>> T H E I N T E L L I G E N T B U S I N E S S M A G A Z I N E I S S U E 2 6

< Copyright 2011 Intergen Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the permission of Intergen Limited >

INTERGENITE PHOTO GALLERY >> 2

WEB UPDATE >>

6MICROSOFT DYNAMICS AX 2012 >>

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8CONSULTING SERVICES

9OFFICE 365 >>

10MOBILITY >>

11POST PC COMPUTING >>

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>> HOT NEWS

UX DESIGN FOR MOBILITY >> 3WORLDWIDE PARTNER CONFERENCE >> 4

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INTERGEN'S DECADE {1.0} >>

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Out with {decade 1.0}, in with {decade 2.0}

The Christchurch team has a new home

After months of cramped quarters, saintly

quantities of patience and plenty of

team morale to buoy them along, the

team (pictured, centre) moved into their

commodious new office in June.

Intergen celebrates its 10-year milestone

In June we turned 10… and we celebrated and

reflected accordingly. See page 12 for photos.

MICROSOFT DYNAMICS AX 2012 >>

10 years ago a group of 38 people emerged from the Advantage Group and

Intergen was born. Since then, we’ve grown to almost 300 people in six locations

across New Zealand and Australia. We’ve completed thousands of projects

for hundreds of clients, using an ever-increasing

range of Microsoft technologies. The staff of

Intergen have become known as Intergenites.

Intergenites are dedicated to delivering the

absolute best solution to their clients and

take great pride in being innovative and

technically excellent. They love to see the

difference they make, and people benefiting

from the solutions they deliver.

In terms of other recent achievements, we were also incredibly

proud to achieve recognition from Microsoft at the annual Worldwide Partner

Conference in July, where we were awarded both Presidents Club and Inner Circle

status for 2011, both accolades reserved for the top Microsoft Dynamics Partners

worldwide. Inner Circle recognises us as being both the largest Dynamics licence

revenue provider in New Zealand and for achieving greater than 5% licence

revenue growth, placing us in the top 1% of Dynamics partners globally. As part

of these achievements, we receive attention from Microsoft executives at the

highest level. This is extremely valuable to us and to our clients.

Attending Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference is an amazing experience,

not just for the scale but also for the insights. Microsoft showed off some

fantastic new developments, including updates in Microsoft System Center.

This is a relatively new area for us but one in which we see a lot

of opportunity. We have assembled significant experience in

Microsoft System Center and we are already starting to deliver

some great solutions to help IT departments deploy and

manage their desktop and server environments.

Our annual Dynamics Day moved to Auckland this year. The

event allows us to share with the Dynamics community some

of the insights we have about the future of the products and

explore some ideas and possibilities that may help businesses

get even more benefit from their Dynamics investment. This year’s

event is the biggest yet, with well over 200 attendees registered from all over

New Zealand, some coming from as far as Australia.

We have very much enjoyed working with our clients over the past 10 years,

delivering solutions that have helped you achieve your goals. From where we

sit the future looks every bit as exciting and challenging as the past. We look

forward to continuing to help you achieve your goals for years to come.

In June we celebrated our 10-year anniversary. More than anything, the past 10 years have been about people. We have a great team and we’re incredibly proud of what we have achieved.

Photo: The Christchurch team

tony.stewart@intergen.co.nz

>>2

1. Sydney Intergenites celebrate their new spacious work quarters with a spot of indoor cricket.

2. And a spot of Xbox.

3. A Perth office social night out involves Craig Keenan demonstrating his climbing skills (with a less than successful result).

4. Aiden, the Intergen guide dog, visits the Auckland office.

5. Organisers Lucy O'Neill and Josephine Hall reap the fruits of their labour at the Wellington Young Professionals Cocktail party.

6/7. First day in the new Christchurch office.

8. Eugen Buzoianu celebrates one year at Intergen (and one year and one day in New Zealand) with a giant yellow cake.

9. The Intergen Social Club Bake-Off winning entry.

10. Aaron Sinclair and Lee Herd put their tastebuds to the test as bake-off judges.

11. The Christchurch indoor soccer team.

12. The Auckland team celebrates a mid-winter shared lunch.

>> I N T E R G E N I T E P H O T O G A L L E R Y

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Designing the Mobile User Experience (UX)

The mobile web is different. Companies are hungry to know what to do with

mobile but many teams aren’t sure where to begin.

With an increasing number of mobile devices available, you must now

plan your online channel with mobile devices in mind, ensuring you have

the capability to be responsive to multiple display dimensions. Mobile user

experience presents us with the opportunity to craft new ways for people to

interact with your systems and content.

As a web designer, the good

news is that the design

methodology is similar to

designing for traditional

browser-based user interfaces

— of course with some

additional mobile-only

considerations for smaller

screen displays.

