Column Survey PLUS CIO ZONE IT SELF-SERVICE COMPANY NEWS TOP JOBS 2 SURVEY 6
JULY 2021 | Issue 76
Is IT self-service on the ropes? Maredi Technologies is a company which offers telecoms, IT and last mile solutions. Making our solutions cost-effective and operationally efficient to our public and private sector clients.
www.mareditechnologies.co.za
• Network installations Our services • Network optimisation include: • Enterprise network solutions • Network maintenance
• Wireless products Our products • Power solutions include: • IT hardware and software products
• Consulting services in ICT, energy, mining, Our additional aviation, civil engineering, security and services include: banking industries • Development of strategic partnerships (joint ventures and BEE partnerships) • Outsourcing/managed services • Green power solutions and energy management • Call centre solutions • Training: ICT, mining, aviation, energy and civil engineering • Information risk advisory services, BCP/BCM/DR, secure development lifecycle services, identity and access management services, managed information risk services, vulnerability management services and converged security services
CONTACT YOUR ICT PARTNER OF CHOICE TODAY to see how we can service all your ICT needs. [email protected] +27 11 074 7181 IN THIS ISSUE CREDITS If the pandemic taught us one thing, it’s that organisations are capable of taking decisive action in times of crisis, particularly when it comes to implementing digital technologies to help Publisher them thrive in challenging times. JOVAN REGASEK At the same time, to stay competitive, it is more critical than [email protected] ever for business leaders to “get lean” in their organisations and stretch their resources to do more with less, and one way they Editorial Director did this was through ‘unattended’ technologies. RANKA JOVANOVIC The findings of the IT Self-Service survey offer up an [email protected] interesting overview of the current situation facing most industries today – such as how they have handled the evolution Editor of the IT self-service portal as an advancement of IT service CHRIS TREDGER management. [email protected] Moreover, a third of companies surveyed (33%) said they had a high adoption rate of their self-service portal, that is, an Sub Editors adoption rate greater than 75%. Encouragingly, another 29% HEIDI HURWITZ of respondents reported an adoption rate of between 50% and 75%. Asked to rate the success of their self-service portal from Production Manager an ROI perspective, 31% of respondents reported marginal PETER CALORE success, while 21% said full ROI was achieved. [email protected] Also in this edition, we feature expert insight into cloud adoption, data analytics and data literacy. Designers Enjoy the read! SANE LOUW ANA RADENKOVIC Chris Tredger Editor Business Development Director CARYN BERMAN [email protected]
Published by ITWEB LIMITED 326 Rivonia Boulevard CONTENTS Rivonia PO BOX 2785 Rivonia IT SELF SURVEY 6 2128 INDUSTRY INSIGHT Web: www.itweb.co.za Why adaptability is a must for Tel: +27 (011) 807 3294 modern insurance providers 10 Fax: +27 (011) 807 2020 Get back to basics to capitalise on ML and AI in analytics 11
The facts and myths around cloud migration 13
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July 2021 | 1 CIO ZONE Taking the data insight to the point of decision
How to get started on a data literacy programme, and by doing so, unlock the data value proposition for your business.
How do you get started on a data literacy • Understand current availability and journey? required adoption of technology and tools Let’s kick off with one of the primary to support each type of user. reasons why you should be feeling • Define the data that users need to access to the urgency of getting a data literacy be productive and manage governance. programme under way. Gartner research • Evaluate readiness to work with data. notes that poor data literacy is one of the Employees need to be provided with key barriers to increasing the value of data knowledge, tools, processes and and analytics. methodologies that will enable them to use Awareness of the need for data literacy data as required and in doing so, fulfil the as an organisational competency and core strategic goals of the business. element of digital dexterity is on the rise, Data for the masses with pioneers of data literacy emerging from For the general business user − typically a myriad of industry sectors around the most of your employees − the focus should world. be on providing them with solutions that Data literacy training cannot be deliver the right insights. This will empower
KEVIN VAN DER MERWE, Sales director, iOCO Qlik
s discussed, data literacy is a key Aingredient to success in the age of data Many business leaders overestimate the capabilities of and analytics. That statement is endorsed by a recent study by Deloitte that records their workforce and their readiness to work with data. only 32% of business leaders being capable of deriving measurable value from data, and just 27% believing their data and analytics projects generate actionable insights. So, what are the barriers; why are we still just scratching the surface of the full approached as a ‘box-ticking’ exercise but them to take actions that will improve potential of data? should be incorporated into the company’s productivity and deliver real business value. It is now commonly acknowledged that onboarding process and overall training This is a key shift in that we are taking the the main barriers to unlocking the data value programmes. insight to the point of decision. You need to proposition for businesses are not tools or Many business leaders overestimate the deliver easily consumable data and insights technology issues, but rather culture and capabilities of their workforce and their as part of users’ existing working practices people. This is where the stumbling block readiness to work with data. and workflow. For example, you could remains. Begin by developing an understanding of embed dashboards into communications The Deloitte study reflects a general lack the state of data literacy within the business tools such as Slack or in CRM and of capability in making sense of data, with a so you can identify the investments needed operational systems. mere 21% of the global workforce reporting for empowering employees to deliver Consider equipping staff with frameworks to be fully confident in their data literacy against the business goals. Many business and methodologies that will enable them to skills, and only 25% of employees felt leaders overestimate the capabilities of their own the data process, from data gathering fully prepared to use data effectively when workforce and their readiness to work with and analysis, through to generating insights entering their current role. data. and value. Furthermore, 24% of senior decision- My advice is to begin by focusing on key Enabling teams to work with the right makers pass standard data literacy tests. areas as follows: data will not only improve their ability to Even for the millennials – allegedly digital • Assess individual levels of data literacy. realise its value, but also help boost their natives − Forbes indicates that data literacy • Include key performance indicators in the confidence to take actions from insights sits at only 22% and goes on to note it should asseswsment as it is the key intersect point − ensuring data is seen as a benefit, not a be taught in schools. of data and business. burden.
2 | July 2021 COMPANY NEWS
BUSINESS
Building your digital workforce (and making Now is the time for EPR solutions humans happier) ERP has had a bad rep in the past for being costly, complex and Won’t digital automation just take over jobs that could go to people? unwieldy. But manufacturers and other companies considering The evidence – and our experience – suggests otherwise, says installing or updating their ERP solution need to know that now is the Christiaan Kriel, iOCO cluster executive: Automation & CRM. The time to do it. “ERP software and services have improved dramatically World Bank’s World Development Report 2019 finds that “although in recent years,” says Lyall O'Carroll, technical account manager, technology may be replacing workers in some jobs, overall it raises the Seidor Africa. “It is no longer an enormous expense, nor does it take demand for labour”. What is changing is the nature of human work. an age to implement. ERP has also become much easier to use. Never The same report found that “since 2001, the share of employment in has there been a better time to deploy an ERP solution than right now. occupations heavy in non-routine cognitive and socio-behavioural Solutions today are far more technology-enabled, easier to skills has increased from 19% to 23% in emerging economies and from implement and use.” 33% to 41% in advanced economies”. www.seidorafrica.com www.ioco.tech Tracker selects IFS to enhance, expand its Trust and insurance in a digitally service offering transformed world Tracker, the largest provider of telematics-based data insights for There is a growing fallacy that consumers do not trust insurance vehicle and home monitoring services in South Africa, continues its companies. Insurance is often perceived as a grudge purchase and digital and business transformation journey through partnering with insurers have the unenviable task of convincing many people of the IFS. Tracker has selected an IFS solution that spans enterprise resource value of protecting their future today, by taking out both long- and planning functionality, cutting-edge service management capabilities short-term insurance, says Standard Bank. While customers do and AI-powered customer engagement tools. The solution will ensure sometimes have poor experiences, these remain the exception and not an elevated customer experience and reduce time and costs across the rule. The truth is that any good insurer wants to pay out credible Tracker’s entire operations. Established in 1996, Tracker’s base of more claims, but unfortunately, instances where customers feel they have than 1.1 million active subscribers enjoy a range of services, including received poor service are often more talked about than the good service vehicle telematics, home solutions, roadside assistance, as well as that is usually delivered. business solutions for fleet managers. www.standardbank.co.za www.ifs.com
Accelerit launches This is how #AcceleritCares – a organisations can responsibility to what be productive and really matters protect people In 2019, Accelerit Technologies NEC XON has used NEC’s NeoFace embarked on a journey to address Watch AI-driven facial recognition social and economic issues that to create a dependable platform it identified as having massive for COVID-19 monitoring and impact to the development, health management. It’s called NeoFace and education of communities Watch Thermal. The platform has of South Africans. The initiative been recognised by NIST as the was launched under the banner world’s best facial recognition of #AcceleritCares and, since its technology for the past 17 years
Tshepang Ralekgari, marketing inception, Accelerit identified Jannie Erasmus, head of running. NIST is the National specialist at Accelerit Technologies as well as took the responsibility surveillance and analytics at NEC Institute of Standards and XON to address three critical pillars Technology. deemed to be at the core of www.nec.xon.co.za our country’s socioeconomic development. www.accelerit.co.za
To read the FULL company releases, visit COMPANY NEWS www.itweb.co.za Contact [email protected] for any sales enquiries.
