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Column Insight Plus TECH, INNOVATION INDUSTRY WHAT TECH BRINGS TO COMPANY NEWS UNDERSERVED BY SA HEALTHCARE IN AFRICA TOP JOBS EDUCATION SYSTEM 2 AND BEYOND 12 FEBRUARY 2020 | Issue 60 CIO SURVEY IT key to unlocking value
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IN THIS
ISSUE
CREDITS
2019 was a challenging year for South African businesses
and given the level of unemployment, the need for skilled
Publisher personnel along with ongoing economic difficulty, we can
JOVAN REGASEK anticipate even more challenges in 2020.
jregasek@itweb.co.za Key business leaders like chief information officers
(CIOs) are naturally under the spotlight and in this edition
Editorial Director we explore this further. According to Brainstorm’s recent
RANKA JOVANOVIC CIO Survey, lack of skills and legacy systems constraining
rankaj@itweb.co.za new developments are cited as the main reasons for CIOs
not being able to deliver on their mandate.
Editor On the positive side, the results showed that in 45%
CHRIS TREDGER of organisations IT budgets were up above CPI in 2019,
chris@itwebafrica.com mainly driven by increased spend on cyber security.
Approximately a third say they’re spending time on
Sub Editors security and risk management, with just as many CIOs
SIMON FOULDS spending time on governance and compliance.
HEIDI HURWITZ Unsurprisingly, skills availability remains a recurring
theme and on page 2 Riaz Moola, CEO and founder of
Production Manager HyperionDev and CoGrammar, debates the issue of tech
SINDISO KHUPE and innovation being underserved within South Africa’s
sindiso@itweb.co.za education system.
2020 is likely to test the resolve of business, the quality of IT
Designers strategy and the strength of C-suite business leaders. Time will
SANE LOUW tell if the country, and specifically the ICT sector, has learnt
ANA GOLIJANIN anything from past experience.
Circulation Manager
PETER CALORE Chris Tredger
peter@itweb.co.za Editor
Business Development Director
CARYN BERMAN
CONTENTS
caryn@itweb.co.za
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Digital economy 18
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Opinions expressed in this publication Business 3, 11, 22 Networking 10, 16, 20, 22 Hardware 5, 16, 21
are not necessarily those of the editors, Channel 10 Security 5, 11, 17, 22 Enterprise 4, 17, 20
publisher, or advertiser. Industry Solutions 4, 10,16, Software 10, 21 Financial 17
20 TechForum 5, 16, 20, 22 Telecoms 10
February 2020 | 1
COLUMN
Tech, innovation industry
underserved by SA education system
Sadly, the answer is unlikely to come from government, which is facing a crisis of its
own: spikes in the matric dropout rate.
institutions that are building coding and my own have a clear space in the education
software skills into their curriculum. sphere given the growing global tech skills
However, for the most part – if you were to gap, and the insufficient efforts of other
walk into a classroom, it’s likely to be a time sectors to address that skills shortage.
warp back to your own years in front of the Given the time and money commitments
chalkboard. The curriculum itself is not built required by traditional education providers –
to support the workforce of our time now, time and funds that people don’t have – there
never mind in 30-odd years’ time. is a clear space for bootcamp models which
There needs to be a shift from teaching teach practical, job-ready skills at a fraction of
children how to use technology (basic the time and cost investment.
computer skills) to teaching children how to Sadly, in South Africa, the answer isn’t
essentially build technology. Concurrently, likely to come from government, which is
the skill of problem-solving and creative facing a crisis of its own: spikes in the matric
thinking outside of the traditional art dropout rate even as the Department of
RIAZ MOOLA, CEO and founder of HyperionDev environment is required to dream and Education cheers its reported 78.2% pass rate.
and CoGrammar.
innovate even further. The current status quo In a country where there are schools
I n South Africa, the decline in education
levels and its inevitable effects on youth
employability have been a reality for years
now.
There needs to be a shift from teaching children how
There needs to be a shift from teaching to use technology (basic computer skills) to teaching
children how to use technology (basic
computer skills) to teaching children how to children how to essentially build technology.
essentially build technology.
Last year the unemployment rate in SA hit
29.1%, the highest rate to date. Worse yet,
youth unemployment is skyrocketing. Over
half (55.2%) of all youth aged between 15 relegates computer science to after-school without plumbed toilets and adequate
and 24 are unemployed. What’s more, these extra-curricular groups and clubs, but it classroom facilities, it’s not surprising
youth can’t even afford to get the education should be brought into the classroom for all to that integrating computer science into the
they desperately want so that they can be experience and learn. curriculum is not a top priority. Added to this
employable. Although few countries have mandated extremely limited connectivity, inadequate
Government stats say that of the youth not computer science classes in senior years upskilling of educators and resistance to new
attending educational institutions, more than of high school education, the number of technology, and you have a problem that will
half (51%) do not have the financial means to countries offering this has been growing only be exacerbated by time.
pay for their tuition fees. People need jobs, and steadily. In the European Union (EU), 15 Thankfully, there are answers out there,
people need an education in preparation for countries have already integrated computer and the government’s focus on 4IR shows
the workforce. South Africa is in a precarious science into their senior curriculum in some the growing recognition of alternative
position that needs bold and determined form, while nine countries in the EU have educational models that aim to take advantage
solutions to address its problems. integrated or will integrate computer science of the opportunities created by widespread
One of the many answers might lie in education at a primary school level. digitisation.
education far earlier than university level. A In the UK, the subject of ICT has recently It’s my hope that the youth of South Africa
scholar starting in grade one in 2020 is likely to been replaced with ‘computing’ across realise there are alternatives out there that
graduate university around 2035. We’d need schools and millions of pounds put forward by will help them to build a brighter future for
a crystal ball to adequately forecast what the the Department for Education to work with a themselves.
requirements from employers will be at that group known as Computing at School to head You don’t necessarily need to spend a
time, but it’s likely to be vastly different to our up the retraining of UK educators in the field. quarter of a million rand and four years of
needs of today. Then there are upskilling programmes your life at University to perhaps find a job in
At a school level, there are pockets of offered by the private sector. Companies like the SA technology sector.
