IT Support for Farms and Agribusinesses
A shed tablet that will not sync and an office connection that drops need different responses. Exodesk provides agriculture IT support for farming businesses, growers and rural operations across New Zealand, built around where the work happens.
Our Christchurch and Dunedin teams manage agreed devices, accounts, connectivity and recovery, working with your software and equipment providers.
Supporting New Zealand businesses since 1989
What does agriculture IT support cover?
Agriculture IT support looks after the technology a farming business relies on: the farm office, connectivity to agreed work areas, phones and tablets, staff access, business records and recovery, with responsibilities recorded for each provider.
The technology is similar to other businesses, but the support arrangement differs. Work is spread across buildings and paddocks, staff numbers change through the season and some systems belong to equipment or software providers. Agriculture IT support needs to account for all of that before anything is promised.
Exodesk has supported New Zealand businesses since 1989. Today, our Christchurch and Dunedin teams support businesses nationwide, with support hours, travel and any site attendance agreed for each property.
Support across the property and the season
Our agricultural IT services start with the systems your team uses each day and the work that cannot wait when something stops.
Office, sheds and yards
The internet service, links between buildings and local WiFi for the work areas you agree, designed and tested for the job.
Devices and staff access
Supported phones, tablets and computers, with access that follows each role as people join, change roles or leave.
Records and recovery
Storage, access and backup for the systems in scope, so the records you need can be found and restored.
Agriculture IT support schedules planned changes around calving, lambing, harvest or your own busy periods where practical. Network projects, new equipment and integrations are quoted separately.
Connectivity for the places you work
Connectivity on a property has three separate layers: the internet service reaching the property, the links between buildings and the local WiFi devices connect to. Agriculture IT support treats each layer separately, because a fault in one needs a different fix.
A wireless bridge between the house and a shed does not automatically give phones WiFi along its path. We survey your applications, devices, buildings, power and viable link paths, then agree which work areas need coverage. Cabling, point-to-point wireless, access points and cellular each suit different jobs. Our business WiFi and business internet pages cover each layer in more depth.
We identify where coverage is practical and where an offline process is the better option. Where a connection is unavailable, offline capability belongs to the application, so we check what it saves on the device, how uploads queue and how staff confirm that synchronisation has completed.
Manage devices, staff access and records through the season
Farm IT support needs a process that still works when staff numbers change and devices are used in wet, dusty or remote conditions.
- Supported devices. We help select and manage phones, tablets and computers through our mobile device management service. Hardware is chosen for its working conditions.
- Seasonal staff access. We agree who approves access, what changes when a person joins or leaves and who confirms completion. Standalone farm apps, shared accounts and supplier portals still need checking.
- Lost or damaged devices. Remote lock or wipe depends on the device platform, enrolment and connectivity, and a damaged or submerged device may not reconnect at all. Encryption and screen locks protect data before a loss; remove relevant access promptly if a device is lost.
- Records. Record obligations vary by farm activity, stock, region and assurance scheme. For example, OSPRI requires people to record cattle and deer movements between NAIT locations within 48 hours. Your business and its advisers set the record schedule, and agriculture IT support covers capture, access, retention and retrieval.
- Backup and recovery. Cloud storage and sync are not a complete backup plan. We agree coverage, retention and recovery priorities, which may include our Microsoft 365 backup service, and confirm whether records waiting on a device have synchronised.
Where staff capture information in the field, Transsend mobile forms can help, though a form entry is not a submission to an approved traceability system.
Work alongside your farm software and equipment providers
Your farm, herd, payroll and accounting applications have their own features and support terms. We record who handles an application fault, an equipment issue or a connectivity problem, so each one reaches the right people.
Milking systems, irrigation controllers, scales and other machinery stay with the relevant provider unless a specific responsibility is agreed. IT changes that affect physical processes need coordinated change control and an operational fallback. The NCSC’s operational technology guidance treats keeping the system safe and separating it from other networks as core principles, and we follow the provider’s lead on their equipment.
Where records need to move between applications, our business software integration service checks the source of truth, data fields, units, timing, validation and failed transfer handling. Agriculture IT support coordinates issues that cross between systems, involving the relevant software or equipment provider where needed.
How agriculture IT support is set up
Each agriculture IT support arrangement starts with your locations, users, applications and the problems that interrupt work today.