July 2021 | 3 COMPANY NEWS
NETWORKING SECURITY
Developing a smart network to drive digital ‘A perfect score’: SonicWall Capture ATP aces transformation latest ICSA Labs test Facing the challenges that legacy systems, ageing equipment and After 35 days of testing and the completion of 1 741 total tests, the increasing costs present, the IT department at Sea Harvest looked multi-engine SonicWall Capture Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) to innovate and re-engineer their infrastructure by partnering with sandbox service, with Real-Time Deep Memory Inspection, received a reputable MSP. Modernisation, flexibility and security were key a perfect score in the latest ICSA Labs Advanced Threat Defence test objectives. Kevin McPhail, IT infrastructure manager at Sea Harvest, for Q1 2021. “It is a milestone moment to see our technology reach this explains that the comprehensive proposal presented by the Logicalis level and to receive such a wonderful score when tested against some SA team demonstrated a clear understanding of the Sea Harvest of the most unknown and rigorous threats today,” said SonicWall environment and, by recommending the chosen solution, the myriad president and CEO Bill Conner. “These third-party, real-world tests security, networking and management functions were addressed. The play a vital role in ensuring that we continue to strive for and deliver result was that the Sea Harvest team would be able to devote more time excellent products and services.” and resources to revenue growth and innovation initiatives. www.sonicwall.com www.logicalis.com Developing answers to Why your contact centre should be video- tomorrow’s document enabled management security If your contact centre values customer experience (CX), then video challenges chat should be a part of your omnichannel spectrum, says Scopserv. Kyocera is addressing challenges of Video chat has shown significant growth in social media and is now the future. “As any company that definitely a fundamental aspect within the context of contact centres. has experienced a data breach will The video and contact centre environments have found a way to knit understand, this is exceptionally together to create a profound unified communications platform that bad news for businesses, resulting has powerful implications for CX. With the addition of omnichannel in downtime costs, fines associated and social media to the communications spectrum, it only stands true with corporate governance and to say that video plays a significant role in today’s culture. regulatory compliance, as well www.scopserv.co.za as reputational damage,” says Greg Griffith, hardware product manager at Kyocera Document Greg Griffith, hardware product Solutions South Africa manager at Kyocera Document Executive Solutions improves Morecorp’s Solutions South Africa. network capability with Fortinet’s Secure SD- www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.za WAN Morecorp appointed Executive Solutions (ES) to securely augment its legacy MPLS network with Fortinet’s Secure SD-WAN solution. This CISOs feel unprepared to cope with cyber allows Morecorp to meet its goal of ultimately decommissioning its attack, says Proofpoint research existing MPLS network, significantly reducing costs while increasing Proofpoint has released its inaugural 2021 Voice of the CISO report, operational efficiency, security and network redundancy. “The cost of which explores key challenges facing chief information security running their MPLS network was extremely high, especially that the officers (CISOs). Sixty-six percent of CISOs feel their organisation is performance of this network was limited,” explains Richard Levine, unprepared to handle a cyber attack and 58% consider human error MD at ES. “It made sense for the company to invest in the Fortinet to be their biggest cyber vulnerability, proving the work-from-home Secure SD-WAN solution as it slashed return on investment in a very model necessitated by the pandemic has tested CISOs like never short period, becoming operationally more cost-effective within six before. “Organisations’ employees have an increased dependency on months of project completion.” multiple digital platforms, third parties and remote communication to www.networksunlimited.africa drive business value and collaboration, and cyber criminals continue to adapt to capitalise on this, finding new and innovative attack mechanisms,” says Andrew Rose, resident CISO, EMEA at Proofpoint. www.proofpoint.com
To read the FULL company releases, visit COMPANY NEWS www.itweb.co.za Contact [email protected] for any sales enquiries.
4 | July 2021 COMPANY NEWS
SOFTWARE TECH FORUM
Manufacturing firms look to sustain innovative ways of working post-COVID Research commissioned by ServiceNow shows that while the pandemic has enabled an environment for innovation within manufacturing firms, there is still work to be done to secure long- SANParks staff get to grips with Sage 300 People HR & Payroll. lasting digital transformation. The study found that 54% of Sage 300 People – training for SANParks manufacturing executives say that
SANParks staff from 16 national parks attended Sage 300 People HR Uwe Vieth, senior director at managing employees and practices & Payroll training at AWCape’s empowerment company Applico ServiceNow that cannot operate remotely is an during April 2021. SANParks staff members joined the Sage certified additional barrier to progress. consultant trainers in classroom facilities at Applico’s Kenilworth www.servicenow.com training centre. Delegates included staff from Karoo National Park, Kamdeboo, Mountain Zebra, Tsitsikamme and Addo, among others. www.awcape.com EOH provides update on the settling of legacy contracts EOH recently appeared in the media around issues pertaining to Software professionalism needed now more the Microsoft licence sales (Department of Defence) and the City of than ever Johannesburg contracts. In addition, EOH has been pulled into a IUA has a client that, due to economic factors at play in 2020, a resulting dispute between AYO and certain financial institutions. Stephen van restructure and closure of business units, meant that critical business Coller, EOH Group CEO, said: “The recent heightened media activity systems for the sale and administration of insurance policies were being that EOH has encountered over the last few weeks is largely as a result shut down. The client tasked IUA with migrating over 4 million policies of EOH’s transformation strategy, which has been systematically to the IUA system as well as building a Web-enabled sales application and regularly reported to all stakeholders. In our quest to become an solution, which would allow them to continue selling policies in store. ethically sound and sustainable business, EOH has had to review and Chillisoft brought a competent team to the table, who could run this re-evaluate certain historical contracts.” project from start to finish and run it themselves, which is exactly www.eoh.co.za what they did. And they brought a uniquely different approach to the project. www.chillisoft.co.za ISACA South Africa Chapter supports One in Tech Sheleadstech The ISACA South Africa Chapter demonstrated its commitment The programmer's oath – an iOCO perspective to International Women’s Day by hosting two professional forum It’s much easier to raise potentially unethical situations when you have meetings during the months of March and April, featuring rising and some idea of what unethical means to you. Denzil Govender, iOCO leading women in the Chapter who form part of the community of head of technology, says unlike the medical and legal professions, women in technology. The objective of these events is to catalyse the there is no universal code of ethics for software engineers. However, Sheleadstech movement towards closing the economic gender gap, there is a useful set of rules developed by the IEEE Computer Society, encouraging active dialogue, and showcasing the benefits of having which unpacks the moral and professional commitments of software a diverse workforce that could inspire an active network of leaders engineers. Govender adds that almost everything has a software and role models. The first event was called: “Stay positive and live a component. Without it, desktops, laptops and phones wouldn’t colourful life”. operate. More seriously, we wouldn’t have Facebook and Instagram. www.isaca.org He doesn’t think society fully grasps how much it depends on programmers. www.ioco.tech
To read the FULL company releases, visit ICT INSIGHT www.itweb.co.za Contact [email protected] for any sales enquiries.
July 2021 | 5 IT SELF-SERVICE SURVEY
By ALISON JOB Is IT service management dead or simply evolving?
