technology news
5 Tech Trends to Watch in 2021
2020 was a year in which the tech industry came into its own and learned lessons about adaptability, resilience and collaboration that have changed the way we work forever. Perhaps the hardest thing for businesses this year was the uncertainty – which makes predicting trends for 2021 more challenging than usual. But as we move into what will hopefully be a post-COVID reality, here’s a view of the top five tech trends that will impact local businesses in the coming year. 1. Welcome to the Internet of Behaviours (IoB) Anyone who loves a good tech acronym will know the Internet of Things (IoT), is the network of interconnected physical objects – from fridges to data centres – that gather and exchange information and data over the internet. The Internet of Behaviours (IoB) takes this dat...
Telkom Takes on Samsung’s New S21 Range
Telkom has revealed that Telkom Mobile and Telkom Business customers can pre-order the new Samsung S21 range; which includes the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 Ultra. The Galaxy S21 series is the latest flagship offering in devices by Samsung and boasts state-of-the-art innovation and head-turning and iconic design including a pro-grade camera and advanced processor ever in a Galaxy device. Galaxy S21 also introduces a new tool to protect and monitor privacy, allowing users to remove location metadata from photos before sharing. What’s more, a new feature has been added that allows users to also control who gets access to the content they send, and how long it’s available. Telkom will make the S Series available on FreeMe 1.5GB, 3GB, 6GB, 11.5GB, 28GB and Unlimited packages for...
4 Digital Payment Trends to Watch in 2021
For many businesses that had previously relied on selling their products or services in person, accepting online payments has been a significant step in digitising their offering to the local market. As eCommerce adoption rates continue to soar in 2021, digital payment solutions will need to keep pace to ensure that customers continue to shop online. Jonathan Smit, Managing Director and Founder of PayFast, predicts that 2021 will continue to see an uptake in eCommerce use and digital payments in the following four ways: Contactless continued – contactless payments have become widely accepted. Whether it be by smartphone, card or wearable device – tap-and-go has become a convenient staple for South African shoppers. Additionally, many are still wary of the COVID-19 virus spreading through s...
FNB Launches Virtual Card Service
FNB has launched its virtual card service to all individual and business customers. The Virtual Card is accessible via the FNB App and the RMB Private Banking apps. With this service, customers no longer need to rely on a physical card at merchants that have Tap-to-Pay functionality as they can either use an Android smart device or an Apple device where the merchant accepts QR Code payments. “Customers can immediately load the Virtual Card on their FNB and/or RMB Private Bank profile and link it to a debit, credit or fusion account at no additional cost to shop safely and conveniently,” says FNB. These customers are also able to create multiple virtual cards for dedicated transactions at no extra cost. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_166.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_166.td-a-rec-img img...
Showmax Partners with MTN Nigeria to Launch Mobile Data Deal
Showmax and MTN Nigeria have teamed up to launch a special data deal for mobile subscribers. The deal that includes the monthly subscription and 2.5GB data – enough to stream 25 hours’ worth of movies, sports, series, kids’ shows and more. A Showmax Mobile subscription gives access to the full Showmax catalogue on a data-enabled mobile device and is available for N1250, including MTN data. Sports fans can get Showmax Pro Mobile and MTN data for N2100. Showmax Pro features all Premier League, Serie A and La Liga matches plus a wide range of live sport from SuperSport including pro boxing, international marathons and IAAF athletics on top of the full Showmax entertainment catalogue. “Keeping up with our digitally savvy, always-on-the-go customers is an exciting challenge that is made easier ...
The Growing Role of SASE for Enterprises during 2021, and other top SD-WAN Predictions from Silver Peak
Marcel Fouché, Networking and Storage General Manager at Networks Unlimited Africa Silver Peak, the global SD-WAN leader that was recently acquired by Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, now has an even greater ability to help enterprises successfully transform their wide area network (WAN) and security architectures, and advance their digital transformation. This includes the ability for enterprises and their employees to connect to business applications from anywhere in a safe and secure manner. This is according to Silver Peak founder David Hughes, who writes in a blog entry that, “With so many exciting advancements in WAN edge technologies, including the acceleration of IoT adoption, advancements in automation and AI along with new transport technologies emerging, we’re contin...
