September 30th, 2013
Photo credit; Jeff Gunn on Flickr
New Zealand company Mako Networks, which helps businesses protect themselves from cybercrime, has opened an office in San Francisco and is ready to take a run at the American market.
The international expansion for the Auckland-headquartered company is largely due to research and development grants from the government, as well as the government-sponsored Kiwi Landing Pad in San Francisco, which helps Kiwi tech companies get a foothold in the USA.
“The Kiwi Landing Pad has served as a great base to help us get established here in North America,” said Simon Gamble, Mako’s co-founder and president for North America, adding that in its 18 months at the site, the firm had managed to secure US clients during that time and was now ‘graduating’ into its own office.
“We have significant plans for the US market and this new office is a pleasing milestone for us.”
Mako, which was started out in 2000 as YellowTuna Networks, offers cloud-based network management and security systems for companies that process credit cards.
To read more on this story, click here.
Tags: Aukland, Kiwi Landing Pad, Mako, New Zealand, San Francisco
Posted in computer, credit cards, E-mail & the internet, hacking, New Zealand, new zealand business, New Zealand government, online scams, online security, Success story | No Comments »
September 25th, 2013
In a bit of news that will make anyone with an email inbox smile just a little, an Australian man who spammed New Zealand businesses has been fined $95,000 for doing so.
Photo credit; epSos .de on Flickr
Wayne Robert Mansfield of Perth, Western Australia, sent hundreds of thousands of unsolicited emails to individuals ans organisations in New Zealand in 2010. The emails were promoting his company, Business Seminars NZ.
After more than 50 complaints from recipients who said they had no business contact with Mansfield’s company and had continued receiving messages even after unsubscribing from them, the Department of Internal Affairs decided to take legal action against Mansfield under the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act.
High Court Justice Edwin Wylie imposed a fine of $95,000 and awarded costs of more than $8000 against Mansfield in August 2013.
This wasn’t the first time Mansfield has been fined for spamming.
In 2006, Mansfield and his Perth-based company Clarity1 Pty Ltd were fined a total of A$5.5 million in the Australian Federal Court for sending 70 million spam emails to about 5 million recipients between 2004 and 2006.
To read more about this story, click here.
Tags: business, New Zealand, online, spam, spammer, Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act
Posted in computer, E-mail & the internet, email, emails, New Zealand, new zealand business, online messaging | No Comments »
September 18th, 2013
New Zealand-based Dearly Beloved came into existence the same way so many online businesses do; the founder discovered a niche to fill when she herself was searching for something online that she couldn’t find.
Photo credit; Larry Lamsa on Flickr
In this case, that something was a comprehensive online wedding directory in New Zealand.
Dearly Beloved owner Juliet Blair was on a sabbatical in Germany with her soon-to-be-husband and the couple were planning to do some planning for their New Zealand wedding while they were in Europe, but they found a frustrating lack of available services to do that.
Blair shared her frustrations with a couple of German friends who happened to be software developers and three months later, in February of this year, she had her own online business up and running, which aims to help brides-to-be find what they need for their dream wedding quickly and efficiently.
While the business is just getting its feet under it now, Blair eventually plans to expand the business to Australia, Asia and the rest of the world for people interested in marrying in New Zealand.
To read more on this story, click here.
Tags: Dearly Beloved, Germany, marriage, New Zealand, niche, startup, weddings
Posted in E-mail & the internet, Expansion to Australia, New Zealand, new zealand business, Online Sales, online shopping, Success story | No Comments »
September 11th, 2013
A New Zealand carpet company was appalled that its online advertisements had been running on a social media site associate with a rash of teen suicides.
The site, ask.fm, is aimed at insecure teenagers, who are encouraged to ask anonymous questions. But, showing social media’s dark potential, the site has attracted trolls who post spiteful comments on the site in response to the questions.
Ads from New Zealand’s Cavalier Bremworth were running on the site, prompting the company to request that Google cease running their ads on it.
Company spokeswoman Desiree Keown says the company’s media agency briefed Google on where to place its ads, but it was obviously ignored.
“I was alerted late yesterday afternoon and we asked immediately, our media agency contacted Google immediately to ask them to take it down.”
She says: “We were not happy at all to be associated with a website like this.
“It’s not a good look and obviously we were very concerned to have it removed immediately.”
To read more on this story, click here.
Tags: ask.fm, Cavalier Bremworth, New Zealand, online advertising
Posted in Google, New Zealand, new zealand business, offensive material, online marketing, social media, social networking | No Comments »
September 4th, 2013
A New Zealand company calling itself GoogleDirectory and charging people thousands of dollars to be listed is now being investigated for fraud because it has no actual link to Google.
The company launched in July of this year but has been signing up companies since May, promoting itself as a new way for companies to market themselves online.
Fraud police are investigating a New Zealand company calling itself GoogleDirectory – set up with no links to the internet giant but which has listed thousands of businesses and state agencies.
The company launched last month, but had been signing on companies since at least May, promoting itself as a new online marketing tool.
Detective Senior Sergeant Aaron Pascoe, of the Auckland central police financial crime unit, said police had received several fraud complaints from businesses.
“The financial crime unit has received information about GoogleDirectory and we’re aware of allegations which has prompted us to look into it. We have spoken with a representative of the company,” he said.
Google, the search engine giant, has also launched its own investigation.
GoogleDirectory offered New Zealand businesses special internet advertisement packages ranging from $200 to $15,000.
The packages – which cost between $200 and $15,000 – promise to get a business advertised on its site, several other international websites and links to social media pages.
