technology news
Human Insights Company UserTesting Appoints CFO
Image sourced from Mergr UserTesting has announced the appointment of Jon Pexton as its Chief Financial Officer. Pexton is said to bring a strong financial background at both private and public companies and his leadership experience will serve as a strong asset in helping UserTesting continue its global growth. “The UserTesting Human Insight Platform is well-positioned to help companies better understand, empathize and improve their customer’s experience. It is a timely solution as many aspects of life are changing quickly, and becoming more digital. Delivering great experiences is critical for success and differentiation,” says Pexton. “I’m excited to join the leadership team at this pivotal time and help the company continue its global expansion and leadership in this category.” Prior t...
Unlocking the Potential of Healthcare Data at Zebra Technologie’s Free Webinar
On 14 April 2021, leading healthcare technology solutions provider, Zebra Technologies in partnership with IT News Africa will virtually demonstrate how to streamline workflows and significantly reduce costs in healthcare facilities as well as identify patterns to enable intelligent predictions. Under the theme “Patient Journey and the Digital Twins” this free and innovative webinar will empower the healthcare sector with technology solutions that enable them to instantly connect, collaborate and communicate with colleagues. Register and learn how to better support patients and improve performance with the insights that come from capturing real-time data in your emergency department or operating theatre. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_66e.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_66e.td-a-rec...
Vodacom and AUDA-NEPAD Partner to Build Digital Infrastructure to Manage COVID-19 Vaccinations
Vodacom Group has announced that it will work with AUDA-NEPAD to build digital infrastructure to manage COVID-19 vaccinations across up to 55 countries, following successful deployments in South Africa – to manage vaccinations – and in Mozambique, Tanzania and Nigeria – to manage infant inoculations. The roll-out of mVacciNation, developed by Mezzanine, a member of the Vodacom Group, is the first project in a public-private partnership that has been formed between Vodacom Group and AUDA-NEPAD to boost Africa’s digital transformation and build resilience for the post-Covid world. “Vodacom has been at the forefront of helping governments where we operate to curb the spread of COVID-19,” says Shameel Joosub, CEO of Vodacom Group. “Making our mVacciNation platform available to all African coun...
Are You Prepared to Prevent Data Loss?
Losing valuable data is one of the worst things that can happen to anyone – digitally, at least. Imagine losing critical data that you need to deliver a time-sensitive project with a deadline looming, like a school assignment – or documents needed when you’re applying for a grant, or even a freelance job you’ve taken on. The team at ESET, global leaders in cybersecurity, dissect the various aspects of not having a backup when experiencing data loss, and what to do in case that happens to you. What are the impacts of data loss? The impact of data loss may vary depending on what kind of data is lost, and when during your process it happens. And of course, the amount of time spent trying to recover it or trying to recreate it. Had you regularly backed up all the important data during yo...
Scaling New Heights: Scalefusion MDM Launches Infinity Partner Program
Driving global sales and amplifying revenue by exploring uncharted territories is always a great business idea, especially when driven by strategic partnerships. Scalefusion, a leading Mobile device management solution by ProMobi Technologies Pvt. Ltd. recently launched the Scalefusion Infinity Partner Program on the same lines. The partnership program is designed for OEMs, Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Resellers, Distributors, System Integrators & Technology Solution providers across the globe, helping them leverage the market-leading MDM capabilities of Scalefusion. What comes as the first-ever rollout of a formal partner program by Scalefusion, the program is crafted to empower the Scalefusion partners across diverse industry spectrum and geographies to tap into new revenu...
Tanda Secures Funding for East African Expansion
Kenyan-based startup Tanda is expanding its operations after securing funding from early-stage African tech investor HAVAÍC, Zedcrest Capital, DFS Lab, Victor Asemota and three other investors. Tanda has also secured key strategic partnerships with Mastercard and Interswitch which is expected to further accelerate its growth. The company’s expansion comes on the back of successfully pioneering and proving the viability of the interoperable agent and merchant model in Kenya, a model that has only been validated in West Africa prior to Tanda. “Tanda is solving one part of the very deep and complex problem of financial inclusion that is not only Kenyan but a problem across all emerging and undeveloped markets,” says Rob Heath, partner at HAVAÍC. “HAVAÍC believes that the wider Tanda team have...
