IT News
What are CFDs and How Can You Start Trading Online?
/* custom css */ .tdi_4_61e.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_61e.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } The use of Contracts for Differences (CFDs) continues to trend among retail traders, given these financial derivatives are ideal when market volatility is elevated and valuations have a directional bias. Understanding what are CFDs and some of the main threads linked to them is not difficult, even when it comes to people that are just getting started in the industry. The Basics of CFDs People will very often hear about the stock markets, FOREX, or commodities in the media. These are financial assets with a floating value, creating incentives for speculation. Retail traders and institutions all around the world are getting involved in these markets daily, based on changing economi...
MTN Deploys “First-of-its-Kind” Infrastructure Advancing Network Automation in Uganda
Sourced from TheTechieGuy (https://thetechieguy.com/) MTN Uganda and several members of the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) have signed an agreement that will advance network automation in the country and abroad using TIP’s Disaggregated Cell Site Gateway (DCSG). This first of its kind network deployment in Africa will see MTN evolve its Transport Network and turn it into a future-proof asset that will seamlessly enable its network transition to 5G. Transport Network transmits data traffic between points within a network that enable access to the internet. Through Ambition 2025, MTN’s strategic blueprint, Network-as-a-Service (Naas) is one of five scale platforms for growth that contribute to leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress. TIP’s Disaggregated Cell Site Gateway (DCSG) DCSGs ul...
4 Simple Steps Your Company Can Take to Protect ERP Systems from Cyber-Threats
Image sourced from Software ONE. Cybercrime taps into the vulnerability of business systems and can pose a real threat to a robust supply chain. A sophisticated ransomware attack recently targeted the world’s largest meat processor. Following the business system breach, operations in the US and Australia were disrupted, resulting in a knock-on effect. The meat processor had no option but to shut down nine beef plants in the United States and several plants in Australia. Several truck drivers who specialize in hauling livestock also had no choice but to drive hundreds of miles to pick up cattle from an alternative supplier. For the end-consumer, the long-term impact of the cyber-attack could mean inflated meat prices. Unfortunately, this is not the only instance of a cyber-attack on critica...
Using AI Will Always Require a Human Touch
Image sourced from Software One. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_096.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_096.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Decision-makers are concerned about how the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology can negatively impact their brand and result in a loss of stakeholder and customer trust. In fact, research has shown that 56% of executives globally have slowed down their AI adoptions because of such fears. These concerns have given rise to the concept of Responsible AI (RAI). It refers to the way organisations use AI technologies, and the adherence to certain principles that relate to the greater good, the protection of individuals and their fundamental rights, and generally the trustworthiness of the AI application. While everybody has a role to play in ...
AstraZeneca Partners with South African BrandMed to “Improve Treatment Outcomes, Patient Experience”
Image sourced from Market Watch. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_80c.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_80c.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } The COVID-19 pandemic and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have compelled healthcare stakeholders to explore new ways of improving health systems, stimulating the advancement of healthcare ecosystems that focus on enhancing the patient experience, improving treatment outcomes, while at the same time reducing expenses and treatment timelines. AstraZeneca South Africa Partners with BrandMed AstraZeneca South Africa announced this week that it will be providing sponsorship to BrandMed towards the establishment of fifteen BrandMed Syntro-P Health Centres of Excellence as part of its commitment to work towards a future where all p...
Can Debt Consolidation Help Your Credit Score?
Image sourced from Focus Federal Credit Union. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_37e.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_37e.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } So, you have heaps of debt and finally decided to get help. You’ve settled on debt consolidation, but you’re worried about how the financial strategy might affect your credit. But can debt consolidation actually help your credit score? You may be pleasantly surprised. Why Consolidate Debt? /* custom css */ .tdi_3_d63.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_d63.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Let’s start there. In short, consolidating your accounts can save you cash. For instance, if you have cards with an aggregate rate of, say, 24%, you can try to consolidate your balances into a new credit card or loan with a lower interest...