2 | February 2020
COMPANY NEWS
BUSINESS
Embracing product Cashless schools
management lessons It was a stellar year for the d6 Cashless School initiative. From the
Product management is a growing humble beginnings of managing only project payments at a handful
and maturing trend in South of pilot schools in 2018, to offering a full cashless suite, encompassing
Africa, says Calton Nhando, all relevant payment points, 2019 was undoubtedly a year of growth.
digital consultant at IndigoCube. The top accomplishments were: cash on campuses reduced by R7
“The three lessons we’ve seen million; over 250 schools committed to reducing cash; 10 tuck-shops
organisations learn demonstrate offered tap or scan-to-pay payments; high school learners used mobile
that. They have been learning payments; and pupils learnt the importance of a tap when paying.
to change their thinking from www.d6.co.za
projects to products; to organise
their teams to be closer to
customers; and to be accountable ITWeb Governance, Risk & Compliance 2020
to customer value propositions ITWeb has secured Tichaona Zororo, a digital transformation and
Calton Nhando, digital consultant at
IndigoCube
linked to business outcomes.” innovation advisory director at EGIT (Enterprise Governance of IT),
www.indigocube.co.za as keynote speaker for this event. Zororo is the first COBIT 5 Certified
Assessor in southern Africa and the 40th worldwide. According to
Angela Mace, CRM and events director at ITWeb, securing Zororo is a real
Cost-effective Office coup, as he is one of the top governance, risk and compliance experts on
365 backup solutions the continent, as well as the first person from Africa to not only sit on the
“There’s a common ISACA board of directors, but to chair its Audit & Risk Committee.
misconception that Microsoft www.itweb.co.za
fully backs up Office 365 data as
part of the subscription, but this
is not actually the case. Microsoft ITWeb Business Intelligence Summit 2020
is responsible for providing the Data is only valuable if it can be translated into actionable insights,
necessary infrastructure and but many businesses don’t know how to go about gleaning this
ensuring Office 365 works, but information from their data, says Angela Mace, customer relationship
it’s your responsibility to protect management and events director at ITWeb. With this in mind, ITWeb
your Office 365 data,” says Hannes Business Intelligence Summit 2020 will be holding two half-day
Rheeder, GM: Enterprise Systems workshops that will unpack how to harness the power of analytics and
Management and Cloud at AI: "A deep dive into the world of analytics: how to deliver business
Hannes Rheeder, GM: Enterprise
Systems Management and Cloud at
Networks Unlimited Africa. insight from data", and "Finding AI: helping organisations find that
Networks Unlimited Africa. www.networksunlimited.africa game-changing use for AI in their business".
www.itweb.co.za
ITWeb’s Digital Economy Summit
To help businesses navigate the digital revolution, ITWeb is holding Partnering with industry experts
a Digital Economy Summit on 20 March at The Forum in Bryanston. Lexmark, a global imaging solutions leader, has launched the Lexmark
“This event will highlight the opportunities that go hand-in-hand with Industry Advantage (LIA), a new offering that equips Lexmark partners
digital transformation, as well as innovative business strategies to help with the vertical industry expertise needed to better serve their
organisations move into the digital future,” says Angela Mace, CRM and customers and grow their business. “Generating the knowledge needed
events director of ITWeb. In addition, the summit will help demystify to approach customers in a targeted, industry-specific way is beyond the
the digital challenges faced by South African businesses and will resources of most dealers,” Sammy Kinlaw, Lexmark vice-president,
explore how disruptive technologies are driving new business models. worldwide channel and OEM sales said. “And yet that is exactly what
“Finally, it will bring together leading industry experts to deliver keen their customers expect. Lexmark Industry Advantage provides our
insights and strategies to help organisations accelerate their digital partners access to the deep industry expertise Lexmark has developed
transformation journeys.” over nearly 30 years, so they can differentiate and grow their business.”
www.itweb.co.za www.lexmark.com
COMPANY NEWS
To read the FULL company releases, visit
www.itweb.co.za
Contact sales@itweb.co.za for any sales enquiries.
3 | February 2020
COMPANY NEWS
ENTERPRISE INDUSTRY SOLUTIONS
Take a closer look Championing IT women
SYSPRO embarked on a campaign: "Take A Closer Look", targeting Altron Bytes Managed Solutions is utilising its female employees
manufacturers and distributors in the food and beverage industry, to to inject some out-of-the-box solutions into the current retail
drive enterprise resource planning (ERP) awareness. The campaign environment in South Africa. “Retail is a strategic focus of our business.
looked at non-traditionalists and innovative thinkers, namely chief It made sense to match women and retail because of our interaction and
information officers (CIOs), driving the message: "From one visionary association to retail in general,” says Shahana Jooma, channel manager
to another". Fotini De Keizer, head of Marketing and Communications at Altron BMS and co-ordinator of the fledgling forum. “We have a very
at SYSPRO – Africa, says: “CIOs are visionaries, ambitious forward- dynamic group of women who each bring a special skill set with them,
thinkers. That is why we felt the messaging was so apt and in line with and we invite more women in the IT arena to join us for an exciting
cutting-edge ERP systems that increase operational efficiencies and opportunity to showcase and present potentially game-changing
create forward-thinking, streamlined organisations.” ideas”.
www.syspro.com www.bytesms.co.za
Gaining a competitive Certificate process
edge improved by
The Zambia National Data Centre digitilisation
(ZNDC) is a dedicated data centre Fintech software specialist
wholly owned by the government e4 recently rolled out a rates
of Zambia who took the decision clearance solution for Msunduzi
to obtain Payment Card Industry Municipality in KwaZulu-
Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) Natal, as the company aims
certification. Says Simeon Tassev, at alleviating the backlog
MD and qualified security assessor of requests currently being
at Galix, "The ZNDC is now the experienced at the council.
only PCI DSS certified data centre Says Clive Bredenkamp, Head
in Zambia, and their clients have of e4’s Legal Studio division.