The corporate IT self-service portal has to be one of the most touted IT service management (ITSM) advancements of the past decade.
redundant. “However, this doesn’t mean “This reinforces the opportunity for that the need for self-service capabilities IT departments, and other business is dead. It’s simply evolving based both functions, to use smart technologies to give on employee ways of working and the employees the self-service capabilities they introduction of new smart technologies.” need and expect, delivering a far superior According to a survey on IT self-service employee experience versus traditional conducted by ITWeb in partnership self-service portals.” with Freshworks, email was by far the IT departments are also tasked with most commonly used platform used reducing costs while simultaneously by employees to access IT service and improving the employee experience, support capabilities (85%), followed by and this is likely against the backdrop phone (71%), while only about half of of handling increased demand with respondents (53%) use a self- service proportionally fewer personnel. In many portal. ways, this is a modern-day version of the A third of companies surveyed (33%) traditional project management mantra of said they had a high adoption rate of their “quality, time, and cost – pick any two” self-service portal, ie an adoption rate but with it now “better, faster, cheaper” SANJAY KUMAR, HEAD OF MARKETING FOR greater than 75%. and with the expectation that IT deliver MEA, FRESHWORKS Alternative IT self-service capabilities against all three. Plus, with
It was going to cure most ITSM ills, "with the promise of “better, faster, cheaper” IT service delivery and support,” says Sanjay Kumar, Head of Marketing for More recently, the IT self-service portal has MEA at Freshworks, “delivering against been aligned with two key, and linked, ITSM shift-left strategies aimed at meeting employees’ consumer-world-driven trends – enterprise service management and the support expectations while also reducing costs for both the IT department and the improvement of employee experience. wider business. More recently, the IT self- service portal has been aligned with two key, and linked, ITSM trends – enterprise service management and the improvement under consideration by respondents to the assessment of quality increasingly of employee experience.” the survey included an updated/new being viewed through a business, rather However, many IT self-service portals portal (33%), chatbots (21%), email than IT, lens and the perceptions of have failed to deliver on their promises. autoresponder (18%), tools such as Slack or employees. Thus, the premise of this article – that the Teams (15%) and voice (10%). Kumar says, “Importantly, the answer to this “doing IT self-service portal is dead or “slowly “Putting the alternative access channels more with less” challenge doesn’t lie dying on the vine” – is based on historical and smart capabilities together provides in “throwing more people at the issue” and more recent data that points to issues immediate and friction-free service and (or more money at the existing IT self- with employee adoption levels and the support capabilities.” service portal). Instead, it requires a better associated employee experience. The The use of smart technologies, for a understanding of how employees work delivery of IT self-service portals has failed variety of purposes and not just self-service, and their expectations of IT, especially in in execution and while organisations might is growing. The SDI ITSM 2021 & Beyond light of the changes to traditional ways of be investing in their IT self-service portal, report found that 44% of organisations see working and the continued evolution of the changing service and support landscape chatbots and virtual agents as a big ITSM the automation technologies employed and associated technology innovations trend for 2021 (with security top at 45% and in IT service delivery and support,” he will eventually make the traditional portal self-service third at 42%). concludes.
6 | July 2021 IT SELF SERVICE SURVEY IT SELF-SERVICE SURVEY
How do your employees currently access your IT How would you rate the success of your service and support capabilities? self-service portal from an adoption standpoint?
High adoption (>75%) 85% Email
71% Phone 33%
53% Self-service portal
27% Mobile app
24% Chat
23% Slack/Teams etc.
22% Walk-up High adoption (>75%) 33%
Medium adoption (50%-75%) 29% 9% Chatbot We do not have a self-service portal 16% 3% Other Low adoption (<25%) 10%
Limited adoption (25%-50%) 9%
Don't know 3%
How would you rate the success of your self-service portal from an ROI standpoint?
35 31%
30
25 20% 20 16% 15%
15 12%
10 6%
5
0
Marginal Full ROI We do not Limited Don't We need success achieved have a use know to revisit self-service it portal
xx | July 2021 7 | March 2021 July 2021 | 7 IT SELF SERVICE SURVEY IT SELF-SERVICE SURVEY
Does your organisation have plans for alternative Has your IT self-service capability been extended to other IT self-service capabilities? business functions?
Yes 33% Updated/ new portal
29% No plans 46%
25% Don't know
21% Chatbot
18% Email autoresponder
15% Slack/Teams etc.
10% Voice methods
2% Other
Yes 46%
No 39%
Don't know 15%
Which other business functions has IT self-service been extended to?
35 33%
30
25
20 18% 15%
15 12% 10% 10 8% 5% 5
0
Customer Procurement HR Other Finance Facilities Legal service
July 2021 | xx
8 | July 2021
INDUSTRY INSIGHT: CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Why adaptability is a must for modern insurance providers
Big insurance providers have been challenged by the pandemic. Digital enables them to adapt quickly and better meet client needs.
on Web sites rather than on paper. So where offering, which allows consumers to customers once completed a printed 20- order groceries and have them delivered page form in person, now they filled out in as little as 60 minutes, may have been that same form on the Web instead. It might launched before COVID-19 shut the world work, but it doesn’t add convenience and down, but the platform really gained seldom meets the client’s real needs. momentum as a result of hard lockdown. Other insurance providers saw the With this, we saw a brick-and-mortar COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity to be retail giant transform into a major strategic; taking time to do research around e-commerce player because customer needs what the future of the industry could look changed and it realised it needed to provide like, and most importantly, viewing the a better client experience. world from the client’s perspective. By Within the life insurance space, offering relooking at their products or processes a better experience means looking at and improving these via some sort of improving the whole client experience – Edwin Theron, Actuary and head, product digital approach – not because they want from realising the need for insurance to development and finance, Sanlam Indie to, however, but because they understand making an insurance claim. that digital provides clients with the best While the pandemic hasn’t changed what experience. products protect against all that much, ith hard lockdowns causing a Wsignificant decline in new business, health impacts resulting in a rise in claims, and increased financial pressure leading many to cancel their policies, it’s safe to say the life insurance industry has been under incredible pressure over the last year. Today, it’s less about the product When I think about how insurers handled and more about the customer. the coronavirus pandemic, my sense is that they dealt with the situation in one of two ways. Some players responded to the global health crisis by adopting a cautious approach; hoping they could weather the Today, it’s less about the product and it has driven demand for more intuitive disruption and continue with their normal more about the customer. customer experiences, simpler products strategy once the storm was over three Across a broad range of industries, the (that people can buy without a face-to-face weeks later – as we thought back then. demand for digital self-service experiences meeting with a broker), as well as flexible But as the reality of the pandemic accelerated during the pandemic. This products that allow clients to adapt their started to set in, these insurers realised the digitalisation drive means that people can policies, or pause and later resume coverage enormity of what they were facing and had do more themselves and their expectations as their needs change. to develop solutions to keep the lights on, increase as a result. Today, it’s less about the The strict lockdown may only have lasted retain existing business and ensure their product and more about the customer. a few months but the effects have bolstered strategy remained relevant in the new While no one knows what the world will trends that will have an impact on our world. look like in two or five years’ time, what industry for many years to come. While most insurers were already we do know is that digital offers the agility Today, more consumers want the option developing digital solutions before that brands need to shift their efforts as the to do certain things themselves and interact the pandemic, the typical approach to market shifts. with businesses in simpler and more digitalisation entailed taking existing Consider an app like Checkers Sixty60, efficient ways – most notably, on their own products and processes and putting these for example. This popular e-commerce terms.
10 | July 2021 INDUSTRY INSIGHT: DATA ANALYTICS
Get back to basics to capitalise on ML and AI in analytics
For artificial intelligence in analytics to be effective, the right foundations have to be in place, as it’s a well-known fact that AI has an inherent reliance on data.
The research found that a quarter of enters the analytics arena, organisations will the participants reported widespread AI need to look at preparing a catalogue of timely adoption, up from 18% the year before. and good quality data, so that data scientists can quickly review the data sources and AI needs data define algorithms to get good insights into the For analytics to deliver, the data in use has to business use case. be clean, accurate and relevant. Data analysts have traditionally spent a great deal of their The right data in the cloud time – up to 70% – on data discovery and Where the data resides is another preparation rather than on developing data key consideration. In the past, many science models. organisations lifted and shifted entire big data Similarly, for AI in analytics to be effective, lakes from data centres into the cloud, in the the right foundations have to be in place. It belief this would offer cost savings. Not only is a well-known fact that AI has an inherent were these savings not achieved, but analysis Veemal Kalanjee, MD of Infoflow reliance on data. The challenge many often became more complex. organisations have is with the identification, The cloud does present an ideal access and availability of the relevant datasets environment for analytics due to its scale, for the use cases, and consequently, the AI elasticity, redundancy and accessibility to hen artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled models do not always yield the expected the broader enterprise; however, not all data Wpredictive and prescriptive analytics results. should be in the cloud – only the right data. first promised companies a crystal ball with which to view their futures, many were so blown away by the glamour of beautiful, interactive graphs that they rushed to invest in the technologies without getting their foundations right. For analytics to deliver, the data in use has to be For many of them, AI projects proved clean, accurate and relevant. disappointing. Gartner predicted some years ago that through 2022, 85% of AI projects would deliver erroneous outcomes due to bias in data, algorithms or the teams responsible For analytics to deliver, the data in use has The approach to cloud migration projects for managing them. A 2019 white paper by to be clean, accurate and relevant. is often focused on “getting the data to the Pactera Technologies, in association with In South Africa, AI will be the next logical cloud”, instead of starting with a top-down Nimdzi Insights, echoed this high failure rate. step after the current wave of machine approach and focusing only on the data that is Despite the challenges organisations learning adoption. However, since machine pertinent to the business problem. have experienced, AI has become central to learning (ML) is also being deployed to draw Data is often collected from a myriad of most organisations’ digital transformation conclusions or predictions based on sample sources, however, the key is to identify the journeys. sets of data, it requires the same foundations data that is relevant to these high-value use The PricewaterhouseCoopers third annual as AI will require: quality and readily cases to ensure the business problem is solved, AI Predictions Report, issued last month, accessible data. the costs of the cloud platform are managed, indicates companies still have faith in the If the datasets being used are of poor quality and that the AI model does not only translate potential for AI: over half of US respondents and do not represent target markets (ie, into a technical benefit. are increasing their AI investments after non-specific or generalised), you will have When companies embark on cloud the COVID-19 crisis, even though 76% of poor predictions, which will cause business migration projects, it is pertinent that they organisations are barely breaking even on decisions to be made on incorrect data. consider their data management strategy for their AI investments. As the demand for insights escalates and AI the cloud, in unison with standardised way.