Designing a website that works seamlessly on both full-sized screens and

mobile devices can be challenging. Content that fits just fine on a large

screen may not quite work on smaller devices, and you cannot rely solely

on doing the technical work to tell the mobile browser to serve up the

presentation layer correctly.

Creating a mobile-ready website is not simply about removing the design

‘candy’ from your carefully crafted designs. We can’t just add in bigger call-

to-action buttons and expect our mobile experience to be a success.

We need to stay mindful of UX design principles in order to appeal to a

mobile audience. Here are some key considerations to bear in mind.

Know thy user

The best thing a mobile designer can do is observe human behaviour. It’s a

common misconception that UX for mobile is all about creating something

for users that are time poor, checking their mobile on the bus, train or

>> U X D E S I G N F O R M O B I L I T Y

>> INTERGENITE

April Hague-Smith

What do you do?I’m a Web Strategist and User Experience Designer in the Wellington office.

How do you make a difference?I love problem solving and finding solutions that the entire team is proud of and passionate about. I have been working as an Information Architect and Usability Specialist since 2004. I'm passionate about what I do for a living and believe it can benefit those who use the experiences I design.

I enjoy helping public sector organisations, commercial businesses and individuals deliver the best possible online experience for their customers and stakeholders. I have achieved this through my knowledge and practice of interaction design combined with my experience involving customers throughout the project lifecycle using a range of user-centered design research techniques.

What do you love about your job?I have been in agency land most of my career, so it's great to see how the other side tackles the same sort of project! It's great to work with a team of people that have such experience and knowledge within the digital space and to be able to bring my own knowledge and experience to the table.

walking along the street. In actual fact, people are now using their mobiles

at home as they would a laptop, preferring specific tools (or apps) available

to them on mobile.

Understand the medium

When you’re using your mobile phone to consume the web, rather than your

PC or laptop, instead of navigating via your mouse to interact with the web,

you’re now using your fingertips. This, of course, provides its own unique

challenges. You need to ensure that your design accommodates fingertip

navigation. Designers need to rethink conventional mouse-based interaction

– i.e. rollovers and dropdown menus. Be mindful of your own thinking and

age-old habits – don’t be constrained by past conventions.

Participate in the culture

If you don’t already own a mobile device, go out and buy one. You need to

participate in the culture that you are designing for. Embrace the chaos and

experience the ways in which this dynamic and interesting space is changing

each and every day. Stumble on your own usability frustrations and learn

from these in your own designs.

Prototype, prototype, prototype

Prototyping is important in an iterative user-centred design process.

Prototyping provides us with a space where we can test design alternatives,

generate new and better ideas, and gradually refine them into final design

solutions. Prototype early and often through the design process, continually

testing with users and iterating based on their feedback.

Mobile isn’t a fad. Forecasts predict that smartphones will outsell personal

computers this year. We need to ensure that our designs meet this increasing

demand and provide positive online mobile user experiences.

If you’d like to chat about your questions and concerns about how to design

for mobile user experience, we’re always keen to talk.

mark.delaney@intergen.co.nz.

Mobile design application requires a different approach.

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>> W O R L D W I D E P A R T N E R C O N F E R E N C E

>> INTERGENITE

The curtains have fallen on another Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference

(WPC). Held in Los Angeles this year, this was the biggest WPC ever, with over

16,000 attendees converging from around the world. For those of us travelling

long distance, having the conference one stop away in LA was a bonus. As

always, Microsoft was an excellent host and looked after the large contingent of

partners, especially those new to the WPC experience.

I was joined at WPC this year by our CEO, Tony Stewart, and our Chief Operating

Officer, Simon Bright.

For me, WPC can be broken down into three key components, each of which is

equally valuable:

• Keynote and session updates. The opportunity to hear from Microsoft

executives including Steve Ballmer, Kevin Turner, Kirill Tatarinov and many

others about Microsoft’s vision for the future, and upcoming activities and

plans.

• Networking with Microsoft Executives and fellow partners from around

the world. The opportunity to hear first-hand about future plans and how we

are best positioned to leverage them.

• The Expo, renamed this year to the Solution Innovation Center. The

opportunity to meet key partners from all around the world that we represent

and work with.

While 2011 wasn’t a major ‘wave’ year for Microsoft, there was still plenty of

new stuff to discuss, see and hear about. Key technologies discussed included:

Wayne’s highlights from Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2011

• Cloud (Azure and Office 365)

• Windows Phone 7 ‘Mango’ release

• Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

• Windows Intune/Systems Center

There were two key highlights for me at this year’s event:

• Seeing the demo created by the Intergen team utilising CRM 2011, Office

365 and Azure at the Tuesday keynote.

