tech news
IBM Introduces World’s First 2 Nanometer Chip
Image sourced with Learn Bonds IBM has unveiled the world’s first 2 nanometer (nm) chip – this technology uses semiconductors that play critical roles in everything from computing to appliances, to communication devices, transportation systems, and critical infrastructure. Demand for increased chip performance and energy efficiency continues to rise, especially in the era of hybrid cloud, AI, and the Internet of Things. IBM’s new 2 nm chip technology is expected to help advance the state-of-the-art in the semiconductor industry, addressing this growing demand. It is projected to achieve 45% higher performance, or 75% lower energy use, than today’s most advanced 7 nm node chips. The potential benefits of these advanced 2 nm chips could include: Quadrupling cell phone battery life, only requ...
Sub-Saharan Africa Trade Agency Appoints Kaspersky as Cybersecurity Partner
Image sourced from Discover Germany Africa House London – a trade agency established to encourage trade, commerce, and investment between the UK and a selected number of Sub-Saharan African high-growth markets – has appointed Kaspersky as its cybersecurity risk management commercial partner for its trade initiative. This is expected to see Kaspersky provide cybersecurity services to both British companies setting up business in Africa and African organisations establishing themselves in the UK. “Being named a Commercial Partner in this significant programme designed to increase UK and Africa bilateral trade and ensure stability and prosperity for the markets in a post-Brexit landscape, highlights the trust and belief in Kaspersky as a leading cybersecurity vendor. As such, Kaspersky i...
Unpacking the Improved Huawei MateBook Lineup
Image sourced from Basic Tutorials Huawei has launched a number of improvements to its laptop range – including the MateBook X Pro, MateBook D14 and the MateBook D15 – in the hopes of making them smarter, easier-to-use devices that add value to everyday life. Here’s a look at how Huawei has improved these devices: Huawei MateBook X Pro 2021 The Huawei MateBook X Pro 2021, which comes in Emerald Green or Grey, has been elevated from its predecessor on aesthetics and performance, with a sleeker design, latest gen processor, long-lasting battery life, brand new touchpad, 3k touch-screen display, fast network connection and multi-screen collaboration. Super performance /* custom css */ .tdi_3_f11.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_f11.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } This ult...
3 Tactics Hackers Use to Steal Passwords
Passwords, a basic yet essential part of cybersecurity, are the first line of defence against cyberattacks in our increasingly digital world. However, according to research from Check Point Software, many users are under the false impression that cybercriminals have no interest in their personal information or data on their computers. And it is for this reason that the robustness and strength of passwords are more important now than ever. With that in mind – thanks to Checkpoint – here are three of the tactics used to steal passwords along with the necessary steps to prevent any person from becoming a victim of cybercrime: 1. Phishing attacks This method has become one of the most widely used tactics for stealing passwords and usernames. It works in a simple way: by sending an email that a...
Africa Tech Week Day 2: Africa is a Magnet for Investors
The second day of Africa Tech Week was bursting with tech trends and practical insights from speakers and acclaimed sponsors Vaxowave, Liquid Intelligent Solutions, Visa, PPC and Gijima, the overarching emotion is one of gratitude and the outlook optimistic. The main focus was strategies for living in a digital world – a reality that has abruptly arrived on the globe’s doorstep. 54 Million Jobs to be Created As Zahra Baitie from the Jack Ma Foundation reiterated, Africa is a recently connected continent, a new market and magnet for those seeking to make their mark on the world stage. Over the course of the two-day summit, Africa Tech Week certainly made a mark on the world stage! It is predicted that Africa will create 54 million jobs by 2022, largely generated by small and medium enterpri...
Prepaid Electricity Consumption: The Connection Section
Prepaid electricity consumption is a sensible option for many people, under a number of different circumstances: for the home or business owner, for the tenant, for the owner of an Airbnb property, for example. But how do you know what to look for when you first set out to share in the benefits offered by prepaid electricity consumption? Your metering company should be rock-solid A prepaid electricity sub-meter is a device that helps users control and regulate the usage of electricity. It works much like a prepaid cellphone, whereby you pay upfront before you use it, therefore eliminating large unexpected monthly bills. And as with your cellphone service, you want to know that you are signing up with a good provider. Here are some points to ponder when choosing your electricity sub-meterin...
