IT News
INTERVIEW: Unpacking ESET South Africa’s Approach to Innovation in 2021
After a year in which the COVID-19 pandemic upended the way we live, work and socialize, Carey van Vlaanderen, CEO of ESET South Africa, has revealed to IT News Africa the innovations and challenges expected to impact businesses in 2021. Here’s what transpired: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced organisations to adapt to a new, remote way of working; How has ESET risen to this challenge? With the interrupted electricity supply affecting our business throughout the years, we had made the decision some time back to ensure that all employees were mobile and as off the grid as possible. This meant equipping all employees with laptops and backup power and connectivity, both at work and at home. This meant that when COVID-19 hit, we were able to adapt quite quickly. We also took learnin...
5 Cybersecurity Tips for Startups
Sourced from International IDEA From 2020 being dubbed ‘the year of the side hustle’ to small businesses grappling to maintain continuity and profitability, despite these unprecedented times there has been a significant uprising in entrepreneurial activity the world over. Startups tend to be created by people who burn with an idea and want to put it into action as soon as possible. Money is usually tight, and expenses run high, what with product development, promotion, and all the rest of it. When managing priorities, emerging businesspeople often neglect matters related to information security. Many startups try to save on security, confident that a small company with limited resources holds no interest for cybercriminals. The truth is anyone can fall victim to cybercrime. Firstly, becaus...
Facebook Unveils Instagram Lite for Android
Facebook has launched Instagram Lite for Android. This app has been designed for users living in rural and remote communities who want a high-quality Instagram experience using minimal data. Instagram Lite has been made available in more than 170 countries around the world – but will be especially useful in regions that do not possess the most up-to-date mobile devices, robust internet networks, or affordable data plans needed for swift delivery of the data-rich videos and images found on Instagram. “Our teams build these lightweight versions of our apps for people with low connectivity or limited data plans because our basic premise is to leave no one behind,” says Tzach Hadar, Director of Product Management at Facebook Tel Aviv. “We wanted the Instagram experience to remain fast, hi...
Twitter is Testing a New Way to Post Images
Image sourced from Mission Statement Academy Twitter is testing a new way for users to crop images – by not having to crop them at all. According to The Verge, this means images will show up in the Twitter timeline looking just as they did when the user was composing the tweet. “Sometimes it’s better said with a picture or a video. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be testing some ways to improve how you can share and view media on Twitter,” says Twitter in an official tweet. “Now testing on Android and iOS: when you Tweet a single image, how the image appears in the Tweet composer is how it will look on the timeline – bigger and better.” Now testing on Android and iOS: when you Tweet a single image, how the image appears in the Tweet composer is how it will look on the timeline –– bigger and...
Bolt Launches Eco-Friendly Ride Service in Kenya
Bolt has launched Bolt Green – a new eco-friendly ride offering – in Kenya. The service part of the company’s effort towards reducing its carbon footprint. “We continue to scale up our operations for the benefit of our customers and the communities in which we operate. Having electric and hybrid vehicles on our platform is a step towards ensuring environmentally conscious ways for people to move around in the city and reduce our ecological footprint,” says Ola Akinnusi, Country Manager for Bolt Kenya. “The new category also aims at expanding Bolts ride options thereby creating more economic opportunities for drivers and providing passengers with more options to choose from.” The service is currently only available in Nairobi, but Bolt plans to expand it across the country soon. /* custom c...
Register to Attend AJALA’s Artificial Intelligence and African Enterprises Webinar
Continuing the Artificial Intelligence & African enterprises series, ajala is pleased to invite you to attend the third session on Delivering Economic and Operational Gains set to take place on March 23, 2021, at 11:00 AM (WAT). The AI & African Enterprises series examines AI through an African lens, covering topics ranging from operations, to economics, and technology/deployment. The upcoming session will consider perspectives on productivity in Africa and the potential impact AI can on jobs, identity and regulations. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_3da.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_3da.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Previous sessions include Data Privacy, Data Security and Policy Considerations (November 2020) and Deployment and Integration: Managing AI Solutions ...
