innovators at awards. Waikato software specialist Company-X has been named a finalist in another two awards. The Hamilton company heard it was in contention for the Westpac Waikato Business Awards Global Operator Award at the finalist announcement evening at the Gallagher of Performing Arts Centre, University of Waikato, on September 20. Developer Schalk Bower received the company’s finalist certificate as it was also named a finalist in the Independent Software Vendor’s Homegrown Innovators category of the 2017 Reseller News ICT Awards. We offered to sponsor the innovation category of the Westpac Waikato Business Awards. Company-X directors David Hallett and Jeremy Hughes, who formed the company in 2012 growing it to around 40 staff now, were thrilled the company was in the Innovation Award. Habitat for Humanity, Tag I.T. Technologies and Virbac NZ were named contenders for the Company-X accolade during the finalist evening. Habitat for Humanity Central North Island’s Home Repair Programme, known as A Brush With Kindness, got noticed by the judges. The programme helps low income families get back on track with their home maintenance. For affordable repayments to the home owner, Habitat for Humanity carries out most urgent home repair projects, such as fixing a leaky roof, painting the outside or renovating a bathroom or kitchen. Projects may also involve creating a more suitable place for the occupants when life situations have changed, such as building a wheelchair ramp or installing bathroom aids for less mobile people. Tag I.T. Technologies’ Yardmaster HALO Supersmart Dairy Farm Effluent Monitoring and Control System is also in the running for the Company-X award. The HALO system, from the Hamilton business, uses state of the art hardware and software to run systems tailored to farms’ specific needs. They set up a data hub in the most practical location on the property and connect the range of sensors needed to meet farm requirements. Solar powered or mains powrunning for two more awards. “We won the Services Exporter of the Year award, open to businesses with export revenue of up to $10 million, at the 2017 Air New Zealand Cargo ExportNZ Awards in June,” Hallett said. Earlier in the year the Company-X developed One Network Road Classification Performance Measures Reporting Tool won the 2017 Roading Asset Management Innovation Award at the Road Infrastructure Management Forum. The Westpac Waikato Business Awards Global Operator Award recognises organisations that successfully work within, and capture the benefits of the global market, demonstrating outstanding international trade achievements and sustainable growth and results. Reseller News Homegrown Innovator awards highlight local excellence and ingenuity on a national level, recognising companies which have established their businesses domestically as start-ups. Company-X is also sponsoring this year’s Innovation Award for the Waikato. A humanitarian organisation and two agricultural businesses are vying for the inaugural Company-X ered and with both mobile and internet connectivity options, HALO can work anywhere, any time. Water monitoring, milk management, effluent control and weather information are simple to set up and operate. The system can monitor and control the whole farm, or start with just one part and add to it as the farm’s requirements change. The HALO Farm System is designed to expand with the farm. Virbac, also Hamilton based, was selected as a finalist for its Choose Black campaign developed to showcase its extensive range of mastitis treatments. Developed, trialed and made in New Zealand for local conditions, options for treatment include: intramammary, injection, extended and combination therapies. “We at Company-X decided we wanted to recognise Waikato organisations that have enhanced their success through innovation, both in thinking and implementing of an idea,” said Hallett. “So, we offered to sponsor the innovation category of the Westpac Waikato Business Awards,” added Hughes. An innovation can be in a product, service, technology or process. The winner of the Company-X award will be announced on November 3, alongside other winners, at the Westpac Waikato Business Awards Gala Dinner. PROUD: Company-X's Arno van Niekerk with finalist Habitat for Humanity's Nathan Collins and Waikato Chamber of Commerce chairman Terry Wilson. HONOURED: Company-X's Schalk Bower, finalist Virbac's Paul Gibson and Company-X's Arno van Niekerk. THRILLED: Company-X's Schalk Bower, finalist Tag I.T.'s Russell Gibbs and Company-X's Arno van Niekerk.
Page 1 and 2: SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 VOLUME 25: I
Page 3 and 4: WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS September/Oct
Page 5: 5 Ten-Year-Plan decisions ‘critic
Page 11 and 12: WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS August/ Septe
Page 21 and 22: BREAST CANCER AWARENESS WAIKATO BUS
Page 23 and 24: BREAST CANCER ... AWARENESS 23 Octo
Page 25 and 26: BREAST CANCER AWARENESS WAIKATO BUS
Page 27 and 28: WAIKATO VALLEY CHOCOLATES WAIKATO B
Page 37 and 38: GREENHILL PARK-CHEDWORTH PROPERTIES
Page 39 and 40: GREENHILL PARK-CHEDWORTH PROPERTIES
Page 43 and 44: 43 Success Awards Age Concern Hamil
Page 45 and 46: 45 Success Awards NV Hair Coffix Re
Page 47 and 48: HILLCREST MEDICAL CENTRE WAIKATO BU
Page 49 and 50: HILLCREST MEDICAL CENTRE WAIKATO BU
Page 53 and 54: CHRISTMAS EVENTS AND VENUES WAIKATO
Page 55 and 56: CHRISTMAS EVENTS AND VENUES Women
Page 57 and 58:
CHRISTMAS EVENTS AND VENUES WAIKATO
Page 59 and 60:
WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS September/Oct
Page 61 and 62:
CHRISTMAS EVENTS AND VENUES WAIKATO
Page 63 and 64:
Page 65 and 66:
Page 67 and 68:
2013 BULK BUY FEATURING INNOVATIVE
show all

Waikato Business News September/October 2017

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?