IT News
4 Ways Technology is Recreating the Offline Retail Experience Online
As the COVID-19 pandemic catalyses the move to eCommerce, new technologies are attempting to bridge the gap between offline and online retail by offering rich and immersive experiences that replicate in-person shopping and redefine how people experience online shopping. In brick and mortar stores, consumers are able to try, touch, and fully experience products before purchasing them, something eCommerce has until now, failed to replicate. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_0f9.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_0f9.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } But, immersive technologies like augmented reality (AR), 360° video, 3D content and virtual reality (VR) are proving to be the next frontier in eCommerce, providing shoppers with greater purchasing certainty, personalization, and control o...
Set Schedule Reviews Market Data with AI
Have you ever wondered how real estate agents connect with home sellers? Lead generation is a big part of the business. Agents rely on a variety of techniques, including networking in order to get word-of-mouth referrals. But as with many fields, technology is changing the way that real estate agents do business. Real estate technology company Set Schedule uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to generate leads. How Set Schedule Reviews the Market Artificial intelligence and machine learning are well-suited to market analytics, and are already widely used in investing and trading. It’s only natural that there would also be applications for this technology in the world of real estate. Set Schedule reviews a variety of metrics, looking at historic market data, current housing pri...
5 Reasons Why AI could be the Future of Finance
The role of the chief financial officer (CFO) has expanded beyond the traditional gatekeeper to financial resources, chief accounting officer and head recordkeeper. Today, CFOs in the digital enterprise are enablers of growth and strategic advisors to the CEO. Accenture research shows that 80% of CFOs see identifying and targeting areas of new value as one of their main responsibilities. With the CFO’s job description of operational duties and strategic roles changing constantly, financial leaders are looking towards technology to share some of their burden. Where possible, they are eager to automate and digitise accounting processes to save time and gain better visibility into business performance. Those that are further down this road via the implementation of cloud-based business soluti...
Ericsson to Lay Technical Foundation for 6G in 2021
Ericsson has joined Hexa-X – the 6G flagship research project that brings together a strong consortium of major ICT, industry and academic stakeholders. The project will begin on 1 January 2021, with a focus on developing the vision for future 6G systems and developing key technology enablers to connect human, physical and digital worlds. In its Outlook for 6G research paper, Ericsson identifies four key drivers which will emerge in what it calls “the 2030 era” and which the project will seek to address: trustworthiness of the systems, sustainability through mobile technology efficiency, accelerated automatization and digitalization, and limitless connectivity. Part of the EU’s Horizon 2020 Program The Hexa-X project, which is commissioned to run until June 2023, will be awarded ...
Imint Joins Forces with TECNO on CAMON 16 Series Smartphones
Imint has partnered with TECNO to equip the CAMON 16 series smartphones with its Vidhance Video Stabilization solution. The inclusion of Vidhance in CAMON 16 series smartphones is expected to provide customers with a calibre of video quality often only associated with expensive professional equipment. The implementation of Imint’s technology within TECNO’s smartphones also marks the first collaboration between the two brands. “Video quality and capability has become an increasingly important factor for consumers when making smartphone purchasing decisions. In today’s world, consumers realize that content creation can be so much more than just still photography and basic video,” says Andreas Lifvendahl, CEO of Imint. “To meet the market demand, leading smartphone manufacturers like TECNO ar...
7 Online Banking Security Tips for Africans
The Internet and the digital migration of the last three decades have pulled Africa closer to the rest of the world. Trends in various fields reach us more quickly now, and the continent is moving at the same rate as developed countries in markets such as online banking. Unfortunately, not many Africans know the risks they expose themselves to when accessing their bank accounts remotely and therefore go about making transactions without any caution whatsoever. In this article, we shall discuss top tips to avoid the security risks associated with online banking. 1. Use a VPN Do you have a device that you frequently use to access your online banking account? If you do, consider equipping it with a virtual private network. Virtual private networks (VPNs) anonymize internet connections, making...