Microsoft to Acquire Nuance Communications in ‘Biggest Deal’ Since LinkedIn
Microsoft is set to acquire AI software company Nuance Communications – marking Microsoft’s second-largest acquisition ever. The “Nuance deal would be a trophy for Redmond,” according to Wedbush Analyst, Dan Ives. “Nuance is in the midst of an unprecedented strategic turnaround the last few years under the leadership of CEO Mark Benjamin and we believe the company represents a unique asset on the health-care front for Microsoft.” TechCentral revealed that the acquisition could value Nuance at about US$56/share, giving the company an equity value of about $16-billion. “This can really help Microsoft accelerate the digitisation of the healthcare industry, which has lagged other sectors such as retail and banking,” says Bloomberg Intelligence senior analyst, Anurag Rana. “The biggest nea...
Rubrik for Microsoft 365 Delivers Faster, Simpler Recoveries at Scale
Risna Steenkamp, General Manager: ESM Division at Networks Unlimited Africa It’s well known that Microsoft 365 – formerly known as Microsoft Office 365 – is one of the most widely used solutions for email, collaboration and document storage in large enterprises. At the same time, Microsoft doesn’t provide its own backup and restore offering, but instead encourages third-party vendors to provide their own solutions. Cloud data management company Rubrik places a focus on speed and simplicity of management in its backup and restore solution for Microsoft 365. Rubrik offers a policy-based SLA enforcement, and uses Microsoft Azure as the storage location for backups. Risna Steenkamp, General Manager: ESM Division at Networks Unlimited Africa, which distributes Rubrik throughout Afri...
6 Ways to Improve Your POPIA Readiness
When it comes to POPIA compliance readiness, only 30% of South African organisations believe they are well-prepared – according to the KnowBe4 online data protection survey. To make sure your company is ready, Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy and Evangelist KnowBe4 Africa, has shared six things that you can do: 1. Education and Awareness Should be a Top Priority “Education and awareness should be a top priority for organisations as we approach the POPIA deadline,” she says. “This is critical at every level of the business, from top management down to every person who works at the organisation. Everyone has to be aware of their responsibilities with regards to handling personal information and their roles when it comes to the safeguarding of personal information.” People unfortunatel...
Research Shows an Increase in Ransomware Attacks on South African Companies
South Africa is firmly in the sights of international cybercrime syndicates, who have been ramping up their attacks on local companies in the past six months – reveals cybersecurity defence, offence and protection specialist, Nclose. Martin Potgieter, Co-Founder of Nclose, says the Nview MDR team have detected a significant uptick in the number of attempts made against local customers in recent months. “We, and our colleagues in the cybersecurity sector, are seeing a surge in cybercrime activity – in particular ransomware attacks,” he says. “There has definitely been an increase in syndicates that make use of humans to launch and coordinate their attacks, they are not just relying on automated ransomware attacks.” Stephen Osler, Co-Founder at Nclose, says South African companies typical...
ETI Appoints New Group Executive of Operations and Technology
Image sourced from Naija247News Ecobank parent company, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) has appointed Tomisin Fashina as its new Group Executive of Operations and Technology – a position he will now hold in addition to his existing role of Managing Director of eProcess International. “The rapidly accelerating digital adoption by Africa’s citizenry and businesses, together with the explosion in eCommerce across the continent, is driving transformation throughout the banking and payment sectors,” says Ade Ayeyemi, CEO of Ecobank. “Winning across operations and technology is essential for the Ecobank Group’s short, medium and long-term success, and is an integral requirement of our ongoing determination to continue to meet the evolving expectations of our customers. Tomisin is well e...
Airtel Kenya Makes Network Upgrades to Avoid CA Fines
Sourced from Comms MEA Airtel Kenya has made a number of improvements to its network in order to meet the regulatory minimum threshold on quality of calls across the country. Airtel Managing Director, Prasanta Das Sarma told Business Daily that 270 sites were upgraded from 2G and 3G sites to 4G while more than 400 sites were added in upcountry towns and highways. “In total, the upgrade covered 20 counties. Some more sites will be added by end of April when the work will be done,” says Sarma. “We are vindicated when we see more customers using us. With this kind of expansion, we will be able to satisfy CA criteria (on voice quality).” Airtel Africa – and Telkom – came under fire earlier this year when the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) placed the telco’s under scrutiny after alleged...