Simeon Tassev, MD and qualified
the assurance that their systems “This is a national challenge and
security assessor at Galix. and data are protected according technology is readily available to
to global best practice standards.” help make this process fast, easy
Clive Bredenkamp, Head of e4’s
www.galix.com Legal Studio division. and reliable.”
www.e4.co.za
Redefining business automation
ConnectWise, the leading provider of business automation software Blazingly fast WordPress Hosting launched
for technology solution providers (TSPs), has acquired Continuum and Absolute Hosting embarked on an ambitious task to build SA's fastest
IT Boost, as well as a strategic partnership with Webinfinity. Together, WordPress hosting platform. It spent a month refining and tweaking its
these moves put more problem-solving resources, tools for efficiency new SuperMicro Servers with the latest SSD hard drives, CloudLinux
and fuel for growth in the hands of partners, while transforming Operating Systems, LiteSpeed Enterprise Web Server and DirectAdmin
ConnectWise into a technology and services platform for the entire Control Panel. The combination of expertise and the latest enterprise-
technology channel – from vendors to distributors to TSPs and their grade hardware has been successful and has been welcomed by
customers. In addition, the company announced it is launching a WordPress clients, who have reported an impressive Time to First Byte
security initiative calling for the entire industry to fight back against (TTFB) decrease of up to 300% and a 10-point increase in PageSpeed
cyber security threats. The resulting solution suite redefines business Insights scores. Google's proposed "speed badging" may see Chrome
automation. identify sites that typically load fast or slow for users with clear badging
www.connectwise.com and labelling.
www.absolutehosting.co.za
COMPANY NEWS
To read the FULL company releases, visit
www.itweb.co.za
Contact sales@itweb.co.za for any sales enquiries.
4 | February 2020
COMPANY NEWS
SECURITY TECHFORUM
Uniting humanity Films and Publications Amendment Act
against phishing The Act – though still to officially be promulgated into law - introduces
Cofense has a new battle cry: significant changes to our law, including the regulation of harmful content
‘Uniting humanity against and hate speech. The Act affects persons that distribute online content
phishing’. Stefan van de Giessen, and it regulates commercial distributors of content (including people
GM: cyber security at Networks who distribute content online for commercial purposes) as well as non-
Unlimited Africa, a distribution commercial distributors (who distribute content for their own private
partner with Cofense in sub- use). The Act also places new obligations on Internet service providers
Saharan Africa, says, “No one (ISPs) to remove and report certain content or be subject to a fine.
is immune to cyber attacks www.webberwentzel.com
through phishing attempts, and
a moment of inattention can
Stefan van de Giessen, general
manager: cyber security at Networks result in awful consequences.” Why finance should
Unlimited Africa.
www.networksunlimited.africa embrace Industry 4.0
Companies risk losing ground
if they do not understand the
Security across a multi-cloud environment changes and opportunities
Once businesses put data and workloads in the public cloud, they Industry 4.0 brings. Instead of
become personally responsible for securing them. “The secret to seeing all these new developments
effective public cloud security is improving your overall security in isolation, finance must focus
posture. You need to ensure your architecture is secure and configured rather on connection points,
correctly, and that you have visibility into both your architecture finding ways to optimise them
and who is accessing it. In addition, irrespective of where your to provide greater value to the
infrastructure and data is held, you need to demonstrate compliance organisation, says Mark Wilson,
with relevant regulations, including CIS, HIPPA, GDPR, and PCI, or MD at SYSPRO Africa.
you will risk regulatory non-compliance,” says Andre Kannemeyer, Mark Wilson, MD at SYSPRO Africa www.syspro.com
CTO at Duxbury Networking.
www.duxbury.co.za
Building resiliency to risk and disruption
Gaining a complete understanding of organisational and operational
Utility outages: looking resilience requires a holistic and comprehensive understanding of
at the big picture the context of the organisation - relating to meeting organisational
“The cyber attack on the City of objectives and strategy, in order to be able to manage risk and
Johannesburg systems in 2019 disruption in the pursuit of achieving overall business objectives.
was as a vivid demonstration According to RubiQ an integrated information and technology
of the fact that cyber risk also architecture is critical for organisations to build a more thoughtful
threatens important systems, and strategic approach to operational risk strategy. The company
like power,” warns Nadia explains that resiliency requires that the organisation manage the
Veeran-Patel, manager: Cyber interconnection of risk functions such as information management,
Resilience, ContinuitySA . “We third-party management, compliance, operations, performance, etc.
have to start thinking about, www.rubi-q.com
and laying plans for, the real
possibility that the whole grid is
Nadia Veeran-Patel, manager: Cyber somehow compromised.” HARDWARE
Resilience, ContinuitySA
www.continuitysa.com
Dispelling the myth
The huddle room has replaced
Keep calm and focus on security the meeting room for quick team
Attacks are ramping up globally, so the number of South African strategy and brainstorm sessions.
organisations being impacted is increasing as a result, says Ignus de “People think installing audio and
Villiers, Divisional Manager, Cybersecurity at Nexio. He says each video hardware into huddle rooms
threat needs specific defences to stop an attack from succeeding, so it’s is complicated and expensive, but
no wonder organisations that don’t have dedicated security teams are we are here to dispel that myth,”
feeling overwhelmed. The good news, he says, is that South African says Nielle Truter, COO and director
companies have access to all the tools and expertise they need to put at Headset Solutions. “New plug-
effective defences in place. The bad news is that until local companies and-play technology allows your
prioritise security investments, they will remain less mature, and thus teams to use any video or audio-
more vulnerable than global counterparts. Nielle Truter, COO and director at conferencing software.”
Headset Solutions.
www.nexio.co.za www.headsetsolutions.co.za
5 | February 2020 February 2020 | 5
CIO SURVEY 2019
By MATTHEW BURBIDGE
CIO Survey 2019: IT budgets beat inflation
Once a year, ITWeb and Brainstorm magazine take a snapshot of the IT industry;
this year, it shows the industry in a state of flux, with economic headwinds and
increased demands from the business.
for innovation as they are busy supporting says she spends a large part of her day
current systems. In the private sector, concentrating on cyber security, ‘to make
on the other hand, just over a third of sure we’re not the next COJ’.
