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Column Survey PLUS
TECHNOLOGY DRIVES MAINFRAME ACCESS COMPANY NEWS
ADAPTABILITY AND SECURITY TOP JOBS
2 6
APRIL 2021 | Issue 73
Mainframe Access and Security -
vulnerabilities exposed
Covering the continent
Daily news and analysis of Africa’s key ICT markets.
www.itwebafrica.com
First with IT news. Every day.
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326 Rivonia Boulevard, Rivonia, South Africa
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IN THIS
ISSUE
CREDITS
It’s a scary world out there and equally scary times we are living Column
TECHNOLOGY DRIVES
Survey
MAINFRAME ACCESS
PLUS
COMPANY NEWS
ADAPTABILITY AND SECURITY TOP JOBS
in. You don’t need to tell that to those whose job it is to lead 2 6
commercial enterprises, judging by the findings of the Micro
Publisher Focus South Africa Mainframe Access and Security survey.
JOVAN REGASEK 56% of respondents believe that increased vulnerability of APRIL 2021 | Issue 73
jregasek@itweb.co.za the mainframe to attacks owing to a lack of enterprise level
modern security is a real concern, and say they have addressed
Editorial Director this completely. 21% say they are concerned but plan to address
RANKA JOVANOVIC it within the next 6 months to a year.
rankaj@itweb.co.za More than enough for business leaders to think about…
In this edition we welcome a new feature About Africa
Editor (page 12), an overview of top headlines from in and around the
CHRIS TREDGER continent.
chris@itwebafrica.com There is also insight into the role of IT in banking, into
ERP and enterprise architecture, as well as Fintech – along
Sub Editors with updates on progress within tech skills development and
Mainframe Access and Security -
HEIDI HURWITZ training. vulnerabilities exposed
Enjoy the read!
Production Manager
PETER CALORE
peter@itweb.co.za Chris Tredger
Editor
Designers
CONTENTS
SANE LOUW
ANA RADENKOVIC
Business Development Director
CARYN BERMAN
caryn@itweb.co.za
Survey uncovers mainframe
Published by 2 vulnerabilities 6
ITWEB LIMITED
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SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
Coding, robotics curriculum pilot to finally get
going in 2021 22
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COMPANY NEWS 3-5, 10,11,16,17,19,21,24
April 2021 | 1
COLUMN FINANCIAL
Technology drives adaptability
in the financial arena
We are in the midst of the evolution of technologies in the financial sector, as
seamless, agile financial services have never been more crucial.
new revenue streams, the need to ensure nimble footprint, prototyping new services
fulfilment of customer demands, providing quickly, managing regulatory compliance
more customer value at lower costs, plus the transparently, using an AI system to limit
security issues that accompany compliance. fraud losses, and hedging currency risk using
Fintech organisations are generally dynamic crypto-currencies. Some of the foregoing is
and agile – they must be if they are to compete already in place, specifically on the consumer
and survive in a customer-centric economy. front. Other aspects are not yet readily
Providing seamless financial services has never available but are on the horizon for the very
been more crucial. near future.
Technology is the key driving force that
enables financial businesses to deliver The pace of change
unsurpassed services, and new experiences to This is exponential. Financial institutions
reimagine customer expectations. In the era are looking to IT organisations to do more to
of digital transformation where everything ensure they are well-positioned to succeed in
THEUNS HOLTSHOUSEN, Divisional business
leader for CaseWare Africa happens at the click, swipe or tap of a button, the future.
customers increasingly want more. The PwC report cites several fintech
P rofessor LC Megginson, lecturer at
Louisiana State University, in a journal
article reflecting on Charles Darwin,
Fintech organisations are generally dynamic
and agile – they must be if they are to compete
technologies that are destined to drive a new
business model:
commented: “It is not the most intellectual of
the species that survives; it is not the strongest
that survives; but the species that survives is
the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to
the changing environment in which it finds Fintech organisations are generally dynamic and
itself.”
It’s highly unlikely that any financial services agile – they must be if they are to compete and
business owner, banking executive or anyone
operating in financial markets, or within any survive in a customer-centric economy.
industry for that matter, would not relate to
this statement.
Businesses need to continuously adapt not
only to respond to new customer behaviours
and demands, but also to the myriad of ever-
evolving technologies being released to meet and survive in a customer-centric economy. •T he sharing economy will be embedded in
them. PwC’s paper on Financial Services every part of the financial system.
Many issues, outside of customer Technology 2020 and beyond notes fintech will • Blockchain will shake things up.
expectations, are driving adaptability in the drive the new business model in the sector. • Digital becomes mainstream.
financial sector, including, but not limited The paper predicts a myriad of scenarios • ‘Customer intelligence’ will be the most
to, ever-tightening regulatory compliance in the not-too-distant future where banks important predictor of revenue growth and
mandates, the emergence of new competitors, are competing with global, multi-service, profitability.
disruptors in the market, and more. low-cost, digital banks, and trying to satisfy • Advances in robotics and AI will start a wave
It is undeniable that the future of financial customers who can access their accounts from of ‘re-shoring’ and localisation.
services and banking will be very different anywhere, at any time, on any device. • The public cloud will become the dominant
going forward. New technologies, such as It is even possible now for them to pay with infrastructure model.
application programming interfaces and a tap on their wearables and sweep savings to • Cyber security will be one of the top risks
platforms − for example, Open Banking − are an Exchange Traded Fund portfolio (designed facing financial institutions.
transforming the sector, and these in turn are by an artificial intelligence (AI) engine based • Regulators will turn to technology also.
providing opportunities and challenges for on their savings goals and risk profile). These It would make sense to include ‘automation’
financial institutions. disruptive banking offerings provide no-fee, to the above list. Automation software powers
The financial sector is challenged on various cross-border payments and more. intelligent business decisions and choices, and
fronts, including the constant drive to develop These disruptors are said to have a low and industry players endorse this.
