The Ultimate Guide to Digital Transformation
A curated Kiwi edition of TechDay news, analysis, interviews, reviews, job moves, and related resources for Digital Transformation.
What to know about Digital Transformation
Digital Transformation is a pivotal topic shaping the future of business, technology, and society. This extensive collection of stories highlights how organisations across industries and regions are navigating the complexities of digital change, leveraging emerging technologies such as AI, cloud computing, IoT, and automation to enhance operations, customer experiences, and competitive advantage.
From global expansions and strategic partnerships to AI-driven innovations and challenges involving legacy systems, skills gaps, and cybersecurity, the narratives offer deep insights into the multifaceted nature of digital transformation. Readers can explore case studies of enterprises revamping their infrastructure, government initiatives accelerating digital services, and the evolving roles of leadership in driving technology adoption.
Engaging with these stories will provide readers with a broad understanding of current trends, practical strategies, and forward-looking perspectives essential for thriving in an increasingly digital world. Whether you’re a business leader, IT professional, or technology enthusiast, this tag offers valuable knowledge on embracing transformation to foster resilience, innovation, and growth.
Kiwi Digital Transformation News
Regional stories with direct local relevance
Inside A Fonterra Division's Data Overhaul: From Basement Servers to AI-Powered Insights
Engineering time freed from basement server upkeep as the division's new Databricks platform delivers faster market insights and AI analysis.
OpenAI says Kiwis use ChatGPT to save hours weekly
New Zealand users are saving hours a week with ChatGPT, as the tool is used for work, budgets, health checks and trip planning.
HEB Construction automates tender CVs with Boomi AI
Tender teams at HEB Construction now save hours per bid after AI turned scattered staff records into tailored CVs and bios.
Company-X launches testbed for roading verification records
The platform could help roading teams spot defects sooner by turning scattered verification records into searchable, location-based evidence.
Thread launches AI marketing record for enterprises
Enterprise marketers could soon stop losing campaign know-how as Thread's AI system records briefs, plans and results in one place.
New Zealand firms struggle to scale AI across business
Despite near-universal uptake, just 4% of New Zealand organisations say AI has transformed core operations, Datacom's survey shows.
Analyst Insights
Research and market analysis connected to Digital Transformation
CloudBolt launches free cloud platform for 100 resources
Altimetrik wins AWS generative AI specialisation
Hitachi Vantara posts 32% Asia Pacific revenue growth
Genesys unveils AI tools to orchestrate customer journeys
Equinix launches managed AI cloud connectivity service
Featured News
Datadog targets enterprise risk with AI and automation
Australian enterprises are under pressure to tame AI-driven complexity, compliance risk and rising technology costs as Datadog broadens its platform.
Mimecast CEO: Agentic AI threat novel but not entirely new
Hidden AI risks are already widespread in workplaces, with Mimecast saying users are driving shadow tools and most exposure still starts with people.
The internet times are a'changing Fastly
Bot traffic is forcing Fastly to adapt its edge cloud tools as publishers and AI firms battle over caching, access and data protection.
Trusted identity cuts across physical and logical systems
Unified identity systems can cut admin overhead and shrink attack surfaces as remote work and cyber threats blur physical and digital access.
Rimini Street offers AI magic without the forced ERP migration
CIOs can keep existing ERP systems and still adopt agentic AI, as Rimini Street pitches a cheaper path away from vendor-led migrations.
Customers at the centre of Adobe's new AI evangelist role
Adobe is using the post to help customers navigate AI adoption while feeding regional priorities back into its global product strategy.
Jamf launches AI Governance to enhance visibility, security
IT teams can now track AI models on Apple fleets to curb data leaks and token spend as businesses wrestle with shadow AI.
Cvent says event success lies in genuine human interaction
Hybrid formats are helping organisers broaden reach without losing the in-room relationships that still drive trust, leads and donations.
Zendesk's outcome-based pricing balances AI with human touch
Businesses will pay only for closed support cases under Zendesk's new model, as the software group ties AI automation to human fallback.
AI will fade, says Dell Technologies' ephemeral Chief AI Officer
Dell says agentic AI should shift routine tasks below the machine line, freeing staff for expert work while making the role temporary.
Schrodinger's ERP both dead and alive, says Rimini Street
Businesses can avoid costly ERP rip-and-replace projects by layering AI and automation onto existing systems, Rimini Street says.
AI adoption races ahead of governance in businesses
Only one in six staff are getting enough AI training, leaving firms exposed to poor decisions, shadow tools and weak returns.
ClickHouse customer base soars on back of AI demand
AI agents are driving a sharp rise in demand for the real-time data platform, which added 1000 customers early in 2026 to top 4000.