CIOs have an IT budget specifically for Mothibi Ramusi, CIO at the National
innovation as well as formal processes to Lotteries Commission, says he spends most
incubate new ideas. of his time engaging with his colleagues
However, across the board, about a third around technology and has just upgraded
of CIOs say 'there's a lot of talk, but little his organisation’s infrastructure.
action' in terms of innovation. Nomonde White, the joint CIO of
If one question laid bare the inherent infrastructure services at ABSA, says she
contradictions in business today, it was spends a lot of time making sure the bank’s
the one which respondents were asked to staff are focused on the objectives they
describe the level of their organisation’s need to deliver.
digital maturity. Only 6% describe their “It’s critical to make sure you take your
organisation’s maturity level as ‘fully people on the journey,” she says. “Most
About a third of CIOs say 'there's a lot of talk, but
little action' in terms of innovation.
T hese insights come from the country’s
top technologists who completed the
annual ITWeb Brainstorm CIO Survey, run mature’; 38% say they are ‘advanced', and of the time we assume that everyone in
in partnership with MTN Business, on how more than half (54%) admit to it being the business, from the most junior staff
IT intersects with business. ‘basic’. member, understands what you’re trying
Key findings of the survey show that it So what’s getting in the way of CIOs to do, and that might not be the case.”
has never been more important that IT delivering on their mandate?
help unlock value for the business. While Again, lack of skills is the main concern,
a half of IT chiefs now have a seat on the followed by conflicting priorities among About the survey
executive board, a quarter don't even have stakeholders as well as legacy constraining
direct access to the board. new developments. Unrealistic The ITWeb Brainstorm CIO Survey, run
This was the first year in which the expectations over delivery time lines is also in partnership with MTN Business, is
public and private sectors were compared, a factor. now in its sixth year. It captures input
the contrasts of which were startling. The results also showed that in 45% from South African CIOs and provides
Asked to describe their relationship with of organisations, IT budgets were up unique insights into the tech strategies
the business, 22% of private sector CIOs above CPI in 2019, mainly driven by of the country’s top private- and
say it is ‘challenging’, and 32% believe it is increased spend on cyber security. About public-sector organisations.
‘excellent'. Asked the same question, 59% a third (34%) say they’re spending time The 2019 survey was conducted
of public sector CIOs report a challenging on security and risk management, and during August – October and captured
relationship, and only 6% describe it as governance and compliance is at 33%. input from close to 200 CIOs. The key
excellent. These results are echoed in the findings were revealed at the annual
In the same vein, in the public sector IT technology investments driving budget Brainstorm CIO Banquet, on 31 October
is most often perceived as just ‘technical increases: cyber security tops the list at 2019.
support’, as opposed to being a 'strategic 65%, followed by data analytics (46%) and The full research report will be
business partner'. ERP/core business applications (45%). released in February 2020.
When it comes to innovation, most Automation and RPA are at 38%.
public sector CIO lament there is no time Sandra La Bella, Alexander Forbes CIO,
6 | February 2020
CIO SURVEY CIO SURVEY 2019
What do you believe to be the main attributes How do you interact with the exco board?
of a successful CIO?
75% Business influencer/strategist I don't have a seat on I have a seat
the board, but I have on the board
61% Leader/ people manager/ builds high-performance teams direct access when
needed
27% 45%
46% Visionary/ innovator
I have indirect
29% Communicator access via
CEO/CFO/CXO
26% 28%
Organiser/ delivering results
22% Tech-minded/ having a depth of tech knowledge
18% Always-learning mentality
How does the rest of the organisation perceive IT?
9% Cost/ budget-conscious
40
37%
5% Calm under pressure
30 28%
20
15%
10%
10 9%
3%
0
Strategic Technical Driver of Driver of Cost centre Unrespon-
business support innovation revenue and sive and
partner profit slows down
innovation
Which activities take up most of your time?
50
45%
40
33% 32% 31% 30%
30 28%
25% 25%
20 19%
14%
12%
10
0
Optimising/ Discussing Security/ Developing Governance Supporting Managing Digital Dealing with Recruiting Discussing
digitising business/ risk new and infrastruc- staff migration service and training budget and
business tech manage- products, compliance ture strategies providers IT skills cost with the
processes strategy ment services CFO/CEO/
with the board
CEO board
xx
7 | February
| February
2020
2020 February 2020 | 7
CIO SURVEY 2019 CIO SURVEY
What is the size of your IT budget compared to the Who is ultimately responsible for leading and
previous year? executing digital strategy in your organisation?
CMO 3%
Up - above CPI CDO 6%
Down 13%
Flat 16% 44%
CEO 21%
65%
Up - in line
with CPI only 27% CIO or equivalent
What will be your most important Which major technology investments are driving the budget increase?
focus areas in the next 24 months?
80
70 ty
er
ri
cu
th
O
se
er
yb
C
60
s
ss
ic
re
ne
yt
tu
ns si
al
uc
46% 50
io u
an
Develop/ execute digital strategy for
A
at b
tr
RP
as
a
ic re
at
fr
n/
pl /co
the business
D
in
io
ap RP
k
at
or
m
E
w
to
37% et
Au
Company-wide process automation
N
t
40
en
/t y
al
lls e
ng
ki f k
ni
ts o
ar
lis on
Le
28% Strengthen security ia iti
ec uis
ne
sp cq
hi
30
ac
A
/M
d
ou
AI
cl
28% Support new business/ develop new
e
al
sc
products and services
er
yp
20
24% H
Improve customer experience
T
22% 10 IO
Optimise cloud strategy/ consolidate
infrastructure
20% 67% 62% 46% 43% 41% 41% 29% 27% 19% 13%
Cost-optimisation 0
17% Maintain IT operations
Where are you at when it comes to using hyper-scale cloud
16% Develop/implement AI/ML strategy
services/ infrastructure?
