As a local technology partner to businesses across New Zealand, Datacom gets a close-up view of the challenges that organisations are facing and what they are doing to overcome these challenges.
One of our team's observations based on working with so many companies – from SMEs to some of the largest corporates in the country – is that understanding key market trends and what is happening with new and emerging technologies is incredibly helpful for businesses. And that’s why, each year, we invest in a series of research reports that provide insights into key areas of business and technology.
Over the past six months we’ve released three major research reports spanning AI, data and cloud insights and as we look ahead to 2025, here are some of the highlights worth keeping in mind.
Our “State of AI Index: AI Attitudes” report showed a rapid shift in the adoption of AI among New Zealand companies.
Two-thirds of businesses are now using AI, up from 48% in 2023. This rapid uptake reflects a growing confidence in AI’s potential. Positive sentiment toward AI has also surged, with 70% expressing of respondents describing AI as “exciting, I support it”, compared to 47% last year. Among those already using AI, 80% reported AI was positively impacting their operations.
But the takeaway is not to adopt AI for AI’s sake. Instead, as our resident Datacom AI experts outlined at a recent event for local businesses, companies need to identify the right use case for their organisation. Whether it is to automate some basic tasks, make better use of data or transform payroll processes.
For organisations looking to implement AI, it is important to think about governance too. Set clear targets and guidelines for the responsible and effective use of AI.
Another critical foundation for the successful adoption of AI is well managed, good quality data, which was the focus of our “dirty data” report. Dirty data – characterised by duplicates, outdated information and inaccuracies – poses significant risks.
My explanation of why data quality matters so much? The quality of AI outputs is wholly dependent on the quality of data that is available – garbage in, garbage out. For example, AI can be a powerful predictive tool and can identify patterns and trends within your business that you can use to guide strategic decisions, but if the data is off, then the AI analytics will be too.
Our data research indicates that many New Zealand businesses may struggle to fully leverage AI due to data quality issues – 30% believe that half or less of their data is free from issues.
In our fifth annual cloud report, conducted with Tech Research Asia, we surveyed over 730 organisations to understand the state of cloud and tech infrastructure.
Topline growth, cost management, customer acquisition, and risk management are top priorities for New Zealand businesses in 2024, while innovation appears to have taken a back seat.
Investment is focused on IT platforms and operational technology, with significant budget allocations for AI development and cybersecurity. Notably, 40% of organisations plan to increase their cloud computing spend next year.
A focus on IT platforms makes sense given cloud technology provides opportunities to manage cost pressures in an uncertain economy. But, as our teams have seen time and time again, cloud is also a powerful engine for business growth and a strong foundation for innovation – so businesses don’t have to make an either/or decision.
Our cloud experts recently outlined the ways cloud technology can enable organisations, and here are some highlights that could set businesses up for success in 2025. Cloud can help organisations:
Taken together, these findings underscore the importance of strategic planning and investment in technology. For our part, as we look to the year ahead, Datacom is looking forward to working with our customers to address their challenges and unlock new opportunities.