Review
Record locations, work areas, users, devices, applications, equipment providers, current connectivity and recurring problems.
Agree the scope
Confirm supported systems, provider responsibilities, support hours, urgent escalation, travel, recovery priorities and separately quoted work.
Hand over
Confirm administrator access, multi-factor authentication, backups and provider contacts, with changes scheduled around your busy periods.
Support and review
Handle requests within the agreed scope and review access, coverage and recovery before the next demanding season.
Planned changes follow your working calendar, with a process for urgent work when waiting would carry more risk. Faults that cross between Exodesk’s IT work and a provider’s system follow the escalation path agreed in the scope.
What affects the cost of agriculture IT support?
Cost depends on users, devices, applications, distances between sites, connectivity work, recovery needs and the support hours required. Response and recovery terms are made clear in the proposal before you commit.
- Ongoing support. Users, devices, locations and support hours within the agreed scope.
- Projects. Network work, building links, new WiFi and integrations, quoted separately with any site investigation and its cost set out first.
- Equipment and licences. Hardware, Microsoft 365, backup and application licences, shown separately from Exodesk’s work.
- Travel and terms. Travel, inclusions, exclusions, GST and the term, set out in the quote.
Agriculture IT support sits within the wider agreement described on our managed IT services page. Measure any time saved on your own operation rather than assuming it.
Farm IT support questions
What does farm IT support cover?
It can cover office systems, devices, staff access, connectivity, records and recovery within an agreed scope. Exodesk identifies the systems it manages and coordinates with software and equipment providers. Specialist machinery or application work is included only where agreed.
How is agriculture IT support different from general business IT?
The core technology can be similar, but the support arrangement needs to account for dispersed work areas, operating conditions, connectivity gaps, staff changes and seasonal priorities. The scope and checks follow the work at your property rather than assuming one office setup suits every location.
Can you provide WiFi in a farm shed?
In many cases, yes, but the design depends on the building, distance, available power and the connection back to the network. A site investigation establishes suitable options and the work areas to cover. An access point, a building-to-building link and the internet service each do a different job.
Can you support our farm and herd software?
We support the agreed IT environment and access arrangements, and work with the software provider when an issue concerns its application. Product functions, integrations and any specialist equipment responsibility are confirmed in the scope rather than assumed.
How do you manage seasonal staff access?
We agree access by role, record the systems each person uses and plan changes when people join, move or leave. Supported expiry settings can help, but separate applications, shared credentials and active sessions still need checking. A named person confirms that the relevant changes are complete.
Can you manage phones and tablets used on the farm?
Yes, for supported devices within the agreed arrangement. Management can include enrolment, apps, updates and security settings, with hardware chosen for the conditions it will face. Remote commands depend on the platform and connectivity, so a lost device also needs an account and data protection response.
Can you help with compliance and traceability records?
We can help organise access, storage, backup and retrieval for records in scope. Your business and its advisers determine the applicable obligations, retention and approved systems. A folder, photograph or backup does not by itself establish compliance or complete a required submission.
What affects the cost of farm IT support?
Users, devices, applications, site distances, connectivity work, recovery needs and support coverage all affect cost. Your proposal identifies ongoing support, projects, equipment, licences, integrations and travel separately, with assumptions and exclusions clear.
Will you visit a rural property?
On-site work and travel are agreed for the location and task. Remote support handles suitable issues when access is available, while surveys and physical work can need attendance. Support hours, urgent escalation, travel charges and attendance arrangements are confirmed before you sign.
Do you support farms across New Zealand?
Yes. Exodesk has supported New Zealand businesses since 1989, and our Christchurch and Dunedin teams support farming businesses and growers nationwide. The proposal confirms the location, supported systems and attendance arrangements, so tell us your address and what needs attention.
Talk to us about your farm IT
Tell us your location, users, main applications, the work areas affected and what is interrupting work, and we can discuss the scope and next steps. Please leave passwords and sensitive records out of your enquiry.
Discuss farm IT support
Tell us your business name, location, staff numbers, main applications and what you need from agriculture IT support, and we will be in touch to arrange a time that suits.
Prefer to talk?
Christchurch
Level 1, 85 Riccarton Road
Christchurch 8011
03 343 3124
Dunedin
Level 3, Bartons Building
2 Stafford Street, Dunedin 9016
03 479 2941