2 | April 2021
COMPANY NEWS
BUSINESS
Exponant launches new Web site in support Wall Street Journal names Kyocera among
of its growth strategy world’s 100 most sustainably managed
The process of renewal is constant as the world of the Internet companies
changes, but never more so than in the last year. Ashley Pillay, CEO, The Wall Street Journal has named Kyocera in its 2020 list of the “100
explains: “This year, however, the massive step change in the digital Most Sustainably Managed Companies in the World”. To create this
world brought about by the pandemic and its influence on economies ranking, analysts assessed the sustainability metrics of more than 5 500
requires a change in our partner-based service strategy. The way that publicly traded businesses. Kyocera’s sustainability initiatives reflect
we use the space around us, how we measure success and productivity, the philosophy of our founder, Dr Kazuo Inamori, who won distinction
take into account our partner software companies’ responses to work as “Japan’s Most Effective Manager” in two surveys by Nikkei Business
demands as well as the growth in our ability to process data, has magazine before retiring in 1997 as chairman emeritus of both Kyocera
necessitated that we review all of our solutions.” and KDDI. For three years, starting in 2010, Dr Inamori acted as an
www.exponant.com unpaid volunteer to lead the successful turnaround of Japan Airlines.
www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.za
What a Web site can do for your small business
in 2021 ManageEngine’s guide for POPIA compliance
Did you know that six in every 10 small businesses do not have a Web I am sure that you have heard all about POPI compliance lately, but we
site? This statistic is particularly interesting if you consider that before wanted to shed more light on POPIA, specifically for IT professionals
making a purchase, 49% of consumers who have Internet access want to understand how it all fits together with regards to your IT roles and
to visit a company’s Web site, according to Domains. The company says IT environments, says Abirami A, marketing analyst, ManageEngine,
not having a Web site in 2021, irrespective of the size of your business, a division of Zoho Corporation. POPIA compliance requires protecting
is essentially like saying: “No thanks, we’ve got enough business.” the PII of employees, vendors, suppliers and partners in addition to
Domains lists the main reasons to get your small business online as: to customer data. ManageEngine has put together a guide to explain
gain credibility for your brand; to attract new customers; to convert how its comprehensive suite of IT management solutions to help your
visitors into customers; and to save time. organisation comply with the data security, documentation and audit
www.domains.co.za requirements.
www.itrtech.africa
ServiceNow helps
to quickly vaccinate Where does customer success come from?
people against You may ask yourself: "Where does customer success come from? Why
COVID-19 is this term being used in so many circles when discussing business
Digital workflow company objectives? What does it mean for my business and myself?"
ServiceNow has announced Dudley Stevens, customer success manager at Nexio, says customer
new workflow solutions to success is not a new concept or an idea recently conjured up in the
help organisations get people business sense of the word. This practice has been around for many
vaccinated quickly. These years. Organisations have invested countless hours and resources in
solutions address vaccine research to provide customers with the best services. More often than
management challenges at scale not, customers, in turn, share their satisfaction levels with the service
by removing logistical barriers provider for services rendered.
to speed up the immunisation www.nexio.co.za
Bill McDermott, president and CEO process. There are over 100
of ServiceNow organisations worldwide currently
working with ServiceNow on their
vaccine management efforts.
www.servicenow.com
COMPANY NEWS
To read the FULL company releases, visit
www.itweb.co.za
Contact sales@itweb.co.za for any sales enquiries.
April 2021 | 3
COMPANY NEWS
INDUSTRY SOLUTIONS
Seventy-seven percent
reduction in mobile
data cost with Zscaler
After engaging with Accelerate
Networks and deploying Zscaler
Internet Access, a leading supplier
of cement and building materials
was able to reduce data costs by
77% by using Zscaler’s Cloud
URL filtering, advanced mobile
security and application-specific
Belting Supply Services offers a 24/7 belt splicing service. usage information. Zscaler solved
another key challenge – protecting
Belting Supply Services streamlines operations Stuart Hardy, chief marketing enterprise users when at home.
officer at Accelerate Networks
Belting Supply Services offers a 24/7 belt splicing service, as well as www.an.co.za
the fitting of mechanical fasteners, sidewalls and cleats onsite. With
more than 10 000 orders filled per month, the company needed a fully
integrated ERP solution. All suppliers, alternative suppliers, prices and Merchant Capital, Altron HealthTech launch
their lead times are maintained in Embrace. business funding for medical professionals
www.embrace.co.za Rubrik has announced the local availability of Rubrik Complete
Alternative lender Merchant Capital has launched a partnership with
Altron HealthTech to provide a bespoke financing solution to South
Data cleansing African medical professionals looking to grow their practices or
made simple meet the challenges brought about by COVID-19. The new solution,
using SimpleData MediAdvance, is a cash advance solution designed specifically for
Management medical practice owners. Andrew Brown, operations executive at
Companies will never truly Altron HealthTech, said many medical professionals were considering
eliminate data quality business funding, but lacked the time and capacity to do the onerous
inconsistencies, but the goal is to application processes often involved in other funding options. To
get the volume to a manageable qualify for MediAdvance, practices must have at least six months’
and sustainable level – acceptable medical practice history; among other criteria.
to the data governance team. www.altron.com
“The largest challenge is bringing
governance and control to master
data,” states Brett Schreuder, MD
Brett Schreuder, MD at GlueData at GlueData.
www.gluedata.co.za
Rubrik unveils mid-market solution with Rubrik Technology Corporate
Complete Edition Management’s work-from-
Rubrik has announced the local availability of Rubrik Complete home MPS Connector
Edition, a full enterprise backup and recovery solution tailored to
meet the needs of the mid-market. With Rubrik Complete Edition,
mid-market companies new to Rubrik will be able to take advantage of
enterprise-grade backup and instant data recovery across on-premises Launching work-
and in hybrid cloud environments. An affordable and easy-to-deploy from-home MPS
appliance, it eliminates backup complexity by integrating data Connector
orchestration, catalogue management and continuous data protection Introducing the work-from-home
into a single software platform. It is an ideal solution for customers MPS Connector – bringing managed print services to the home office.
