tech news
Will Technology Reinvent ‘the New Normal’ in 2021?
2020 can only be described as an unpredictable year, and one that brought with it some of the most dramatic shifts we’ve seen in the way we live and work. In a year of uncertainty, it’s safe to say that technology was the one constant – the platform that transformed the fundamentals of commerce, healthcare, education and financial services across the world. Disruption is a process that plays out over time; sometimes slowly, but completely and the pandemic proved this to be true. It showed that it’s imperative for organisations to invest in a holistic and strategic approach to respond to the pace of disruption. This investment calls for the convergence of technologies, to connect, collaborate and create new services that will ultimately help weather disruption. As we head into 2021, the MER...
3 Cybersecurity Resolutions for Businesses in 2021
Sourced from IDG Connect Between more sophisticated cybercriminals and immense pressure to ensure governance on compliance, 2021 is already shaping up to be a minefield. And as such, cybersecurity has risen to the top of most organisations’ agendas. With this in mind, here are three cybersecurity resolutions every business should consider this year: Watch out – Dark Clouds are on the horizon Businesses haven’t been the only ones accelerating their digital transformation this year – cybercriminals have been hard at it too. There has been a sharp rise in ‘Dark Clouds’ as cybercriminals have migrated to the cloud, often for the same reasons businesses have – cloud allows them to avoid big up-front capital expenses, pay monthly for their shady businesses and scale up only when they need to. Co...
4 Predictions for Digital Finance in 2025
Sourced from Finance Monthly. The digital transformation of the finance sector has continued relentlessly throughout 2020. Industry is already starting to see the paybacks from making small, incremental changes to financial workflows by adopting emerging technologies. The pandemic is accelerating the speed of change and catalysing more investment in end-to-end automation and remote working. So, where will this trend take the industry in four years’ time? Here are four predictions about what the finance function will resemble in 2025: Many of today’s technologies will still be in play Not all challenges from 2020 are likely to disappear by 2025. As tech continues to evolve, so too will legislation and regulations. Requirements change all the time, especially as businesses begin to use bigge...
Stay Ahead of Trends with Unmatched Legal Intelligence
According to a host of industry pundits and legal technology experts globally, the year 2021 looks set to push the trends accelerated in 2020 even further, with Artificial Intelligence (AI), analytics and intelligent legal research among the big issues to watch. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic, associated lockdowns worldwide and the sudden transition to remote working, totally reshaped the legal landscape and propelled law into the digital age. Legal professionals – if they hadn’t done so already – had to quickly pivot towards digital technologies for online research, collaboration, document sharing and automation, video conferencing, virtual law services and more. “While many within the sector noted a slowdown in legal work in 2020, those who were successfully able to embrace technol...
Tarsus Technology Group Appoints New CEO
Tarsus Technology Group (TTG) has appointed Anton Herbst as its new CEO with effect from 1 March 2021. He replaces Miles Crisp who resigned to pursue new interests. Herbst brings to the role more than two decades of leadership experience in the ICT distribution industry, starting his career at TTG 20 years ago when it was known as MB Technologies. Between 2001 and 2011, Herbst was the managing director of Advanced Channel Technologies (A.C.T.), a company within TTG that focused on the distribution of printer consumables and accessories. Under Herbst’s leadership, A.C.T. grew from a start-up into a billion Rand enterprise by the time he left to start his own consulting business. Herbst re-joined TTG in July 2013 as CEO of Tarsus Distribution and served as a member of the mainboard. He assum...
YouTube to Introduce New Features in 2021
Sourced from Mobile Syrup YouTube will introduce a number of new features this year, including; Expanding to TV, TikTok rival Shorts and an Integrated Shopping Experience. “With a global audience of over two billion logged-in users coming to YouTube every month—more than ever, we know we have to build custom experiences and apps that respond to each person’s unique needs,” says Neal Mohan, Chief Product Officer at YouTube. Expanding to TV While the majority of YouTube videos are watched on mobile, the company’s fastest area of growth is the TV. That’s why it brought that same spirit of YouTube’s experience to TV content with YouTube TV. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_3e4.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_3e4.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } “And there’s more to come, including a new ...
