tech news
INTERVIEW: Driving Digital Transformation for South African Businesses with Logicalis
International IT solutions and managed services provider, Logicalis has announced the availability of its globally renowned Cisco integration expertise in South Africa. This move speaks to how the group has added another string to its bow as the company evolves towards a new brand positioning, as Architects of Change. ITNA’s Jenna Delport chatted to Morne Laubscher, CTO of Logicalis, about how Logicalis and the tech industry as a whole is shifting to achieve digital transformation – here’s what transpired: Logicalis is said to be positioning the company as an architect of change – what exactly does becoming an architect of change mean, especially in such a fast-paced industry? With this fourth industrial revolution, we find ourselves in the exponential growth of innovation and digital serv...
Trump Administration Considering Banning TikTok in the US
TikTok’s days in the US could be numbered, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. In an interview with Fox News, Pompeo said the Trump Administration is considering banning the popular Chinese social media app due to security and privacy concerns. “I don’t want to get out in front of the President, but it’s something we’re looking at,” Pompeo told Fox News on Monday night. He added that Americans should only download the app “if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.” The video sharing platform is estimated to have upwards of 65 million active users in the US and consistently ranks as among the most downloaded apps on Apple’s App Store. However, US government officials have expressed concern over the amount of data collected by TikTok comp...
UK to Phase Out 5G Technology from Huawei
Image sourced from Onties British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson is reportedly planning to phase out the use of 5G network technology supplied by Huawei in as little as six months – this comes after the UK’s national intelligence agency, GCHQ, flagged new security fears over the Chinese technology company. A report from the GCHQ is said to rule that new US sanctions on Huawei have had a ‘serve’ impact and will force the company to use untrusted technology that could make the risk impossible to control. According to Bloomberg, UK officials have already set about drafting proposals to stop installing new Huawei equipment in the 5G network and to speed up the removal of technology that is already in place. In response to the news, a spokesperson from the tech company says that “Huawei is the m...
Leading a Remote Workforce: a Success Story
At a time when the whole world has been forced to make drastic changes to the way in which it operates, one has to wonder whether being at the helm of any organisation is an enviable position. As the cumulative effects of South Africa’s recent economic downturn and current world events make themselves felt, the ability to adapt to new models of working has been the fundamental driver of maintaining operations. Canon South Africa MD, David Preston, has been working from his home country in England when lockdown took effect, and when asked what challenges he’s had to overcome in the wake of the lockdown restrictions, being abroad is first on the list. However, he is quick to add that this has proved more of a mental challenge than anything else because, practically, it’s been a matter of usi...
Uplogix Supports Remote Network Management with Optimal Security
During this global pandemic, network security and reliability is more critical than ever – IT managers need to know that their network is locked down inside and out, and be able to prove it. With the average cost of a security breach increasing annually, all organisations need reliable network security. At the same time, there has been a global rise in cybersecurity incidents, including in South Africa, simply because more people than ever before have been working from home while practising social distancing. Risna Steenkamp, General Manager: ESM at value-added distributor Networks Unlimited Africa, explains, “Employees around the globe had to transition from an on-premises work environment to remote working, and organisations had to adapt their networks accordingly – many of them in a rel...
Motorists Urge ‘all-in-one’ Navigation App to Roll-out Across Africa
Image sourced from Forbes African motorists are calling for the introduction of NEXIT – a navigation app that allows users to search for any combination of restaurants, hotels, shopping malls, attractions and petrol stations based on specifications like price and distance. According to Vanguard Nigeria, the app – which is currently only available in the US – “provides turn-by-turn navigation and the ability to find exactly what the user is looking for, when it is needed, particularly on the go” and is useful on long journeys or road trips. “I’ve read about this app. I [hope it] will be introduced here. It’s a harrowing experience for [roadtrippers] to just branch off at any restaurant on the way, not knowing their hygiene level or how affordable their food can be,” says Nigerian motorist, ...
