Stories by Ulrika Hedquist

Moving to the cloud? Prepare to embark on a journey

Moving to the cloud? It's quite a journey

Study inspires students to create ecoPortal management system

A research project focusing on implementing environmental management systems has inspired three mechanical engineering students to start their own business.

Review: Light-weight Kobo focuses on the basics

Let’s start with the pros of Whitcoulls’ recently launched e-reader device, the Kobo. Weighing in at 221 grams, it is surprisingly light. It will definitely fit in your bag or even in biggish pockets, making it perfect for reading anywhere — at home, in cafés or while travelling. The Kobo is powered with USB and has a great battery life — up to two weeks, or around 8000 page turns, according to Whitcoulls.

Keep staff happy with alternatives to pay rises: survey

Want to make sure your skilled workers don't feel the need to look for new opportunities elsewhere? Paying a premium could be the solution, but if businesses are unable to cough up the dough, they might be pleased to know there are other options. According to new employment trends research, employee happiness is dependent on feeling engaged in the business and knowing the role they play in driving success.

XT glitch sparks innovation at PBX specialist

Issues with Telecom’s XT network led open source PBX provider Vadacom to develop an iPhone application that enables businesses to manage their corporate PABX extension via the device.

Revived IT projects challenged by skills gap

There are signs that the recession is loosening its tight grip on IT projects within companies. Recruitment firm Manpower is seeing an increasing demand for business analysts, whose research and scoping skills are typically required at the first stages of a project. That indicates an increase in the number of projects about to kick off, says Matt Love-Smith, business manager of Manpower Professional in Christchurch.

Next generation of ERP finds home in New Zealand

While Enterprise Resource Planning software used to be complex and expensive, new technologies and new means of delivery are making ERP both more affordable and more flexible.

Variety on display among Hi-Tech finalists

The hardware and software categories of the 2010 New Zealand Hi-Tech Award offer a smorgasbord of locally developed technologies — some already competing on the global market and some just taking their first steps out of the startup phase.

Feature: Shedding risk

US-based Mozy, which is owned by EMC, claims that more than 50,000 businesses use its MozyPro service, including accounting firms, banks and the University of San Francisco, in addition to over a million consumers.

Virtualisation shifts to the desktop

Virtualisation giants VMware and Citrix are reporting increasing interest in desktop virtualisation and growing uptake of the relatively recent technology in New Zealand. However, for the local mid-market, the cost benefits of a virtualised desktop environment are not quite there yet, says one ICT services provider.

AUT pilots virtual desktop solution

Auckland University of Technology is currently piloting a VMware virtual desktop solution for use with its administrative staff, with a view to expanding the project to the broader student population in the next 12 months.

Local companies look to the cloud

It’s still early days for cloud computing in New Zealand, but interest from local organisations is increasing, say two of the big players. Both IBM and Microsoft are preparing to compete directly in the space, which was previously dominated by Google’s App Engine and Amazon’s EC2.

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