Fingermark and ReLeased among fastest growing tech businesses

In a report released in late 2022 of the top 200 Technology companies Fingermark toped the supreme scale-ups with an increase in revenue from $8.8m to $21m with ReLeased at 7th place increasing revenue from $4m to $12.6m. Innovate HB programme lead Hal Josephson says some local businesses to look out for in technology space are Fingermark and Ask Your Team while he has also seen an increase in new businesses establishing in shared workspaces such as The Hive in Hastings.

“It’s a great time for new companies to build a base or loyal customers. Established companies are not paying as much attention to their best customers, who are leaving and not being asked why.”

He adds that there is a growing trend for e-transactions and younger generations are doing business online. An example is Shaleah Lawrence, the winner of Innovate HB, who set up her own ecommerce website and ran a successful Black Friday sale campaign.

With China remaining under tight COVID restrictions New Zealand businesses are now doing more trade with the likes of Malaysia, Korea and Vietnam.

New tools to optimise and protect your business

The Profit’s Tech expert Dr Tom Hartley of Govern says there’s some great new technology tools that will make it easier to do business in 2023.

Tom says Microsoft will bring the cloud closer to businesses with Office 365 being renamed to Microsoft 365 adding some new tools such as Microsoft Groups and Microsoft Loops, both new ways to collaborate with others.

“Microsoft 365 is the new hotness from Microsoft, bringing together the best of Office 365, Windows 10 and Enterprise Mobility + Security in one place. It’s like having a full suite of integrated products in one convenient package.

With Microsoft 365, you can still access world-class apps and services like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook as well as powerful security features to help keep your data safe.

Microsoft Groups will offer tools that make it easier for teams to stay connected and be more productive such as group workspaces, assign tasks, share files and documents, real-time chats with team members and video conferences with screen sharing capabilities.

Tom says Microsoft Loop is Microsoft’s latest effort to revolutionise how people interact and collaborate in the digital world – an all-in-one collaboration platform that brings together the power of Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and more into a single, unified experience.

“With Loop, you can easily access files stored across multiple locations and collaborate with colleagues and teammates in real-time without ever leaving the app.

Plus, Loop’s built-in intelligence makes it easy to stay organized and focused on what matters most.

Apple has introduced advanced security features across its product ecosystem. With iMessage’s Contact Key Verification, Apple users can verify that the person they are communicating with. Apple has also introduced Advanced Data Protection for iCloud taking end-toend encryption to a higher level across iCloud.

Security Keys for Apple ID enables users to use physical security keys as a second tier protection. While Apple doesn’t make physical keys, companies like Yubico, and Apple are working to make this a reality.

Tom says business owners need to be more vigilant to cybersecurity breaches in 2023 after a MSP services company claiming to offer cybersecurity as part of their services across New Zealand and Australia, including several NZ government agencies, was the latest to be subjected to a ransomware attack that raised the interest of the NZ Privacy Commissioner and the NCSC. This emphasises the appreciation that every business, including those delivering cybersecurity services, should undergo a thorough comprehensive Risk Analysis and Treatment plan.

Tom says, “I’m alarmed by how many business leaders I speak to who aren’t aware of the security gaps in their businesses. I’m equally concerned by those who have had an ‘Essential 8’ audit, thinking that this is a satisfactory analysis of their cybersecurity positionit simply isn’t.” Cybersecurity threats come from many directions, and a full evaluation of the cybersecurity posture is essential.