Business people who had been duped by GoogleDirectory said the company told them it was associated with Google and that the services they were purchasing would lead to a bonanza of online activity, none of which turned out to be true.
GoogleDirectory director Simon McLeod could not be tracked down by the New Zealand Herald for comment.
To read more on this story, click here.
Tags: business, fraud, Google, GoogleDirectory, New Zealand
Posted in E-mail & the internet, fraud, Google, New Zealand, new zealand business, online scams | No Comments »
September 4th, 2013
Online crowd sourcing site Kickstarter has announced that it will open up to New Zealand and Australian projects in the near future.
Kickstarter is hosting sessions in Sydney and Melbourne this month for people who have project ideas.
Founded in 2009, Kickstarter allows people to pitch their ideas to the general public to solicit funding for their ideas to get made. Movies, video games, gadgets and music has all been funded through the U.S.-based site.
To read more about this story, click here.
Tags: crowd funding, crowd sourcing, Kickstarter
Posted in E-mail & the internet, Expansion to Australia, New Zealand, new zealand business | No Comments »
August 30th, 2013
A Digital Enablement Training program will be rolled out across New Zealand in the coming months to help small businesses take advantage of the Government’s ultra-fast broadband (UFB) and rural broadband (RBI) programs.
The program will include workshops on how UFB, RBI and other new technologies will impact on companies and identifies the opportunities it presents.
“The internet is a strong and growing marketplace,” Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams said when announcing the program. “Faster broadband can deliver greater productivity and lower costs, but small businesses need to know how to use it to maximum effect.
“Fast broadband enables businesses to connect easily to the world, and our investment in broadband will support innovation, high-tech jobs, and grow productivity.
“The Digital Enablement Training program will help these businesses understand the benefits that UFB, RBI and ICT services can bring, and help them make more sophisticated use of the tools and services available.”
The program has been supported by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and will be available through the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Regional Business Partner Network around New Zealand.
Adams said although nearly two million New Zealanders want to buy online, only 64 per cent of small businesses have a website and only 11 per cent offer customers the ability to pay online.
To read more on this story, click here.
Tags: Innovation and Employment, Ministry of Business, New Zealand, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Regional Business Partner Network, rural broadband, small business, ultra fast broadband
Posted in broadband, E-mail & the internet, New Zealand, new zealand business, New Zealand government, Online Sales, online shopping, onlines store, ultra fast broadband | No Comments »
August 28th, 2013
New Zealand businesses have been sluggish in responding to automated cyber attacks, leaving businesses of all sizes vulnerable, cyber security experts have said.
Modern hacking tools mean that cyber criminals can quickly and easily scan the internet for vulnerable websites and launch attacks and New Zealand is becoming a prime target, Mark Kraynak, senior vice president of US- headquartered data security company Imperva, said.
“Now that the bad guys can find anyone online, [things have] changed. They’ve figured out that the little guys are actually pretty good targets,” Kraynak said.
“It’s probably true that criminals weren’t paying much attention to New Zealand but it’s become easier for organisations to find places to attack here.”
Kraynak claims data attacks in New Zealand are ten times higher than in Australia, on a per capita basis and businesses from the largest banks down to the smallest online retailers are at risk because while other countries were diligent about beefing up online security, New Zealand lagged behind.
To read more on this story, click here.
Tags: business, hacking, New Zealand, online, risk, security
Posted in E-mail & the internet, fraud, hacking, malicious software, New Zealand, new zealand business, New Zealand government, online scams, online security, onlines store | No Comments »
August 21st, 2013
New Zealand’s Claire Ongley always dreamed of working for herself so when she moved back home a few months ago after six years in Sydney, she decided to start her own online business.
With the help of an online store service, she got IzzyandJean.co.nz up and running, selling unusual home wares and accessories imported from overseas.
The products Ongley sells include cotton fouta towels, which come in all different colours and are like Turkish bath towels, coats for dogs, neck ties from a New York designer and boots from Morocco.
Her first task was to get the website up and running. She used a popular e-commerce platform.
“You can set up your online store quite easily without having any technical knowledge. So that’s allowed me to do it all myself, except the logo that was designed by a friend of mine.”
To read more about this story, click here.
Tags: business, IzzyandJean, New Zealand, online
Posted in New Zealand, new zealand business, Online Sales, online shopping, onlines store, shopping, Success story | No Comments »
August 14th, 2013
Briscoe Group has turned its sights toward acquiring online retail businesses.
Rod Duke, managing director of Briscoe Group, which operates Rebel Sport, Briscoes and Living & Giving, said the company is not quite as keen as New Zealand’s biggest listed retailer, The Warehouse, to get into online business. The Warehouse has invested in the online stores Torpedo7 and pet.co.nz.
“It’s something we could look at,” Duke said. “(Online) is an interesting place to be.”
Duke refrained from giving any clues about any specific online businesses Briscoe might be interested in buying or when it might make those purchases.
“What I can say is if we were to buy a business it would play to our core competency (of high-volume consumer goods),” he said. “I don’t have any desire to get into a range of businesses that some people might think that we can operate in.”
Duke said that Briscoe would increase cash reserves in the current financial year from the $78 million it had at the end of January.
“We haven’t had any debt for 15 years,” he added.
To read more on this story, click here.
Tags: Briscoe, Briscoes, Living and Giving, New Zealand, Rebel Sport, The Warehouse
Posted in consumers, E-mail & the internet, Going Digital, New Zealand, new zealand business, Online Sales, online shopping, onlines store | No Comments »