• Receiving recognition for achieving Inner Circle status for the second year

in a row. This recognises Intergen’s position in the top 1% of Dynamics

partners worldwide. Plus we received Presidents Club status, recognising

the top 5% of Dynamics partners worldwide.

As with every other WPC I’ve attended, there were always more things to do

than time allowed, which is a shame when there are several important things

happening at the same time. That is an unfortunate reality of attending an

event of this scale. All in all another successful WPC.

Next year WPC heads back to Toronto (it was last there in 2004) and I’m sure

it will be another memorable event.

wayne.forgesson@intergen.co.nz

1. The red carpet treatment.

2. They must have heard we were coming?

3. We slummed it on a trip to Santa Monica.

2 3 4 5

4. A visit to the Microsoft store.

5. We built this demo.

>>4 < S M A R T S – T H E I N T E L L I G E N T B U S I N E S S M A G A Z I N E – I S S U E T W E N T Y S I X >

Tristyan Lebrun

What do you do?I am a Senior CRM Consultant in Intergen’s Sydney office.

How do you make a difference?I love finding elegant solutions to complex problems. I have been working in the CRM space for over seven years now and have a strong background in business analysis and project management. I pride myself on developing strong relationships with my customers and as my background is in contact centre-based CRM systems, I’m heavily focused on the user experience when delivering projects.

What do you love about your job?I am extremely excited to be part of the Sydney office. I’m a self-confessed start-up junkie so for me Intergen provides the best of both worlds because for once, this “start-up” comes with the added advantage of having a fully established New Zealand practice behind it.

A bit about yourself…I was born in Sydney and have lived most of my life in the Inner West. I’m an amateur musician and supporter of the local Sydney music community. I make an effort to try and see as much live music as possible in my spare time. In the not so distant past I had a brief stint as a professional poker player, however I realised quickly that the seedy underworld of the poker lifestyle was not for me, and now I only play casually these days.

Tristyan Lebrun

What do you do?I am a Senior CRM Consultant in Intergen’s Sydney office.

How do you make a difference?I love finding elegant solutions to complex problems. I have been working in the CRM space for over seven years now and have a strong background in business analysis and project management. I pride myself on developing strong relationships with my customers and as my background is in contact centre-based CRM systems, I’m heavily focused on the user experience when delivering projects.

What do you love about your job?I am extremely excited to be part of the Sydney office. I’m a self-confessed start-up junkie so for me Intergen provides the best of both worlds because for once, this “start-up” comes with the added advantage of having a fully established New Zealand practice behind it.

A bit about yourself…I was born in Sydney and have lived most of my life in the Inner West. I’m an amateur musician and supporter of the local Sydney music community. I make an effort to try and see as much live music as possible in my spare time. In the not so distant past I had a brief stint as a professional poker player, however I realised quickly that the seedy underworld of the poker lifestyle was not for me, and now I only play casually these days.

>> W E B U P D A T E

The Government of Western Australia Department of Culture and the Arts

(DCA) enriches and supports Western Australians in the culture and arts

sectors, helping to support these sectors to provide unique and transforming

experiences. To help in doing this, DCA’s website needed to undergo its own

transformational experience.

A user friendly, good looking and manageable solution, attractive to users

and staff alike, was the order of the day, and DCA chose EPiServer as the web

platform to make this happen.

“What we needed could have been achieved on many platforms, but

EPiServer provided a user-friendly interface for the end user and an intuitive

and simple CMS tool for staff,” says Richard Denboer, DCA’s Web Systems

Manager.

Staff had found the old web solution difficult to update and to learn the

ropes on, and “the result was a clunky, messy website,” Richard explains. Ease

of use in the new system was paramount. The new content management

system needed to empower a wide range of content creators, the support

needed to be professional and responsive, and the product releases needed

to be kept on track.

Having a local website provider was also important to DCA. Richard says: “With

a solution selected that ticked all the boxes, we needed to find a local provider

that would provide a good quality service, good communication and ongoing

support.” Having Intergen on the ground in Perth proved useful. “Intergen

was excellent to deal with and provided great results. The communication was

excellent and the solution was delivered on time,” Richard says.

DCA now has a website its staff are proud of and confident in. As a CMS tool,

EPiServer is more intuitive, and as a destination it offers a far greater and more

dynamic user experience. DCA can now direct its users to a friendly, up-to-date

website that reflects its true purpose and provides a fitting showcase for local

arts and culture.

In summarising the greatest gains EPiServer has brought DCA, Richard says:

“It’s now really simple for us to change content on our website, and our people

are very well trained and confident. And that’s the reason why we purchased

EPiServer creates a fitting showcase for Western Australian arts and culture

Getting personal onlineCustomer engagement is critical for any website. With the explosion of

social media and web media in general, how users are influenced, consume

information, and make purchasing decisions has been altered forever. Our

expectations have changed significantly from the days when one set of

content sufficed for all.

