IT Support for Pharmacies
Exodesk provides IT support for community pharmacies. We support the agreed devices, networks, connectivity, secure access and backup that your team relies on, and coordinate with your dispensary and retail software suppliers.
Our Christchurch and Dunedin teams scope the service around your sites, dispensing benches, existing systems and trading hours. We agree who handles each type of fault, how urgent issues are escalated and which continuity checks are included.
Tell us about your pharmacy, your sites and the systems you use
What does IT support for pharmacies cover?
IT support for pharmacies covers the agreed technology a community pharmacy runs on: dispensary and retail workstations, networks and connectivity, printers and scanners, secure access and backup, with coordination between your dispensary software vendor and other suppliers.
Your pharmacist and pharmacy management remain responsible for dispensing decisions, medicine storage, regulatory compliance and patient care. Exodesk supports the agreed technology and works with the suppliers responsible for clinical software and specialist equipment.
Exodesk has supported New Zealand businesses since 1989. Today, our Christchurch and Dunedin teams support businesses nationwide. Medical centres and other clinical practices are covered by our healthcare IT services, while this page covers the community pharmacy.
Support for the dispensary, the counter and the office
IT support for pharmacies starts with a list of supported sites, systems, devices and versions, and the boundary between Exodesk and each of your suppliers.
Dispensary and retail devices
Workstations and laptops for dispensing, retail and office staff, with managed updates.
Network and connectivity
Network equipment, Wi-Fi and the internet service, with carrier faults coordinated on your behalf.
Printers and scanners
Label printers, barcode scanners and receipt printers kept working with the supported systems.
Secure access
Individual sign-ins, MFA where supported, managed devices and secure remote support.
Backup and recovery
Backup for the agreed systems, with restore checks and recovery steps agreed with each vendor.
Supplier coordination
Agreed escalation to your dispensary software vendor, carrier and other suppliers when a fault crosses systems.
We agree first contact, support hours, onsite coverage and how urgent issues are escalated, and automated alerts are not presented as a staffed overnight response. Dispensary software functions, payment terminals, refrigeration and temperature monitoring stay with the suppliers responsible for them. Our managed IT services explain the wider support model behind IT support for pharmacies.
When part of the dispensary stops
A workstation fault, a label printer failure, a site internet outage, a local server failure and a national service outage have different effects, so IT support for pharmacies plans for each rather than assuming the whole dispensary stops.
What a pharmacy can safely continue during an outage depends on the fault, the available records, prescription requirements, the software and the approved downtime procedures of the pharmacist. The pharmacist decides what can be supplied and how it is recorded. IT and software suppliers help restore access and reconcile the technology after recovery.
Confirm the offline functions, local records, queued transactions and recovery steps of your dispensary system with its vendor. A software vendor may also supply hardware, backup or connectivity, and its contract defines where its responsibilities end.
Prescriptions and NZePS
The New Zealand ePrescription Service (NZePS) is the secure service that exchanges electronic prescription information. The dispensing system retrieves the prescription using its barcode or Script ID, and manually entering the Script ID is an alternative to scanning the barcode. Retrieval does not replace the verification and clinical checks of the pharmacist. Health New Zealand guidance on using NZePS sets out the arrangements.
Testing and claiming
Failover and recovery are tested through a plan agreed with pharmacy management and the software vendor, covering scope, timing, supported test data or workflow, stop conditions, rollback and patient-care cover. The test checks connectivity and authorised access without creating an unintended supply or a duplicate claim.
After an outage, staff reconcile dispensing entries, submitted batches, acknowledgements, rejected items and payments. We support data transfer and access, while the pharmacy approves clinical and claiming records and follows the current procedures and payments guidance.
Know who handles each fault
IT support for pharmacies works from an agreed fault route to local IT or the connectivity provider, the dispensary software vendor or national-service support, with current contacts and escalation kept available offline.
- Connectivity. A second route can reduce disruption, but it may share power, equipment or upstream services, so the complete path is tested: device, sign-in, software, prescription service connectivity, scanners, printers and recovery of pending work. Our business internet page covers connection options
- Payment terminals. Faults and compliance scope sit with the payment provider and the payment design
- Refrigeration and temperature monitoring. Fridge maintenance, temperature monitoring and the cold-chain response sit with the pharmacy and its specialist suppliers. Tell us which monitoring devices use the pharmacy network so changes are planned around them
- Power. Power protection is sized for the actual equipment with the relevant specialist, and a UPS behind a server and router is not, by itself, a vaccine fridge continuity plan
For routine refrigerated vaccine storage, the national vaccine storage standards set +2°C to +8°C, daily minimum and maximum checks, a recording device reviewed weekly and records kept for at least ten years. The responsible pharmacist and the cold-chain advisers of the pharmacy set the procedure for the products it holds.
Electronic controlled drug registers
New Zealand pharmacies can use paper records or an electronic system meeting the current controlled drug record requirements. Since 1 October 2026, the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Regulations (No 2) 2026 provide for qualifying electronic systems under regulations 37 and 37A.
Electronic records must be uniquely identifiable and accessible from the pharmacy premises. A generic spreadsheet or an ordinary backup does not meet the electronic-system requirements.
| Area | What the system must support |
|---|---|
| Record identity | Unique electronic records with entry date and time |
| Corrections and deletions | Preservation of original details, the individual making the change and its date and time |
| Security | Protection against corruption and unauthorised access, alteration or deletion |
| Register reports | Required controlled drug transaction reports and printable manual stock adjustment reports |
The pharmacist confirms that the chosen system, record format and operating process meet those requirements. IT support for pharmacies covers the agreed access, availability, backup and recovery of the systems in scope.
