Month: November 2022

2022 was another big year for IT in New Zealand.

The IT Alliance members have put together their thoughts on the biggest trends that they have seen across their many varied clients, throughout New Zealand in 2022.

The IT Alliance members deal with real New Zealand companies who may be facing similar IT issues as yourself. The businesses are generally small to medium sized businesses, often time poor, resource limited and with some cash flow restrictions. These are not multi-million dollar US companies.

Here we share the key trends that we are seeing with I.T in New Zealand companies as we round up 2022.

#1. Teams

The culmination of the past few years has seen a huge shift towards remote and hybrid ways of working. Teams has become much more popular across clients who wish to collaborate on projects from remote locations. In a case study about Northland Kindergarten Association, they share how Teams has helped them through the past few years, and how it can also help your business.

We are seeing companies begin to explore the many options within Teams, and begin to utilise these within their businesses. Sharepoint and power apps are being picked up more for helping companies streamline internal processes and communication.

#2. Security

No longer are Cyber threats something that happen to big overseas companies. New Zealand companies both large and small have been hit by Cyber attacks and have paid the price in time, money and reputation.

The realization that we are not “so far away that this could never happen to us”’ has vanished, and been replaced for a healthy respect for Security.

Nothing can take 100% of the threats away, but having an IT provider making sure that your whole system is as secure as possible, should make any Kiwi business owner sleep more soundly.

 2FA and MFA: 2FA or Two Factor Authentication or MFA Multifactor Authentication are now
being widely used.

 Password Management System: Password management systems are being taken on by most
clients.

 Monitoring and Maintenance: Companies now realise the value in having this taken care of on a
24/7 basis by an MSP (managed service provider).

#3. Supply Chain Issues:

2022 has still seen some post-Covid delays with computer shortages. Whilst that supply chain is now largely back to a good time frame, it has made companies aware of the value of creating a plan for the future. You can read about how to create a plan for computer hardware here.

#4. The move to a Managed Service Provider:

As I.T becomes even more integral in your companies success, companies are realising the benefits of having a Managed Service provider as opposed to “someone you ring when something stops working.”

A Managed Service provider is like your outsourced I.T department, who runs all of the checks and balances remotely, and someone that you build an ongoing business relationship with, so that your IT supports your business key objectives.

If you would like help or advice with any of the above key trends that we are seeing, please do not hesitate to reach out. No question is too silly, and we make it as easy and simple for you because this is what we do! Contact us here.

If you have Microsoft 365 but aren’t using Microsoft Lists, you could be missing out. This useful feature, which is included with your 365 subscription, helps businesses work more efficiently.

Lists is a productivity feature on Microsoft 365 (MS365), formerly Microsoft Office. This app is a more recent addition to the MS365 app store, so you may have missed it. This article shares some advantages of this tracking and work management app.

An upgrade of SharePoint lists, which has been with MS365 all along, Lists integrates with Microsoft Teams. This means Lists help you collaborate and cooperate better. In fact, all users in a Teams channel with a List can access and edit that List without leaving Teams.

With Lists, you can create, distribute, and track data in a configurable way. Yes, it is good for helping you make a simple list of, say, things to do, but you can do much more with Lists.

Added functionality of Lists

Lists comes with templates to get you started quickly. You can also configure the lists to suit your specific business needs. Plus, you can set the lists to display in the way that works best for you. Maybe you want to look at Lists as a calendar, a grid, a gallery, or in a custom view. You can do that but in real-time, with everyone using that list getting the same updated data when they’re logged in.

In Lists, you set up tables of information to track extensive amounts of data. For example, you might track a project in Microsoft Lists by adding all the tasks to a List. You could add columns for the person responsible, task status, project priority, and more. You can also use colors within the List to help sort information more easily.

Additionally, since Lists is part of MS365, you can use Lists wherever and on whichever device you access the software. You can also integrate Lists with other powerful tools on the MS365 platform. You might extend forms with Power Apps or customize workflows with Power Automate. With automation, you get even more from your Lists.

Taking advantage of Lists

There are many business applications with Lists. Besides project management, you might organize an event itinerary and speaker info in a List, or track assets, or manage a new employee onboarding checklist. If you have an idea of something you want to create, configure, watch, and share, you can probably do it within Lists.

Lists is a default feature in MS365 Teams, but you can switch it on or off in the Teams admin center at any time. You can even permit or ban certain users from Lists.

If you’re not yet using MS365, our IT gurus can help you get started. If you’re on the platform already, let our experts help you get the most you can from your license. Contact us here.