looking to recover data instantly and the perfect fit for companies Technology Corporate Management (TCM) has launched an industry-
needing to roll back from a ransomware attack. leading solution to enable seamless managed print services (MPS)
www.rubrik.com integration. The MPS Connector provides companies with features like
data collection and print behaviour tracking and removes the burden of
high printing costs and manual interventions.
www.tcm.co.za
4 | April 2021
COMPANY NEWS
SECURITY
E-mail security tactics to failsafe your One Identity offers free security risk
small business assessment to SolarWinds customers
SMEs need to employ comprehensive e-mail protection so they can One Identity, the global leader in identity and access management,
focus on managing their core competencies knowing that their data announced it is offering a free security risk assessment for SolarWinds
is secure. At SYNAQ, we understand the cyber security risks facing customers to uncover vulnerabilities, recommend improvements
growing businesses – this is why we take a proactive approach to in architecture and practices, remediate misconfiguration and
e-mail security. Our Securemail offering is the ultimate line of defence mature their security posture. Customer and data security is the
against e-mail targeted threats. It offers a 99.5% spam protection, highest priority at One Identity, and this free assessment seeks to
100% virus protection and three layers of phishing protection. Our help organisations navigate through times of uncertainty as attacks
intelligent e-mail security services provide an insight-led view of your continue to grow in sophistication and complexity across the broad
e-mail usage, top threats and advanced integrated reporting. Everyone range of identity-centric risks, including privileged accounts,
in the business needs to be conscious of cyber security. Active Directory/Azure Active Directory accounts, and entitlement
www.synaq.com assessment and management. One Identity is offering three months of
free use of its Safeguard privileged access management solution.
www.quest.com
SecureNet, Panda Security partner to address
cyber security need in the Gulf region
Global cyber security firm Panda Security and Middle Eastern speciality Ransomware is big
distributor SecureNet FZE have formed a strategic partnership that business
enhances Panda Security’s solution offering in the region with the Between $400 billion and $800
support of a value-added distributor. Organisations face a proliferation billion. That’s how large global
of advanced threats – posing significant risk to business continuity. The cyber crime revenues are,
nature and frequency of attacks requires a shift in the cyber security according to Acronis founder
mindset from a reactive to a proactive approach. “We believe that and CEO Serguei ‘SB’ Beloussov.
understanding the technology available to combat cyber attacks and But this is just the tip of the
how it can support organisations in building a robust cyber security iceberg when it comes to how
stack is critical,” says Jeremy Matthews, CEO of Panda Security Africa. sophisticated and formalised
www.pandasecurity.com cyber criminals have become,
says Peter French, Synapsys MD.
www.synapsys.co.za
IronTree unveils Peter French, Synapsys MD
all-in-one cyber
security product
Business development and Widespread remote work has broad-reaching
strategy director of IronTree, effects on cyber security
Steven Cohen, says: “Data CrowdStrike, a leader in cloud-delivered endpoint and workload
backup on its own is no longer protection, announced the release of the annual CrowdStrike Services
giving full protection for your Cyber Front Lines Report, which brings together the insights and
data, and anti-virus on its own observations of CrowdStrike’s global incident response (IR) and
can’t prevent all forms of cyber proactive services teams in 2020. The report not only provides an in-
attack.” IronTree will now depth look into how adversaries are adapting to today’s realities, but
combine data backup, anti-virus also offers recommendations for organisations to improve their cyber
and patch management software security readiness in 2021. The CrowdStrike Services Cyber Front Lines
Business development and strategy into one product. Report reveals the broad-reaching impact remote work has had on
director of IronTree, Steven Cohen
www.irontree.co.za cyber security, as corporate networks around the world were turned
inside out to accommodate remote workers.
www.crowdstrike.com
ICT INSIGHT To read the FULL company releases, visit
www.itweb.co.za
Contact sales@itweb.co.za for any sales enquiries.
April 2021 | 5
MAINFRAME ACCESS AND SECURITY SURVEY
By ALISON JOB
Survey uncovers mainframe
vulnerabilities
ITWeb, in partnership with Micro Focus South Africa, conducted a
Mainframe Access and Security Survey to examine the state of enterprise
level mainframe security in South Africa.
compliance (credit card transactions) and realisation that a centrally managed platform
20% said Payment Services Directive (PSD2). can save time, cost and vastly assist in
Kemp says, “Organisations are struggling improving customer experience,” says Kemp.
to juggle multiple compliance requirements Username and password were the
with many having to allocate resources and authentication methods required for
funds to more than two or three initiatives. mainframe access by nearly half (43%)
Prioritising is a challenge.” of respondents. “20% of respondents are
A third (33%) of respondents said they already using Micro Focus technology, with a
were in the process of handling the adoption large portion (43%) using only username and
of the TLS 1.3 cryptographic protocol and password.”
the SHA-2 cryptographic hash functions. Almost all of the survey respondents (93%)
Almost a quarter (22%) said adoption was agreed that they’re concerned about high
complete and a further 22% said it was on the levels of user frustration owing to lack of
cards for the next 6 months. Kemp says, “All operational efficiency as users demand faster
respondents plan to conclude in the next year and more modern applications for accessing
Kevin Kemp, Business Development
as most want to benefit from the improved mainframe applications. Kemp agrees:
Manager, Application Modernisation at
Micro Focus South Africa speed, security and browser support.” “Customer experience is a big challenge that
This adoption was primarily driven by needs addressing. There’s a large concern
T he survey ran online for three weeks
during November/December 2020 and
asked, among other things:
GDPR (57%) and internal requirement or over operational efficiency with more than
➊ What regulatory compliance requirements
are currently impacting your organisation?
➋ Is there centralised management of Customer experience is a big challenge
distributed mainframe access systems and
applications?
that needs addressing.