Regulation 42 retains the relevant register or book for four years after its last entry, with different custody requirements for paper volumes and electronic records and continued inspection and copying rights. Keep legacy paper registers when changing systems, and check that any export carries the required history and reports rather than current balances alone. Stocktakes now follow recorded periods no more than six months apart, so an electronic register does not remove stock reconciliation.
Protect health information across the pharmacy
The Health Information Privacy Code applies to pharmacy health information, so IT support for pharmacies sets up access, devices and recovery to protect it.
- Access. Individual sign-ins, MFA where supported and least-privilege permissions for dispensary, retail and office roles
- Devices and remote support. Managed devices, secure remote support and audit history for the systems in scope
- Segmentation. Retail, payment, guest, dispensary and monitoring systems separated where the agreed design requires it, with controlled paths for required integrations
- Recovery. Protected backups and tested recovery for the agreed systems
Segmentation reduces exposure, but it is not an absolute barrier, and a VLAN alone does not prove effective isolation. PCI scope depends on the payment design, connections and controls, so confirm requirements with your payment provider. The point of sale and stock systems are covered on our retail IT support page.
Retention follows the record type. Four years for a controlled drug register is not a disposal date for every patient record, so the pharmacy approves its schedule with its health-information and contractual duties considered.
Project work and what affects the cost
Connectivity failover, network segmentation and software migration are project work, scoped and quoted separately from ongoing IT support for pharmacies.
- Connectivity failover. Design and installation of a backup internet route, with the complete path tested through an agreed plan
- Network segmentation. Separating retail, payment, guest, dispensary and monitoring networks while keeping required integrations working
- Software migration. Supporting a change of dispensary system with the outgoing and incoming vendors, covering access, data transfer, backup and recovery checks, while the pharmacy confirms clinical and controlled drug records
What affects the cost?
The cost of IT support for pharmacies depends on users, sites, devices, software, support hours, backup and connectivity. We separate recurring support from licences, supplier charges, installation and projects, and confirm inclusions, exclusions and GST treatment before work starts.
Cost sits alongside patient safety, obligations and continuity when you decide what to put in place. We start by mapping your sites, systems and suppliers and agreeing who handles each fault.
Pharmacy IT support questions
What does IT support for pharmacies cover?
It covers agreed devices, networks, connectivity, secure access, backup and coordination with pharmacy software and other suppliers. Confirm printers, scanners and retail systems in the scope. The pharmacist retains clinical and regulatory decisions.
Is IT for a pharmacy different from IT for a medical centre?
The core technology overlaps, but pharmacies have dispensing, retail and claiming workflows, with controlled drug records and medicine storage requirements where applicable. The support plan should reflect the actual systems, trading hours and responsibilities of the pharmacy.
What is a dispensary management system?
It supports functions such as dispensing records, patient information, labelling and claiming. Features, integrations and offline operation depend on the product and setup, so confirm them with the vendor.
Does a pharmacy need a second internet connection?
Assess what depends on connectivity and what can continue during an outage. An appropriately designed backup route can reduce disruption, but it may share power, equipment or upstream services. Test it through an agreed plan with the pharmacy and software supplier.
Can a New Zealand pharmacy replace its paper controlled drug register?
Yes, with electronic records in a qualifying system under the current regulations. Regulations 37 and 37A expressly provide for this from 1 October 2026. The pharmacy confirms the record format, audit history, security, reports and operating process meet the requirements.
How long does a pharmacy have to keep its controlled drug register?
The relevant register or book must be retained for four years after its last entry under regulation 42. Paper and electronic custody requirements differ, and inspection and copying must remain possible. Other pharmacy records can have different retention requirements.
What temperature does a pharmacy vaccine fridge have to hold?
Routine refrigerated vaccine storage is +2°C to +8°C. Follow the applicable standards and product-specific guidance, with daily checks, continuous recording, weekly review and retained records. The pharmacy and its cold-chain advisers set the procedure, and a sensor does not replace it.
Who do you call when the prescription service connection fails?
Use the agreed fault route: local IT or connectivity provider, pharmacy software vendor or national-service support as appropriate. Keep current contacts and escalation arrangements available offline. The pharmacy determines its safe downtime process.
How much does IT support for pharmacies cost in New Zealand?
It depends on users, sites, devices, software, support cover, backup and connectivity. Ask for a scoped quote separating recurring services, licences and supplier charges from setup and projects, with GST and exclusions stated.
Should my dispensary software vendor be handling all of this?
Check its contract. Some vendors supply more than software, while other responsibilities sit with IT, connectivity, payment or refrigeration providers. Agree the boundary, first contact and escalation so an issue is not left unowned.
Should the retail till be on the same network as the dispensary?
Use a network design that controls access between retail, dispensary, payment and guest systems while allowing required integrations. Effective segmentation can reduce risk, but it is not an absolute barrier against every fault or attack.
Does Exodesk support pharmacies in Christchurch and Dunedin?
Yes. Our Christchurch and Dunedin teams support businesses nationwide. Confirm supported pharmacy systems, onsite and remote cover, service hours and vendor responsibilities. Refrigeration and temperature monitoring sit with the pharmacy and its specialist suppliers.
Discuss your pharmacy IT support
Tell us how many sites you run, which systems you use and who supports them today. We will suggest a scope for IT support for pharmacies and the next step. Please leave patient details and passwords out of the enquiry.
Talk to us about your pharmacy
Tell us about your pharmacy, your sites and the systems you rely on, 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