6 Cybersecurity Threats to Watch Out for in 2021
Sourced from IDG Connect In 2020, there were many rapid changes on a global scale as organizations across the world attempted to adapt to a new normal caused by the pandemic. Amid this shift, there were significant developments seen across the cyberthreat landscape. As we near the end of 2020, here’s a closer look at six cybersecurity threats – from HP – to keep in minds going into 2021 and beyond: 1. Weakened organizational security will lead to more unintentional insider threats Home devices will be under increased pressure and we must expect home infrastructure will be targeted. The scale at which we operate from home increases the incentive for attackers to go after consumer IoT devices and pivot to business devices on the same networks. 2. Human-operated ransomware attacks will remain...
Citrix Appoints New Regional Director for Sub-Saharan Africa
Citrix has appointed Matthew McKay as its new Regional Director for Sub-Saharan Africa. With over 22 years of experience within the IT and telecommunication industry, McKay is expected to contribute extensive skills in sales, operations and go-to-market strategy. “Matthew brings great technology experience combined with a proven record leading teams at major international organisations,” says Amir Sohrabi, Area VP for Emerging Markets at Citrix. “He is joining Citrix at an exciting time, as many businesses accelerating their digital strategies and are focused on empowering people to work from anywhere, at any time, with any device. Citrix continues to be at the forefront of creating the next wave of work environments, and I am confident that Matthew will be a great leader for the team in S...
NTT Appoints New Global CEO
NTT has announced that Abhijit Dubey will succeed Jason Goodall as Global Chief Executive Officer. Dubey takes the role following over 20 years with global advisory firm McKinsey & Company. “We are looking forward to welcoming Abhijit to the NTT family in 2021 to lead the next generation of our business. He shares our passion for the technology industry and the role that technology can play in helping make the world a better place,” says Jason Goodall, current Global CEO for NTT. “He brings many years’ experience of our industry and context, as well as a strong track record in delivering high performance and profitability in organizations having advised clients on a range of strategic, operational, and go-to-market challenges. I am confident that we have solid foundations in place foll...
Sub-Saharan Africa’s to Mobile Traffic to Grow 6.5 Times by 2026
Mobile data traffic in Sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to grow by almost 6.5 times the current figures, with total traffic increasing from 0.87EB per month in 2020 to 5.6EB by 2026. Meanwhile, the average traffic per smartphone is expected to reach 8.9GB over the forecast period – this according to the Ericsson Mobility Report. As the demand for capacity and coverage of cellular networks continues to grow, service providers are expected to continue investing in their networks to cater for this uptake and meet evolving consumer requirements. In Sub-Saharan Africa, mobile subscriptions will continue to grow over the forecast period as mobile penetration today, at 84 percent, is less than the global average. LTE is estimated to account for around 15 percent of subscriptions by the end of...
Cybersecurity will Remain a Priority Despite Reduced IT Budgets, Research Shows
Cybersecurity remains a priority for investment among businesses, according to a Kaspersky report. Its share of IT spending has grown from 23% in 2019 to 26% in 2020 for SMBs, and from 26% to 29% for enterprises. 71% of organisations also expect their cybersecurity budget to grow further in the next three years. This is despite overall IT budgets decreasing in both segments amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and cybersecurity cuts affecting the most economically hit SMBs. External conditions and events can influence IT priorities for businesses. As a result of the COVID-19 lockdown, organisations have had to adjust plans to meet changing business needs – from emergency digitalisation to cost optimisation. The Kaspersky report, based on a survey of more than 5,000 IT and cybersecurity practitioner...
Networks Unlimited Africa brings Festive Season Cheer to Tembisa school
There is no doubt that it has been difficult for many local companies to survive in 2020. Imagine then how much more challenging it must have been for worthy causes like The Love Trust and its beneficiary, Nokuphila School in Tembisa, Midrand? This is the question asked by Anton Jacobsz, CEO at Networks Unlimited Africa, a leading value-added distributor within the Sub-Saharan African market. He explains, “The Love Trust is a South African non-profit educational organisation which has, to date, reached over 20,000 primary and secondary beneficiaries in disadvantaged communities. Because the lockdown period has made it even harder for non-profit organisations to stay afloat, our company has made a point of continuing to offer our support to this worthwhile organisation. A team from Ne...