➌ What authentication methods are required
to access the mainframe?
Here are some of the key findings: mandate (56%). 37% said it was an internal 60% citing this as either critical or very
56% of respondents believe that increased partner, customer or vendor requirement, important.”
vulnerability of the mainframe to attacks and 36% said it was driven by POPIA. “The A large proportion – 85% of respondents
owing to the lack of enterprise level modern improved security to support multiple – is concerned about the lack of integration
security is a real concern, and say they have compliance requirements is paramount, of terminal-based host applications with
addressed this completely. 21% say they but 56% of respondents also want the speed mainframe tasks and systems.
are concerned but plan to address it within and flexibility to more effectively support The distributed management of terminal-
the next 6 months to a year. Kevin Kemp, business.” based applications is a concern owing to a
Business Development Manager: Application Asked about centralised management of greater chance of attacks due to lack of access
Modernisation at Micro Focus South Africa, distributed mainframe access systems and control for half (49%) of respondents, 47%
says, “Just under half believe that there’s applications, 41% said they already managed are concerned about increased administrator
a lack of enterprise level modern security these centrally, 17% said they would like to overheads and 44% are concerned about
on the mainframe, making it vulnerable to be able to do this and planned to address it weak passwords and access management.
attack.” within the next 6 months, 14% said they’d “Managing terminal-based desktop
Asked to list the regulatory requirements address it within the next 12 months. 15% applications centrally is now becoming a
that are currently impacting the organisation, felt it wasn’t a concern for them. “Only 41% big priority as overhead costs increase and
66% of respondents cited GDPR, 54% have central management of applications the risk of managing security challenges
cited POPIA, a quarter (25%) said PCI DSS and mainframe access systems. There is a increases.”
6 | April 2021
MAINFRAME ACCESS AND SECURITY SURVEY
MAINFRAME ACCESS AND SECURITY SURVEY
What regulatory compliance requirements are How is your organisation handling TLS 1.3 and
currently impacting your organisation? SHA-2 adoption?
35 33%
5% Other
30
14% HIPPA
17%
25 22% 22%
Sarbanes Oxley (SOX)
20% Payment Services Directive (PSD2) 20
15%
25% PCI DSS compliance (credit card transactions) 15
54% POPIA 8%
10
66% General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
5
1%
0
In process Adoption Not No plan to Not Other
now complete started, adopt started,
but within the but
planned in next 12 planned in
the next 6 months the next
months 6 - 12
months
What is driving your TLS 1.3 and SHA-2 What authentication method do you require
adoption? before users can access the mainframe?
Username
and password
3% Other
43%
9% HIPPA
14% Sarbanes Oxley (SOX)
25% Payment Services Directive (PSD2)
32% PCI DSS compliance (credit card transactions)
36% POPIA
Username and password 43%
37% Active Directory/LDAP using Micro Focus Reflection for the Web
Customer/partner/vendor requirement Management Server/Host Access Management and Security Server 20%
Top Secret 14%
56% Internal requirement/ mandate
Access Control Facility 2 (ACF2) 10%
57% General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Resource Access Control Facility (RACF) 9%
Other 4%
xx | April 2021
April 2021 | 7
MAINFRAME
MAINFRAME ACCESS AND ACCESS AND SECURITY SURVEY
SECURITY SURVEY
Distributed management of terminal based desktop In addition to desktop based terminal emulation, are you
applications concerns us due to (Check all that looking at other architecture options to access your
apply): mainframe applications and data?
49%
47% Web-based
50 terminal
44% emulation –
accessed from
31% a browser
40
30
18%
20
Web-based terminal emulation – accessed from a browser 31%
10
5% Mobile device native (smartphone and/or tablet) 27%
Service-enable my mainframe application (web services, APIs) 22%
0 I am looking to provide a modern interface to my mainframe application 17%
Greater Increased Weak Unsure Other Other 3%
chance of administra passwords
attacks due tor and access
to lack of overheads management
access
control
We have deployed Robotics Process Automation Are you implementing a POPIA compliance project
processes in our organisation? currently?
35%
No 35 32%
30
69%
25
20
15 13%
12%
8%
10
No 69%
Yes 31% 5
0
Yes, this is Yes, this is Unsure No, but we No, but we
in progress in place plan to in plan to in
the next 6 the next
months 12 months
April 2021 | xx
8 | April 2021Protected and Connected Modern mainframe access and security Micro Focus helps organizations tackle the big challenges around enabling mainframe applications for a digital future; from automated functional and performance testing, to cloud access, to integrating enterprise-level security, and robotic process automation. - Be protected and connected - Fortify applications with enterprise-level security - Modernize terminal-based host apps microfocus.com/amc
COMPANY NEWS
CHANNEL HARDWARE
Argility Technology
Group becomes
Google Cloud Build
Partner
The Argility Technology Group
(ATG), a leading developer
of software and technology
solutions, has become a Google
Cloud Build Partner and a
member of Google Cloud’s
TASKalfa Pro 15000c
Partner Advantage Program.
Marko Salic, ATG CEO, says this
was compelling for the group as it Kyocera TASKalfa Pro 15000c wins EDP Award
Marko Salic, CEO at ATG has long since embraced Google Kyocera Document Solutions Europe proudly accepted the European
Cloud as a key platform. Digital Press Association Award for its latest revolutionary inkjet
www.argility.com production printing device, the TASKalfa Pro 15000c, late last
year. Products of the five main categories were awarded: Software/
hardware, print (large and wide format and commercial), industrial
Protecting today’s corporate digital identity solutions, finishing and consumables.
Ranking highest in customer success and satisfaction, delivery www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.za
experience and several certified skills, Puleng has been recognised as
a SailPoint Delivery Admiral Partner and 2020 EMEA Partner of the
Year. With over 15 years’ experience, Puleng has a proven history of
successfully assisting its clients secure the corporate digital identity.
