Author Archives: Securecom IT

About Securecom IT

Securecom is a NZ managed and owned Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) providing end-to-end IT services to New Zealand businesses across all industry sectors. We are primarily aimed at the mid-market of around 150-500 seats, although we scale up to our largest customer of 1800 seats, and down to our small owner operators. We take a fresh approach to delivering IT Support Services, improving business outcomes for our customers by partnering with them to lower their IT total cost of ownership (TCO) and improve the experience for their people and stakeholders. We have operated in New Zealand for over 20 years and launched our first cloud service in 2003. Today we manage the IT infrastructure of over 250 NZ based clients, who rate their satisfaction with us at >97%.

Get ready for Windows 11: Better hybrid work with more convenience

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Even good things must end and so it is for Windows 10. With end-of-life scheduled for October 2025, now is the time for planning the upgrade to Windows 11: you don’t want the date sneaking up on you, resulting in a rush job and potential disruption.

Of course, the good news is that Windows 11 is an evolutionary shift from its predecessor, which was released all the way back in 2015. There is no radical redesign, so most of your people will easily adapt to the new operating system. There’s good reason for an evolution, mainly because a lot has changed, most significantly in terms of how we work more than what we do at work. By that, I mean the rise of hybrid and mobile work. Before the pandemic, there were people who worked from home occasionally and some sales and other jobs had people working on the move. As we now know, working from anywhere isn’t just possible, it is generally quite desirable.

Now, what people want from the tools enabling hybrid work include collaboration, ease of access to information and systems/services, an assurance of privacy and security without ‘hassle’, and above all, convenience.

Simply put, we want to work without admin, problems, or issues. And that’s what makes Windows 11 a welcome update over 10. Combined with the latest laptops, tablets, and hybrid devices, it encapsulates what modern technology can do, making our work lives easier and more closely aligned with the technology experiences we enjoy on our personal devices.

What you can expect from Windows 11

For ‘starters’, Windows 11 boots faster, which we’ve measured at around a 15% gain on a Surface Pro. With integration ‘from the CPU to the cloud’, Windows 11 is designed for secure mobility, particularly when used with Microsoft 365 applications (including Teams, SharePoint and the Office productivity suite).

The biggest difference is in the User Interface. Rather than throwing the baby out with the bathwater, Microsoft has evolved Windows 10’s very well received (and dare I say loved) interface, with 11 streamlining with ‘snap layouts’ and personalisable widgets for all your apps.

There’s improved search, both ‘in-device’ and across your cloud locations like SharePoint or the internet, and security is made simple with Windows’ celebrated ‘Hello’ combining with
PIN and password for multifactor authentication (though if you’re like me, your face is all you need – who remembers passwords these days? With Windows 11, there’s no need). Snap layouts are particularly smart: Windows provides suggestions for organising your applications across one or multiple screens, so you don’t have to shunt them around. It works well, saves time, and makes things easier.

With Teams and vid communication now the preferred way of engaging for just about everyone, the application is now directly integrated into Windows 11 – making vid calling a practical default from your laptop, PC or tablet. Overall, Windows 11 means a better experience aligned with how we work in 2024 and beyond. It simplifies common tasks (like finding information), and with Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant built in, Windows 11 can do many tasks ‘on command’ (our advice here is ‘watch this space:

Copilot is relatively new and while already amazing, greater things can be expected soon). But as always, it’s best to be prepared for and take care in your Windows 11 migration. Start soon, look to the advantages and the benefits, roll it out well ahead of time (and make sure your hardware is up to the task).

Cloud networks without the headache

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With the emergence of cloud applications and modern mobile devices driving the necessity for ‘anywhere access’, companies across New Zealand are recognising the shortcomings of traditional corporate networks.

A move to virtualised cloud networks matching these applications and use-case scenarios offers multiple advantages – but making the move can be a daunting prospect, with uncertainty around management, configuration, and day-to-day operations.

A robust Software Defined WAN solution makes virtual cloud networks easy and efficient. That’s been confirmed by Liquorland and Radius Care, both of which today enjoy trouble-free connectivity for every employee. Based on world-class technology from Cisco Meraki, secure connectivity and network intelligence is provided and managed from a single cloud-first platform.

As a ‘virtual network’, the solution grows to accurately match requirements over time: when new branches are added, or new people join, the network is adaptable to these changes. Uniting all devices on a single network, including smart cameras, sensors, and anything else connected, all reported in a single online dashboard.

Radius Care: Rest home security assured Rest home and hospital care specialist

Radius Care has 24 facilities around New Zealand with 1800 staff and 1700 residents. With technology becoming more important in the aged care sector, including residents using their own smart devices, the organisation was facing difficulty with visibility across its networks while concerns around security.

“Prior to putting in this solution, we had issues knowing what devices were connected, and questions around security – and we take security extremely seriously,” confirms Information Systems Manager Kayleen Currie.

“We selected this particular solution and now have way more visibility on our devices and all traffic going through our network. Another benefit is the security and stability; then a major plus is the cost benefits, with the new solution being cheaper and more reliable than our previous solution,” she explains.

Liquorland: Branch connectivity across the motu

The suitability of the same solution for organisations with many branches and multiple users is clear in Liquorland’s implementation of this service.

With 145 stores nationwide processing 9 million transactions per year over its network, it’s clear why this company needs unimpeachable connectivity. Brett O’Hanlon, Finance and IT Manager, says the commercial drivers when choosing a new system started with cost. “In addition, we wanted a robust solution in store that wouldn’t require any intervention from our support centre.

The solution is essentially a store in a box package and comes with a Cisco Meraki MX68 [Security and SD-WAN device] and Wireless Access Point that went into every store, with 4G failover.”

This meant setting up each of those 145 stores was easy – essentially a case of plugging in the preconfigured Cisco Meraki device and plugging in the broadband connection. From there, O’Hanlon says centralised management is very simple.

“The Meraki functionality makes it so easy. I can understand on my phone how all our stores are trading, with powerful dashboarding delivering a seamless experience for Liquorland. We’ve been really happy with how the Meraki solution has been provided.”

An end to support calls

Where previously the largest source of support requests once came from network issues, O’Hanlon says, “We now never talk about the network. And then there’s the reliability of the failover process [to 4G, if the fibre network goes down]. It’s seamless.” A better network also sets the scene for innovation, O’Hanlon explains. “We’ve evolved the services that we use out of network over time. We are learning more and more about what a better network can do for us; it doesn’t stop with putting in a really strong network, that is the foundation for building other solutions on top.”