technology news
Combined Rubrik and IDC Report Addresses Data Sprawl in the Modern Enterprise
Image sourced from Gerd Altmann, Pixabay Data sprawl – referring to the fact that valuable data is now commonly spread across multiple physical locations and different repository types – is one of the most critical IT issues that a modern organisation will have to manage. Not only does this expanse of data create issues for an organisation around its effective use, it can also negatively affect its security measures. This is according to a recent report from IDC, the global market intelligence firm, and cloud data management company Rubrik, which commissioned the IDC White Paper study and which involved just over 800 respondents in North America, Western Europe and the Asia/Pacific region. The white paper reveals that: Companies are not leveraging data to its fullest extent, causing ...
5 Things to Keep in Mind when Creating the Perfect Password
Sourced from Travellers Using a strong, original and memorable password is one of the first things you can do to make sure you’re protected from cyber-threats. With that in mind, here are five things you can do to create the perfect password: 1. Remember the longer the betterWhen it comes to your password, try to include as many unique characters as possible – this makes it more difficult for hackers to crack. Mix letters, numbers, and punctuation and, when possible, include both uppercase and lowercase letters. Made up or altered words are better than actual words. You should go for passwords that are a minimum of 12 to 14 characters in length. A longer password would be even better. 2. Avoid obvious number combinations like calendar dates or phone numbersDon’t use account numbers, b...
INTERVIEW: Strengthening the ICT Sector in Ethiopia
The ICT sector is fast-growing. To unpack this, Co-founder and CEO of iceaddis – Ethiopia’s first innovation hub and tech incubator – Markos Lemma talks to his experience of the East African country’s innovation ecosystem: How do you picture the development of ICT in Ethiopia? When we started iceaddis in 2011, Internet penetration was less than 1% among the population; and the role of ICT was limited. 10 years have passed since then; the internet penetration rate is around 19% today. We have seen significant progress in infrastructure, service provision, human capital and research. There are key players in the ICT sector and there is political willingness to advance this sector. In this regard, the contribution of the private sector is unneglectable. The Ministry of Innovation & techno...
Airtel Africa to Sell $200 Million Stake in Mobile Money Business
Sourced from Comms MEA Airtel Africa is set to sell a minority stake – worth $200 million – in Airtel Mobile Commerce BV (AMC BV) to global investment company, The Rise Fund. “The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions including necessary regulatory filings and approvals, as necessary, and the inclusion of specified mobile money business assets and contracts into AMC BV,” reveals the company. According to TechCrunch, this deal values the mobile money business at $2.65 billion with operations across 14 African countries, including Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria. “Our markets afford the substantial market potential for mobile money services to meet the needs of the tens of millions of customers in Africa who have little or no access to banking and financial services, and this dema...
First Overland Fibre Network Deployed in DRC
Liquid Intelligent Technologies has deployed the first overland fibre network in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This expansion is expected to connect millions of DRC citizens and thousands of businesses to the ‘One Africa’ broadband network totalling more than 73,000 kms across the African continent. Furthermore, Kinshasa and most major cities in the DRC are now connected directly to the world, linking to such cities as London, San Francisco, and Singapore, and many other global economic hubs. The DRC route is also part of the first-ever complete East to West network in Africa, offering low latency, high bandwidth fibre connectivity and high availability. “The completion of this project is part of the strategic vision to connect the African continent to the rest of the world,” say...
Twitter is Testing a New Way to Watch YouTube Videos on iOS
Image sourced from Mission Statement Academy Twitter is testing a feature that will allow users to watch YouTube videos directly from their timeline. At the moment, users have to leave Twitter and open YouTube in order to watch a video. Here’s a sneak peek at what this will look like for Twitter users: Starting today on iOS, we’re testing a way to watch YouTube videos directly in your Home timeline, without leaving the conversation on Twitter. pic.twitter.com/V4qzMJMEBs — Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) March 18, 2021 “The current test on iOS will be a four-week experiment,” reveals a spokesperson for Twitter. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_04e.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_04e.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Twitter is Testing a New Way to Post Images Twitter is testing a new...