Identity security has become a critical component of risk management
and is the surest path forward to fully protect the “corporate digital
identity” of any business now and in the future. The companies that
prevailed were those that put identity security at the foundation of
their business.
www.puleng.co.za
Transaction Junction The Yealink WH6x Wireless DECT Headset series
expands e-commerce
offering
Craig Duggan, commercial Nology presents Yealink WH6x Wireless DECT
head at Transaction Junction, a Headset series
fintech company specialising in Nology, the official distributor for Yealink in South Africa, introduces
digital payment solutions for the the Yealink WH6x Wireless DECT Headset series. The WH6x series
future, says when a customer represents the first entry into the wireless headset market for
seeks to make a payment, it is Yealink, and provides great audio quality through de-reverberation,
imperative that their experience full-duplex features, noise-cancelling microphone and a built-in
is seamless. At the same time, the speakerphone (only comes with the premium sets).
process needs to be as accurate www.nology.co.za
and secure as possible for the
Craig Duggan, commercial head at merchant.
Transaction Junction www.transactionjunction.co.za
COMPANY NEWS
To read the FULL company releases, visit
www.itweb.co.za
Contact sales@itweb.co.za for any sales enquiries.
10 | April 2021COMPANY NEWS
NETWORKING FINANCIAL
Turning video
into actionable
intelligence
The role of the camera has
changed completely, moving
away from traditional security
usage only, to become a multi-
purpose, centralised device that
can help organisations deal with
operational, manufacturing and
health and safety challenges,
among others. So says Stephanie
Rosenmayer, business unit ZTE and China UnionPay Data (CUP Data) have unveiled the first 5G Messaging
Stephanie Rosenmayer, OpenLab of the financial industry.
business unit manager, Datacentrix manager at high performing and
secure ICT solutions provider,
Datacentrix. Financial industry’s first 5G Messaging
www.datacentrix.co.za OpenLab
ZTE and China UnionPay Data (CUP Data) have signed a co-operation
agreement and jointly unveiled the first 5G Messaging OpenLab of the
Uplogix is day financial industry in Shanghai. The companies are members of the
zero network first Financial Digital Development Alliance and aim to accelerate the R&D
responder and commercialisation process of 5G Messaging.
From cyber bullying, online www.zte.com
dating and virtual reality
games now being a growing
part of people’s everyday lives, Avaya reports first-quarter fiscal 2021 financial
to network security breaches results
and viruses being the stuff of Avaya Holdings Corporation reported financial results for the first
bad dreams for cyber security quarter of fiscal 2021 ended 31 December 2020. Highlights included:
managers, we’re all aware of Revenues of $743 million; OneCloud ARR was $262 million, up 38%
ways in which the cyber world is sequentially; and CAPS (cloud, alliance partner and subscription)
Risna Steenkamp, ESM business part of the real world. So it’s not revenue was 34%, up from 18% a year ago. “We are pleased to report
unit manager at Networks
Unlimited Africa surprising that we have first-quarter results that exceeded expectations across all key metrics.
cyber first responders also, says Navigating a very challenging business environment, we emerged
Risna Steenkamp, ESM business from 2020 even stronger. This success reflects the significant progress
unit manager at Networks we continue to make on our transformation into an enterprise leader
Unlimited Africa. in cloud-based communications and collaboration solutions,” said Jim
www.networksunlimited.africa Chirico, president and CEO of Avaya.
www.avaya.com
SANParks harnesses power of SD-WAN
Following its appointment in 2018 by South African National Parks
(SANParks) as the single service aggregator for all ICT services to the
ICT INSIGHT
organisation for five years, Datacentrix has been working on a number
of projects to support SANParks in its digital transformation journey.
This includes the national roll-out of software-defined networking
(SD-WAN) technology, one of the largest South African projects of
its type, with more than 300 end devices. Datacentrix has developed
a trusting relationship with SANParks – the body responsible for
managing South Africa's national parks – over many years, explains To read the FULL company releases, visit
Jaap Scholten, COO at Datacentrix company, eNetworks, an ISP and
network specialist.
www.itweb.co.za
www.datacentrix.co.za
Contact sales@itweb.co.za
for any sales enquiries.
April 2021 | 11REPORTBACK: AFRICA SECTION
About Africa …
ICT Insight is proud to introduce a new feature, an overview of the biggest
stories from Africa’s ICT and telecommunications landscape.
We have included a synopsis of top recent headlines published by both
ITWeb Africa and ITWeb.
F intech, cloud adoption,
cryptocurrency regulation, mergers
and acquisitions continue to dominate
an integrated, life cycle approach to IT
procurement. According to the company
in 2019 alone, The African Development
Limited, a wholly-owned local company.
The company is now permitted to provide
operate a local and international network
news as African businesses look at post- Bank Forecasts revealed that economic services and is expected to start operations
COVID economies, opportunities and growth in East Africa was soaring ahead in the next six months - and failure to do
challenges. of other regions (North, West, Central and so will result in the licence being revoked,
Southern Africa) on the continent. warned ZICTA. In September last year,
Fintech firm InnoVent readies to tap into ZICTA director general Patrick Mutimunshi
East Africa’s post-COVID growth Beeline Telecom awarded Zambia’s fourth said following cancellation of the Uzi
Fintech and leasing solutions provider mobile licence licence and amid ongoing challenges
InnoVent has opened an office in Nairobi to The Zambia Information and facing the sector, the Authority invited
service the growing East African market. Communications Technology Authority applications for a network licence under
InnoVent is targeting CIOs and CFOs (ZICTA) has awarded a fourth mobile the international market segment and a
with the intention to help them adopt phone operator licence to Beeline Telecom service licence under the national market
12 | April 2021REPORTBACK: AFRICA SECTION
segment, with associated resources.
Smile Telecoms’ Irene Charnley bids
farewell
Former trade unionist and businesswoman
Irene Charnley has retired from her position
as Deputy Chairman on the board of
directors of Smile Telecoms. The Mauritius-
based company, with operations in DRC,
Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda, announced
several changes to its leadership following
a board meeting held on 15 January 2021.
