NZ firm sells assets to Citrix
Enprise Group has sold the assets of its EMS-Cortex division to Citrix in a deal that Enprise CEO Mark Loveys believes is the
largest local deal in the past 10 years, although the price has not been disclosed.
Citrix will acquire the assets and intellectual property around the New Zealand-developed Cortex cloud control panel software,
which automates the provisioning and service of applications delivered via the cloud computing model.
Cortex has an international customer base ranging from small hosting companies to large telcos with hundreds of thousands
of users. They include Telecom New Zealand, TELUS of Canada, and Vodacom, South Africa’s largest telco.
By Randal Jackson, Computerworld
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All about Android
Android is an open source operating system for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers.
It is an initiative of the Open Handset Alliance - a group of about 80 firms (including Google - which bought the Android mobile
software company in 2005 - as well as HTC, Dell, Motorola and Samsung) dedicated to an open software platform that can
be altered and used by any of its members in their mobile gadgets. The idea is that a larger user base increases diversity and
theoretically the quality of the Android operating system.
By Claire Rodgers, Stuff.co.nz
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IBM unveils new cloud specialties
IBM is planning to launch new skills development, marketing, technical and sales programmes to help its business partners
cash in on cloud and analytics trends.
The company says that 95% of analytics conversations with mid-sized organizations are driven by a network of analyticsfocused IBM business partners that has grown to nearly 1000 companies today.
A recent IBM developerWorks survey of more than 2000 IT professionals worldwide showed that 91% believe cloud computing
will overtake on-premise computing as the primary way organisations acquire IT by 2015.
By Gavin Ogden, Techday.co.nz
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Mobile internet use is reshaping networks
The growing number of users accessing the internet on-the-move is reshaping the way mobile networks need to be built,
says Telecom’s delegate to the World Mobile Congress.
The congress, held in Barcelona last week, is a global gathering of the world’s biggest players in telecommunications.
Speakers this year included head of Google Eric Schmidt, Vodafone chief executive Vittorio Colao and Twitter boss Dick
Costolo.
By Hamish Fletcher. NZ Herald
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State of the CIO 2011: Growth on the agenda
While there’s no free-wheeling IT spending going on (unless you’re hiding that information), our annual State of the CIO
research confirms the rumour: The Great Recession has indeed abated.
Heading into 2011, many CIOs are investing in projects to improve staff productivity, make business processes more efficient
and promote innovation. These transformational and strategic activities signal that the retrenchment that ruled the past two
years is, thankfully, over.
By Kim S Nash and Divina Paredes, CIO.co.nz
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Vodafone And Telecom In Commercial
Negotiations For Rural Broadband Initiative
Telecom and Vodafone say they are pleased with today’s announcement that their joint bid for the Government’s Rural
Broadband Initiative (RBI) has been selected for commercial negotiations.
The companies say their proposal, based on using their significant existing infrastructure, capability and experience, will
deliver the quickest possible results. A fast start will come from building out from the investment both parties have already
made in fibre, mobile and fixed line networks.
An open access approach is at the heart of the Telecom Vodafone bid, which will allow other operators to access the
infrastructure on equal terms. This will provide strong retail competition from different technologies and service providers and
a real choice of solutions and providers for rural New Zealanders.
By Voxy.co.nz
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OddJob Trojan spotted hijacking banking sessions
A financial Trojan able to hijack online banking sessions has been spotted.
Trusteer named the new piece of malware OddJob, noting how it could keep banking sessions going even after customers
believed they had logged off.
OddJob was used to log requests, grab full pages, terminate connections and inject data into web pages, with all activity
relayed to a command and control server.
By Tom Brewster, CRN
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Positive practices can make a difference in the
workplace
Optimism, compassion, hope, and gratitude are not typically what come to mind for managers in thinking about strategies
for organisational success. But recent studies show that these and other “positive practices” not only enhance workplace
wellbeing, but can also help the bottom line.
Waikato Management School’s Professor Ted Zorn is offering a postgraduate paper that focuses on these issues, and says it
makes sense that if people are more fulfilled in their work, they’ll be more engaged and committed to the organisation.
By University of Waikato
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Survey points to ‘overwhelming’ staff shortages
An “overwhelming” majority of New Zealand businesses are suffering key staff shortages and many expect the situation to
get worse, a survey says.
Deloitte’s survey, Talent Edge New Zealand, surveyed 360 employers across a broad range of economic sectors and company
sizes.
Eighty-one percent of respondents reported they had at least moderate shortages.
Talent problems were real for companies and not an abstract concept, Deloitte partner Richard Kleinert said.
By staff writer, National Business Review
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Standing up to bullies - it’s too important
to be left to the victims
Do you think of your company as a safe place to work? Not in terms of physical hazards - rather, are your staff protected from
bullying behaviour from colleagues and are there systems ready if an incident occurs?
Most businesses are well set up to deal with sexual harassment in the workplace. The high-profile resignation of David Jones
chief executive Mark McInnes last year showed what can happen when accusations start flying. These days people are more
litigious, as the aggressive case against McInnes showed. His accuser eventually settled out of court for A$850,000.
By Gill South, NZ Herald
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Email etiquette: rights and wrongs
Whether you think email communication at work is good or bad, it’s here to stay, and how you compose an email speaks to
your professionalism, reliability, and image, and it represents, by extension, your company or place of work.
It’s no longer uncommon to work regularly with people you’ve never met, so here are some tips on how to manage this vital
business tool.
By Anna Post, Sydney Morning Herald
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Managing micromanagers
Micromanagers reckon that their relentless attention and constant advice actually boosts performance. Micromanagement
does anything but.
They will always be there to tell you that you are not doing it the right way, and that they know better. How can that improve
performance? Bosses who are too intrusive actually undermine the employee. They are taking up people’s time with annoying
and pointless pieces of advice and questions. Sometimes the best management is to have no management. You just trust
people to get on with the job.
By Leon Gettler, The Age
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Exit interviews: why they are crucial
and how to conduct one
The skills shortage continues to make life difficult for businesses across the country. In fact, 2011 will be the year that many
employers are predicted to lose staff to their competitors. But employers able to ascertain why staff leave may be able to
retain their top talent by cultivating change within their organisation.
One of the most effective ways to do this is by conducting an exit interview with departing staff, which can provide some clues
as to what can be done to ensure staff stay with your business.
By Nina Hendy, Smart Company
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