Amazon need not Enter SA’s eCommerce Industry ‘Any Time Soon’, says Naspers CEO
Image sourced from CNBC Bob van Dijk, CEO of Naspers and Prosus believes that Amazon may not enter South Africa’s eCommerce sector “any time soon”. According to TechCentral, a key reason for this is “Naspers-controlled e-retailer Takealot.com is doing a really, really good job serving South African online consumers”. “We look closely at the Net Promoter Score, which is really whether people like the service enough to recommend it to others. There, Takealot has done just a fantastic job,” says van Dijk. “If they manage to continue to make customers happy at scale, like they have been doing, then I think there is limited room for Amazon to come in and offer something better.” Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to Step Down Founder and CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos has revealed that he will step down from his...
Facebook Launches Climate Science Information Centre in sub–Saharan Africa
Facebook has launched its Climate Science Information Centre to sub–Saharan Africa, beginning with South Africa and Nigeria. This is expected to be part of the social platform’s “commitment to connecting people to accurate, expert advice and information about global developments that affect their lives”. The centre, available in 16 countries aims to connect people on Facebook with resources from the world’s leading climate change organizations. Modelled on the Facebook COVID-19 Information Centre—which has so far, directed more than 2 billion people to information from health authorities—the Climate Science Information Center offers facts about climate change and actionable steps people can take in their everyday lives to combat climate change. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_ef0.td-a-rec-img{ tex...
Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Proven ‘Less Effective’ Against South African Virus
Image sourced from TimesLIVE A lab study by Pfizer and BioNTech has shown that its COVID-19 vaccine has proven ‘less effective’ against the South African variant by producing “lower levels of neutralizing antibodies”. According to Bloomberg, the results are “part of tests of its vaccine against a lab-created virus that had all the mutations found in the South African variant, which is thought to spread faster than earlier versions”. “The mutant virus has become a stumbling block for vaccine campaigns, with South Africa halting the rollout of AstraZeneca Plc’s shot after a study showed it didn’t work as well in preventing mild illness involving the variant first identified there”. The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine – of which South Africa has received one million doses – has proven ‘minimally...
Rectron To Distribute NZXT PC Gaming Solutions Across South Africa
Rectron has added NZXT software-powered hardware solutions for PC gaming to its portfolio. According to the company, NZXT is dedicated to providing “premium PC gaming products and services that combine affordability, functionality, engineering and design to achieve extraordinary gaming experiences”. Through this partnership, Rectron will distribute the complete range of NZXT products including the H series cases, AIO liquid coolers, Power Supplies, AER RGB series Fans & Accessories. “NZXT is a very valuable addition in significantly strengthening our PC gaming offering. As a leading developer in innovative gaming products, NZXT has established a passionate following among gamers seeking craftsmanship and value, and we are excited to bring a focused selection of their products to o...
Huawei Unveils the New AppGallery in South Africa
Huawei Mobile Services has launched its latest version of Huawei AppGallery, featuring a new and enhanced way to discover content for users in South Africa. According to the company, the update “empowers users to smoothly discover an array of new apps, games, and resources on the platform and delve deeper into high-quality editorial content and more exciting updates and engaging features”. The new features are expected to provide users with the best discovery experience, as it currently boasts a global user base of more than 530 million monthly active users. Informed by its users’ feedback, this new version is more than just a new look; it provides tailored and localised topics based on users’ unique interests, while showcasing trending apps and games with striking visuals complemented by ...
Do We Trust Robots More Than Ourselves?
People now trust robots more than themselves to manage their finances, according to a new study by Oracle and personal finance expert Farnoosh Torabi. The study of more than 9,000 consumers and business leaders in 14 countries found that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased financial anxiety, sadness, and fear among people around the world and has changed who and what we trust to manage our finances. In addition, people are rethinking the role and focus of corporate finance teams and personal financial advisors, according to the research. The global pandemic has damaged people’s relationship with money at home and at work, here’s how: Among business leaders, financial anxiety and stress increased by 186 percent and sadness grew by 116 percent; consumer financial anxiety and stress doubled, ...