Charnley and Mohammed Wajih Sharbatly
have both retired from the company,
effective 1 January 2021. Sharbatly, a co-
founder of Smile, served as Co-Chairman of
the Group through December 2020.
RuralStar Ghana project targets potential
4.5m disconnected barrier as the National Tender Bulletin goes morphing into a virtual network operator,
Huawei has announced a partnership unpublished for yet another week. Tenders following the telco’s recent decision to
with Ghanaian operators on the RuralStar with an expected value of over R500 000 migrate postpaid, prepaid and broadband
Ghana project to deploy 2 016 RuralStar are required to be published in the National customers to Vodacom and MTN. The
base stations in remote regions across the Tender Bulletin to enable equitable access announcement last month that Cell C is
country. Speaking at the company’s Mobile to these contracts and ensure government migrating its most lucrative customers to
World Congress (MWC) Shanghai 2021, reaps the rewards of a competitive bidding Vodacom, coupled with an already existing
which runs until 25 February 2021, David process. Local government and state owned deal with MTN for its prepaid customers,
Guo, President of Wireless Site Product entities, meanwhile, have fewer restrictions triggered suggestions that the telco may
Line, said the objective is to increase mobile and have been busy posting requirements be transitioning into a “super” mobile
coverage in Ghana from 83% to 95% “and to National Treasury's eTender portal. The virtual network operator (MVNO). Cell
bring previously unconnected communities telecoms sector will be pleased to see a C, which is implementing a turnaround
online for the first time.” Abraham Kofi jump in demand for its services attracting strategy, has rejected this proposition,
Asante, CEO of Ghana Investment Fund for requests in the double digits. saying it is simply implementing a more
Electronic Communications (GIFEC), said efficient business model, and the network
the country is mainly an agrarian economy Vodacom company Nexio retrenches, transition is one of the pillars of its new
and there are 4.5 million people in rural promises transparency strategy.
areas that are not covered by networks. Systems integrator Nexio, a Vodacom
company, is retrenching, with the firm TymeBank plans offshore expansion after
Jobs boost for SA as TransUnion opens BPO announcing on Friday that it has opened scoring R1.6bn funding
centre a Section 189A process. With Section Digital-only bank TymeBank says it is
TransUnion has opened a new business 189A, employers are permitted to dismiss exploring international opportunities
process outsourcing (BPO) centre in employees for operational requirements. after securing R1.6 billion in funding from
SA, which is set to boost job creation in CEO Mickey Mashale, who was appointed investors in the UK and Philippines. The
the country. TransUnion is a consumer last year, held a virtual session with financial injection, which the bank says
credit reporting agency that collects and employees on Friday regarding the is one of the largest foreign investments
aggregates information on over one billion redundancies. In a note circulated to any fintech company has secured in SA,
individual consumers across the globe. The employees last week, Mashale wrote: will be used to expand TymeBank’s range
opening of the Global Capability Centre “Following our last communication on of banking products, grow its lending
comes as SA’s unemployment rate rose to the announcement of the organisation’s portfolio locally, and will be channelled
32.5% in the last three months of 2020, restructuring and retrenchment Section towards funding the digital player’s
as revealed today by statistician-general 189A process, I would like to invite all offshore expansion opportunities. The
Risenga Maluleke. The increase presents a employees to a voluntary employee dialogue new investors in TymeBank are Apis
1.7 percentage point increase from the third platform for an open communication Growth Fund II, a private equity fund
quarter of 2020. session with me. managed by London-based Apis Partners,
and JG Summit Holdings, one of the
ICT tenders: Calling on telecoms Cell C rejects morphing into MVNO, forges largest investment conglomerates in the
Major projects from national and provincial ahead with new strategy Philippines, owned by the Gokongwei
government have encountered an unusual Cell C has rebuffed suggestions it is family.
April 2021 | 13INDUSTRY INSIGHT: ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE
Why ERP standardisation is not
the complete answer
Strategic customisations in key enterprise resource planning areas can
enhance and develop your company’s unique competitive advantages.
than ever before. efficiencies within the business.
That said, there are critical steps to follow As with any significant technology project
when choosing to avoid a fully standardised or implementation, there are always risks
ERP solution (ie, one service provider) and and pitfalls to watch out for along the way.
instead select best of breed applications to
deliver powerful business insights. Beware of the vanilla
To begin with, first articulate and clarify While not always the case, one major risk is
the questions you want answered along allowing a service provider to convince the
the integration journey. Are you looking company that the entire ERP system should
for more granular insight into sales team be standardised (ie, that an off the shelf
performance, employee churn rates, etc? solution for the entire business is the best
If working with a technology provider route). While this may be a seductive idea, it
Collin Govender, Managing Director of
Altron Karabina.
or digital transformation partner that truly can be a dangerous one.
understands and cares about your business, Admittedly, going the ‘vanilla’ or
this kind of ‘death by vanilla’ outcome can standardised route for certain business
W ith the global pandemic having
accelerated or kick-started many
digital transformation programmes, many
be avoided.
The long-term success of ERP
implementations and any integrations
processes always makes sense. For instance,
there are only so many ways to create and
distribute a purchase order. But when it
businesses are rightly taking a new look at
their enterprise resource planning (ERP)
systems.
Over the past decade, ERP systems
have evolved from being somewhat
If working with a technology provider or digital
static, monolithic entities which needed transformation partner that truly understands and
to run critical business processes – and it
was notoriously difficult and complex to cares about your business, this kind of ‘death by
integrate any new or customised applications
into that core system.
vanilla’ outcome can be avoided.