15% Prepare the business for
POPIA/GDPR compliance 40% Using it already
13% Increase employee productivity
27% Considering
12% Recruit key technical skills
18% Plan to use within 12 - 24 months
7% Develop/ implement IOT strategy
9% No plans to use
7% Skills development
7% Not sure
3% Personal career development
(education/new job/new direction)
February 2020 | xx
8 | February 2020Covering the continent
Daily news and analysis of Africa’s key ICT markets.
www.itwebafrica.com
First with IT news. Every day.
www.itweb.co.za
326 Rivonia Boulevard, Rivonia, South Africa
Tel: + 27 11 807 3294
Fax: + 27 11 807 2020COMPANY NEWS
INDUSTRY SOLUTIONS TELECOMS
Revolutionising processing, storage capacity Software AG Innovation Tour
with innovative solution Software AG’s CTO: Global Alliances & Channels, Patrick Shields,
When the South African Mint started to run out of capacity on its said cloud’s inevitability strengthens the need for integration and
existing storage and replication started to fail intermittently, a request partnerships. “Demand is moving from central data stores to real-
for proposal (RFP) was issued to address these challenges. After time integration,” he said. “At Software AG, it is our job to partner
First Technology National conducted an in-depth assessment of the with our customers. Starting with product integration, we can
environment, it became clear that the RFP requirements would not create a path for them to innovate.” He was speaking at the South
resolve the issues. As a result, First Technology National responded with African leg of the global Innovation Tour. The global enterprise
an innovative proposal that included a federated cluster design that software business hosted keynote addresses from Software AG
would revolutionise the storage architecture at the South African Mint. customers like Avbob CIO, Helen Constantinides; Flux Trends
Since the implementation, the South African Mint has increased storage Trend Translator and Futurist, Bronwyn Williams; and MOTUS Car
capacity in both server rooms catering for at least five years of growth. Rental CIO, Luyanda Ntuane.
www.firsttech.co.za www.softwareag.com
Supporting Joyce’s
NETWORKING Soup Kitchen
During the festive season,
employees at global data
Managing your own AWS environment management SaaS specialist
The self-service capabilities of cloud services like AWS have simplified Redstor provided much needed
the lives of business users and technical teams. However, those same financial support to Aunty Joyce,
self-service capabilities are creating new challenges for companies the lady who runs Joyce’s Soup
trying to manage their ecosystem on their own. Using an AWS channel Kitchen in Sir Lowry’s Pass, a
reseller like iOCO will save you time and money. Using the AWS critical community service she has
Redstor decided to help make a
Console offers some measure of insight into activities and spend, but difference to Aunty Joyce and the provided for 15 years.
it only covers the AWS environment. A managed service provider Sir Lowry’s Pass community. www.redstor.com
(MSP) will be able to provide you with a view into your entire cloud
ecosystem. With a single point of contact for both technical and billing
requests, you gain easy access to the expertise you need. Cloud adoption accelerates
www.eoh.co.za Enterprise customers are accelerating their cloud transformation
initiatives, revealed Veritas Technologies, a worldwide leader in
enterprise data protection and software-defined infrastructure.
Over the past year alone, Veritas has seen a four-fold increase in
SOFTWARE the amount of data moving from on-premises environments to the
two leading public clouds. This is in addition to a dramatic increase
Africa Code Week in the number of NetBackup workloads that have moved to the
Enterprise software development company Software AG partnered cloud in that same time frame. The cloud, as an enabler of modern
with the Sakhikamva Foundation to celebrate Africa Code Week by digital business, is a primary driver of this acceleration.
visiting five underprivileged schools across Gauteng and KwaZulu- www.veritas.com
Natal. Armed with laptops, gadgets and knowledge, over 1 000 learners
were inspired after being introduced to the power and potential of
coding. Learners were exposed to foundational coding languages,
known as block-based code, and were shown how to create simple,
tangible outcomes using their own code. The software company also CHANNEL
gave a R100 000 to the Sakhikamva Foundation and donated 40 tablets
and laptops to be used in Sakhikamva’s outreach programmes, which
includes Africa Code Week. UiPath Gold Partner
www.softwareag.com Cornastone, a robotic process automation (RPA) services leader in
South Africa, has been honoured as being named a Gold Partner of
UiPath, the leading RPA software company. “We are excited to be
ICT INSIGHT playing our role in the fourth industrial revolution,” says Vishal
Phlad, CTO at Cornastone. “The team have worked intensively
to gain this quality label, which is particularly important for our
current and future customers in their journey towards digital
To read the FULL company releases, visit
transformation.” Jan Ursi, VP of Partnerships EMEA at UiPath,
www.itweb.co.za said: “We are happy to strengthen our regional partner ecosystem
and welcome Cornastone as the first gold partner in South Africa.”
Contact sales@itweb.co.za for any sales enquiries.
www.eoh.co.za
10 | February 2020COMPANY NEWS
BUSINESS SECURITY
Fifth Best Global Brand for two years in a row Security can accelerate digital transformation
Advantech a leader in intelligent systems, has again been ranked as one Companies are constantly searching for ways to stay ahead of
of the top five of Taiwanese international brands for 2019. Since 2003, competitors. Recent research by Cisco found that 71% of executives
Advantech has been consistently listed in the top 10 by Interbrand and believe cyber security concerns impede innovation at their
has been ranked fifth on the list of Best Taiwan Global Brands for the organisation. “It’s no longer sustainable for organisations to forgo
past two years. digital transformation or security integration as a means to enable
www.advantech.com the other. Digital transformation and security must be planned and
deployed in tandem – and if they are, security can become one of the
greatest enablers of digital transformation,” says Ignus de Villiers,
divisional manager of cyber security at Nexio. He adds that businesses
that curtail innovation over security concerns will be unable to
innovate fast enough to stay competitive.
www.nexio.co.za
Phishing season - don’t
take the bait
Organisations are well-advised
to remind their employees of the
dangers of phishing e-mails, and
give them the required training
and technical support they need
to avoid falling prey to scams. This
Advantech has achieved top ranking among Taiwanese international brands for is according to Marcel Fouché,
2019. networking and storage GM at
Networks Unlimited Africa, a channel
Marcel Fouché, networking and partner of F5 in sub-Saharan Africa.
storage GM at Networks Unlimited
IRMSA Award with Resilience 2.0 Africa. www.networksunlimited.africa
ContinuitySA was named the winner of the IRMSA 2019 Industry
Specific Initiative Award for the category: "Professional Services,
Training Providers, Consultants and Auditors”, for outstanding Is Cloud Security the
contribution to risk management. The company won the award Future?
for its approach and methodology, Resilience 2.0, which takes South African organisations need
business continuity beyond the confines of an organisation and to step up their cyber security, but
addresses the cumulative requirements for an industry sector or also be cognisant that, unlike in the
complex supply chain web. It enhances the ability of participating past, their applications no longer
organisations to anticipate and respond to disruptive events reside within their network and their
through structured and directed collaboration. In receiving this users have become more mobile.