Users are increasingly expecting company websites, products, and services

to be tailored to their individual preferences, past experiences, and what

they happen to be doing – at that moment, in real-time. This puts new

demands on organisations to create personalised and engaging experiences

for their audiences. Returning visitors to a website want to see a page based

on all the information collected from previous visits, while new visitors are

expecting customised messages based on their location or activity.

EPiServer – because it’s simple and easy to use,

and allows us to change our content quickly and

confidently – and we’re happy with that!”

EPiServer has recently updated its core EPiServer platform, combining

personalisation capabilities across content, community, commerce, and

communication ensuring organisations can target personalised content on

their websites, online stores and communities.

Organisations using the latest version of EPiServer can now allow their

marketing teams to deliver targeted and personalised content across any

of these properties, ensuring information is relevant and timely – giving

visitors the information they need to make decisions, or perform transactions.

Demographic and behavioural data such as location, the number of visits they

have had, the pages that have been viewed, search terms, and many other

factors are used to easily and clearly identify visitors and use these factors to

tailor experiences.

We see potential for organisations of all kinds to

adopt these solutions and ensure they deliver a

tailored experience for their audiences – internal

or external. These capabilities deliver the flexibility

to ensure the right information is reaching the

right people, ensuring your investment in your web

solutions delivers maximum value.

If you'd like to talk about the latest offerings from

EPiServer, email wayne.forgesson@intergen.co.nz

>>5< S M A R T S – T H E I N T E L L I G E N T B U S I N E S S M A G A Z I N E – I S S U E T W E N T Y S I X >

Introducing Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 has reached “General Availability” and is soon to be officially launched at a virtual global event. In recent months Intergen has been working with several customers who have been eager to get on board early with the latest release of AX. And while it’s early days, we can see some excellent business productivity stories emerging already. We look forward to being able to tell some of these soon.

There are plenty of Dynamics partners to choose from.

Why choose the Intergen Dynamics team?

A successful implementation is about more than just technology. It’s about

forming a trusted partnership with your technology provider and knowing that

they “get” the unique needs of your business – and that they can build solutions

that meet and can continue to evolve with them.

In the Microsoft world we often talk about leveraging the stack. Interoperability

is key to Dynamics AX, and it’s a platform that works at its best when drawing

upon and working with Microsoft’s other complementary technologies. To make

the most of the Dynamics range, you need to have a depth and breadth of

specialist Microsoft resources on hand. Gone are the days of a single Dynamics

consultant backed by a team of multi-purpose developers. And this is where we

can do what our competitors can’t, drawing on deep Microsoft expertise right

across the business, bringing specialist knowledge to all areas of your project.

Finding a partner who is as passionate as we are about the strategic application

of Microsoft technology is key to the success of any project.

Plus we inSure a great result.

As well as bringing the scope and depth of resources you need to a project,

we also give you the assurance that your solution is in good hands with us.

We’ve taken Microsoft’s SureStep methodology and melded this with Intergen’s

own tried and true application and governance model to create inSure. inSure

combines our existing business process focused approach and extends the

Microsoft SureStep methodology.

The Dynamics AX 2012 proposition.

With more than 1,000 new features and enhancements to talk about, we’ll keep

it simple here. After all, for all these new features, AX is still all about simplicity.

And familiarity. And ‘pervasive interoperability’. (And power and value.)

Darren Wilson of Westland Milk Product explains Westland’s consideration of

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012:

“We intend on implementing Process Industries for

Dynamics AX2012, and have entered the design phase

for this. We evaluated our options and an upgrade to

Dynamics AX 2012 was the ideal all-in-one solution for our

process manufacturing, product traceability and wireless

warehousing needs."

>> M I C R O S O F T D Y N A M I C S A X 2 0 12

James Page is Intergen's Practice Principal, Dynamics Solutions.

>>6 < S M A R T S – T H E I N T E L L I G E N T B U S I N E S S M A G A Z I N E – I S S U E T W E N T Y S I X >

Here are some of the key features, as we see them:

1. RoleTailored User Interface

The new user interface works just like the familiar Microsoft Office

products. Enhancements to the RoleTailored user interface include

FactBoxes, Fast Tabs and Preview Panes that let you view data from

multiple sources without leaving the current form. Word and Excel work

bi-directionally with AX 2012, and Microsoft Office add-ins allow you

to view, analyse and update information within AX. And collaboration

through SharePoint workspaces allows teams to quickly organise and share

information.