July 2021 | 11 The tech industry is limited by a chronic shortage of skills and a lack of women.
This gap isn’t just bad for women, it’s bad for business.
GirlCode aims to alleviate the rise in unemployment through targeted digital skills training and job placement initiatives for young women.
Change is almost impossible without industry-wide collaboration.
Change starts with YOU partnering with us to create meaningful impact and a pipeline of highly skilled female software developers.
https://girlcode.co.za/ [email protected]
SOCIAL MEDIA Twitter: @GirlCode_ZA Facebook: GirlCode ZA Partner with us to change LinkedIn: GirlCode ZA Youtube: GirlCode ZA the face of technology. INDUSTRY INSIGHT: CLOUD MIGRATION
The facts and myths around cloud migration
The days of basic data storage and retrieval are gone, as we move into the age of using information to make more-informed business decisions.
proprietary to one company, where access • Cost optimisation will drive cloud is only available to authorised users. adoption. The final deployment model can include • Multicloud will reduce vendor lock-in. a hybrid cloud approach – which is a • Insufficient cloud IaaS skills will delay mixture of on-premises infrastructure, migrations. plus public and private cloud. • Distributed cloud will support expanded Why consider a move to the cloud? service availability. The days of basic data storage and Cost optimisation is confirmed a major retrieval are behind us – this is not even driver of drive cloud adoption through the age of information, it is the age of 2024, as nearly all legacy applications using information to make more-informed are expected to be migrated to a public decisions to grow the business and best cloud infrastructure as a service (IaaS). support customers. Moreover, the research firm adds Distributed cloud models support that cloud providers will continue to expanded service availability and that’s strengthen their native optimisation Monique Williams, Southern Africa only the tip of the iceberg. capabilities to help organisations select the regional sales manager for Hyland According to Gartner, cloud computing most cost-effective architecture that can Software. is firmly established as the new normal for deliver the required performance. enterprise IT across all industries, and it Distributed cloud models support n a series of two articles, I will outline continues to be one of the fastest-growing expanded service availability and that’s Ithe benefits of cloud migration, while segments of IT spend. Obviously, the only the tip of the iceberg. debunking common myths associated with greater the spend, the greater the need for Gartner also notes that multi-cloud a move to the cloud. I think defining cloud migration is a good place to start. So, what is it? According to Forbes, cloud migration is the process of moving digital operations into the cloud and usually refers to transferring from on-premises data Distributed cloud models support expanded service centres, or legacy infrastructures, to the availability and that’s only the tip of the iceberg. cloud. Remembering that although approximately 98% of companies are said to be running on-premises hardware servers to maintain IT infrastructure, the arrival of COVID-19 brought drastic businesses to ensure they have invested strategies will reduce vendor dependency changes to that statistic. wisely. Therefore, cost optimisation is for two-thirds of businesses through There are also different cloud crucial. to 2024, with the inhibitors to cloud deployment models which dictate how Gartner also notes the presence of in- migration – such as insufficient cloud/IaaS software is made available, as well as who house cloud skills will be a key indicator of skills – delaying projects by two years or can access data and in what way. Public enterprise agility, including the ability to more. cloud, for example, makes digital assets distribute cloud services where customers Don’t let fiction hold you back available − either free or on a subscription want to consume them, on-premises and Businesses today rely on full process basis − publicly over the Internet. Google, on the edge. control, visibility into those processes and Facebook and LinkedIn are familiar Last year, the research house predicted automation tools that empower employees examples. four factors would impact cloud adoption, with immediate access to information, Private cloud is just that – private and namely: when and where they need it.
July 2021 | 13 REPORTBACK: AFRICA SECTION About Africa …
ICT Insight is proud to feature a recap of the biggest stories from Africa’s ICT and telecommunications landscape.
n this synopsis of top recent headlines plants to their sustainable energy portfolio PV projects to Globeleq/ Sturdee Energy I published by both ITWeb Africa as the Lavumisa 10MW Solar PV Plant Southern Africa consortium and ACED and ITWeb, we look at developments project nears completion. Aside from the after a bidding process that began in 2019. in cryptocurrency, solar power, M&A increased rollout of sustainable energy activity, projects, Eswatini says it has increasingly Capacity on Demand – prep becoming less dependent on neighbouring yourself for a new era in CX Eswatini completes E255m solar Mozambique and South Africa for Huge volumes of applications are being project, powers up its sustainable electricity. Eswatini Energy Regulatory developed with unprecedented speed, energy Authority (ESERA) has recently issued supported and underpinned by container- Eswatini has added two more solar PV an intention to award three 15 MW Solar based and open source-based Kubernetes
14 | July 2021 REPORTBACK: AFRICA SECTION
French mobile firm Crosscall announcement of its financial results for scouts for security tender the year to 31 March. The telco this week opportunity in Africa posted strong results, as it saw revenue French mobile device manufacturer from next-generation technologies Crosscall accompanied French president surge, to now make up the lion’s share of Emmanuel Macron on his first state visit its income. to South Africa last week, which the company used as a chance to advertise Taxman SARS pursues crypto its value proposition and identify new dealers at SA exchanges opportunities in the market. Julien The South African Revenue Service Fouriot, Director for Africa at Crosscall, (SARS) is conducting a tax risk said, “It was such an honour to be selected assessment exercise in respect of South as part of the delegation visiting SA. Only African residents engaged in the mining, eight companies were selected to join speculation and/or investment in crypto President Emmanuel Macron on his first assets. On 6 April 2018, SARS released visit to South Africa. This is an important a statement to the media entitled development and it highlights the trust “SARS stance on the tax treatment of orchestration that provide create agile and growing collaboration between the crypto-currencies”. In this statement, application creation and deployment. French government and Crosscall.” SARS reminded taxpayers to declare This has given rise to the need for storage all crypto-currency-related taxable and resources that meet the needs of Telkom to reuse legacy copper income during the year such income multiple workloads, in multiple locations, infrastructure in fibre, 5G push was received or accrued. In order to with capacity at scale on demand says Telkom is planning to repurpose some assess the tax risks associated with the executive leadership at Infinidat. The of its legacy copper infrastructure above activities, SARS has made contact enterprise and data solution company says as it shifts focus to next-generation with South African crypto-currency today, almost every business has an app technologies. So said Sipho Maseko, exchanges to request information on a for its customers to access information, Telkom group CEO, in an interview selection of customers in terms of section transact and even provide information with ITWeb, following the company’s 46 of the Tax Administration Act, 2011. thus making it more convenient for customers and providing instant gratification.
CSG’s Tango acquisition will help Africa’s CSPs monetise 5G, IOT Global provider of revenue management and digital monetisation CSG recently acquired Tango Telecom, a supplier of convergent policy control and messaging solutions, and the companies say the deal is a breakthrough for Africa’s communications service providers. The acquisition, which closed May 5, is the culmination of a long-standing relationship that delivers end-to-end digital monetisation solutions to CSPs. Through the deal CSG is armed with real- time, dynamic policy and call control management.
