Small Business (SMB) stories - Page 18

Small business sales in New Zealand stalled in the June quarter, down 0.1% year-on-year, while agriculture sales surged 10.9%, showing sector disparities.

Confidence in New Zealand's civil construction sector has fallen sharply despite a USD $207 billion infrastructure pipeline and growing tech adoption.

Pipe has launched four AI agents to speed up small business funding, automating fraud checks and payments to cut decision times from weeks to minutes.

Check Point unveils Quantum Spark 2500 firewalls with Wi-Fi 7, 5G, and AI security, targeting SMBs facing a 61% rise in cyberattacks and boosting MSP support.

Freebies alone won't build a strong workplace culture; employees seek purpose, recognition and clear development to stay motivated and committed.

KnowBe4 launches AI-powered Prevent to help SMBs prevent outbound email risks by using real-time machine learning alerts against data breaches.

Sage appoints Damon Scarr as General Manager for Asia Pacific to drive growth and expand its AI-powered finance solutions across the region.

Bizzy has launched a free online platform to help New Zealand small businesses compare multiple lending offers through a single, transparent application.

Black Pearl Group will acquire US AI sales firm B2B Rocket, combining platforms to boost automation and drive growth with a USD $2.1m revenue earn-out deal.

Mid-size firms and government sectors lag in hybrid identity security, with scores dropping 15% to an average of 61 globally, reveals Semperis' 2025 Purple Knight Report.

Zoom's AI Companion now integrates with 16 apps including ServiceNow and Jira, enhancing productivity by automating tasks within its platform and beyond.

Expense reporting is evolving from a compliance task to a strategic tool, boosting business resilience, efficiency, and growth through real-time insights and automation.

Lightspeed's Asia-Pacific MD Nicole Buisson says AI and smarter tech are vital for Aussie hospitality to tackle inflation, labour costs and changing consumer habits.

Canadian moving service marketplace Top Move rebrands as Wise Move to unify its brand and expand globally with a transparent, digital-first platform.

Phishing-as-a-Service, powering 60-70% of attacks, is lowering barriers in cybercrime, letting novices launch large-scale scams in 2025.

Xero has launched Tap to Pay on iPhone in New Zealand, enabling small businesses to accept contactless payments via the Xero app without extra hardware.

Modern security systems prove that user-friendly simplicity can coexist with robust protection, offering seamless, secure solutions for all users.

Siemens launches AI-powered PADS Pro Essentials and Xpedition Standard software to simplify PCB design for small and mid-sized electronics businesses.

Cynet updates its AI-driven CyAI engine to cut false positives by 90%, boosting threat detection for MSPs and SMBs in cybersecurity.

Zyxel Networks secured Champion status for its firewalls and VPNs in techconsult's 2025 survey, praised for usability, reliability, and customer satisfaction.