2. Built-in Industry Capabilities

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 offers industry-specific capabilities out of

the box, with support for public sector, manufacturing, services, retail,

wholesale and distribution businesses included in this latest release. AX

2012 combines and makes these capabilities available to all customers,

which is a bonus for complex organisations requiring capabilities for more

than one industry.

3. Core ERP Suite Capabilities

In a nutshell: there are more capabilities than ever, and they’re better

than ever. New capabilities include supplier relationship management,

case management and the Audit Work Bench, as well as enhancements

in finance, sales and marketing, procurement, project accounting, human

capital management, supply chain management, inventory management,

and global risk and compliance.

4. The Application Foundation

Master data, reference data and global engines are the foundation of the

application. The enhancements in these three areas simplify the definition

of master and reference data and the use of global engines across the

multi-entity enterprise.

5. Business Intelligence and Reporting

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 BI and Reporting includes more than 800

Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services reports, 11 SQL Server Analytics Server

data cubes and enhancements to the framework, providing out of the box KPIs

for different roles.

6. The Framework

There are a number of structural enhancements in this release designed for

increased IT efficiency and value. These include a graphical workflow editor

and cloud-based services that help reduce IT complexity and front-end capital

requirements. New programming concepts help IT professionals write less code.

Role-based security accelerates the implementation of internal controls, and

a host of new and improved Enterprise Portal features deliver the benefits of

Microsoft AX 2012 through the internet and a web browser.

In all, Dynamics AX is a product designed for agility, so you can “adapt quickly

to change, expand into new markets and develop innovative products and

services.” Sound like something you’d like to know more about? We’d love to

talk to you about your next step into the “new generation” of ERP.

james.page@intergen.co.nz

>> M I C R O S O F T D Y N A M I C S A X 2 0 12

Couldn’t make it to this year’s Dynamics Day?

If you couldn’t make it to Intergen’s Dynamics

Day this year, but still want to learn about the

latest developments in the world of Microsoft

Dynamics, never fear. We’ll be making post-

event synopses and highlights available at

www.intergen.co.nz/dynamicsday for you to

peruse at your leisure. (And, of course, we

have a team of Dynamics experts on hand

year-round who will happily talk through your

questions at any stage.)

As the biggest event of its kind in New

Zealand – a business-focused event tailored

to ERP and CRM users – Dynamics Day has

proved to be a sell-out success (even though

the event is free) for three years running,

with delegate numbers well in excess of 200

this year.

Look out for Dynamics Day ’11 updates,

highlights and photos in the next edition of

SMARTS, due out later this year.

Members of Intergen’s Dynamics team, Steven Foster and Derek Lamb, spreading the word about Microsoft

Dynamics at a recent New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants’ event, held at Microsoft

New Zealand.

>>7< S M A R T S – T H E I N T E L L I G E N T B U S I N E S S M A G A Z I N E – I S S U E T W E N T Y S I X >

>> C O N S U L T I N G S E R V I C E S

We help our clients get maximum value from their improved (or new)

processes and systems by ensuring they are deployed properly. At the end

of the day it is usually people who are using the systems, and they need to

be supported through training, communications, and change management

to help them adopt improved ways of working. We help ensure change

initiatives are successful by managing the cultural, behavioural and

organisational changes required.

We help our clients ensure they will continue to get added value from their

systems and processes by defining effective governance structures so they

continue to gain additional value throughout the life of the system.

We help our clients by performing business and technology health checks

– of their technology plans and their alignment with their business goals;

of their current technology and how well it supports their business; of

specific business processes to identify quick-win improvements; and of their

information management and collaboration strategies.

If you would like to find out more about how we can help you unlock the

value in your business, contact our experienced business and technical

consultants in our Consulting and Architecture Services team.

paddy.payne@intergen.co.nz

Most of our clients are introducing new systems

and processes so they can operate at an increased

level of effectiveness and efficiency, or offer new

services to their markets. Simply put, they are in

the business of transforming their own business.

But sometimes we see decisions being made that

reduce the value an organisation will get from its

technology investments, such as:

• Parochial interests, where one business unit

focusses on their own needs and opportunities

are missed to work with other units to build

something that is greater than the sum of

the parts.

• Automating inefficient processes that should

really be redesigned or optimised before any

systems are built.

• Not bringing the users of the system along on

the ride, and the benefits of the investment

becoming diluted from low user uptake.

Unlocking the value in your business

We help our clients avoid these issues and help them unlock the value in

their business.

We achieve this by working with them at a strategic level to unlock value by

aligning their use of technology with their business objectives through the

development of strategies, roadmaps and transformation plans. We then work

with our clients at an operational level to help them translate their strategies

into effective and executable programmes of work and projects that will

unlock the value in their business.

