Three Independent Technology Publications
Need To Know Group
Practical technology guidance for better business decisions
Need To Know Group is the umbrella for three independent technology publications focused on helping small and medium businesses make better-informed technology decisions.
Across IT infrastructure, business communications and artificial intelligence, Need To Know focuses on a simple question:
What does a business actually need to know before making a decision?
The aim is not to repeat vendor marketing or technical specifications. It is to translate technology into practical considerations around suitability, cost, implementation, risk and real-world business value.
Need To Know Group includes:
- Need to Know IT
- Need to Know Comms
- Need to Know AI
Why Need To Know exists
There is no shortage of technology information.
The harder part is turning that information into a decision.
Need To Know was created to sit between vendor marketing, highly technical information and the practical needs of a business trying to decide what to buy, adopt or change.
The project combines technology and commercial experience with research, structured decision-making and modern AI capabilities.
AI provides significant productivity and analytical leverage, but it does not define the direction.
The questions, priorities, judgement and business context remain human.
The approach is simple:
Human experience
defines the problem.
Research and reasoning
shape the decision.
AI
increases the speed and scale at which the work can be done.
The result is a passion project that explores not simply what technology can do, but where it makes sense in the real world.
The publications
Need To Know IT
NAS, storage, backup and practical business IT.
Focused on helping Australian businesses and technology buyers understand storage, backup, networking and related infrastructure decisions. Includes comparisons, buying guides, practical explainers and decision tools.
needtoknowit.com.au →Need To Know Comms
Business phones, VoIP and communications.
Focused on helping Australian small and medium businesses understand phone systems, VoIP, number porting, handsets, connectivity and communications decisions without unnecessary telecommunications jargon.
needtoknowcomms.com.au →Need To Know AI
Practical AI and SaaS guidance for small and medium businesses.
Focused on whether AI and SaaS products make sense in a real business environment, including adoption, implementation, cost, privacy, governance, risk and commercial value.
needtoknowai.com →How we assess technology
Technology decisions cannot be reduced to feature lists.
A technically excellent product can still be the wrong choice if it is expensive, difficult to implement, poorly adopted or introduces unnecessary risk.
Need To Know uses the REACT framework to consider five areas:
Relevance
Does it solve the right problem?
Effort
What will implementation and management require?
Adoption
Will people realistically use it?
Commercial Value
Do the outcomes justify the cost?
Trust
Can the business trust the product and vendor with its data and operations?
The objective is to separate:
Independence and commercial relationships
Need To Know is independently operated.
Editorial conclusions, comparisons and assessment scores are not available for purchase.
The publications may use affiliate links, advertising, referral arrangements or other relevant commercial partnerships to support their operation and development.
A commercial relationship does not guarantee positive coverage, inclusion in a recommendation or a favourable assessment.
Relevant relationships are disclosed where appropriate.