IT News
Luno Records $8.3 Billion in Transactions Worldwide
Luno has recorded $8.3 billion in transactions worldwide after recently adding nearly a million new South African customers to its crypto platform. An estimated 15% of South Africans have invested in bitcoin – the second-highest percentage in the world according to the Global Web Index, beating even the USA and Japan. With over 2.1 million users in South Africa, Luno has around the same number of clients as South African Twitter users according to Statistica. It’s also the fifth most popular finance app on iPhone and third on Android – ahead of most of Africa’s biggest banks. A three-month average reveals that more than 145,000 South Africans installed the Luno app each month from November 2020 – January 2021. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_090.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_090.td-a-rec...
Torn Between Cloud and On-Premise File Sharing? Here’s a Solution for SMBs that Won’t Break the Bank
Graph I. Many SMBs having a hard time deciding between SaaS and on-premise solutions such as traditional File Server and Network Attached Storage The need for digital transformation has never been clearer as companies of all sizes now face an immediate challenge of employees working remotely. The year 2020 has changed the way we work, we had no other options but to move from offline to online. It can be hard to find great IT products that allow you to have a smooth and seamless shift, and to safely: store, share, and collaborate on files from anywhere. Furthermore, we commonly see many SMBs having a hard time deciding between SaaS and on-premise solutions such as traditional File Server and Network Attached Storage (NAS). I am glad to let you know that we have collected and digested many c...
South Africa Halts Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
South African Health Minister, Zweli Mkhize has announced that the country would temporarily halt its Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine rollout. This follows the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) temporary suspension of the vaccine in the United States after six recipients developed a rare blood-clotting disorder. According to The New York Times, all six recipients were women aged between 18 and 48, and each of them developed the illness within one to three weeks of vaccination. “We are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution,” says Dr Peter Marks, FDA Director for Biologics Evaluation and Research. As it stands, no South African recipients have reported experiencing blood clots following the vaccine. However, Mkhize says that they will ...
How a Prepaid Electricity Sub-Meter can Assist with Letting Out Properties
As we reached the recent one-year anniversary of South Africans entering the first days of lockdown at the end of March 2020, we remembered how holidays at this time last year were universally cancelled because of fears of the COVID-19 virus. One year on, it is sombre to review the past 12 months, yet we are nonetheless able to start considering new opportunities for family holidays once again. We have observed the increase in domestic travel towards the end of 2020, and with the implementation of Level One restrictions, people are feeling more comfortable about potentially taking a local break. As we approach the 2021 April school holiday season for state schools (which close on Friday 23 April and reopen on Monday 3 May), many of us are preparing for a short break. Statistics have shown ...
Your Data has Left the Building: Don’t Let it Take You on a Bumpy Ride
“Ladies and gentlemen: Michael Jackson has left the stadium.” These are the dramatic words spoken just after Michael Jackson, one of the most famous performers and entertainers in history, flew off the stage at the end of his 1992 – 1993 ‘Dangerous’ tour. It was one of the smoothest and most awe-inspiring endings to a stadium performance the world had ever seen – and Jackson did it for concert after concert during that spectacular global tour. However, as was later revealed, the truth is that Michael Jackson didn’t actually fly out of any stadiums via a jetpack – it was a professional stuntman in his place. So, it wasn’t really correct to think that the King of Pop had left the building. But it surely is correct, nearly 30 years later, to know that your data has certainly left the bu...
SendSpend Launches Across Sub-Sahara Africa
Image sourced from Sara Fuerte SendSpend has officially launched its global payment system which enables the unbanked to pay online and remit money instantly to each other using only a smartphone. Simply put, millions of unbanked customers throughout Africa with an Internet connection and access to a smartphone will soon be able to use SendSpend, a payment system not restricted to a particular mobile network or financial institution. The platform, which is now available in South Africa, is entirely digital and free for consumers, who can use SendSpend within minutes of registering via a downloaded App. “SendSpend is committed to enhance and uplift the lives of people in underserved local communities. Financial inclusion is a primary focus in achieving one of the UN’s Sustainable Developmen...