July 2021 | 15 COMPANY NEWS
TELECOMS FINANCIAL
Teraco boosts regional IFS’s Q1 hits significant markers interconnection with IFS, the global enterprise applications company, announced its MÉTISS cable financial results for the first quarter – January to March of 2021. After a MÉTISS is a 3 200km subsea fibre- strong 2020, Q1 results point to a continuation of the growth trajectory optic cable system connecting South across the entire business and specifically in recurring revenue, cloud Africa to the Indian Ocean islands of revenue and service management revenue. IFS’s position as the global Madagascar, Reunion and Mauritius. vendor of choice for companies transforming their business models The MÉTISS consortium comprises away from selling products towards selling services and outcomes Canal+ Télécom, CEB Fibernet, Emtel, is validated by its Q1 performance and the triple-digit growth of Zeop and SRR (SFR) Telma. The its service management business at 103%. Q1 also saw some key MÉTISS cable lands in Amanzimtoti milestones for IFS, which included the launch of IFS Cloud. and is backhauled by Liquid Telecoms www.ifs.com to Teraco’s data centre in Durban. Michele McCann, head of www.teraco.co.za Interconnection and Peering at Teraco Standard Bank’s new status page is at your service At Standard Bank, client centricity is a key cornerstone of what we Diepdale Secondary School benefits from e4 call doing business the right way. Unfortunately, technology is fallible computer centre and does not always work as intended. When this happens, it can be Fintech specialist company e4 recently launched a computer centre an inconvenience to our customers. That is why Standard Bank has to benefit the 900 students of Diepdale Secondary School in Soweto, launched a service status page that gives customers immediate access Gauteng. Partnering with Melisizwe Computer Lab Project, e4 to our service downtime updates and where they can check if any of provided resources for a full renovation, including aesthetic upgrades, their daily banking platforms are functioning. The free opt-in-based functional items and technology supplies including a smart board, Web site is designed to keep customers informed about the status of air conditioners and 33 computers for use by students and educators. services and availability of certain banking features. As a technology company, e4 is passionate about initiatives that www.standardbank.co.za support education in technology and believes that investments such as the Diepdale Secondary School computer centre are crucial for the development of the next generation of young leaders as the driving force behind digital innovation. COMPUTING www.e4.co.za ASUS Republic of Gamers announces new Is your business not in the cloud? The end may products at virtual launch event be near… ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced its first interactive Leaders around the globe are realising the business sustainability and experience and an exciting line-up of gaming weaponry and growth limitations of not being in the cloud. It’s a lesson that may have technologies at the For Those Who Dare: Unleash the Tiger Inside been learnt given time, but one that has certainly been accelerated virtual launch event. The event marked the debut of two new laptops by the pandemic says Morné Laubscher, Chief Technology Officer, powered by Intel Core 11th Gen H-series processors: the 17-inch ROG Logicalis SA. For those not convinced of its value, here are a few Zephyrus S17 gaming laptop, the 16-inch ROG Zephyrus M16 gaming simple questions that should be answered: Competitiveness: Is your laptop, and the all-new ROG Slash accessory line-up. These latest workforce productive and collaborative? Do you leverage your data products and more are available to explore in the latest update of ROG to enhance customer service and acquire new customers? Have you Citadel XV, a boundary-breaking interactive experience introduced optimised your operations for cost and efficiency? and do you consider during the CES 2021 ROG. your organisation secure against rising IT threats? www.asus.com www.za.logicalis.com
To read the FULL company releases, visit ICT INSIGHT www.itweb.co.za Contact [email protected] for any sales enquiries.
16 | July 2021 COMPANY NEWS
ENTERPRISE INDUSTRY SOLUTIONS
Oracle services at iOCO TCM unveils work-from- It is imperative that all organisations can achieve maximum value from home MPS Connector business-critical applications. The Oracle Enterprise Data Quality TCM introduces the work-from- family of products helps organisations do just that. According to Debbie home MPS Connector, bringing Fernandes, business unit head – Oracle Services at iOCO, these products managed print services to the home deliver fit-for-purpose data for improved operational efficiency; office. TCM is offering the first 50 MPS the identification of new opportunities; and better compliance with Connector subscribers a free two- industry and/or government regulations. Oracle Enterprise Data Quality month trial period. This will be in TCM work-from-home MPS products can be used with any MDM, data integration or ETL system Connector combination with various supported and/or solution, but comes pre-integrated with Oracle Customer print devices to meet the demands Hub and Oracle Product Hub, and Oracle’s flagship product for data of employees who are working from movement and transformation, the Oracle Data Integrator. home. www.ioco.tech www.tcm.co.za
ServiceNow to acquire New AI workflow capability for Avaya Lightstep OneCloud CCaaS ServiceNow has announced it has Avaya, a global leader in solutions to enhance and simplify signed an agreement to acquire communications and collaboration, has introduced new capabilities next-generation observability leader for Avaya OneCloud CCaaS that deliver better outcomes for customers Lightstep. By acquiring Lightstep, by connecting voice, digital and AI applications using a single visual ServiceNow will solidify and design environment. The graphical low code/no code conversation accelerate its position as the world’s composer empowers domain experts to quickly integrate a wide range leading enterprise platform for digital of AI-enabled insights and processes with advanced OneCloud CCaaS businesses. ServiceNow is already voice and digital capabilities. Contact centre staff are now empowered a recognised market leader in IT to create more memorable customer experiences. Availability of Avaya service management, IT operations OneCloud CCaaS was recently expanded across the Middle East and Ben Sigelman, CEO and co- management and digital workflows. Africa, including Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, founder at Lightstep www.servicenow.com Turkey and the UAE. www.avaya.com GEN2 Enterprise Services SA launches comprehensive multifunctional platform Signals go green as Gen2 Enterprise Services SA, part of the Gen2 Group, a provider of Dynamic Technologies financial strategic performance management and project management gets on track with solutions for both the private and public sector, today announced DigiRail the launch of a performance management solution into the public Dynamic Technologies group sector. The new SMART Performance Management System is a company DVT recently launched a comprehensive, Web-based performance management platform that subsidiary in the UK called DigiRail manages the entire annual performance management cycle, which that implements digital solutions for includes strategic and annual operational plan development through to the rail industry. DigiRail operates monthly, quarterly, interim and annual reporting cycles. The SMART as a specialised arm of DVT, focusing Performance Management solution will effectively manage and deliver on digitising rail-related business performance across all government entities that must align to the systems such as scheduling of train National Development Plan. Tom Clare, MD, DigiRail services, passenger interaction and www.gen2sa.com maintenance programming of rail and rolling stock. www.dynamic-tech.com Apex BI, iOCO assist enterprise organisations to dodge cost bullet Mobile data consumption by some organisations has spiked by up to COMPANY NEWS several terabytes in a single month. Neil Buckley, MD of Apex BI, says: “If you leave that level of data consumption To read the FULL company releases, visit unchecked for a month or two, it could www.itweb.co.za literally lead to job losses. Contact [email protected] for any sales enquiries. www.apexbi.co.za
July 2021 | 17 COMPANY NEWS
BUSINESS
Addressing technology Jacqueline de Rojas CBE risks vital for business appointed to IFS board growth in the new IFS, the global enterprise applications normal company, has announced that The past 12 months have brought Jacqueline de Rojas has joined its about significant disruption board as a non-executive director. in organisations' technology Following three years of successive processes. Instead of dealing double-digit growth, the appointment with a predominantly centralised of De Rojas adds strength and workforce, IT teams must now depth to the IFS board, providing manage a work from anywhere direction, governance and support environment while still ensuring to management during this phase of Jacqueline de Rojas systems run optimally, says Ralph expansion. Berndt, sales and marketing director www.ifs.com at Syrex. Addressing this will be a strategic priority. Ralph Berndt, sales and marketing www.syrex.co.za UBU International, Paarl Boys’ High to support director at Syrex Back-a-Boishaaier campaign UBU International is proud to be joining forces with Paarl Boys’ High School to use the Paarl Boys’ High Wallet to help support the Back- IFS outlines multi-year sustainability strategy a-Boishaaier campaign. The fund now also works to provide mobile IFS announced its promise to sustainability through a plan to improve data to learners in need, resulting in them having been able to access the company’s own operations, enable customers to achieve their online learning materials and classes throughout the COVID-19 sustainability goals, as well as influence the industry at large to pandemic. GM of UBU International, Tony Mallam, said: “Education is improve its accountability to our environment. IFS’s values, culture a crucial part of the puzzle and to be able to assist children with basic and business model are linked to its vision to provide the best possible necessities is priceless. The team here at UBU is really excited to have experience to its customers. The relationship between this vision, the opportunity to help.” leading by example and providing sustainability technology are key www.ubuinternational.com to systematising a sustainable mindset and behaviour. The multi-year plan lays out the company’s stepped approach and commitments for the next three years and brings IFS’s long-term thinking on the Huawei AppGallery provides convenient, safe importance of sustainability internally. app market www.ifs.com Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) has partnered with several leading brands across different sectors. These partnerships provide the commercial partner with access to a wider audience for their app, Adapt IT Education signs MOA with University as well as more revenue generating opportunities. This is through of Namibia Huawei’s official app market, Huawei AppGallery, which has more JSE-listed Adapt IT Holdings (Adapt