MÉTISS Undersea Cable Connects South Africa to Mauritius
MÉTISS is a 3,200 km subsea fibre optic cable system that connects South Africa to the Indian Ocean islands of Madagascar, Reunion and Mauritius – it lands in Amanzimtoti and is backhauled by Liquid Telecoms to Teraco’s data centre in Durban. With MÉTISS consortium members having the infrastructure in both the Teraco Durban (DB1) and Johannesburg (JB1)data centre facilities, the Indian Ocean Islands have direct access to Teraco’s ecosystem of over 300 networks, 130 IT service providers, 50 global content providers, and the key global cloud providers says Michele McCann, Head of Interconnection and Peering at Teraco. The availability of a new cable servicing the Indian Ocean Islands region widens the addressable market for content and cloud providers in South Africa. It adds new r...
Africa Tech Week Day 1: Unlocking Africa’s Tech Potential
Africa Tech Week has officially kicked off. The two-day virtual summit hosted a galaxy of out-of-this-world speakers, including the panel discussion by Marian Croak, VP of engineering at Google and Lindiwe Matali founder and CEO of Africa Teen Geeks. Marian and Lindiwe delved into how important it is for individuals, especially young girls, and women to have mentors. Starting with Inequality Marian motivationally advised that one should “find a sense of strength within one’s self and reiterated that if you are not failing you are not learning. Yemi Keri, CEO of Heckerbella and co-founder of Rising Tide Africa, was quoted saying that, “the more female investors we get on the continent the more we will reduce the funding gap for female entrepreneurs.” Yemi also spoke on the reasons inv...
New M-PESA Update Allows Users to Send Money to Multiple People
Sourced from Tech Weez. Safaricom has introduced a new M-PESA app feature that allows users to send money to up to five people at the same time. According to Gadgets Africa, a big reason why the telco may have introduced this feature is to make it easier for companies to pay employees via the app. “Most times you’d have to send them their dues one by one which can be tedious. Now this update should help ease that pressure. We’re not sure yet if it lets you select different amounts for different people but if that’s the case it’s even better.” 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 o...
Are All Satellite Internet Services Created Equal?
Are all satellite services created equal? Are the low latency services promoted by Starlink the holy grail to a mass market for satellite broadband? What is really required to support business connectivity requirements, and what are the real details to be considered? As media awareness grows and the market realises the potential of satellite services, it is becoming increasingly important to discuss architecture specifics in order to guide application design and network implementation considerations. Smart Satellite Services Current satellite services are much more advanced than previous generations. It is no longer just about the myths that satellite is slow, expensive, and has a latency problem. Satellite platforms have evolved way past those days and are now advanced IP connectivity sol...
Here’s How Much it Costs to Recover from a Ransomware Attack in 2021
Sourced from International IDEA The cost of an average ransomware attack has more than doubled in a year, increasing from $761,106 in 2020 to $1.85 million in 2021. According to “The State of Ransomware 2021” report from Sophos, the average ransom paid is $170,404. While the number of organizations that experienced a ransomware attack fell from 51% of respondents surveyed in 2020 to 37% in 2021, and fewer organizations suffered data encryption as the result of a significant attack (54% in 2021 compared to 73% in 2020), the new survey results reveal worrying upward trends, particularly in terms of the impact of a ransomware attack. “The apparent decline in the number of organizations being hit by ransomware is good news, but it is tempered by the fact that this is likely to reflect, at...
Infobip Appoints Former Microsoft Heavyweight to Board
Infobip has appointed its new Vice President of Planning and Strategy Implementation, Marin Bezić to the Board of Directors. An experienced management consultant with a deep understanding of the sector and expertise in building out bluechip tech organisations, Bezić is ideally suited to help define and support the company’s long and short term strategic business objectives as the Group continues to extend its global footprint. He will be responsible for optimising business management including enhancing the Go-To-Market framework and overseeing revenue operations. Previously at Microsoft, he was central to product development and the force behind Microsoft’s first business intelligence application. “I’m excited to be a part of Infobip’s story. The feeling is very similar to the beginning o...
