Professional services stories

NZD $173,000 average ransomware cost masks deeper losses as QBE data shows preparation can trim cyber claims by 20% and protect trust.

Quantium joins Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise push with a new AI practice aimed at moving enterprise agents from pilots into production.

Vanyar opens in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East with a specialist Palantir practice aimed at getting enterprise clients into production in weeks.

KPMG deepens Google Cloud tie-up with AI agents for regulated sectors, including a Cardinal Health finance tool to tackle pricing disputes.

Luminance and LexisNexis have struck a tie-up to embed citation-backed legal research inside contract review, aiming to cut switch-hopping for in-house lawyers.

Cognizant named inaugural OpenAI Codex partner as it embeds the coding tool across engineering work for clients and internal software delivery.

Litera brings AI redlining and document comparison to Google Drive and Docs, giving lawyers a new way to review contracts inside Workspace.

Sage and PwC have launched AI-driven tools to speed Sage Intacct deployment and help accounting firms automate advisory work.

Avanade steps up New Zealand presence as businesses move from AI pilots to full-scale delivery and local partners race to meet demand.

Intuit's QuickBooks is under pressure as AI start-ups push automated bookkeeping, forcing accounting software to prove it can do more than digitise ledgers.

Xero unveils AI-native finance platform and JAX assistant to cut admin for small firms, with accountants and bookkeepers also in line for gains.

New Zealand businesses say stable power prices and supply would unlock investment, as Schneider Electric research flags energy uncertainty as a brake on growth.

EY New Zealand bolsters technology transformation push with senior hires as firms chase practical AI gains and better returns from existing systems.

Emergent's Wingman puts autonomous AI agents to work across email, calendars and chats, with human approval for higher-risk actions.

StructureFlow expands its AI platform to turn PDFs, diagrams and spreadsheets into editable legal and financial models for deal teams.

ReliaQuest says suspected former Black Basta operators are bombarding staff with emails and posing as IT support in Microsoft Teams to reach senior executives.

Elite rolls out AI-powered Validate checks to catch questionable legal billing before invoices go out, aiming to cut write-offs and speed payment.

Auctor secures USD $20 million from Sequoia Capital and backers to automate enterprise software rollouts and cut costly project delays.

Dayshape, selected for Microsoft’s Agentic Launchpad, will let professional services firms query staffing, skills and project finances in Teams.

Tax Systems rolls out AI assistant blending company data and IBFD research to speed cross-border tax analysis for multinational in-house teams.