Now, with the widespread adoption of
cloud computing and open, standardised
APIs, integration into ERP systems has
become far more manageable and attractive absolutely rests on whether you are able to comes to key, customer-facing elements
as a concept – which has led to what Gartner identify and clarify these questions from the such as an e-commerce storefront, or a
terms the ‘post-modern ERP’ (whereby get-go. These questions create an important particular logistics and delivery model,
CIOs can pick best of breed applications and theme or thread of inquiry that must be standardised or off the shelf ERPs can very
software, and pursue integration). pulled through at every stage of the process. quickly erode and diminish the competitive
We have done this within our own Without this thread, the business insight advantages or ‘secret sauce’ that a business
business, primarily to ensure we are getting layer will not speak to the actual needs of has taken so long to cultivate and create.
the right data, at the right time, to inform the business – and will lack the innovation Now, if working with a technology
decisions and ensure maximum business aspect that differentiates powerful provider or digital transformation partner
efficiencies are achieved. companies today. that truly understands and cares about your
In other words, smart customisations and At the same time, savvy CIOs should be business, this kind of ‘death by vanilla’
integrations can potentially yield business using this planning or transformation stage outcome can be avoided.
insights that give the company a major to explore additional revenue opportunities How so, you ask…?
competitive advantage – whether this be in by identifying white spaces within the At the outset of any ERP implementation
the short- or long-term. existing business model. Indeed, smart and digital initiative, there needs to be a
In today’s era of constant disruption digital transformation is also about creating robust and informed conversation between
and prevailing uncertainty, this ‘business new revenue streams, or at the very least, the business CIO / decision-makers and the
insights’ layer is arguably more important unearthing opportunities to drive new technology provider.
14 | April 2021INDUSTRY INSIGHT: IT IN BANKING
Financial constraints create
tech-savvy SA consumers
Retailers have long understood the need to adapt to changing shopping preferences,
but the pandemic disruptions triggered a much greater sense of urgency.
Investment Monitor points to a stressed and is based on need rather than want.
financially-pressed South African consumer, Similarly, consumers have shifted their
with 58% of households across South Africa mindsets and preferences when it comes
facing high or overwhelming financial stress to payments, becoming more techcentric,
as a result of the pandemic. The report found with a move away from traditional payment
over 50% are currently dipping into their methods in favour of the convenience
savings just to make ends meet, while 36% of and extended cash flow of flexible, digital
consumers reported they are just getting by. payment models.
At the same time, TransUnion's Financial We’re witnessing an overarching trend
Hardship Report found the percentage of towards alternative payment methods, such
South Africans financially impacted by as digital wallets and the contactless payment
COVID-19 increased to 82%, despite most of the buy now pay later (BNPL) no interest,
industries being fully operational. Millennials no fees payment solution, accommodating
Derek Cikes, Commercial director at buy
now, pay later fintech Payflex. are the hardest hit at 86%. consumer demand for a streamlined buying
Similarly, figures from Trading Economics experience that offers greater convenience
T he economic consequences of the
coronavirus pandemic have drastically
altered the shopping behaviour and decisions
of South African consumers, with a marked
shift towards more conscious and mindful Most companies were not geared for the sheer
shopping, as well as acceleration in the
adoption of digitised, alternative payment
volume, velocities and variety needed in order to
methods. keep operations going and businesses running.
South Africa's retail sales were down 4%
year-on-year in November 2020, according
to Stats SA. This was the worst performance
since August, when sales plunged to 4.2%.
Massmart, owner of Makro and Builders show the ratio of unsecured debt to income and control over spending, as consumers veer
Warehouse, recorded a 4% sales decline, may have increased to nearly 73% by the end away from the debt-laden landscape of credit
while Truworths reported an 8.5% decline in of 2020. cards.
retail sales during the same period. As a result, total spend via digital wallets
Equally, recent insights from McKinsey A shift in priorities is set to exceed $10 trillion in 2025, up from
found discretionary spending remains In many cases, consumers have used $5.5 trillion in 2020, while $680 billion will be
subdued, with cautious discretionary the pandemic to reflect on their own spent by global consumers using BNPL over
spending growing 1.5-fold in 2020 across all consumption and have learnt they can do e-commerce channels in 2025.
classes and product categories. with a whole lot less than they thought they In fact, one-fifthof digital buyers
With substantial changes to discretionary could. worldwide won’t complete an online
income, many consumers are facing new Insights from Google found South African purchase if their preferred payment method is
financial challenges, which are in turn consumers who bought new brands or not offered. From a local perspective, this has
influencing their attitudes and behaviours tried new retailers in 2020 were not overly translated in an 85% year-on-year increase in
towards spending. concerned about quality or recommendations consumer sign-ups on the Payflex platform.
We’ve seen a far savvier consumer emerge from other shoppers. Instead, convenience
in recent months, whose shopping behaviour (40%), price (39%) and stock availability New spending patterns here to stay
is based on need rather than want, and who (33%) were at the forefront of purchase Retailers have long understood the need to
is more confident than ever in their digital decisions, with speed (41%) being the most adapt to changing shopping behaviours and
consumer journey, especially when it comes important factor of all. preferences, but the recent disruptions caused
to how and where they shop and pay. We’ve seen a far savvier consumer emerge by the COVID-19 pandemic have triggered a
Old Mutual’s annual Savings and in recent months, whose shopping behaviour much greater sense of urgency.