Unpacking the Cat S42 – the “First Anti-Bacterial Phone”
Mobile phones are handled and pressed to our faces on a daily basis, meaning that any bacteria or other microorganisms can easily transfer back and forth between the hard surfaces of your phone and your skin. Research shows that our phones are home to thousands of germs, with one University of Michigan study finding in excess of 17,000 bacteria on handsets. With this in mind, Cat has developed a range of smartphones treated with Biomaster antimicrobial technology. Based on the inclusion of silver ions during manufacturing, the process creates a permanent level of product protection, inhibiting the growth of microbes on the phone surface and therefore reducing microbial levels on the surface. The Biomaster-treated Cat S42 will be available from early 2021, with the treatment coming to other...
Alphabet is Closing Down the Loon Project
Image sourced from MIT Technology Review Alphabet is shutting down its balloon-powered mobile Internet service, Loon. The project’s main objective was to bring abundant, affordable Internet access to unconnected communities around the world. “When we unveiled Loon in June 2013, we meant everything in its name. It was a way-out-there and risky venture,” says Astro Teller, X lead. “Sadly, despite the team’s groundbreaking technical achievements over the last 9 years — doing many things previously thought impossible — the road to commercial viability has proven much longer and riskier than hoped. So we’ve made the difficult decision to close down Loon. In the coming months, we’ll begin winding down operations and it will no longer be an Other Bet within Alphabet.” Teller goes on to say that m...
Why Complexity Remains Cybersecurity’s Worst Enemy
Managing cybersecurity is made more difficult by the need to support a complex environment of multiple security products from multiple vendors. Today’s businesses need to protect many different aspects of their operations and getting the best protection for each can require deploying best-of-breed solutions from different vendors. Typically, businesses have addressed new threats by adding another solution to their network, whether that solution can integrate with the existing IT environment or not. Managing multiple security solutions, with multiple sets of alerts, and ensuring there are no gaps in coverage, is a major challenge for CISOs. In Cisco’s sixth annual CISO Benchmark Report, most organizations reported that they found managing a multi-vendor environment to be challenging, with 2...
Safety and Wellness are Key for WFH
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the daily habits of millions of people, and working routines are no exception. With millions of people suddenly switching to working from home full time, we’re witnessing a seismic shift in how people work. Companies have had to set up their employees to ensure the work continues uninterrupted, however, this comes with new challenges: an increase in cybersecurity risks and ensuring mental wellness and motivation especially for those doing lockdown alone. Cybersecurity risks: Under the usual circumstances, getting cybersecurity right can be challenging for many businesses and their employees. In the current work-from-home world, however, managing the myriad of cyber-risks can feel downright daunting as employees may momentarily drop their guard or download ...
WhatsApp is Behind the “Largest Digital Migration in History”, says Telegram Founder
Facebook’s recent attempt to update WhatsApp’s privacy policy has left many users concerned and searching for a more ‘secure’ messaging platform, like Telegram. This move has sparked what Telegram founder, Pavel Durov, says is “the largest digital migration in human history” after the platform saw a massive increase in active users. In a recent statement, Durov revealed that a number of political leaders and numerous public organizations, rely on Telegram to combat misinformation and spread awareness about important issues in their societies. He goes on to say that “unlike other networks, Telegram doesn’t use nontransparent algorithms to decide whether a subscriber will see content they subscribed to or not. As a result, Telegram channels are the o...
All You Need to Know about a Barcode Scanner
Imagine going to the grocery store for your weekly shopping and waiting in line while the cashier manually rings up the price of every item. This was the reality not that long ago in South Africa. Twenty-five years ago, here and in many other countries around the world the barcode was only a vague concept most retailers knew very little about. How much has changed since then. Interestingly, research revealed that five weeks after the barcode was installed for the first time, sales in grocery stores began increasing, resulting in a 10–12% increase in sales overall and a 1–2% reduction in operating costs. The ROI (return on investment) for a barcode scanner was found to be 41.5% (Wikipedia, n.d.). Thanks to codes and barcode scanners, our lives have been revolutionised, and buying and selli...