IRMSA Award, ContinuitySA moves forward again in driving Stuart Hardy, director at OneSecure,
awareness of and diligence in business continuity for African distributor for Zscaler in Africa says
companies on a broader level. the only logical solution to this is
www.continuitysa.co.za to deploy their security in the same
place their users and applications are
- the cloud.
Remote Cloud Connect services in Africa Stuart Hardy, Director at OneSecure
www.zafrica.co
Global network service provider Workonline Communications
has launched Remote Cloud Connect, facilitating access to cloud
services for Workonline customers over a dedicated Ethernet
Virtual Private Line service. This low latency cloud solution enables
customers to connect to leading cloud services such as AWS Direct
Connect, Microsoft Azure Express Route, Google Cloud, Oracle COMPANY NEWS
and IBM cloud platforms more securely and transparently from
any country where Workonline has a presence. Benjamin Deveaux,
Head of Business Development at Workonline Communications, To read the FULL company releases, visit
says the aim is to empower customers by enabling them to connect
to the cloud through their use of the high performance Workonline
www.itweb.co.za
Contact sales@itweb.co.za for any sales enquiries.
backbone.
www.workonline.co.za
11 | February 2020 February 2020 | 11INDUSTRY INSIGHT: IT IN HEALTHCARE
What tech brings to healthcare in
Africa and beyond
Tech-savvy healthcare providers will reap the benefits of cost reductions,
better management of risk and more satisfied customers.
By: ANDREW DAVIES, CEO OF SIGNAPPS
A perfect storm is brewing in the
healthcare sector. What trends are
driving the adoption of technology in
The best example we have seen of this is
the use of mainstream communication media
such as WhatsApp, to coordinate the care
information is pivotal to the coordination,
delivery and measurement of value-based
care.
healthcare? Why has technology adoption in of patients. The ubiquity and simplicity of Role-players within the healthcare sector
this sector been slower than other sectors? WhatsApp has led to it being widely adopted that embrace it, will reap the benefits of
How are these trends and technologies for coordination of clinical discussions cost reductions, better management of risk,
applicable to our continent? between practitioners about patients. improved efficiencies and more satisfied
Healthcare delivery is complex, customers.
Opposing forces fragmented and broken. Fixing that is hard Those that don’t… well the graveyard is full
Escalating costs across the spectrum of care but not impossible. of people (and organisations) that thought
are driving the need for healthcare providers However, WhatsApp has distinct they were irreplaceable.
to be more efficient, absorb increased limitations when applied to healthcare. These
healthcare funding risk and implement more include integration, record-keeping and Consumers at forefront of driving
effective and sustainable models of care. most importantly data privacy. shifts
Information management and What lessons can enterprises and Surrounded as they are by a plethora of
communication technologies have the technology vendors learn from these tools tech-based solutions in many aspects of their
potential to drive efficiencies, mitigate risks and how users experience them? How can daily lives, consumers are now demanding
and enable new profitable models of care. we take these lessons and apply them to more convenience from their healthcare
However, there are a number of opposing providing simplified, more integrated care services and are taking more control – this is
forces at work and adoption of enterprise
technology in healthcare has been poor
globally and in South Africa.
Local practitioners do not work directly for
enterprises (such as hospitals and managed
care organisations). Moreover, there is a
discrepancy in the pace at which healthcare Healthcare delivery is complex, fragmented and
practitioners are willing to adopt technology-
driven solutions and the pace at which
broken. Fixing that is hard but not impossible.
healthcare enterprises can provide them
with solutions to meet their professional
requirements.
In response to this, we have seen a trend
toward practitioners taking matters into their coordination experiences in keeping with generally referred to as the consumerisation
own hands using mainstream technologies compliance regulation? of healthcare.
such as mobile apps and software as service New engagement models are emerging,
tools to assist them in getting the job done. Shift toward value-based care including online appointment bookings
For all the benefits, the shift toward the The global as well as local trend towards and tele-consultations. Consumers of
distributed use of mainstream technologies value-based healthcare is forcing providers care are tapping online communities and
can be problematic when it comes to of care, both individuals and enterprises, to knowledge resources ranging from basic
coordination of care, ethics and legal be more accountable for successful outcomes Web-based information repositories to more
compliance. It also has the potential to while at the same time containing costs. sophisticated engagements with machines
exacerbate the coordination of care in an Technology will play a defining role in using interfaces such as chatbots.
already fragmented eco-system. enabling this trend. Communication of The result: consumers are becoming
12 | February 2020INDUSTRY INSIGHT: IT IN HEALTHCARE better informed, demanding transparency in players in the healthcare ecosystem. That is Again, the role of effective how costings are structured, the treatment why conversation is such an important part communication is vital – providers need options available as well as actionable data of the care coordination process. to put themselves where people are and and advice. We have entered an era in which people offer engagement on tools consumers A shift in thinking is required from treating are mobile first and any effort to connect understand and already use. consumers like… well patients… to engaging people has to be mobile, simple to use, Healthcare delivery is complex, with them as customers. easily adopted and deliver an integrated fragmented and broken. Fixing that is hard The ubiquitous nature of mobile phones, experience that adds real value to the users of but not impossible. particularly in emerging markets, has technology. There are a number of seismic shifts spurred us as technology solution providers happening in healthcare right now: to make mobile the operating platform of The future of Africa is mobile more informed consumers who want choice for our development initiatives. We live on a continent where access to to be engaged differently, a shortage A complex network of communication healthcare facilities is challenging at best and of healthcare workers in the system, channels sit behind providers of care (the at worst deficient. providers under pressure to deliver patient’s primary point of contact) to enable What’s more, there is a significant good outcomes, funders under pressure the delivery of healthcare services. This shortage of skilled healthcare workers and to manage escalating costs, all while network involves administrators and a range limited funds available to deliver care. There mainstream digital technology is levelling of service providers such as pathologists, is huge scope for working with technology to social and institutional hierarchies. specialist equipment and consumable innovate around access. Innovation in product design, created in suppliers, radiologists, etc. Connecting these While the status quo may appear daunting, collaboration with consumers, healthcare parties together is essential to the successful given the technology advances and with providers and the networks that sit delivery of healthcare for the patient. the application of new skill sets and “out behind them, will enable technology Closed loop, process-driven enterprise the box” thinking, many of the challenges solution providers to offer products that systems, often requiring desktop input, are around access to healthcare in Africa can will, over time, reduce costs, improve not the silver bullet. Dealing with complex be overcome and new models of healthcare communications between all the role- scenarios requires agility and strong services will be delivered via the mobile players and, ultimately, improve patient communication between the different role- phone. care. 13 | February 2020 February 2020 | 13
INDUSTRY INSIGHT: DATA MANAGEMENT
Data quality framework: Necessity or
discretionary practice?
