IT News
Amazon Set to Open New HQ in South Africa
Image sourced from CNBC Amazon is set to open up its new base of African operations in Cape Town, South Africa. The company is currently based in an office block and has been on the hunt for a bigger base of operations in Cape Town since 2018, reports Business Insider. The new headquarters will be located on a 15-hectare parcel of land that has been approved for development by the Liesbeek Leisure Properties Trust. The planned mixed-use development – where Amazon is listed as an anchor tenant – is expected to be a significant boost to the Cape Town economy as the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown remains. “The planned mixed-use development will be a significant boost to the economy and the people of Cape Town in the aftermath of the national COVID-19 lockdown. The City has carefully and thor...
Instagram Introduces New Feature to Filter Abusive DMs
Image sourced from Time Instagram has introduced a new tool that will allow users to turn on an abusive message filter for direct messages (DMs). It will work in a similar way to the comment filters Instagram already offers – which allow users to hide offensive comments and choose what terms they don’t want people to use in comments under their posts. “We’re announcing a new way to protect people from seeing abusive DMs in the first place, as well as the ability to prevent someone you’ve blocked from contacting you from a new account,” reads a blog post from Instagram. “We understand the impact that abusive content – whether it’s racist, sexist, homophobic, or any other kind of abuse – can have on people. Nobody should have to experience that on Instagram.” But the social platform goes on ...
South African can Use WhatsApp to Pay SMEs
Image sourced from YoMZanzi Nedbank, Mastercard and Ukheshe have partnered to launch Money Message – a new payment platform that lets small businesses receive secure in-chat payments from their customers via WhatsApp. A first in South Africa, the solution is expected to enable merchants to send an invoice requesting payment from any customer seamlessly through WhatsApp. Their customers in turn can quickly settle payment directly from the platform. “The need for a diverse range of contactless payment methods is more important today than we could have possibly imagined, as we seek to rebuild the economy by giving businesses the ability to transact in a safe and secure way,” says Chipo Mushwana, Executive of Emerging Payments at Nedbank. “In order to support entrepreneurship and sustainable b...
Paratus to Launch Data Centre in Zambia
Paratus is on track to open its new data centre in the heart of Lusaka, Zambia. This new purpose-built facility is expected to enable businesses to store and access their most vital asset, their data, at any time (24/7) in a secure and world-class 3-tier equivalent data centre. The 1-megawatt (MW) facility will leverage the latest physical and virtual security to ensure the secure storage, protection, and management of data. The data centre will also offer businesses modern-age cloud computing that will help businesses not only enhance operational efficiencies but help cut IT capital and operating costs that come with on-premise data storage and management. Paratus Zambia MD, Marius van Vuuren says, “we are demonstrating our commitment to deliver the best quality services within an ever-gr...
Apple Unveils AirTag – a New Way to Locate Items
Apple has officially introduced AirTag – a small gadget that can help locate a lost item, all while keeping location data private and anonymous with end-to-end encryption. “We’re excited to bring this incredible new capability to iPhone users with the introduction of AirTag, leveraging the vast Find My network, to help them keep track of and find the important items in their lives,” says Kaiann Drance, VP of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing at Apple. “With its design, unparalleled finding experience, and built-in privacy and security features, AirTag will provide customers with another way to leverage the power of the Apple ecosystem and enhance the versatility of iPhone.” Each round AirTag is small and lightweight, features precision-etched polished stainless steel, and is IP67 water- a...
How Hackers are Taking Advantage of the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
Image sourced from TimesLIVE Cybercriminals are well known for taking advantage of any opportunity. The largest vaccine rollout in history is no exception, with hackers now finding ways to target the supply chain. Understanding why the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain being targeted and how to protect against such attacks is vital for IT leaders who understand that healthcare and cybersecurity must now go hand in hand. Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain on healthcare cybersecurity The healthcare sector underwent several significant shifts during the pandemic. These shifts included a move toward offering telehealth services on a large scale, setting up remote, temporary COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites, and large-scale development, manufacturing, and distr...