IT) officially formalised its than 530 million monthly active users across 170 countries. In addition, partnership with the University of Namibia (UNAM) to achieve the commercial partners can also benefit from Huawei’s technical and commercialisation of distinct solutions at partner institutions, the co- marketing support. By joining the HMS ecosystem, commercial creation and co-investment in niche solutions that can be potentially partners can optimise their app for Huawei device users by integrating rolled out across the markets Adapt IT serves and leveraging technology the app with one or more of Huawei’s HMS Core Integration Kits. resources to address a particular need. The partnership cemented in www.huaweimobileservices.com the form of a memorandum of agreement strengthens the existing relationship between Adapt IT Education and UNAM at a strategic and technology transfer level. Adapt IT Education will help position and US Navy selects Lockheed Martin, IFS to deliver support the UNAM as a Centre of Excellence for Moodle LMS Services. intelligent ship, aircraft maintenance www.adaptit.com The US Navy has turned to global security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin and enterprise applications company IFS to deliver an intelligent maintenance solution that will help power its digital transformation of multiple legacy systems into a single, fully modernised and responsive logistics information system. The solution will ensure ICT INSIGHT personnel spend more time focused on the mission and less on aircraft and ship repairs. The IFS solution comprises capabilities for planning To read the FULL company releases, visit and executing maintenance, repair and overhaul of more than 3 000 assets, including aircraft, ships and land-based equipment. The Naval www.itweb.co.za Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (N-MRO) solution combines artificial Contact [email protected] for any sales enquiries. intelligence, digital twin capabilities and predictive analytics. www.ifs.com
18 | July 2021 COMPANY NEWS
HARDWARE SOFTWARE
What lies ahead for the future of print? New version of Appgate SDP extends value Digital media has had a major impact on how business is done. It’s Appgate, the secure access company, announced the launch of the perhaps not surprising, then, that many might believe the future of latest release of its Software Defined Perimeter (SDP) solution that printing is not that bright. However, they are mistaken. Although enables clientless, browser-based access to protected resources. the use of print declined over the last two decades, the industry is The new solution is ideal for extending frictionless protection to embracing a new range of modern applications and is set to take contractors, vendors and other trusted third parties with no clients advantage of the over-saturation and privacy issues digital platforms or plug-ins required. It also provides new capabilities to secure access are experiencing. Beyond newspapers, magazines and books, print to IOT and unmanaged devices and delivers additional enhancements is embracing new waves of innovation. “No matter where you go, for containerised workloads to provide a full spectrum of zero trust printed matter is visible everywhere,” says Greg Griffith, hardware support options to its customers. As adoption of zero trust accelerates, product manager at Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa. organisations need a platform that can operate at scale and efficiency. www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.za www.privateprotocol.com
Smart labelling solutions NETWORKING A data centre’s labelling needs are varied, and not just any regular tape will do. When choosing a label printer, it’s important to consider AN launches Z-Sim, SASE and zero trust solutions that offer and are compatible with a wide range of superior integrated Internet data SIMs supplies such as flexible ID tapes, self-laminating tapes, flag tapes Accelerate Networks (AN), Zscaler’s partner in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as heat shrink tubes. Convinced that you need a labelling has announced the launch of their SASE integrated Internet data solution that will stand up to all these factors? Then it’s time to take SIMs, powered by Zscaler, the leader in cloud security and zero a look at Brother’s industrial labelling solutions. Brother is a leader trust application access. The Z-Sim allows companies to enjoy all in print innovation and the preferred choice for the installation and the benefits of Internet data SIMs, while incorporating security, identification of voice and data cables in the telecoms and datacoms visibility and control and removing the risk of unexpected or high industry. data costs. “By launching Z-Sim, we are providing companies with a www.brother.co.za controlled, secure, mobile and cost-effective WFH solution,” says Brett Salovy, CTO at Accelerate Networks. Z-Sim addresses all the features companies are requesting in a single product, including full visibility and control of user Internet requests, in-line CASB SaaS control, and INDUSTRY SOLUTIONS enterprise security. www.an.co.za Sophos launches industry’s only XDR solution Sophos has announced Sophos XDR, the industry’s only extended detection and response (XDR) solution that synchronises How to ensure a successful ERP implementation native endpoint, server, firewall and e-mail security. With this ERP has had a bad rep in the past for being costly, complex and comprehensive and integrated approach, Sophos XDR provides a unwieldy. But manufacturers and other companies considering installing holistic view of an organisation’s environment with the richest data or updating their ERP software system need to know that now is the set and deep analysis for threat detection, investigation and response. time to do it. “ERP software has improved dramatically in recent years,” “We’re seeing an extraordinarily high level of complex ransomware says Lyall O'Carroll, technical account manager, Seidor Africa. “It is no and other cyber crime, and the need for effective, comprehensive longer an enormous expense, nor does it take an age to implement. ERP cyber security has never been more critical or urgent,” said Dan has also become much easier to use.” O'Carroll looks at seven ways to Schiappa, chief product officer at Sophos. “Sophos XDR is a game- ensure a successful ERP implementation. “Solutions today are far more changing new solution for proactively defending against the most technology-enabled, easier to implement and use,” O'Carroll says. sophisticated and evasive attacks.” www.seidorafrica.com www.sophos.com
Accelerit brings connectivity to your town Accelerit Technologies’ primary goal COMPANY NEWS is to provide access to high-speed Internet connectivity in South Africa as a whole and this includes remote areas as well. With its Secondary Cities To read the FULL company releases, visit Initiative, it has dedicated its focus in the first quarter of 2021 to reach www.itweb.co.za communities that are not classified as Contact [email protected] for any sales enquiries. urban metropolitan areas. Lelethu Mjekula, FTTX manager www.accelerit.co.za for Accelerit Technologies
July 2021 | 19 COMPANY NEWS
NETWORKING INDUSTRY SOLUTIONS
Digitally protecting Sophos unveils XGS Series Firewall appliances intellectual property Sophos unveiled new XGS Series firewall appliances with unrivalled helps safeguard future performance and advanced protection against cyber attacks. The business success new appliances feature industry-best transport layer security Securicom provides holistic (TLS) inspection, including native support for TLS 1.3, which is protection and intelligent monitoring up to five times faster than other models available on the market for IT infrastructure. The securing of today. “Sophos Firewall XGS Series appliances represent the most your intellectual property is one of significant hardware upgrade that we have ever released and introduce our main tenets. The cyber security unmatched detection, protection and speed,” said Dan Schiappa, landscape has never before been as chief product officer at Sophos. “Security teams can no longer afford dangerous as it is now, making the to overlook encrypted traffic for fear of breaking something or hurting ways in which it needs to be defended performance – there’s too much at risk.” ever more complex, says Securicom www.sophos.com Richard Broeke, Securicom MD MD Richard Broeke. www.networksunlimited.africa Absolute Hosting launches Windows VPS Hosting ZTE scores high marks for BSIMM assessment Windows VPS Servers provide the flexibility to host your application or of its 5G products code on a virtual server and manage your server as if it were physical, ZTE Corporation has completed the Building Security In Maturity but without the cost associated with hosting a dedicated server. The Model 11 (BSIMM11) assessment of its full series of 5G products with benefits of hosting on an Absolute Hosting Windows VPS Server Synopsys. ZTE, compared to all the BSIMM11 participants, achieves include instant deployment of your own KVM-based VPS Server and a excellent performance in 10 out of 12 practices with well-above- selection of Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016 and Windows average marks, indicating its software security capability has attained Server 2012 R2, static IP addresses, managed firewall, free backups and the international leading level. BSIMM is one of the best security more. The Absolute Hosting client service area provides a centralised practice models in the industry. It was jointly developed by Synopsys management portal, which facilitates the ordering of new VPS servers and the BSIMM community in 2008 to help enterprises plan, execute, and management of your existing Windows VPS servers. evaluate and improve their software security initiatives. To date, the www.absolutehosting.co.za model has iterated up to 11 versions. www.zte.com NeoFace Watch Thermal improves health and safety from COVID-19 in the workplace NETSCOUT visibility NeoFace Watch Thermal protects organisations, their customers and enhanced by AWS employees, through contactless monitoring and management of expanded support COVID-19 protocols, providing real-time dashboards and process Amazon Web Services (AWS) has now automation in a cost-effective solution that keeps people safe. The expanded its Virtual Private Cloud AI-driven platform uses NEC’s acknowledged world-leading facial (Amazon VPC) traffic mirroring to recognition technology and integrated thermographic cameras for support additional select non-Nitro a fast, accurate and compliant solution that ensures people are safe Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instance and the business is productive. “With this solution, you demonstrate types. As a result of this expansion, that you’re serious about people’s safety and doing what’s necessary NETSCOUT can provide end-to-end to ensure business continuity, protecting health and revenues for visibility for security and service sustainable futures,” says Jannie Erasmus, head of surveillance and assurance of even more applications analytics at NEC XON. and services that are used in AWS. www.nec.xon.co.za Risna Steenkamp, GM: ESM Division at Networks Unlimited www.networksunlimited.africa Africa
To read the FULL company releases, visit COMPANY NEWS www.itweb.co.za Contact [email protected] for any sales enquiries.
