technology news
How Technology Enables Better Healthcare in 2021
Sourced from Getty Images. The future of healthcare is shaping up in front of our very eyes with advances in digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence, 3D-printing, robotics and inventory management. With the need for digital acceleration to support the healthcare landscape since the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic, technology has played a critical role to improve the standards of patient healthcare and enable health-workers. Other industries, such as the entertainment and retail sectors, have met the challenge of evolving consumer expectations through digital transformation. This has allowed them to provide a more seamless experience, while fundamentally changing the way their businesses operate. The new reality for healthcare requires the redesign of health and care sys...
Using AI to Bridge the Language Gap
International Mother Language Day, celebrated annually on 21 February, aims to promote awareness around linguistic and cultural diversity, promoting the preservation and protection of all languages. Through Natural Language Processing (NLP), a technology that allows computers to effectively understand the way humans speak and interact, companies can bridge the language gap between cultures, encouraging diversity within their industries. “Thanks to machine learning, coupled with the rise of big data, computers are learning to process and extract meaning from text, with impressive results,” says Dries Cronje, CEO and founder of Deep Learning Café. “The ability for computers to effectively understand other languages has the potential to completely transform how local brands engage with consum...
What could 5G mean for South Africa?
The rollout of 5G in South Africa’s urban centres is likely to be one of the most significant technology events of 2021. Where 3G and 4G LTE technology provided increased speeds compared to their predecessors, 5G will establish an entirely new innovation platform upon which many of the technologies and day-to-day conveniences of the future will be built. It’s less of an iteration on previous technologies and more of a total digital transformation in how we connect to virtual and physical worlds. The number of connected devices will grow exponentially, linking previously static infrastructure – cars, clothes, parking meters – to a smart network that constantly generates and processes vast amounts of data. In line with this, the 5G services market is expected to grow at an astronomical rate,...
WhatsApp Explains its Privacy Policy Update
WhatsApp has offered to clear up ‘any confusion’ for its controversial privacy policy. The social platform has revealed users want more information; like whether or not WhatsApp and Facebook can read or listen to personal conversations, keep logs of who everyone is messaging or share contact lists with Facebook. “We’re going to include more information that people can read within WhatsApp and give people more time to review the terms and privacy policy at their own pace,” reads a statement from the company. Starting in a few weeks, some users will see a small banner that will invite them to check out these policies again. Tapping on “review” will bring up a deeper summary. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_874.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_874.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Users ...
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...