Telkom Kenya Revises its Mzito Data and Voice Bundles
Image sourced from Bandwidth Blog Telkom has made revisions to its Mzito Data and Voice Bundle deals – this includes adding more data and cutting voice minutes. The telco says these changes are to make the bundle options more competitive. Here’s a closer look at the new bundles: MZITO 500 MZITO 1000 MZITO 2000 CURRENT NEW CURRENT NEW CURRENT NEW VOICE 100 50 300 150 600 400 DATA 3 GB 3 GB 8 GB 10 GB 17 GB 25 GB VALIDITY 30 days No expiry 30 days No expiry 30 days 30 days CALL RATE PAYG PAYG PAYG PAYG PAYG PAYG PRICE KES 500 KES 500 KES 1000 KES 1000 KES 2000 KES 2000 “The new combo bundle is built with the evolving data and experience needs of our customers in mind. While they continue to demand for affordability, they are also keen on holistic and comprehensive offerings that address thei...
Sony Shows Off Next-Gen PlayStation 5 VR Controllers
Sony has shared a sneak-peek of its next-generation PS5 virtual reality (VR) controllers. The orb-shaped controllers are expected to play a critical role in changing the way VR games are played. “Our new VR controller speaks to our mission of achieving a much deeper sense of presence and stronger feeling of immersion in VR experiences,” says Hideaki Nishino, SVP of Platform Planning & Management at Sony. “It will build upon the innovation we introduced with the DualSense wireless controller, which changed how games ‘feel’ on PS5 by unlocking a new way to tap into the sense of touch.” /* custom css */ .tdi_3_66a.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_66a.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } At first look, the most notable trait of the VR controller is undoubtedly its design, which t...
How Digital Adoption Across Africa Supersedes the World
Sourced from Redbubble and iStock. Although Africa currently trails other regions in terms of digital adoption and maturity, the pace of adoption and infrastructure buildout is happening faster on the continent than any other region in the world. This creates the opportunity to unlock enormous economic potential, according to a new report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in partnership with Casablanca Finance City. “The COVID-19 crisis has also focused minds, accelerating digital adoption among consumers and digital transformation among companies,” says Jan Gildemeister, Managing Director at BCG. “For success going forward, we believe that companies and governments need to coordinate on three fronts: creating scale, nurturing and attracting digital talent, and building ecosystems and innov...
Google Launches Live Caption Feature for Chrome Users
Image sourced from Pymnts Google has rolled out its Live Caption feature for Chrome browser users. The feature was initially only available on the Pixel 2 and then to selected Android devices. But now, XDA has revealed that the feature is finally going live on the stable Chrome 89. Live Caption provides users with real-time captions for audio – like videos, podcasts, phone calls, video calls, and audio messages – even content they record themselves. All captions are processed locally, never stored, and never leave the device. To enable Live Captions, Chrome 89 users should go to Settings > Advanced > Accessibility – users may also need to download speech recognition files. “For now, it only detects and transcribes English-language audio, but hopefully, support for more languages will...
Flutterwave Partners with Paypal to Transform eCommerce Payments for African Merchants
PayPal has joined forces with Flutterwave to allow PayPal users around the world to pay African merchants through Flutterwave’s platform. This collaboration is expected to be ‘instrumental’ in supporting SMEs and freelancers to overcome the many challenges presented by the highly fragmented and complex payment and banking infrastructure, as well as connecting them with more than 377 million PayPal account holders globally. Traditionally, Africa’s eCommerce ecosystem has lacked suitable payment solutions to meet the demand for seamless transactions worldwide, further constraining its contributions to the global digital economy. However, this collaboration hopes to eliminate significant barriers that have previously hindered African consumers and businesses from the untapped potential of cro...
58% of Data Backups are Failing, According to Research
Data protection challenges are undermining organizations’ abilities to execute Digital Transformation (DX) initiatives globally, according to the Veeam Data Protection Report 2021, which has found that 58% of backups fail, leaving data unprotected. The report also found that against the backdrop of COVID-19 and ensuing economic uncertainty, which 40% of CXOs cite as the biggest threat to their organization’s DX in the next 12 months, inadequate data protection and the challenges to business continuity posed by the pandemic are hindering organizations’ initiatives to transform. “Over the past 12 months, CXOs across the globe have faced a unique set of challenges around how to ensure data remains protected in a highly diverse, operational landscape,” says Danny Allan, CTO at Veeam. “In respo...