20 | July 2021 COMPANY NEWS
CHANNEL BUSINESS
Lexmark CEO honours Diversify your small business for growth Karabo Mongake with Traditionally, businesses diversify in order to grow, which we all agree Culture Shift award with. Survival mode is temporary, while the pandemic’s impact on Lexmark, a global imaging solutions human behaviour could actually be long-lasting. It’s time to rethink leader, announced that Karabo the way we do business during and after the pandemic. Try these five Mongake, director of Finance and tips to diversify for growth in the year ahead: Diversify your products/ board member, Lexmark SAF, services, diversify your audience, diversify your marketing messages has been honoured with a Culture and digitise your business. Domains.co.za is a South African domain Shift award for her leadership in name registrar and Web site hosting provider offering value-added Lexmark’s B-BBEE rating in South products and services like Site Builder, a DIY Web site builder to help Africa. Culture Shift award honourees its customers get online quickly, efficiently, and most of all, maintain a
Karabo Mongake are personally selected by Lexmark professional image. president and CEO Allen Waugerman. www.domains.co.za www.lexmark.com IIA SA and ISACA SA Chapter sign strategic Datacentrix takes award as top OpenText value- Alliance Agreement added reseller for emerging regions The ISACA South Africa Chapter (ISACA SA) and Institute of Internal Datacentrix has been named the winner of OpenText’s award for Auditors South Africa (IIA SA) have signed a reciprocal Alliance Emerging Market Value-Added Reseller (VAR), beating a number Agreement to partner in the continued development and practices of candidates vying for the title from across Africa, the Middle East, of their respective profession and professionals in South Africa. Central Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent Incorporated in 1969, ISACA Global serves more than 150 000 States. Datacentrix is OpenText’s largest partner in Africa and the professionals across 224 chapters globally, who span several roles in only Platinum Partner on the continent. Speaking at the recent assurance, governance, risk and information security. ISACA SA was OpenText Partner Summit 2021 virtual event, Mark Baillie, regional formally established in South Africa in 2003 and serves more than 2 VP for Channels & Alliances: EMEA at OpenText, explained that the 500 professionals across the country. The ISACA community is guided information management firm has a strong partnercentric approach. by a purpose of helping business technology professionals and their “From the very top of our organisation, partners are held in high enterprises realise the positive potential of technology. esteem.” www.engage.isaca.org www.datacentrix.co.za IFS, iOCO partner to springboard Africa into new world of working SECURITY Two technology industry leaders across Africa, IFS and iOCO, have partnered to help organisations spanning multiple key industries across the continent re-evaluate, adapt and improve their businesses Security, service assurance must rule financial to deliver the best moments of service using trusted technology services as threat actors remain relentless solutions, scale and skills. IFS is an award-winning global software The rise of the pandemic last year meant that corporates around the and enterprise applications company and will combine its technology globe had to embrace a highly dispersed, virtualised environment leadership position with the scale and skills of iOCO, the ICT services to keep the wheels of business turning. This is now changing the brand of the EOH Group and one of the largest technology services way that banks need to move forward, with both their security companies on the continent with a strong track record in service as well as their service assurance. So says Darren Anstee, CTO for management. As part of this partnership, iOCO has also embarked on a security at NETSCOUT, a leading global provider of service assurance, journey to certify 100 professionals. security and business analytics. He explains that, at the start of 2020, www.ioco.tech digital transformation in the financial services sector was already well under way, and the intervening year has only accelerated this transformation. www.networksunlimited.africa
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July 2021 | 21 Events Calendar CLOUD COMPUTING 2021 High cost, skills shortage hinder AI adoption in SA
Conquer Zero Day and the By: SIMNIKIWE MZEKANDABA, IT IN GOVERNMENT EDITOR unknown 8 June 2021 | Online ven though South African The petrol station will start to disappear Discover the Comodo Cybersecurity E organisations have the intention to by 2030, he said. “The writing is already on embrace artificial intelligence (AI), this the wall, it’s just that we are not reading that opportunity for SA MSPs doesn’t happen, according to Arthur writing yet.” Goldstuck, World Wide Worx MD and ICT He pointed to the share of electric vehicles Going Digital-First analyst. by 2030 in various markets, noting the 9 June 2021 | Online He said the significant obstacle to AI Chinese market as one that will be in the lead. How to achieve fast & consistent adoption is the perception of the high cost; “Fifty percent of new vehicles are expected to customer service however, more importantly is the shortage of be electric vehicles by the end of this decade.” skills. “That skills shortage is in fact holding In comparison, the average global market back AI evolution in this country. share of electric vehicle sales is around 30% Enabling hybrid learning “But there are many initiatives under way to 33%. “Of course, we’ll still have petrol 15 June 2021 | Online for training in AI, for certification and for stations, but they’re going to become fewer The future of education starts now introducing it into universities and specialist and further between; much like the bank academies.” branch where it’s going to become more and ITWeb Cloud & Data Centre Artificial intelligence is regarded as one more difficult to find a bank branch in the Webinar Series of the great careers of the future brought next five to 10 years.” on by the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). Similarly, Michael Langeveld, vice- 22 & 23 June 2021 | Online However, SA has an ongoing digital skills gap. president of Huawei’s Africa cloud business, Cloud Technology: An Enabler of The Department of Communications said 4IR is largely driven by AI or intelligent Business in the Digital Era and Digital Technologies, with partners like technology, accelerating the pace towards an Huawei, has been on a mission to ensure local intelligent world. “The impact is translated Public Sector ICT Forum young people are equipped and skilled in into the digitalisation of industries across the 4IR-related technologies, including AI, data board. 25 June 2021 | Online science, 5G, robotics and drone piloting, to “Cloud-based applications are Collaboration as a driver for digital name a few. fundamentally changing how we do business transformation in the public sector Tech optimism and go about our days.” According to Goldstuck, technology Langeveld is of the view his company Future of healthcare optimists are predicting the new ‘roaring is positioned “nicely” to bring net-new 20s’, which is a new era of progress. This new skills like 5G, cloud computing and artificial 29 June 2021 | Online era, he stated, will be defined by the “big intelligence into the market. The evolution of healthcare five” technologies, namely AI, robotic process Responding to a question about SA’s digital facilities automation, cloud-based business modelling, divide, Goldstuck said in the past, an access 5G and blockchain. device or mechanism was considered as a Cloud-based content Goldstuck noted that 5G will have a barrier. management for media considerable impact on all areas of technology However, things have changed. Now, it’s a through instant connectivity. In addition, situation whereby 80% of the population has 14 July 2021 | Online blockchain is the underlying architecture that a cellphone, and increasingly those cellphones RelianceCloud and AWS for media is going to create a massive shift. are smartphones, he stated. and entertainment content, storage “These five technologies will truly For example, between 10 million and 14 and delivery transform the way businesses operate and the million cellphones are sold in SA every year, way society interacts with business.” and every year, the percentage of those that He pointed out that the impact of these are smartphones is going up. Goldstuck technologies is already being seen in several estimates that roughly 70% of new phones industries. “The digital storm is upon us,” he sold are smartphones. said, pointing to the demise of physical music “When you consider that and you consider distribution as one of the most powerful that each year that percentage goes up, by examples of how rapidly industries can be the middle of this decade, the vast majority disrupted. of cellphone users in the country will be Goldstuck stated that physical banks, petrol smartphone users. By the end of the decade, stations and parking garages are the most there won’t be such a thing as a non- likely next targets of digital disruption. smartphone in terms of smartphones.