Huawei and MTN South Africa Launch a New and Secure Payment Solution
Huawei has joined forces with MTN South Africa to launch Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) – a ‘seamless and secure’ payment method that allows users to make purchases using their airtime. For contract customers, the amount will be added to their monthly mobile phone bill, while prepaid customers will have the amount deducted directly from their available airtime. This means you can still pay for all your favourite offerings from Huawei Mobile Services without having to share your credit card details. “MTN recently reached 100 million active data customers across 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East. This shows that our customers are increasingly adopting digital offerings and we are continuously looking to meet this demand with fresh offerings that will add value to our customers,” says ...
Twitter to ‘Overhaul’ TweetDeck, says Product Chief Kayvon Beykpour
Image sourced from Mission Statement Academy Twitter Product Chief, Kayvon Beykpour has revealed that the company is actively working on an overhaul of TweetDeck, its account management platform. In an interview with The Verge, Beykpour says “we haven’t given TweetDeck a lot of love recently. That’s about to change; we’ve been working on a pretty big overhaul from the ground up of TweetDeck, and it’s something that we’re excited to share publicly sometime this year.” He goes on to say that this is a clear example of a Twitter-owned and operated platform that it will continue to invest in – as the company is also committed to “improve Twitter’s developer tools and repair its relationship with app makers”. According to Beykpour, Twitter has a lot of trust to earn back as it has made mistakes...
Only 49% of South Africans will take the COVID-19 Vaccine, Research Shows
Although COVID-19 infection rates seem to be declining and vaccines are slowly being rolled out in the country, most South Africans are wary of a third wave, further lockdowns and job losses. A survey by gig technology company, M4Jam asked South Africans about their main concerns as the country marked exactly one year since the first COVID-19 case in the country was diagnosed. Despite South Africa’s rejection of its first shipment of vaccines and widespread misinformation about the effectiveness of vaccinations, 49% of respondents (up from 32% in the January survey) said they would take the vaccine when it became available to them. 44% of respondents (down from 58% in the January survey) said they would adopt the approach of “wait and see” if the vaccine works for people they knew before m...
INTERVIEW: Boosting Security on Smartphone Trading Apps
Gur Geva, CEO of iiDENTIFii The rate of banking services that are available via mobile devices is growing daily as businesses and individuals are increasingly forced to prioritise digital transformation – one such development is Shyft. To unpack the security behind this mobile forex trading solution, ITNA’s Jenna Delport chatted to Arno Von Helden, Head of Forex Solutions for Standard Bank and Gur Geva, CEO of iiDENTIFii. Here’s what transpired: Why is Shyft different from other mobile forex trading solutions? Von Helden believes Shyft is different because it offers more features than a traditional forex trading solution. “An individual can buy and sell foreign exchange 24/7. The app also effectively behaves as an offshore bank account, whereby your foreign exchange has effectively le...
MTN Group Adds 29 Million Subscribers Despite a Challenging 2020
MTN added 29 million new subscribers in 2020, to reach a total of 280 million across 21 markets. The group also reported a 52% increase in adjusted headline earnings per share, a four percentage point increase in return on equity to 17% and a more than doubling in operating cashflow to R28,3 billion. “We continued to perform favourably against our medium-term targets,” says MTN President and CEO, Ralph Mupita. “In constant currency terms, service revenue grew 11,9% to R170 billion and EBITDA increased by 13,4%, maintaining our strong operating leverage. The Group’s EBITDA margin improved by 0,9pp to 42,7%, benefiting from the execution of our expense efficiency programme.” The solid results were supported by growth in MTN’s larger operations as well as a broad-based improvement across...
Dimension Data Appoints New CEO After Grant Bodley Steps Down
Image sourced from ITWeb Dimension Data MEA has appointed Werner Kapp as the new CEO for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) – this follows the departure of Grant Bodley who has been with the company for more than 20 years. Kapp will take up his new role from 1 April 2021. “I’m thrilled to be taking on the new role of CEO and look forward to progressing our leadership position in IT services across the region,” says Kapp. “I am especially excited about our One Dimension Data operating model, as I believe it is a critical part of our differentiation in the market and a key to ensuring the work we do with our clients across the organisation drives solutions-focused thinking and delivery.” Kapp, who has also been with Dimension Data for the last 2 decades, is currently the company’s Chief O...