SUSE targets Australia's industrial edge to drive growth
Australian miners, shippers and utilities could be next to benefit as SUSE pushes edge computing and AI inference beyond data centres.
Measure/demonstrate: TechnologyOne boosts council digital transformation
Councils are being urged to track savings and focus on improvement after software roll-outs, as one New Zealand authority cuts ERP ownership costs by 38%.
Fresh perspective: New Gentrack CTO on AI-driven utility future
AI tools could cut utility costs and reduce customer friction as Gentrack's new Chief Technology Officer pushes a more proactive service model.
Check Point CTO on AI's double-edged sword
AI is shrinking the gap between vulnerability disclosure and real-world exploitation to hours, forcing security teams to adapt fast.
Meet the man behind the Saas-Pocalypse: Emergent's Mukund Jha
The new cash will help Emergent broaden from coding tools into an operating system for small and medium businesses as demand surges.
Resilience over prevention as AI reshapes security landscape
Rising ransomware speed is pushing ANZ firms to increase spending on recovery strategies as AI gives attackers new ways in.
Check Point: Be the best, or get out the way
Rising AI-driven attacks are compel security buyers to cut vendor sprawl, though Check Point warns over-consolidation can still raise risk.
Check Point: Hackers are already in. Act accordingly
Hackers are exploiting vulnerabilities in hours or minutes, leaving many organisations compromised before defenders spot the breach.
Future of enterprise software is agentic apps, says Oracle
Oracle is targeting a common blocker to AI adoption by adding governance, human checks and audit trails to its agentic app builder.
OnBoard says board AI policy key, but lags behind in adoption
Most boards are using AI, but formal guidelines are still missing as adoption races ahead of governance, OnBoard's survey found.
Archaic payment processes costing SMEs time and money
Australian SMEs are missing working capital gains as manual invoicing and EFTs leave payments slower and less secure.
SiteHive gains traction with unblinking eyes on the job
Construction firms can now monitor dust, noise and weather remotely, helping avoid delays and environmental breaches across hundreds of sites.
Agentic AI creates enterprise challenge beyond LLM boom
Enterprises face rising costs and governance gaps as thousands of AI agents begin operating alongside staff across multiple systems.
CorPlan launches CoreEPM: Rapid return AI-powered Business Intelligence
By replacing spreadsheets and manual finance work, the new platform aims to cut months-long implementation times and free staff for higher-value tasks.
AI reshaping cybersecurity - on defence and attack
Criminals are using AI to scale phishing and hunt flaws faster, forcing firms to harden defences as alert volumes and risks rise.
Reducing cyber risk is still hard: Why CTEM stalls at action
Security teams are still struggling to turn vulnerability alerts into fixes, leaving companies exposed for months when IT and operations must act separately.
Don't lose the human connection in AI-supported recruitment
Human judgement is becoming more valuable as AI screens CVs, with candidates wary of being reduced to data points and overlooked for potential.
UiPath assisting One NZ on journey to become AI leaders
Strict controls are now central to One NZ's AI push as it guards customer data and avoids costly errors in billing and finance.
'Lack of support' as Australia lags behind on blockchain
Years of regulatory delay risk leaving Australia behind as tokenised assets and digital investment platforms gather pace.
Data storage gets profitable as Exaba targets US expansion
Exaba's local cloud storage pitch could give US managed services providers higher margins as it challenges AWS and Azure in a crowded market.
Banks face AI balancing act as regulation tempers uptake
Australia's banks are steadily increasing their use of artificial intelligence, but regulation and data security fears are tempering adoption.
Data-driven transport: The future is here
Australia's truck driver shortage is set to triple by 2029, pushing fleets towards data tools that could make autonomy viable.
How the 'human hour' mentality influences the future of tech
AI pilots are faltering where firms still judge success by hours saved, leaving customer value and workforce design unresolved.
Tech reinvent as Hejaz teases 'Wahda' superapp launch
Weeks before a planned August debut, the app aims to entice more than 2 billion Muslims with chat, video and faith-based AI tools.
Hype growing - but SMEs still face barriers to AI adoption
Small firms risk falling behind unless they adopt AI for practical gains, as SMEC AI says many are still confused by the technology.
'Smart people changing': How humans and agentic AI co-exist
Governance fears and skills gaps are pushing businesses to deploy agentic AI in secure systems while protecting staff from disruption.
Exabeam: Ruthless efficiency can make agentic AI malicious
Behavioural analytics is becoming essential as AI agents can pursue tasks so efficiently that they may cause damage without any malicious intent.
Digidentity helping companies navigate AI fraud challenges
AI-driven fraud is pushing healthcare, government and carmakers to tighten identity checks as remote transactions spread worldwide.