Apple Introduces All-New iMac
Apple has officially unveiled the all-new iMac featuring a compact design – 11.5 millimetres thin – enabled by the M1 chip. “M1 is a gigantic leap forward for the Mac, and today we’re excited to introduce the all-new iMac, the first Mac designed around the breakthrough M1 chip,” says Greg Joswiak, SVP of Worldwide Marketing at Apple. “With its striking design in seven stunning colours [green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver], its immersive 4.5K Retina display, the best camera, mics, and speakers ever in a Mac, and Touch ID, combined with the amazing performance of M1 and the power of macOS Big Sur, the new iMac takes everything people love about iMac to an entirely new level.” The new iMac also includes a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, studio-quality mics, and a six-speaker sound...
Cell C Reports R5.5 Billion Loss
Image sourced from Town Press Cell C has reported a loss of R5.5 billion after tax following the announcement of its annual financial performance for the 12 months ending December 2020. The telco revealed that total revenue was down by 8% to R13.8-billion (2019: R15.1-billion), with the largest part of the revenue contribution from its prepaid base at R6.2-billion (2019: R6.9-billion). CFO of Cell C, Zaf Mahomed believes that even though the telco made a full-year loss, the latter six months of 2020 was encouraging as it had shown a R2.1 billion profit in the second half. Mahomed says “our results reflect a business in transition. We are starting to see the impact of our changes which included a focus on more profitable subscribers and through the reduction in costs a shift to revenue-gene...
What does WhatsApp’s Privacy Policy Update Mean for Businesses
Despite public pushback, Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp will be going ahead with the privacy policy update it announced earlier this year. While the public has begun to appreciate that WhatsApp’s privacy rules are in fact still very much in favour of the user, with messages sent remaining private and encrypted at all times, what will this mean for brands that use the app to reach and engage with consumers? “The benefits for brands are massive,” says Kyle Oosthuizen, COO at Blue Robot. “These updates form part of Facebook’s efforts to make communicating with a business secure, better and easier for everyone. The new updates will be made to business features that will help businesses engage with their users in a more intuitive and more advanced way.” “2021 is the year that WhatsApp wi...
How the Haller Foundation is Helping Smallholder Farmers Across Africa
The Haller Foundation is a grassroots organisation that guides communities through a holistic four-stage economic development model that is sustainable and environmentally sound. The model kick-starts a fragile farming community and, over a 3-year collaborative partnership, educates them to restore their soils, improve their environment and ultimately build the capacity to achieve economic resilience. Throughout the process, the organisation partners with the Ministries of Agriculture, Water, Health and local Government. And as an extension of its farmer training, the Haller Foundation uses its app — Haller Farmers — as well as Africa’s increasing mobile penetration, to reach those communities who they cannot reach directly. It all started in the 1970s when Dr Rene Haller, an a...
Top Tech Companies Driving Africa’s Growth – Africa Tech Week
Enhancing Tech-Parity Across Africa On May 5th and 6th, Topco Media and partners will be presenting a robust networking experience aimed at kick-starting economic growth in Africa, using technology. Africa Tech Week is alive with gleaming opportunities to shape fruitful connections, forge clearer paths to digital transformation and inspire collective and personal growth. Enjoy the Inside Scoop from Top-Tech Companies Registered attendees gain access to the 2-day hybrid conference where they can enjoy the inside scoop from top-tech companies. Listen eagerly as renowned leaders including, Dr Marian Croak – vice president of engineering for Google USA, Abe Smith – international lead for Zoom USA and Ayodele Odusola – United Nations representative for South Africa unveil their winning formulas...
7 Ways to Protect Organisations from Ransomware Attacks
Sourced from International IDEA Over the past few years, the methods cybercriminals use to distribute ransomware has changed dramatically. While a few years ago, they would spread encrypted files on a large scale, today, their ransomware attacks have become more focused. Now, fraudsters examine the target in detail and research each target, looking for additional leverage. In order to protect business data from ransomware attacks, experts at Kaspersky recommend these seven tips: Installing only applications obtained from reliable sources from official websites Always have fresh backup copies of your files, so you can replace them in case they are lost (e.g. due to malware or a broken device). Remember to store them, not only on the physical object but also in the cloud for greater reliabil...
