tech news
Unique Health Platform Could Benefit 800 Million Mobile Subscribers in Africa
Sourced from Redbubble and iStock. “With this platform, we have the possibility of reaching between 600 million and 800 million mobile subscribers in Africa,” says Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), during the virtual launch of the Africa Communication and Information Platform for Health and Economic Action (ACIP) on 23 June 2020. ACIP is a mobile-based tool for two-way information and communication between citizens and governments. It furnishes national and regional COVID task forces with user-generated survey data and actionable health and economic insights that will enable authorities to better analyze pandemic-related problems and implement appropriate responses. Dr John Nkengasong, Director of Africa CDC says the platform offers a “unique opp...
MTN to Launch its 5G Network Next Week
Sourced from Business Tech MTN South Africa will finally launch its 5G network next week, 30 June 2020, becoming the first of the telecommunications group’s 22 operations to launch the next-generation broadband technology. The pan-African telecom is hosting a live event on its YouTube channel that same day. The event will be hosted by CEO Godfrey Motsa, chief consumer officer Mapula Bodibe and chief technology & information officer Giovanni Chiarelli. [embedded content] At the beginning of the month, MTN began announcing that it would launch 5G networks in major cities across South Africa. The exact locations for these launches have been confidential. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_3b3.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_3b3.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Initially, MTN had been ...
4 Things You Can Do To Make Your Smartphone Last Longer
Sourced from Cnet.com The last few months haven’t been an easy ride – from juggling new work-from-home routines and adopting stricter hygiene practices to balancing budgets. And while it might be months until things start becoming normal – one thing is for sure though, in these uncertain times, money is tight. So if you don’t want to buy a new smartphone in too much of a hurry, there are a few simple ways that you can prolong its lifespan. Here are four tips to make your phone last longer: 1. Get a good phone case and screen protector All it takes to bring a smartphone to an untimely end is a direct impact to the touchscreen from a fall from a metre or two above the ground. Even if it’s possible to fix the screen, it will usually be expensive to do it. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_eae.td-a-rec-...
Why Data Management Needs to be a Priority as Cybercrime Explodes
Working from home has become the new normal, and everyone is online, possibly with less secure connections than required. There has also been a huge uptake of cloud-based services in order to support a mobile workforce. This means that digital transformation has seen rapid growth, but it also means that many (possibly distracted) people are now highly attractive targets for cybercriminals. New vulnerabilities mean new loopholes for these criminals to exploit exposed businesses, and the result has been a dramatic increase in cybercrime. As a result, data management is required to curb these increasing threats. Lack of awareness means easy pickings With the need for businesses to rapidly move to a mobile workforce, cloud services are the first port of call. However, the urgency with which th...
Former Google Exec Takes on CMO Role at Genesys
Contact centre solutions company, Genesys has appointed former Google and Microsoft marketing executive, Joyce Kim, as chief marketing officer (CMO). As CMO, Genesys says that Kim oversees worldwide marketing for the company and will report directly to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tony Bates. It’s said that she will play a pivotal role in elevating the company as the undisputed leader in personalized customer experience. Kim is to drive the overall marketing strategy and position the company for further growth by building on its market momentum as well as expanding its partner and developer ecosystem. She brings more than two decades of technology sector experience to Genesys, with expertise in data-driven digital marketing and executing go-to-market strategies for software solutions leve...
Microsoft Teams Now Available for Personal Use
Sourced from Tech Republic. Microsoft has launched the personal version of Microsoft Teams, as a part of a broader effort by Microsoft to remain relevant with its consumers after a series of moves away from consumer-friendly products. The company is adding new features to the existing Microsoft Teams app that might appeal to a set of people looking to do more than just chat. The Verge writes that this is not meant to be a way to begin to compete with the likes of WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, but simply a repositioning of Teams as more friendly to individuals and their families, and not just meant for corporations or businesses. Sourced from The Verge. Launched initially as a preview for iOS and Android, Microsoft Teams for personal use includes the basics of text chat and video calling,...