New Zealand 'ingenuity' driving Lightspeed's global success
Auckland's engineers are shaping Lightspeed's products worldwide, as the company expands AI tools and keeps key leadership in New Zealand.
Expert Columns
When IT fails in manufacturing, the whole supply chain pays
Collective cyber defence will be won or lost in how we act together
Most transformations don't fail loudly, they stall quietly
Four rules for outcome based SaaS pricing in the AI era
Machine vs. machine: The new reality of cybersecurity in ANZ
The AI metric that matters isn't token cost
The hidden cost of technical debt in the race to modernise Java applications
The future of autonomous security
You can't manage what you haven't measured: the execution test for water reform starts now
Fragmented payment systems are costing your business
Interviews
Interviews and video coverage from the networkRecent Digital Transformation News
Paddock to Pantry sales surge as online model grows
The online grocer's sales jumped 197% in a year as centralised fulfilment and nationwide delivery help it challenge New Zealand's duopoly.
Digital Island, RingCentral bring agentic voice AI to NZ
New Zealand businesses can now access RingCentral's agentic voice AI through Digital Island, easing deployment and support for local customers.
Four rules for outcome based SaaS pricing in the AI era
AI-driven automation is forcing SaaS groups to rethink licensing, as per-seat fees erode when fewer staff can do more work.
NTT New Zealand revenue rises as annual loss narrows
Higher product sales and managed services helped lift revenue at NTT New Zealand, but cash outflows widened and net liabilities grew.
You can't manage what you haven't measured: the execution test for water reform starts now
Households could face higher bills unless new water entities lift delivery from councils' 60 to 80 per cent record and prove their costs.
NZ CIO of the Year 2026 - Tighe Wall on trust, culture and the cost of holding to strategy
Trust and culture, not technology, powered Contact Energy's transformation, delivering a 30% cost-to-serve cut and 100,000 new customers.
Salesforce & Anthropic launch Claudeforce partnership
Sales teams will soon be able to query live Salesforce data inside Claude as the pair deepen an AI tie-up across CRM and Slack.
MSP buyers focus on margins as AI reshapes M&A market
Private equity buyers are valuing managed service providers on recurring revenue and gross margins as AI uncertainty slows technology dealmaking.
Inde appoints Nish Sudhakaran as AI & data director
The hire bolsters Inde's push into AI and data services as New Zealand firms grapple with governance and security before deployment.
Architecture doesn't need AI to transform it; it needs AI to make it calmer
Routine design admin is where AI is already easing pressure on architects, leaving more time for judgement, care and client work.
Workday joins New Zealand government digital marketplace
Eligible New Zealand agencies can now buy Workday software through a pre-vetted channel, potentially speeding procurement and reducing risk.
Slack launches code channels for AI software teams
Shared code channels could keep AI-assisted development visible to whole teams, with human sign-off still needed before production releases.
iGoDirect names Greg Duncan to lead New Zealand push
The appointment comes as iGoDirect targets faster growth in New Zealand's expanding corporate gift card market, forecast at NZD $2.25 billion by 2028.
The human side of being future ready
Cyber defences falter when staff know the rules but still fail to act, making psychology as important as software for resilience.
New Zealand health providers face rising care pressures
Ageing demand, labour shortages and higher costs are forcing providers to tighten planning and reporting to keep services sustainable.
ClubManager launches New Zealand platform for clubs
Independent clubs in New Zealand can now access local support as ClubManager targets operators seeking tighter admin and higher member retention.
AI search answers vary widely across major platforms
A New Zealand study found users can get markedly different brand recommendations from ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Microsoft Copilot.
Accenture Song finds Kiwi brands still failing promises
A new survey suggests customer frustration is nudging more New Zealand shoppers towards AI tools, even as brands struggle to rebuild trust.
REANNZ signs cyber resilience pact with Asia-Pacific
Cross-border research could face slower recovery from cyber attacks, as network operators agree to share contacts, lessons and support before crises hit.
NRC explores how AI could boost council services and decision-making
The review could identify quick wins for Northland residents, while weighing privacy, security and ethical risks before any rollout.
Job Moves
Inde appoints Nish Sudhakaran as AI & data director
iGoDirect names Greg Duncan to lead New Zealand push
Microsoft appoints Nick Walton as NZ Managing Director
One New Zealand names CFO, CTO in executive succession
Tax Traders appoints Chloe Kyrke-Smith as Head of Product
Dentsu Aotearoa launches technology practice with Knox
HP New Zealand appoints Daniel Roberts as Head of Enterprise
Spectrum Consulting names Darryl van Rensburg for AI drive
Inde appoints Matthew Flatt as Technical Director of Data