22 | July 2021 TRAINING AND E-LEARNING Top Jobs Eyeing 4IR, Youth ICT Council,
Huawei train graduates on 5G IT Technician FTP TECHNOLOGIES Set up workstations with computers and By: LEBONE MANO, JUNIOR JOURNALIST necessary peripheral device Cape Town the skills required to build a highly Negotiable developed digital economy’. Ref No: 284322 Huawei SA’s deputy CEO, Kian Chen said the company recognises the critical role 5G will play in driving the 4IR and in the country’s socioeconomic transformation. Head of IT Operations “We are very aware of the importance SA TAXI of developing talent and supporting South Provide departmental leadership Africa’s ICT skills”. Gauteng Huawei aims to contribute to the DCDT’s Negotiable 2030 data science agenda of training a Ref No: 284292 million ICT graduates or practitioners through its social responsibility initiatives. he Youth ICT Council, in partnership One of these, the Seeds for the Future T with Huawei, recently held a 5G training programme, will see an estimated Data Scientist training programme to equip 100 local 6 000 learners attend. SA TAXI unemployed graduates and township- “We’re strong believers that young 1+ years of experience based ISPs with 5G skills. people must become agents of their own Gauteng The four-day programme forms part futures. With this training, we are opening of Huawei’s commitment to provide up windows to multiple opportunities for Negotiable graduates, in particular communication them to do so,” said Chen. Ref No: 284297 networks graduates, with the skills needed Youth eagerness is encouraging to make the most of the Fourth Industrial The CSIR was also represented at last Revolution. The programme was held week’s 5G training launch. Principal CRM Developer online and had workshops on the evolution researcher Albert Lysko highlighted the AFRIMAT of 5G, protocol standardisation, network importance of increased broadband speed architecture, 5G’s global commercial and access for the country’s socioeconomic 5+ years experience as a CRM Developer deployment plans and business use cases. development. Cape Town The Youth ICT Council's president “The last year has shown just how Negotiable Luvo Grey says Huawei's investment in critical broadband is, especially when it Ref No: 284309 technology development and advocacy for comes to the evolution of education and broader inclusion in the digital economy work,” he said, adding that the importance makes the two organisations a natural fit. of connectivity will continue to grow. The council was launched in January this “The information requirements for SAGE ERP Suppor year and is supported by the Department of sensors on things like self-driving cars, AFRIMAT Communications and Digital Technologies smart objects, and factory components 5+ years’ experience in system (DCDT) in providing opportunities to mean that we’ll need increasing levels administration increase youth participation in ICT and of connectivity and bandwidth. 5G is an Cape Town developing a talent pool for the 4IR, in line important element and great technology to with the department’s goals. The council provide that connectivity and building the Negotiable will use strategic partnerships such as those networks behind it will require widespread Ref No: 284310 with Huawei to implement its vision. skills development.” Communications minister Stella The Youth Council’s spokesperson Ndabeni-Abrahams spoke at the launch Aluwani Chokoe said the number of of the training programme, saying the applications received for the 5G training government has a commitment to develop was encouraging and that similar Please visit www.careerweb.co.za and insert the the local economy with the technology and programmes would be launched in the unique reference number in the job keyword search box skills to be globally competitive. She added future. to view more details and to apply. CareerWeb has over 200 leading companies posting an that Huawei has been a valuable partner “Our vision is to make technology a average of 230 fresh ICT jobs weekly – it is the place to in building the telco infrastructure which natural aptitude for all South African youth search for your ideal ICT job. the country needs, as well as ‘through and to make the country a global source of EMAIL: [email protected] programmes such as this one, developing tech talent,” she said. CALL: 011 807 3294
23 July 2021 | 23 COMPANY NEWS
TECH FORUM BUSINESS
ThycoticCentrify unveils new 'Definitive Guide Avaya named a leader in 2021 Aragon Research to Securing Privileged Access' Globe for Video Conferencing ThycoticCentrify, a leading provider of cloud identity security Avaya has been identified as a leader in The Aragon Research solutions formed by the merger of privileged access management Globe for Video Conferencing 2021. Video meeting use at home is (PAM) leaders Thycotic and Centrify, announced the availability of skyrocketing – with huge numbers of remote workers adopting video a new ‘Definitive Guide to Securing Privileged Access’. Published in communications since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, conjunction with CyberEdge Group, the free eBook addresses the research shows that many workers are struggling with using their urgent challenges of protecting a multitude of users accessing critical video meeting tools – and this is impacting productivity. According data in the cloud. The guide explains how the rapidly evolving IT to Avaya’s Life and Work Beyond 2020 research, 75% of South African landscape has made traditional approaches to PAM obsolete as more workers get frustrated when their employers fail to use technology that organisations than ever rely on applications and services hosted in the would make them more productive. Avaya OneCloud UCaaS solutions cloud. The eBook explains that “every user potentially has access to have transformed the traditional video meeting to enable always-on privileged or sensitive information”. collaboration. www.thycotic.com www.avaya.com
Digital mergers Nihilent launches potentially face greater ‘Humanising Technology’ scrutiny campaign The Competition Commission has Nihilent, the global consulting and invited public comment on proposed change management organisation amendments to Small Merger using a human-centric approach Guidelines, which expand the scope of to problem-solving, has launched a potentially notifiable mergers in digital new multimedia brand campaign: markets. Shawn van der Meulen, LC Singh, director and executive 'Humanising Technology’. Reflecting partner, and Elisha Bhugwandeen, vice-chairman, Nihilent on this campaign, LC Singh, director senior professional support lawyer and executive vice-chairman, at Webber Wentzel explain what the Nihilent, said: "Our intention at development means for the South Nihilent is to humanise every business African market. and technological transformation Shawn van der Meulen www.webberwentzel.com across the globe.” www.nihilent.com Should you ditch your business phone for Zoom Tactile Technologies onboards Brett W Simpson, or Teams? emotional resilience coach Unified communications as a service With the onset and uncertainty around COVID-19 in early 2020, Tactile (UCaaS) provider Zoom launched Technologies made it a priority to ensure that all employees had a sense Zoom Phone in South Africa last of consistency and certainty within the work environment, which year, having launched it in 2019 in hopefully would extend into each employee’s personal life. Over time, limited markets. Nic Laschinger, the impact of stress on what the future holds was starting to creep CTO, Euphoria Telecom, says this is into the work environment. With this in mind, Tactile Group Director
Nic Laschinger, CTO, Euphoria the latest in a series of forays by video Mauro Mercuri started discussions with Brett Simpson, who is a Telecom conferencing and messaging service qualified coach, trainer and mentor for those seeking to build resilience providers into the business telephony within their lives. Simpson specialises in a tool called the Enneagram space. (motivation and personality tool). www.euphoria.co.za www.tactiletechnologies.com
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24 | July 2021 Rooftop gardens - landscape innovation
Rooftop gardens and green roofs have been around for many decades, especially in highly populated urban areas such as cities and towns. Initially, rooftop gardens were used mainly to provide insulation in cold northern hemisphere climates. These days, with limited ‘green’ space, rooftops gardens are used to reduce the heat island effect in cities, reduce stormwater run-off and flash-floods, create small safe havens for insects and birds, and beautify the environment. In essence, this is a creative and functional way of reducing reliance on municipal water, saving water, and preventing pollution.
Rooftop gardens can be as simple as a few container plants artfully arranged in an open space, or as complex as a fully waterproofed and vegetated roof surface. In a rapidly growing urban environment with limited space, many people are choosing to live in flats, apartments, and townhouses. A rooftop garden or landscape is ideal for those living in homes without gardens. They make use of unused or underused space and are great for plants and veggies that require full sun. Veggies such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, peas and beans, tall corn and rambling squashes, carrots, radishes, beets, kohlrabi, fennel, potatoes, and onions are ideal for rooftop food gardens (but may require some protection from the wind in some areas). If you are looking more at an aesthetic landscape, consider hardy, sun-loving, locally endemic plants such as indigenous Highveld grasses, succulents or fynbos (all appropriately hydrozoned).
Remember that there are a number of factors to consider when implementing a rooftop garden or landscape: • Make sure your structure/building/roof can support the load of a rooftop garden (Engineering requirements will apply). Using lightweight planting materials such as vermiculite, perlite, and sphagnum moss alleviates the problem of weight, and absorb and hold water well. • Rooftop environmental conditions such as full sun and strong wind can be tough on plants. If necessary, provide shading for more delicate plants, and buffers (for users and plants) to prevent excessively windy conditions. • Speak to an expert if you are interested in implementing a fully planted green roof. You may need to consult with a structural engineer or architect to conduct a structural analysis of your building. • A simpler, more cost-effective solution is to use containers and raised plant beds. Lightweight containers are ideal as they are portable, flexible in use, and affordable. You can really get creative and can easily change the design as required!
Rooftop gardens are environmentally-friendly, water–saving, creative, innovative, space-saving solutions to a limit in garden and landscape space.
www.randwater.co.za and click on the Water Wise logo FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON WATER WISE, PLEASE CONTACT US ON: 0860 10 10 60
25 | March 2021 The Public Sector ICT Forum was established in 2016 to provide a focused platform and opportunity for public sector ICT decision- makers to come together to engage and discuss topics that are key to the local public sector.
Directed by a board made up of government IT officers (GITOs) and chief information officers (CIOs) and including representatives from SITA and GITOC, the forum provides online and event-based thought-leadership and knowledge-sharing platforms. To become a member, please go to bit.ly/2psg2E6 The forum gives CIOs the opportunity to listen to and engage with leading local and international speakers to provoke dialogue, spark ideas and generate concepts that can or email us on be taken back to their areas of work. This is an informal community that encourages [email protected] collaboration and thought in the name of improved service delivery. or tweet us @PSICTForum
This is an exclusive community for top-level public sector ICT decision-makers: the CIO, GITO or DG/DDG focused on ICT strategy within your government department (national or provincial level) or at a parastatal. Membership is free, but applications are vetted to ensure exclusivity.