Trans-Tasman drinks manufacturer Frucor has chosen SAP Process Integration to improve customer automated ordering systems and inhouse field based ordering systems. Frucor is already using the solution with one major grocery chain in New Zealand and will roll it out with further customers in Australia and New Zealand in the next few months. SAP Process Integration leverages enterprise services delivered by SAP and enables closer integration of Frucor’s existing IT legacy applications. The solution was implemented by SAP system integrator Tango Group.

Telecom New Zealand has launched RightNow Chat, a communication channel that provides customers with a new, permanent sales touchpoint across the company’s website. The chat service is an expansion to Telecom’s existing contact centre channels provided by customer experience solutions provider RightNow.

Damar Industries, a New Zealand manufacturing company focused on the blending and packing of chemicals, coatings and aerosols, has implemented Infor ERP LN (Baan) to provide better insights into forecasting, planning and its inventory control. The solution has been provided by EMDA, a certified gold channel partner for Infor.

Workforce International, an Australian provider of industrial recruitment, labour hire, traffic control and road line marking services, has deployed Salvus safety, risk and claims management software from business solutions provider ComOps.

Lumley General Insurance has selected Unisys New Zealand to implement a technology refresh of the IT infrastructure supporting the company’s core insurance applications. The renewal builds on a 20-year relationship in which Unisys has provided mainframe and data centre services. The implementation includes two ClearPath Libra 4090 mainframe servers, which feature a pay-foruse business model and metering technology that will allow Lumley to pay for only the resources it consumes, while providing the ability to tap into additional processing power when needed.

Video conferencing solutions provider Tandberg has launched the EX90, a top-end personal telepresence solution designed for executives to use at their desks or in their home offices. The EX90 has a 24-inch HD screen which can seamlessly double as a PC monitor and a handset for audio communications.

IDC says the launch of the Apple iPad tablet device could eventually help rival Microsoft’s attempts to grow the market for its Surface table-top touchscreen technology. “What is interesting is that Microsoft have been developing tablets for almost a decade but were unable to capture mass market appeal the way Apple has,” says Rahul Sagar, associate analyst at IDC Australia. “Windows 7 has reenergised the Windows brand name, and Microsoft now has the opportunity to expand into the tablet segment by pulling the functionality and interactive capabilities of the Surface into a portable device."

The competitive value of business analytics – technologies and processes that encompass data warehousing, business intelligence tools, and advanced analytics – is increasingly being recognised amongst Australian and New Zealand organisations, according to IDC research. CIOs looking for a quick return on investment are considering investments in this area to help address some of the challenges that they face while operating in today's uncertain economic environment, IDC says. “Organisations across A/NZ have spent a lot of time and money on capturing, storing and managing data,” says IDC New Zealand country manager Ullrich Loeffler. “Moving forward, these companies need to start developing this data into meaningful 'intelligence' by offering it to a broader spectrum of users, as well as leveraging forward-looking predictive analytics to drive competitive advantage in their respective market.”

Increasing unease over the security of outsourced IT is leading CIOs to consider bringing management-related technologies in-house, according to Ovum. A global survey by the independent technology analyst has found that organisations are contemplating reducing the outsourcing of security and other IT management applications. Of more than 500 CIOs surveyed by Ovum, only 7 percent said they were considering outsourcing IT security over the next two years, down from 18 percent currently. Rhonda Ascierto, senior analyst at Ovum, described the planned reduction in IT security outsourcing as one of the most striking trends revealed by the survey. “The main reason for this shift away from IT security outsourcing is most likely a lack of confidence,” she said.

By the end of this year, 75 percent of Asia Pacific organisations will increase their software as a service (SaaS) investments, according to a survey conducted by Gartner. Of the organisations surveyed, 80 percent were currently using SaaS for enterprise applications such as ERP and CRM, with the remaining 20 percent planning to use it in the next 12 months.

According to Gartner analysts, SaaS has become more widely accepted in the Asia Pacific region Quarter Three 2010 Start – technology in business 13 in the past two years, with initial concerns about security, performance and availability gradually diminishing as SaaS business and computing models become more mature. The top five most commonly used SaaS enterprise applications, in order, are: financials (accounting); e-mail; sales; expense management; and customer service and support.

