IT News
New ‘for Africans by Africans’ Social Media Platform to Launch in Kenya
MyCountry MyWorld is set to launch a new ‘for Africans by Africans’ social media platform – called MY! – in May 2021. “Having developed the app over a period of two years, with a series of tests; we are now confident that the app is ready to be released to the world”, Samuel Zean Jr, Co-founder of MY!. MY! is expected to work as a platform where users – especially from developing economies – can tell their stories. Zean Jr adds the “majority of Africans complain of how African nations are portrayed by the western countries on both traditional media and digital media. The MY! app is developed by Africans for Africans to help change this narrative. Whereby, everyone is given a chance to tell their story their way.” /* custom css */ .tdi_3_59c.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_59c.td-a-...
6 Ways to Protect Your Business from Ransomware
With an ever-growing number of people working from home, primarily due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, cybersecurity attacks are on the rise, meaning that dealing with security risks is an ongoing journey for enterprises. IDC predicts that by 2023, 60% of data will be generated at the edge by people working from home and from devices outside of the corporate firewall. While at the same time, many corporate cloud services are already being rendered from locations outside the data centre. This has given rise to ransomware attacks as many employees who are working remotely have their firewalls and access points configured to allow remote access. With that in mind, here are 6 things Kaspersky experts recommend to protect your company from ransomware: Always keep software updated on all t...
PlayStation Network Up and Running After Outage
Sourced from Wikimedia. The PlayStation Network appears to be up and running again after reportedly suffering a global outage. The outage all the categories listed on the PSN’s status page — account management, gaming and social, PlayStation Now, PlayStation Video, PlayStation Store, and PlayStation Direct. According to The Verge, all were marked as being down for about an hour though reports of the outage started rolling in around 20 minutes before the status page lights started turning red. Sony Shows Off Next-Gen PlayStation 5 VR Controllers Sony has shared a sneak peek of its next-generation PS5 virtual reality (VR) controllers. The orb-shaped controllers are expected to play a critical role in changing the way VR games are played. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_001.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: ...
South Africa Ranked as 3rd Most Targeted Country by Ransomware
Over the last few years, the number of users encountering targeted ransomware – malware used to extort money from high-profile targets, such as corporations, government agencies, and municipal organisations – increased by 767%. This increase in targeted ransomware occurred alongside a 29% decrease in the overall number of users affected by any kind of ransomware, with WannaCry still the most frequently encountered family. These are among the most important findings in Kaspersky’s recent report on the ransomware landscape from 2019-2020. The ransomware threat – when attackers encrypt private information and hold it to ransom – became mainstream news in the 2010s following large-scale outbreaks, such as WannaCry and Cryptolocker. They targeted tens of thousands of users and often requested r...
Microsoft Teams Reaches to 145 million Daily Active Users
Sourced from Tech Republic. Microsoft Teams has exploded in popularity since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent remote work exodus. Millions of people have brought their offices home with them, and with that, they’ve turned to Microsoft Teams. In fact, more than 145 million Daily Active Users have turned to MS Teams to be exact. #MicrosoftTeams now 145 million daily active users 🙏💜 – thank you to customers, partners, and team — Jeff Teper (@jeffteper) April 27, 2021 According to The Verge, at the beginning of the pandemic, Microsoft had around 32 million daily active users of Microsoft Teams. That jumped to 75 million in a matter of weeks, and these numbers have more than doubled since even the early days of the pandemic. /* custom css */ .t...
Will an eCommerce Boom Benefit South African Consumers?
The acceleration of eCommerce as the global COVID-19 pandemic revolutionises buying trends is giving rise to exciting new developments in the financial technology industry. According to research by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), eCommerce’s share of global retail trade grew from 14% in 2019 to about 17% in 2020. And the phenomenon shows no signs of slowing down. “Businesses and consumers who were able to ‘go digital’ have helped mitigate the economic downturn caused by the pandemic,” says UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General Isabelle Durant. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_7e3.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_7e3.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } “But they have also sped up a digital transition that will have lasting impacts on our societies and daily live...
Should African Governments Digitise to be Innovative, Inclusive and Resilient?