Companies that have a functional data quality framework are more likely to
be at an advanced maturity level with regards to analytical capabilities.
the caller and receiver to continue conversing? A data quality framework is comprised of
If you are thinking along the lines of data many data quality dimensions, namely (to
engineering pipelines, streaming analytics, table a few):
analytical models and actionable intelligence, ● Accuracy – is the data correctly
you are on the right track! However, apart representing what transpired?
from the heavy lifting data engineering and ● Currency – are the values up to date?
data science practices, there is a fundamental ● Completeness – are all the required fields
component that is often overlooked: data populated? Any missing data records?
quality. ● Consistency – are values across datasets
In the above-mentioned use case, the consistent?
service provider makes use of a combination ● Conformity – do the values conform to the
Windsor Gumede, Principal Consultant at
PBT Group. Data-driven organisations thrive on using data and
analytics to gain a competitive-edge.
T hree decades ago, organisations could
probably get away with not having an
abundance of clean, reliable and accurate
data, and driving the business purely from
an operational perspective. of internal (subscriber behaviour “data user” expected format?
The adoption of business intelligence and location) and external (handset data ● Privacy – are the necessary controls
and analytics, however, has revolutionised “smartphone” and WiFi zone) data sources. implemented for access management and
ways of working in the past few decades. If any of the data points needed to decide usage monitoring?
Organisations now need to be more tactical on the next best offer are incorrect or data ● Reasonableness – is the data sensible
and strategic, especially in saturated is not readily available, the service provider within an operational context?
markets, where customer centricity, might not be able to capitalise on the available ● Referential integrity – are the relationships
satisfaction and experience are the core opportunity. between objects/entities intact?
drivers for customer acquisition and Data-driven organisations thrive on using ● Uniqueness – are there any duplicated
customer retention today. data and analytics to gain a competitive- records?
Let’s have a look at a practical example: edge. ● Timelines – does the age of data meet the
Telecommunications service providers A data quality framework is an industry- user requirement in terms of availability
can no longer assume that customers will developed best practice guide for monitoring, and accessibility?
want to recharge as soon as their airtime is maintaining and maturing the quality of data Data quality dimensions roll up to a data
depleted, after making a call. The caller may a business has. A data quality framework quality index which is what organisations
be more of a data user, with a smartphone spans across the entire data lifecycle use to provide them with an enterprise
and currently in a location that has free WiFi. from data creation, data acquisition, data view of the overall data quality. Robust
The receiver may also have a smartphone transformation, data preservation and data quality framework engines allow
but no data and not in a free WiFi zone. So, data access/use. The aim is to continuously organisations to control which data elements
how does the service provider collect and improve the quality of data by measuring, are critical to the organisation and based on
combine this information in order to offer monitoring and controlling/resolving defined thresholds the data can be pushed
the receiver a data package that will enable identified data issues. into the “system” for further processing
14 | February 2020INDUSTRY INSIGHT: DATA MANAGEMENT
while raising an alert to caution the end-
users or third-party tool of the data quality
issue that has been identified. The record
can also be rejected and stored in an error
bucket, depending on the criticality of the Organisations now need to be more
data element that is not in line with the
agreed standard of quality. tactical and strategic.
Implementing a successful data quality
framework entails:
● Understanding the organisation’s data and
its intended use.
● Identifying key attributes or data elements
that are critical for the organisation. to automatically raise incidents to the Data-driven organisations thrive on using
● Understanding how the quality impacts appropriate teams when a data issue is data and analytics to gain a competitive-edge.
analysis and decision-making for data identified. The quality of data used in decision-making or
consumers. ● Finally, a culture that cultivates analytical (descriptive, predictive, prescriptive,
● Identifying data owners and stewardships. collaboration and a consensual strategic etc) models must be of the quality that is
● Collaboration between data owners and vision throughout the organisation that relative to its intended use. Data quality has a
data consumers regarding the critical data as an asset is pivotal to the company’s significant impact on the analytics maturity
success factors. success. level of an organisation. Organisations that
● Defining service level agreements between The benefits of implementing a successful have an established and functional data quality
IT and data owners, data consumers on data quality framework include, but are framework are more likely to be at an advanced
resolution times for identified data issues not limited to, accurate data available for maturity level with regards to analytical
based on agreed categories and severity. strategic and critical business decisions, capabilities than organisations that have a
● Implementing a data quality management reduction of operational risks, increased non-established data quality framework. Data
tool that can inspect the data at various customer loyalty, enhanced marketing quality is one of the criteria measured on the
points in the data life cycle, across intelligence that reduces marketing costs TDWI Analytics Maturity Assessment Model.
departments or subject areas. by targeting only those customers that need Viewing a data quality framework
● Ensuring the data quality management to be targeted and builds trust within the as a discretionary practice could be
tool can report (in the form of dashboards), organisation so that internal users don’t seek counterproductive to your organisation if your
alert and integrate with the organisation’s or build data stores in silos (outside of the strategy is leaning towards being a data-driven
incident/problem management tool, framework). company.