Vodacom Business and Microsoft Partner on Digital Education Platform
Vodacom Business and Microsoft South Africa have partnered to provide access to continuous, connected digital learning for South Africa’s education institutions, educators and learners through their Connected Digital Education initiative. This is in response to the growing need for affordable online learning solutions that meet the educational requirements of today’s learners through a secure combination of connectivity, collaboration, communication and educational tools and resources, while also considering the long-term need to transform education. The Connected Digital Education Platform is a trusted education platform that enables remote learning with affordable connectivity, ultimately turning the learning environment into a single, simple solution for the learner and giving them acce...
5 Steps to Protect Yourself and Employees from Android-Based Cyber Threats
Sourced from International IDEA While nearly 9 in 10 companies not only allow but actually rely on their employees to access critical business apps using their personal devices, according to a recent Fortinet Threat Landscape Report, Android-based malware now represents 14% of all cyber threats. In addition to direct attacks, the number of compromised web sites, email phishing campaigns, and malicious access points continue to grow exponentially, infecting unsuspecting users – regardless of their devices –with spyware, malware, compromised applications, and even ransomware. And whenever a personal device of any of your employees becomes compromised, they can represent an increased risk to your organisation as well. In addition to deploying mobile device management software a...
How Rwanda is Encouraging an Entire Generation of Women in Tech
Sourced from Women in Tech Africa. In 2020, Rwanda was the only African country ranked in the top 10 of the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report. It ranked in the top four in the Report’s political empowerment category, in recognition of the high proportion of Rwandese women lawmakers and ministers. Rwanda, therefore, seemed a natural fit for a 2018 pilot programme of the African Development Bank’s Coding for Employment initiative, with Nigeria, Kenya, the Ivory Coast and Senegal. The Coding for Employment flagship programme is establishing 130 ICT centres for excellence in Africa, training 234,000 youths for employability and entrepreneurship to create over 9 million jobs. Hendrina C. Doroba, Manager in the Education, Human Capital and Employment Division at the Bank, explains ...
Misinformation About COVID-19 Can Be Devastating in Rural West Africa
Sierra Leone was later than most to experience its first cases of COVID-19. Though the virus itself did not arrive in the country until 31 March 2020, rumours and fears spread among communities well before the country’s first confirmed case. As happened during the Ebola outbreak from 2014-2016, this pandemic has led to rumours and misinformation that leave some people fearful of visiting healthcare facilities. This could have a devastating effect on children as, at 105 deaths per 1,000 live births, Sierra Leone has one of the highest rates of child mortality in the world. Memories of Ebola mean adopting new hygiene measures to reduce the spread of a pandemic is nothing new for people in Sierra Leone. However, as during Ebola, rumours can spread easily and this can lead to a ...
How COVID-19 has Influenced Online Shopping Habits
Sourced from Innovation Village. All things considered, it’s no surprise that eCommerce has fundamentally changed over the past few months. The COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged consumers to switch to online shopping and contactless payment alternatives to abide with social distancing practices and lockdown regulations. Stats released by online payment gateway, PayFast show that Generation Z, aged 18 to 24, is paving the way for innovation in the eCommerce space, with Baby Boomers aged 55 to 64, not far behind. “The eCommerce boom was bound to happen, but COVID-19 definitely accelerated industry growth. We’ve seen adoption rates soar following on from the lockdown, this has occurred across age groups. Habits formed now are going to continue in the future,” says Jonathan Smit, MD and Founder...
Web Skimming – A New Way to Steal Payments from Online Shoppers
Sourced from IOL. Researchers from cybersecurity and antivirus experts, Kaspersky, have uncovered a new technique for stealing users’ payment information on online shopping websites – a type of attack known as web skimming. Web skimming is a popular practice used by attackers to steal users’ credit card details from the payment pages of online stores, whereby attackers inject pieces of code into the source code of the website. This malicious code then collects the data inputted by visitors to the site (i.e. payment account logins or credit card numbers) and sends the harvested data to the address specified by attackers. Often, to conceal the fact that the webpage has been compromised, attackers register domains with names that resemble popular web analytics services, such as Google Analyti...