Ericsson and Unitel Partner to Expand Telco Network in Angola
Unitel Angola and Ericsson have signed a three-year agreement for the supply of Radio System solutions as well as core solutions and related services. The Radio & 5G ready core expansions are expected to enable Unitel to meet increasing data demands of customers in the Angolan market. The agreement sees the expansion of Ericsson’s Packet Core and User Data Consolidation network and readiness for 5G non-standalone services. Unitel’s Business Support Systems (BSS) will be upgraded and enhanced to enable catalogue-driven charging across its services and prepare itself for the introduction of innovative Business-to-Consumer (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B) 5G products and services. Using these solutions, Unitel’s network performance will improve to meet growing end-user expectatio...
MTN Ranked as Best Mobile Network in South Africa
Sourced from TheTechieGuy (https://thetechieguy.com/) MTN has been ranked as the best mobile network in South Africa – ahead of Vodacom, rain, Telkom and Cell C – according to the latest MyBroadband Insights Mobile Network Quality Report. The report is based on 349,575 speed tests that were performed by thousands of users across the country. The research shows that South Africa had an average mobile download speed of 33.23Mbps and an average upload speed of 12.71Mbps. MTN had the highest average download speed at 64.29Mbps, followed by Vodacom on 32.76Mbps, Telkom on 27.83Mbps, Cell C on 20.82Mbps and Rain on 10.58Mbps. MTN’s exceptional performance is a result of a R50-billion infrastructure investment over the past five years to extend coverage, improve network quality, and increase...
Human Insights Company UserTesting Appoints CFO
Image sourced from Mergr UserTesting has announced the appointment of Jon Pexton as its Chief Financial Officer. Pexton is said to bring a strong financial background at both private and public companies and his leadership experience will serve as a strong asset in helping UserTesting continue its global growth. “The UserTesting Human Insight Platform is well-positioned to help companies better understand, empathize and improve their customer’s experience. It is a timely solution as many aspects of life are changing quickly, and becoming more digital. Delivering great experiences is critical for success and differentiation,” says Pexton. “I’m excited to join the leadership team at this pivotal time and help the company continue its global expansion and leadership in this category.” Prior t...
Unlocking the Potential of Healthcare Data at Zebra Technologie’s Free Webinar
On 14 April 2021, leading healthcare technology solutions provider, Zebra Technologies in partnership with IT News Africa will virtually demonstrate how to streamline workflows and significantly reduce costs in healthcare facilities as well as identify patterns to enable intelligent predictions. Under the theme “Patient Journey and the Digital Twins” this free and innovative webinar will empower the healthcare sector with technology solutions that enable them to instantly connect, collaborate and communicate with colleagues. Register and learn how to better support patients and improve performance with the insights that come from capturing real-time data in your emergency department or operating theatre. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_66e.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_66e.td-a-rec...
Vodacom and AUDA-NEPAD Partner to Build Digital Infrastructure to Manage COVID-19 Vaccinations
Vodacom Group has announced that it will work with AUDA-NEPAD to build digital infrastructure to manage COVID-19 vaccinations across up to 55 countries, following successful deployments in South Africa – to manage vaccinations – and in Mozambique, Tanzania and Nigeria – to manage infant inoculations. The roll-out of mVacciNation, developed by Mezzanine, a member of the Vodacom Group, is the first project in a public-private partnership that has been formed between Vodacom Group and AUDA-NEPAD to boost Africa’s digital transformation and build resilience for the post-Covid world. “Vodacom has been at the forefront of helping governments where we operate to curb the spread of COVID-19,” says Shameel Joosub, CEO of Vodacom Group. “Making our mVacciNation platform available to all African coun...
Are You Prepared to Prevent Data Loss?
Losing valuable data is one of the worst things that can happen to anyone – digitally, at least. Imagine losing critical data that you need to deliver a time-sensitive project with a deadline looming, like a school assignment – or documents needed when you’re applying for a grant, or even a freelance job you’ve taken on. The team at ESET, global leaders in cybersecurity, dissect the various aspects of not having a backup when experiencing data loss, and what to do in case that happens to you. What are the impacts of data loss? The impact of data loss may vary depending on what kind of data is lost, and when during your process it happens. And of course, the amount of time spent trying to recover it or trying to recreate it. Had you regularly backed up all the important data during yo...