Top 10 Most Popular Android Apps in Nigeria
Sourced from Gadgets Now. In this tech-reliant world, smartphones and apps have become essential. Whether it’s to make communicating with remote-working colleagues more convenient or keeping up with friends and family on social media – apps play a huge role in our day-to-day interactions with the world. Here’s a closer look at the top 10 android apps used by Nigerians: 10. WhatsApp Business WhatsApp Business enables users to have a business presence on WhatsApp, communicate more efficiently with customers and ultimately help grow business. 9. Telegram Telegram is a communication tool with over 400k users – it connects users via a unique, distributed network of data centres around the globe. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_bce.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_bce.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 ...
New Malware Steals Facebook Credentials from African Mobile Users
Sourced from Republic Title Anti-fraud firm, Evina has revealed that a certain malware uses javascript to retrieve the login credentials of Facebook users. The company confirms that social media users in Africa are amongst those who have been targeted. This malware launches a browser that loads Facebook at the same time a mobile user is trying to open the platform – by displaying in the foreground, the user believes the fraudulent browser is legitimate. Malware and ransomware that targets hundreds of millions of mobile users worldwide can have devastating personal, productivity and financial consequences. “This new malware is particularly dangerous as it could effectively ruin your online and offline life by making off with the credentials of one of your most valued pieces of digital real ...
Vodacom Nigeria Appoints New MD
Vodacom Business Africa announced that it has appointed Valentine Chime as the new managing director for its Nigeria operations. Chime joins the Company from Aruwa Capital, a private equity company investing across West Africa. Prior to this, he was at Kaizen Venture Partners, a private equity company focused on distressed assets. He has held various C-suite positions in a number of portfolio companies in different sectors. As MD, Chime will drive the Company’s vision of becoming Africa’s leading cloud and digital service provider, bringing to market a very relevant suite of next-generation technology solutions in the fields of Edge AI, SD-WAN/NFV and Cloud. “Vodacom Business Africa is well-known and very respected in the industry, and I look forward to taking up this mission. COVID-19 has...
Facebook and Instagram Now Remind Users to Wear ‘Face Coverings’
Facebook and Instagram have taken it upon themselves to remind users to wear face masks, this comes after a surge in positive COVID-19 cases in the US – there’s no word yet on whether or not this alert will rollout worldwide. Essentially, the social platforms will plaster an alert at the top of the respective apps – Facebook users will then be able to navigate the reminder for more tips by opting to visit the COVID-19 Information Center while Instagram users will be directed to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more information. “With the rise in COVID-19 cases in the US, we’re putting an alert at the top of Facebook and Instagram to remind everyone to wear face coverings and find more prevention tips from the CDC in our COVID-19 Information Center,” reads a statement from...
African Airline Industry Lost $55 Billion from COVID-19 Lockdowns
Sourced from The African Report. Africa’s travel and tourism industry have lost $55 billion due to the closure of borders across the continent in attempts to stave off the spread of the novel coronavirus. This is according to the African Union, who says that on the continent where safaris are a powerful overseas tourism market, the sector has been crushed by hard lockdowns that sealed air, land and sea borders. “The impact is really severe,” says Amani Abou-Zeid, Commissioner for the African Union during a virtual briefing organised by the World Economic Forum and the WHO on Thursday. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_fbb.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_fbb.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } “We are talking here about $55 billion lost within three months in a year when we were supposed ...
Huawei Unveils the Watch GT 2e Smartwatch
Huawei has unveiled its latest addition to the Watch GT 2 family – the Huawei Watch GT 2e smartwatch. Designed to inspire an active lifestyle, the new smartwatch boasts supreme battery life and is powered by Huawei’s first self-developed wearable chipset, the Kirin A1. The chip provides for low-power computing and long-lasting battery life for workout tracking, heart rate detection, sleep monitoring and other features. Another highlight of the Huawei Watch GT 2e smartwatch is Smart Power Saving 2.0, which strikes a perfect balance of performance and power consumption, effectively allowing for a sustained battery life. This feature can intelligently detect user scenarios so as to allocate battery power reasonably, whether it is worn during workouts or in idle status. The GT 2e smartwatch su...