We help our clients look at the big picture – looking across their business

from all angles such as strategy, technology, process and people. We have

business and technology architects and analysts that help develop an

enterprise-wide view. Think of the construction business. The architect gets

involved at the start of the project to help the client understand their needs,

conceptualise how those needs can be met, to design a solution that will

meet those needs and then to monitor and advise the builders and other

parties to ensure the original vision is achieved. And that’s what we do, both

from a business and technical perspective. We work with our clients at the

big picture level, looking across the organisation, helping them clarify their

high level requirements and then defining and framing them so that all

participants have a clear, shared understanding.

We help our clients prioritise their projects to give them the best bang for

their buck, to identify the key benefits and to gain early success by picking

low hanging fruit.

Although many people think of Intergen as a “technology company,” that is actually far from the whole truth. Yes, we’re passionate about technology, but we are equally passionate about helping organisations become more successful and delivering more value for their customers and staff. In fact our vision statement doesn’t even mention technology – “Everyone, every day, is touched positively by the things we do.” We are driven by making the world a better place!

Paddy Payne is Intergen's Director, Consulting and Architecture Services.

>>8 < S M A R T S – T H E I N T E L L I G E N T B U S I N E S S M A G A Z I N E – I S S U E T W E N T Y S I X >

>> O F F I C E 3 6 5

Microsoft’s latest cloud offering brings together online versions of its best communications and collaboration tools.

With a range of packages catering for all business scenarios – from small

business to enterprise level solutions – and with pricing plans starting at less

than $10 per person per month, there are a number of reasons to sit up and

take notice of Office 365.

Why consider Office 365?

Work from anywhere, at any time, on virtually any device.

Gone are the traditional ‘four walls’ of the office. Work how you want,

where you want.

Spend less on IT, and know exactly what you’re spending.

Save your IT budget for the big projects. With Office 365 you pay only for the

services you need.

Take organisational collaboration to new heights.

Conduct online meetings with colleagues and customers, making the most of

the latest audio, video and screen sharing technologies. Share your calendar;

important business information and documents; create sites for collaboration.

Free up your IT resources.

Office 365 fully manages and supports its offerings, providing 24/7 IT-level

phone support.

Stay online and stay protected.

99.9% uptime guaranteed, the latest virus and spam protection, and

geographically-distributed data centres with backup and disaster recovery.

What does Office 365 include?

It’s not one size fits all – there are multiple plans available to fit different

company needs, including: Microsoft Office Web Apps or Microsoft Office

Professional Plus, Microsoft Lync Online, Microsoft Exchange Online and

Microsoft SharePoint Online.

Big business benefits on a small business budget with Office 365

Why MedRecruit leapt at the chance to get on board with Office 365

Queenstown-based medical recruitment company MedRecruit is all

about offering doctors work-life balance and the chance to see the world

while working. With 20 staff spread across Australasia, and a network of

international contacts, MedRecruit needs low-maintenance and highly

flexible IT systems that “just work”. As a company in growth mode, first-

rate international collaboration was becoming increasingly important. For

MedRecruit, no matter where in the world a MedRecruit staff member or

customer happens to be, the smooth running of business processes and

uninterrupted communications are a must. And as a small business with huge

reach and big aspirations, Office 365 perfectly fitted MedRecruit’s brief.

As very early adopters of Office 365, MedRecruit founder, Sam Hazeldine, is

already counting the benefits Office 365 is bringing.

“We needed a platform that didn’t require us to run our own servers, something

low maintenance and 100% reliable that we didn’t have to think about. Our

email is critical to the operation of our business. If it goes down, business stops,

we can’t access our records and there are all sorts of things that can’t proceed.

Before Office 365, these downtimes were time-consuming for us, and an

inefficient use of our resources. We wanted to get rid of the overhead and time

wastage that was causing strain on our processes,” he says.

Having the latest communication and collaboration technologies on hand is

proving a boon for business, too.

“We’re already fully utilising our solution amongst our Australasian operation,”

Sam continues, “and we’re looking at various other international opportunities,

so having a robust communication platform is critical for us; it’s a support

mechanism for our international expansion plans. Communication amongst our

team is super important and now we can support our team no matter where

they are. Through Office 365 we’re able to talk to and message each other,

which allows us to stay in touch with what’s happening in both countries. This

improved communication definitely gives us a competitive advantage.”

Office 365’s benefits lie in the numerous simple

things that make working life easier, Sam points

out. “There are so many little things that help

improve efficiencies and are absolutely useful,

like instead of walking down the hall – or calling

someone overseas – to see if someone is free, you

can check their calendar online, and see their

availability via ‘presence',” he says.

MedRecruit's founder, Dr Sam Hazledine, shows how work-life balance can be achieved.

