Posts Tagged information technology
What does a risk-free cloud migration look like?
The below article was published recently in IT Brief New Zealand magazine.
The -aaS consumption model is nothing new when it comes down to brass tacks - it's exactly how we've been consuming electricity ever since Edison and Tesla were squabbling.
Over the last 130 or so years, electricity consumption has risen and with it, the cost.
This is why Total Utilities stepped in to help businesses in New Zealand ensure that their power costs were being thoughtfully managed through analysis of quantitative and qualitative data.
Now, the team at Total Utilities have brought their...
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NZ Winners and Losers in the Spotlight in 2018
For the third year in a row BusinessPlus has allowed me the opportunity to take the mickey out of a select group of businesses and individuals in this satirical Christmas “awards” wrap-up.
That’s a big call by the editor when my track record for saying the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time precedes me. If you are offended, I am in the phone book and on social media. If you have a laugh, then send the kudos to my brave editor.
Taking the Eye off the Prize Award – Auckland Council
When a huge storm with 200kph-plus winds blew out the candles on 150,000 Auckland...
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IT Security for New Zealand Businesses – The threat within
Data protection is the process of safeguarding important information from corruption, compromise or loss.
Many of us will have watched with some concern the ongoing reports of hacking, ransomware (where a hacker locks or encrypts your company data and demands a ransom before releasing it) and data theft by outside agencies.
IT Security Threats Pose New Risks for Owners and Directors
As owners and Directors of businesses in this country, we cannot ignore the real risks presented to our companies by theft or destruction of company data. Stricter laws governing Director’s...
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Geeks, nerds and that burning smell – ICT winners and losers in 2017
Last year I compiled a satirical list of ICT companies that won or lost the battle for the affection of us ICT brokers for businesses. The response was a mixture of simpering sweetness and hate mail (you know who you are).
Nevertheless, I’m doing it again this year, in this article.
To my colleagues who I offend in the next few hundred words, I apologise for my ill humour, even if you have been the authors of your own destruction.
ICT Winners and Losers (a satire)
The Coolest Kids in Town Award: Kordia
Who would have thought that Kordia -- formerly government-owned BCL with its...
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Winners, losers and unrequited computer love…a satirical review of 2016
After a busy year trying to make sense of the changing ICT landscape I’m winding down for Christmas by attending as many customer and supplier events as possible. The prospect of free wine and food, stimulating conversations and standard speeches by sales managers delivers a mix of pleasure and pain.
I’ve also delighted in compiling my 2016 awards list of companies and individuals that have taken on the IT challenge and made a difference, one way or another.
The IT challenge awards go to:
The 1980’s Post Office in Disguise Award:
Chorus.
Given the task of delivering fibre...
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How to manage costs and consumption in a cloud services environment
We talk to dozens of small and large companies around the country to help them modernise and streamline their ICT needs. We frequently hear about an issue that’s important to managers everywhere: a supposed lack of control over the growth of these as-needed costs. In many cases, the concern isn't a technical issue, it's a management one. It is also one that can be modelled and controlled.
You can always spend more money on cloud services, but you shouldn't be surprised by your monthly bill. In an ICT/cloud infrastructure model there are three basic levers that need to be managed in order...
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Driving transformation and savings in challenging times: Zespri case study
The year 2013 was tough for Zespri.
The PSA virus was decimating its growers’ high value, gold kiwifruit crops across New Zealand. As well, a major initiative was underway to help growers replace existing cultivars with a more disease- tolerant variety, Sun Gold.
The hope was that this cultivar’s vigorous fruiting qualities would also lead to strong production, that it would be outstandingly successful with consumers, and help sustain the growth of the industry.
The Zespri board and executive had witnessed the devastation of the Christchurch earthquakes and the Japanese...
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Technical debt: Why the IT team doesn’t get invited to the staff Christmas party – Part two
Complexity, cost, and increasing competitive inertia create big problems for business IT departments, as we saw in part one of this series. In today's post, David Spratt addresses what to do about it.
So where did we leave off, last post?
Competitive advantage through Information Technology seems a thing of the past.
Your business is loaded with technical debt - spending money on systems that add less and less value while costs continue to soar while nimble, more agile competitors grab your market share
The IT department is full of people focussed on boxes that go ping and red...
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Utilities experts net good result for fisheries company
When you have a global supply chain delivering premium live seafood and chilled fresh fish to domestic and overseas markets, there is little room for communications, business process or system errors.
Aotearoa Fisheries Limited is the largest Maori-owned fisheries company and it’s been harvesting, processing and delivering live, chilled and frozen seafood since its establishment in 2004. It harvests, processes and delivers chilled, canned and frozen seafood and ready to eat products to over 20 countries.
For the past five years Aotearoa Fisheries has been working with utilities...
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Technical debt: Why the IT team doesn’t get invited to the staff Christmas party
I had lunch with an old friend last week and he raised the issue of technical debt with me: the notion that complexity breeds complexity until a business’ IT systems are a burden rather than a benefit.
The realisation came, like a bolt from the blue, that this was the reason my beloved IT industry had moved from being a creative, savvy business industry to being seen as a dull cost centre, distrusted and feared by many businesses and their management.
Harsh perhaps, but why else then have we seen the CIO, a key executive team member in the 90s, relegated to the IT Manager,...
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