15 | February 2020 February 2020 | 15COMPANY NEWS
NETWORKING TECHFORUM
Transforming Making time for curiosity
connectivity Many IT organisations fail to recognise that nurturing a learning
Syrex has migrated the entire South culture is a business imperative, not a nice-to-have. Learning should
African network infrastructure of be interwoven into the fabric of the organisation’s daily operations. In
Sappi to a new environment that this dynamic technology landscape, learning is core to what Singular
provides complete uptime to all its Systems does. It does not simply build software. It builds the most
sites, even those in remote areas that suitable software solutions for a client’s unique business needs, based
previously struggled to connect. And on its knowledge of what technologies exist at any given time. To do
even though 4 500 users had to be this effectively, curiosity and a consistent desire to know more must
moved nationwide, the company form the nucleus of their organisational culture.
never experienced any downtime www.singular.co.za
during the implementation.
Ralph Berndt, Director for Sales and
www.syrex.co.za
Marketing at Syrex.
INDUSTRY SOLUTIONS
Cloud management solution
NETGEAR has added new features to its award-winning Insight™ Moving to Catalina
management solution, including a new 4-port integrated gigabit No, this is not about real estate it is the mac OS 10.15, otherwise known
Ethernet switch, WiFi mesh access point, an Insight supported 10- as Catalina. The mac 10.15 Catalina OS is the newest OS for the Mac
port gigabit switch with greater Power over Ethernet (PoE) capacity, and marks the first Apple OS that requires 64-bit apps. The newest
Insight support on more Smart Pro Managed switches, and the operating system for the Apple Mac was was released in October
addition of Instant Captive Portal for all Insight managed wireless 2019. Most of the drivers for the new OS have been released and can
products. “NETGEAR Insight cloud management solution has proven be found on the support pages for the printers. Please check for the
to be a powerful tool for small businesses to manage their networks drivers before you upgrade your OS to avoid any printing issues from
remotely, or for managed service providers to better keep tabs on the upgrading with no drivers available.
health of their client networks,” says Tobie van Schalkwyk, product www.bdsol.co.za
manager for NETGEAR at Duxbury Networking.
www.duxbury.co.za
Record demand
The new conference phone is based
on a fresh platform that offers a whole
HARDWARE host of innovative features, with a
sharp focus on audio quality, ease
of use and design. Even before its
Summer awards market launch, the Konftel 800 has
Keypoint Intelligence - Buyers received several design awards, and
Lab, has awarded Kyocera with The Konftel 800 offers a host of expectations are sky-high among
innovative features.
five Summer 2019 Copier MFP retailers and distributors.
Pick awards. The accolades were www.headsetsolutions.co.za
awarded to three colour and two
black-and-white MFPs within
Kyocera’s TASKalfa range. “It is
an honour for Kyocera to have our
devices recognised by Buyers Lab,”
says Sharon Peché, Marketing and Investment in AI
Communications Manager. solutions
Sharon Peché, Marketing and www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.za Argility – a member of the Argility
Communications Manager at Kyocera
Document Solutions South Africa. Technology Group – has made a
substantial investment in AI solutions
business Ashanti AI, a BBBEE level
two start-up. Argility CEO Marko
COMPANY NEWS Salic says due to the alignment of
a mutual vision and mission, the
company sees this as a strategic
To read the FULL company releases, visit investment to bring Ashanti AI into
the Argility ecosystem.
www.itweb.co.za www.argility.com
Contact sales@itweb.co.za for any sales enquiries. Argility CEO Marko Salic
16 | February 2020COMPANY NEWS
ENTERPRISE FINANCIAL
Navigating with Open Collaboration Improved interim results
Companies make use of open collaboration through open source Etion CEO Teddy Daka, says: “Our
in order to accelerate the pace of innovation and take technologies focus on integrating the LawTrust
further than they are able to alone. It enhances their service acquisition, reducing the cost base
offerings to their customers and provides an engine for growth. and implementing our strategy has
Huawei has committed to open collaboration, and has developed resulted in a significant improvement
a ‘tree of collaboration’ business model, which represents how in our performance. As promised,
different industries can contribute within an open ecosystem we have improved working capital
to maximise the end-user experience. The model embraces and moved from making a loss
open source providers, telecoms operators, professional service to achieving a profit after tax of
companies and vertical industries that all come together to create R5.4million.”
one common product or service. www.etion.co.za
www.huawei.com
Teddy Daka, Etion CEO
BUSINESS Financial habits of wealthy millennials
“Our main focus at Revix is to make investing easier so that many more
people have access and can take advantage of the massive opportunities
New appointment at in today's markets. We believe that gaining diversified exposure to
Globetom International a bundle of cryptocurrencies is the most responsible approach to
As a further extension of its investing in this emerging investment class,” says Sean Sanders, the
globalisation strategy, Globetom CEO and co-founder of the index-tracking crypto-investing platform,
recently appointed Dr Sonja Fourie as Revix. "Crypto Bundles are also unique in that they automatically
an affiliate Non-Executive Director rebalance once a month, so that customer investments stay up to date
of Globetom International. Fourie with the latest crypto market developments.”
also provides strategy consulting to www.revix.com
Globetom in working with industry
bodies such as the TM Forum and
Gartner, to continue to refine
Globetom's global go-to-market SECURITY
Dr Sonja Fourie, affiliate Non- approach.
Executive Director of Globetom
International www.globetom.com Be cautious when
shopping online
Stefan van de Giessen, General
Crucial element of all business operations Manager: Cybersecurity at value-
Business Intelligence tools can benefit organisations of every type. added distributor Networks
At ITWeb’s Business Intelligence Summit 2020, themed: ‘Enabling Unlimited Africa, says, “Key is
actionable insights through data, analytics and AI’, which will be ensuring the site is enabled by
held from 3 to 5 March at the Sandton Convention Centre, expert reputable companies such as PayFast,
speakers will unpack a range of other topics, which will help delegates Visa, American Express and so on.
navigate best practices, as well as the tools and solutions available Look out for these icons on the Web
today. During the event, local and international speakers will discuss site. It’s important to be vigilant
a range of topics, from data preparation and management, to analytics about the payment gateway to ensure
and visualisation, and even further ahead to artificial intelligence and that it is secured by a provider of good
Stefan van de Giessen, General
machine learning. Manager: Cybersecurity at Networks standing.”
www.itweb.co.za Unlimited Africa www.networksunlimited.africa
ICT INSIGHT
To read the FULL company releases, visit
www.itweb.co.za
Contact sales@itweb.co.za for any sales enquiries.
17 | February 2020 February 2020 | 17You can also read