>>9< S M A R T S – T H E I N T E L L I G E N T B U S I N E S S M A G A Z I N E – I S S U E T W E N T Y S I X >

8 reasons Mango tastes so good5. Social Integration. Windows Live, Facebook, Twitter

and LinkedIn are seamlessly linked to your contacts and

updates in Windows Phone Mango. Viewing a contact

with linked social information will show you their

Facebook updates, photo uploads, and phone history

(calls, text messages, emails and everything else in

one list). If that’s not enough, when communicating

with a friend, it’s super-simple to switch between

communication modes on the fly.

6. Contact Groups. Take the social networking features mentioned above,

add in calls and text messages, then link them all together with contact

groups. Click on your “Family” group tile, and you’ll see recent status

updates, photos, and communications from that group. Hit one button

to send a group email or text message to all the group members.

7. Bing Audio and Bing Vision. Hold your phone up to a music source

and Bing Audio will identify it for you. Likewise, show Bing Vision some

text or a bar code using the integrated camera on your Windows Phone,

and Bing Vision will recognise the text (or bar code, or QR code).

8. Xbox Live Updates. With the Mango update, Windows Phone

cements its place as the phone to have for gamers. The Xbox hub is

completely redesigned, bringing your Xbox avatar, friends, games and

achievements to the fore.

Overall, Microsoft has added in the order of 500 new features and 1,500

new developer APIs to Mango, so whichever way you look at it, it’s one heck

of a juicy update.

ben.gracewood@intergen.co.nz

>> M O B I L I T Y

Microsoft is about to release a major update to its new Windows Phone platform. Codenamed “Mango," this new update will include a swathe of new features designed to catch up with, and surpass, competitors in the smartphone market.

Why does Mango taste so good? Let me count the ways…

1. Live Tiles. Windows Phone uses a unique tile-based layout on the home

screen. Tiles provide you with “glance and go” information, showing you

everything from unread message counts to Facebook updates. Developers

can now create additional tiles for applications which take you straight to

the information you need.

2. Advanced Multi-tasking. Microsoft has worked hard to combine

the functionality of background processing with the battery life and

performance we expect from our phones. The result in Mango is a rich

background processing framework which allows developers to offload tasks

like large downloads and status updates to the operating system.

3. New Hardware Features. The new Mango hardware specification adds

faster processors, better 3D graphics, and a sensitive gyroscope to the

Windows Phone hardware. With new phones coming from Nokia, Samsung,

HTC and others, there’ll be plenty of sexy hardware available by the end

of 2011. But wait: if you already have a Windows Phone, Mango will work

perfectly on your device too. Microsoft has promised the software update

will be available for all existing hardware.

4. Internet Explorer 9. Using the same underlying engine as Microsoft’s

flagship desktop web browser, Internet Explorer 9 on Windows Phone

brings HTML5 compatibility and blazing-fast Javascript performance to

the phone.

Ben Gracewood

What do you do?I’m a Solutions Architect in Intergen’s Auckland office. I make ideas into reality, whether that’s by crystallising ideas into concrete plans, or actually building software.

How do you make a difference?My background in banking, operational IT and management has taught me that pragmatism and solid code are the roots of great solutions. I help ensure that we don’t over-engineer solutions, while at the same time focusing on the bits that truly matter: security, stability and solution-fit.

What do you love about your job?I call myself a recovering manager. Having successfully led teams of developers and watched them deliver great software, I’ve come to the realisation that I truly love building software. I love that this role lets me get my hands dirty!

A bit about yourself…I’m a geek, and I’m proud of it. My Lego space shuttle has pride of place on my desk, I change phones more often than most people change shoes, and I blog about gadgets and software. I’m married to my high-school sweetheart, and we have two gorgeous kids.

>> INTERGENITE

>>10 < S M A R T S – T H E I N T E L L I G E N T B U S I N E S S M A G A Z I N E – I S S U E T W E N T Y S I X >

>> POST PC COMPUTING

Computing is changing. For the best part of three decades, information workers have been accustomed to creating and consuming data and information through desktop personal computers. Hardware and software makers have benefitted from this trend, and now the PC is entrenched in our daily lives – both business and personal.

Leading analyst firms are now predicting that shipments of smartphone

devices will soon surpass personal computers for the first time. Tablet devices

are also selling in the tens of millions of units, adding fuel to the argument

that the industry is entering a phase where the personal computer is no

longer the dominant computing device. Does this mean the PC is dead?

Reports of the PC's death are exaggerated

Borrowing from Mark Twain, the rise of smartphone and tablet devices will

not kill but will rather complement the desktop PC and laptop form factors for

many years to come.

Whilst Microsoft has long been a proponent of slate, or tablet, devices, it’s

been the smart design and polished execution of the Apple iPhone and iPad

that have triggered a new wave of innovation within the computing industry

and have largely been responsible for the “post PC” discussion.