April 2021 | 15COMPANY NEWS
NETWORKING BUSINESS
The new normal? Working from home DFA achieves Top Employer status
The work-from-home workforce is becoming the new norm with DFA has been awarded Top Employer status in South Africa for 2021
the holding of board meetings and those quick “hallway” discussions by the Top Employers Institute. DFA joins 1 691 companies in 120
transitioning to virtual engagements to a large extent. According to countries globally, including only 97 local companies, which are
Comsol Networks, many enterprises are continuing to make use of recognised by the Top Employers Institute for its efforts in various
unlicensed spectrum to power their business’ connectivity needs; facets of employee management. Top Employers Institute was
however, with the global pandemic, it is imperative for businesses to established with the aim of promoting excellence in human capital
start leveraging mmWave, licensed microwave fixed wireless Internet management to support business strategy. DFA CEO Thinus Mulder
access, to not only improve internal operations and enhance your said achieving the certification was the culmination of a years-long
customer experience, but also to save you time, money and stress. concerted effort to align DFA with global HR best practice to attract
Comsol says its broadband solution provides you connectivity and retain the best skills in the market.
with a purpose. www.dfafrica.co.za
www.comsol.co.za
DotModus sees dynamic US expansion
Connectivity playing a key role in the mining Cloud solutions expert DotModus, part of the Dynamic Technologies
industry group, has announced its recent expansion in the US. The key and core
As COVID-19 hit South Africa, the mining industry has begun to grasp strengths that differentiate DotModus in the competitive US market
the enormous benefits of digital transformation and uninterrupted are the company’s deep-technology cloud services knowledge; its
premium-grade high-capacity connectivity. Artificial intelligence Premier Partner status with Google Cloud and expertise across AWS
(AI), the Internet of things (IOT) and advanced analytics, among other and Azure; as well as its in-depth knowledge on healthcare and life
technologies, are demonstrating their efficiency, productivity and sciences – the sectors it will be targeting in the US. DotModus has been
safety advantages across the mining value chain. These enablers are in business for the past 10 years, operating internationally through
showcasing the multiple ways digitisation can enhance the mining its offices strategically located in the UK and South Africa. It has been
sector, but doing so requires a strong and resilient network designed serving clients in the US for the past two years.
to be fit-for-purpose and support a mine's strategic business needs. www.dynamic-tech.com
Comsol’s more than two decades of experience in mining connectivity
has an abundance of knowledge and experience building tailored
solutions. Bidvest Mobility achieves BEE level one rating
www.comsol.co.za Bidvest Mobility, a division of Bidvest Paperplus and member of
the Bidvest Group, recently achieved a BEE rating as a level one
contributor. Simon Grisdale, managing executive at Bidvest Mobility,
How to keep cloud costs commented: “We achieved level one by ensuring that we aligned our
at bay in 2021 business and BEE strategies. In addition, our team focused on all five
While the benefits of cloud are elements of BEE, thereby improving our status across the board. “What
clear, what many business leaders we are particularly proud of is our skills development, where a lot of
don’t realise is that tracking cloud resources were invested in training and upskilling our staff. This has
expenses and keeping costs under not only benefited our business, but also all of our stakeholders.”
control can be tricky. As part of www.bidvestmobility.co.za
our global expansion, Nebula CTO
Andre Witte moved to Amsterdam
to help European businesses make
the move to cloud, without the 2021 kicks off
risks. with a hiring
www.nebula.co.za spree at
Andre Witte, CTO at Nebula ACS-Embrace
While many companies
were restructuring or
COMPANY NEWS retrenching in response New staff at ACS-Embrace
to COVID-19, ACS-
Embrace has strategically
To read the FULL company releases, visit embarked on a recruitment drive. “As technology and the
development and implementation of innovative fit-for-purpose ERP
www.itweb.co.za solutions is the core of our business, we are mostly recruiting technical
Contact sales@itweb.co.za for any sales enquiries. staff,” states Ian Foster, sales and marketing director at ACS-Embrace.
www.embrace.co.za
16 | April 2021COMPANY NEWS
TECH FORUM
COVID-19 won’t be our New free resource for IT leaders
last crisis IT leaders have guided us through the world's largest remote work
COVID-19 has forced IT leaders project. Instead of pausing to celebrate this accomplishment, IT
to find creative solutions that leaders must push on, says Kerushan.com. The company says pressure
keep the enterprise running. is mounting to overcome security vulnerabilities, optimise operations
Chris Bedi, CIO, ServiceNow, and reduce costs. It is often said that IT is facing its own second wave
said the company’s Work of the pandemic. The first wave was all about making remote work
Survey asked 900 C-suite happen in the first place. The second, more difficult wave, is all about
leaders and 8 100 employees making sure it is done right. At the start of the pandemic, businesses
how COVID-19 is impacting were under tremendous pressure to spend, but now knee-jerk
business. We found that the spending must stop.
pandemic has fundamentally www.kerushan.com
altered the employee
Chris Bedi, CIO, ServiceNow experience in organisations
worldwide.
www.servicenow.com
CHANNEL
Five predictions Delivering innovation
driving transformation that matters
in the food and With the initial acquisition
beverage industry of Ubusha Technologies in
Phil Lewis, Infor VP Solution 2020, Altron cemented its
Consulting EMEA, says position as the continent’s
the unforeseen disruption leader in identity management.
experienced in 2020 has After a year of challenges
prompted food and beverage and uncertainty and with
producers to future-proof their the business integration now
businesses as far as possible. complete, the recently formed
While uncertainty seems set Altron Security division is
to continue, companies are Marius Agenbag, MD of Altron forging ahead and is excited
Security
Phil Lewis, Infor VP Solution putting themselves in the to welcome CyberTech into
Consulting EMEA
strongest position they can its fold.
to embrace and capitalise on www.altron.com
future opportunities.
www.infor.com
Five reasons for
quickly implementing
Resilience and a B2B e-commerce
continuity: Guiding solution
the CIO strategy in Although COVID-19 accelerated
2021 the shift to e-commerce
Following a tumultuous 2020, everywhere, it has the potential
CIOs are likely to face a tough, to be more lucrative in countries
albeit slightly more predicable, like South Africa, says Andre
2021. Fikile Sibiya, CIO of e4, says: Adendorff, director of Presales,
“A renewed focus on resilience Seidor Africa. He says a B2B
and continuity will be crucial in e-commerce solution will
the coming months, as fintech increase sales, improve brand
Andre Adendorff, director of
Fikile Sibiya, CIO of e4 companies remain paramount Presales, Seidor Africa
awareness, enhance cross- and
in facilitating transactions that up-selling, provide a testing
support essential economic ground for new offerings, among
activities.” other benefits.
www.e4.co.za www.seidorafrica.com
April 2021 | 17You can also read