Sourced from Redbubble and iStock. It’s been said before, but it bears repeating – the COVID-19 pandemic offers Africa the chance to leapfrog development through digitisation, and potentially position itself as a global digital powerhouse. And while the private sector has an important role to play in this development, governments across Africa have a critical role to play in enabling digitisation, through infrastructure development, but also in digitising their own systems and processes and by creating an enabling environment using regulatory and legal tools. Developments such as the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) reinforce the urgent need for governments to digitise to enable not just trade, but positive economic growth across the continent. In its report Reopening and ...
Safaricom Completes Services Upgrade
Sourced from Tech Weez. Safaricom has introduced updates to its airtime top-up, sim swap, tariff migration and activation of new lines services. The updates are expected to increase the telco’s capacity for future innovations. In a tweet, Safaricom says that M-Pesa, calls, data and SMS will all be operational. Customer Notice on Service Upgrade for Saturday 24th April 2021. pic.twitter.com/NCo9j9PUGQ — Safaricom PLC (@SafaricomPLC) April 23, 2021 Safaricom Forced to Split Dividend Payouts by CBK The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has pressured Safaricom into dividing its dividend payouts in order to “shield the weakening shilling when the telecommunications firm seeks dollars for repatriation to foreign investors”, reports Business Daily. Kenya’s local currency has faced immense pressure...
Security and Service Assurance Must Rule Financial Services as Threat Actors Remain Relentless
Risna Steenkamp, General Manager: ESM Division at Networks Unlimited Africa The rise of the pandemic last year meant that corporates around the globe had to embrace a highly dispersed, virtualised environment to keep the wheels of business turning. This is now changing the way that banks need to move forward, with both their security as well as their service assurance. So says Darren Anstee, Chief Technology Officer for security at NETSCOUT, a leading global provider of service assurance, security and business analytics. He explains that, at the start of 2020, digital transformation in the financial services sector was already well underway, and the intervening year has only accelerated this transformation. Writing in a recent blog, he notes that, “The COVID-19 lockdown shut branches, forc...
MTN Bids for Ethiopian Telco Licence Alongside Vodacom and Safaricom
MTN Group has reportedly made a bid for an Ethiopian telecommunications licence alongside Vodacom Group and Safaricom. Finance ministry adviser, Brook Taye says that the consortium of bids is led by Safaricom. “We always wanted quality providers and this is what we have received,” adds Taye. “These are two African giants — the Safaricom-led consortium and MTN — either one or two of the operators will get a licence in Ethiopia.” Kenya’s geographical proximity to Ethiopia is expected to be one reason why Safaricom leads the consortium. “I think it will be a very good exposure to Safaricom from the perspective of geographical closeness on the one perspective, but also giving Safaricom additional exposure to more growth areas,” says Vodacom’s chief executive, Shameel Joosub. In an interview wi...
Acer Introduces New Chromebook 311 Features
Acer has unveiled a range of new features for the Chromebook 311. The ultraportable Acer Chromebook 311 is designed for classes, projects, and everyday activities. Weighing in at only 1kg, the Chromebook combines extreme portability with an ARM Octa-Core processor – ensuring it has enough power for up to 15 hours of use throughout the day. The device offers complete connectivity with a fully functional USB-C port, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 to easily connect to multiple devices at the same time. The laptop has an integrated 720p HDR wide-view webcam for crystal clear video calls in Google Meet. With all the advantages offered by Chrome OS such as quicker boot times, an easy-to-use interface, built-in malware protection and access to millions of Android apps on Google Play or to ...
5 Reasons to Love the Huawei Mate40 Pro
Mobile devices have become integral to everyone’s lives and because of this, it is crucial that our smartphones are safe and secure. While these devices offer us instant connectivity to the world around us, we can’t ignore the ugly side of this life, which is cybercrime. Here are five ways the Huawei Mate40 Pro ensures data is safe and secure: 1. Comprehensive privacy features Based on the Trusted Execution Environment (TEE), the Huawei Mate40 Pro bolsters the security of the device in various usage scenarios. It’s like a trusted virtual safe for personal data. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_6ab.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_6ab.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } 2. Highest security certification level When it comes to privacy and security, Huawei’s EMUI 11 operating system has alw...