Cybersecurity Is More than A Tech Problem – It’s a Business Problem Too
Image sourced from Finance Times. A concerning number of South African companies are not prepared for the inevitability of a cyberattack despite the significant financial and reputational risks, according to Ryan Mer, MD, eftsure Africa, a Know Your Payee (KYP) platform provider. “Too few senior managers view cybersecurity as a business problem and not just a technology problem,” he says. “The reality is cybersecurity is very much a business consideration. CEOs and CFOs will eventually face critical questions such as: How much money do we spend on cybersecurity? Do we change key processes? How do we create awareness and change company culture? Do we put security ahead of operational functionality? What is the role of internal processes and staff on data security and integrity?.” Mer adds t...
Agritech SupPlant Raises $10-Million to Accelerate South African Agriculture Growth
Sourced from Getty Images. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_476.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_476.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Today SupPlant, a leading precision agriculture hardware-software solution, has announced its recent funding round, raising $10-million partially dedicated to accelerating its penetration into the South African Market. The round is co-led by Boresight Capital, Menomadin Foundation, Smart-Agro Fund and Mivtah Shamir. The raise brings SupPlants’s total funding to more than $19-million. New Challenges Faced by Farmers The round comes amidst global warming impacting South African farmers who are dealing daily with the unpredicted climate that is changing rapidly causing tropical storms, cold spells, heat waves and constant lack of irrigation water. /* custo...
How Nigeria’s Latest Gas-Related Power Crisis Could Have Been Avoided
Image sourced from the Electricity Hub. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_cc8.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_cc8.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } On 28 May 2021, Nigeria’s national power generation dropped to 3,059 MW and for the subsequent seven days remained below 4,000 MW, 6% below-average production. Low pressure on the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) left several gas turbine power plants with an insufficient gas supply, leading to plant shutdowns and widespread power blackouts. Unlike gas turbine power plants, gas engine power plants have the flexibility to function during low gas pressure events. This flexibility significantly lowers power production risk, a supreme advantage in the context of gas supply disruptions and systemic power shortages. Power cuts in Nigeria are ...
6 Urgent Steps Companies Need to Take to Ensure POPIA Compliance
Sourced from Europa EU. The eleventh hour is upon businesses who are not POPIA (Protection of Personal Information Act) compliant. The effective date of 1 July is upon us. Your business should have already started its compliance journey, as it will at least help lessen the risk of cybersecurity breaches. Securing your data will help your business be in good standing with local and international partners. This will also enhance the reputation of your business and exempt you from fines and non-compliance. Here are six steps your business can take before 01 July to be POPIA compliant: 1. Encrypt Everything One of the major requirements under POPIA is to ensure that you apply Generally Accepted Information Security Protocols. While these requirements are not the same for all organisations, som...
How COVID-19 Has Driven a Cashless World Through Contactless Payments
Image sourced from PYMNTS. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_560.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_560.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, contactless payments have become the world’s preferred payment method. In addition to being safer from a viral transmission perspective, contactless payments are also faster, and integrating multiple contactless payment methods assists small businesses to better maintain financial liquidity. While choice in payment methods boosts Customer Experience (CX), we still have a way to go before South Africa fully embraces cashless payments. This will necessitate educating the population on card security and business owners on the benefits of contactless payments and the reduction of cash on hand. Formal vs Informal Trading /* c...
Location Intelligence is Key to Understanding New Customer Behaviours Post-Pandemic
Image sourced from Geospatial World. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_271.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_271.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } The COVID-19 pandemic was a major disruptor for the retail sector. Practically overnight, customer buying patterns and behaviours changed, and have continued to shift ever since. This had made it challenging to meet customer expectations effectively. Retailers need to harness the power of location intelligence to help them better understand how their customers’ needs have changed and continue to change. What is Location Intelligence? Forrester, a research and advisory company, defines location intelligence as “the practice of collecting and managing customer location data, enriching it with other data sources, and analysing for contextual...