Despite the impact of these devices, and the waves of devices that will come

into the market, the PC is by no means dead.

Forrester Research forecasts that, even in the US where this change is

occurring most rapidly and the PC is a mature market, consumer laptop sales

will still grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8% between 2010 and

2015, while desktop PC sales will only slightly decline. By 2015 though, while

Forrester estimates 140 million US consumers will possess laptops, 82 million

consumers will own a tablet or slate device.

In other words, there’s room for all kinds of devices. Microsoft has always

talked of the proverbial “three screens”: the phone, the PC and the television.

Inevitably, this story has evolved to include tablets as well – as it must, as this

is what the market wants. There is a significant groundswell towards tablet

devices and Microsoft is evolving its story to counter its increasingly popular

and influential competitors.

Head in the sand strategy?

But while the PC still has years of life left in it, the next release of Windows

– Windows 8 – will be carefully monitored to see if it embraces the change

towards mobile computing or tries to ignore it. Early previews of Windows 8

have shown that Microsoft is fully aware of the market desire to adopt tablet

devices and is building an OS that can be used in multiple form factors. More

will be revealed at Microsoft’s Build conference in September.

Critics of Microsoft believe it has to think radically differently in order

to maintain its pivotal role in the computing ecosystem. By religiously

maintaining its focus on Windows, Microsoft has been accused of being

hell-bent on protecting its Windows franchise, risking it all by adopting the

proverbial “head in the sand” strategy. Putting aside the financial implications

of weakening its Windows franchise (which are significant), is Microsoft

wanting to protect the short-term while ignoring the long-term? Should it

rethink its dependencies and pursue a strategy less dependent on Windows?

Whatever Microsoft does, it’s being closely watched. With 400 million PCs

now running Windows 7, there is a significant user base that will deliver value

for the company for many years to come – and that’s ignoring the earlier

versions of the operating system out there.

Enterprises are a proven market for Microsoft and its offerings. Enterprises

rely on a familiar, stable and – importantly – manageable operating system,

something that other OS vendors can’t currently rival. While consumers may

be attracted by the hardware and software of other vendors, priorities are

different in the enterprise, where productivity and stability remain topmost

in enterprise CIOs’ minds. Enterprises have also invested significant sums in

Is the personal computer dead?

management tools and employee training, so any

purchasing decision needs to take a broad cross-

section of considerations into account. In other

words, in the enterprise where the real money is

for Microsoft and where Windows 8 could quickly

build up some serious momentum.

Hardware makers are also going to support

Microsoft. While the likes of HP and Dell will

produce non-Microsoft-based devices, for true

mass adoption – particularly in the enterprise –

Microsoft will never not be in the mix, and these

manufacturers will create new hardware designs to

differentiate in the market, creating more choice

for purchasers.

It’s about the users

Ultimately, the success of any technology offering

is dependent on the marketplace and what the

users want. The reality is we’re all going to create

and consume information in different ways, at

different times and in different places – and we’re

going to use a range of devices in the process.

Tablet devices are going to make their way into

organisations either by design or accident, and the

next few years will be critical for Microsoft to show

it has the vision and smarts to pivot itself and

adapt to a marketplace that’s rapidly evolving.

tim.howell@intergen.co.nz

Tim Howell is Intergen's Marketing Manager.

>>11< S M A R T S – T H E I N T E L L I G E N T B U S I N E S S M A G A Z I N E – I S S U E T W E N T Y S I X >

Intergen turns 10 and celebrates in styleIntergen’s recent decade {1.0} milestone was

celebrated by the team on both sides of the

Tasman. We reflected on the years gone by,

noting the milestones and the changes that have

taken place over a decade, charging our glasses

to 10 years of making a difference and painting

the IT scene yellow.

Suffice to say, Intergen 2001 and Intergen 2011

are markedly different, and yet much has stayed

the same. Over the past 10 years there have been

significant changes in technology, and Intergen

has experienced huge growth and change.

10 years on, our staff numbers are approaching

the 300 mark (with more than 800 staff having

passed through the ranks over the course of a

decade); our Big Hairy Audacious Goal (that

everyone, every day is touched positively by the

things we do) lives on; we seem have always sat

naturally at a 1:3 female/male ratio; we’ve put

more than $108 million in salaries back into the

economy; we’ve completed thousands of projects

and have provided careers for more than 72

graduates starting to make their way in the IT

world. Who knows what decade 2.0 will hold?

>> I N T E R G E N ' S D E C A D E { 1 . 0 }>>12 < S M A R T S – T H E I N T E L L I G E N T B U S I N E S S M A G A Z I N E – I S S U E T W E N T Y S I X >

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