Greentree NZ has appointed Janine Witham (pictured) as its new marketing manager. She has 12 years experience in the digital world, including developing digital strategies for Time Warner, as well as holding positions at IBM and Foxtel.

IT search company Splunk has appointed Daniel Miller as regional manager, Australia and New Zealand to head up the company’s initial local presence. Based in Melbourne, Miller is responsible for Splunk operations in Australia and New Zealand, including sales, marketing, education and training and channel relationships. He will also oversee technical support with Brett Matthews, Splunk's newly appointed technical lead for ANZ. Miller has extensive experience in a range of business development roles for IT vendors, distributors and systems integrators. Prior to joining Splunk, Miller held senior sales positions at the telecommunications division of Frontline Systems and Sun Microsystems.

Content security company Websense has appointed Adam Bradley as managing director for Australia and New Zealand based in Sydney. Bradley joined Websense in 2002 and for the past three years has been the company’s senior regional sales director for the UK, Ireland and South Africa.

Security solutions provider WatchGuard Technologies has boosted its Australian systems engineering team with the appointment of Robert Collins as systems engineer, southern region based in Melbourne. Collins previously worked at Trend Micro as systems engineer, pre-sales, enterprise. Meanwhile, WatchGuard has appointed Clive Donde as the company’s first ever New Zealand territory manager based in Auckland. Donde previously established SignalRoom, a boutique outsourced business development and specialist marketing agency for IT firms.

SAP New Zealand has made three new appointments. Phillippa Tait joins SAP as an account executive focused on local government, telecommunications and manufacturing. She previously in recruitment, placing SAP contractors in roles with SAP customers throughout New Zealand. John Skelton takes up the role of field operations manager. He was previously CFO at the Problem Gambling Foundation. Both roles are based in Auckland. In Wellington, Michael Wray has been appointed solutions advisor focusing on the public sector. He joins SAP from Tenzing (formerly Bearing Point) and prior to that he was a senior member of the SAP finance team at Nestlé in the UK.

IT products and accessories supplier Simms International has appointed Michael Rickers as general manager of sales. In this newly created position, Rickers will have responsibility for overseeing the expanding sales team in support of Simms’ growing portfolio. Rickers has held senior sales and general management roles within the Australian IT channel spanning 23 years. His most recent role was heading up the northern region sales (NSW, QLD & NT) at Hitachi Data Systems.

Australian systems integrator, iVision, a provider of unified communications services and solutions, has appointed David Snapp as national service delivery manager based in Melbourne. Snapp previously spent more than seventeen years at AT&T and Lucent Technologies in a variety of senior positions based in the US, Australia and Singapore.

RSA, the security division of EMC, has appointed Julian Garreffa to the role of information and security specialist for the New Zealand market. Garreffa has worked at RSA since 2008, heading up the network security team for the Victoria region where he worked with government, telcos and enterprise organisations to provide effective and robust security solutions. Prior to joining RSA, Garreffa held sales and support roles at NetScout Systems and Network General – both of which were responsible for the New Zealand market.

Data centre services provider Maxnet has appointed Rod Severn (pictured) to the newly created role of sales director. Rod brings more than 25 years of IT experience to Maxnet, including 11 years with Sun Microsystems, where he was New Zealand country manager as well as New South Wales state manager. He has also held management positions with Fuji Xerox, Computer Associates and Memorex Telex.

Quest Software has appointed Cameron Upshall as professional services manager for Australia and New Zealand and Michael Brooke as a partner enablement consultant for the Asia Pacific region. Upshall has previously held IT roles with Hewlett-Packard, Dell, the World Swimming Championships and Melbourne Commonwealth Games, and the Australian Navy. Brooke joined Quest Software in New Zealand following the acquisition of Aftermail NZ in 2006, moving to the UK to work for Quest there.

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Contact editor: simonhen@xtra.co.nz
Web: www.iStart.co.nz









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