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Innovation Insight Plus AFRICAN INNOVATION HUBS, THE DATA ARCHITECTURE COMPANY NEWS NEXT WEEKEND HANGOUTS 2 GOES AGILE 15 TOP JOBS JANUARY 2018 | Issue 37 Multi-cloud approach to ICT: Quest for speed, agility continues
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IN THIS
ISSUE
CREDITS
Publisher
A nother year has passed and, going by some media reports, we
are in for a tough but telling 12 months ahead.
As businesses battle against economic hardship, unsurprisingly
Innovation
AFRICAN INNOVATION HUBS, THE
NEXT WEEKEND HANGOUTS 2
Insight
DATA ARCHITECTURE
GOES AGILE 15
Plus
COMPANY NEWS
TOP JOBS
JOVAN REGASEK the cloud has emerged as a tech force that experts say will continue
JANUARY 2018 | Issue 36
jregasek@itweb.co.za to disrupt industries. It will also compel decision makers to act more
decisively when it comes to ICT infrastructure management.
Editorial Director And if you’re going to go cloud to strengthen your ICT capability,
RANKA JOVANOVIC then a multi-cloud approach is the way to go – at least that’s what
rankaj@itweb.co.za T-Systems advocates (see more from the ITWeb/T-Systems Multi-
cloud approach to ICT Survey on page 06)
Editor This edition also features an update from ITWeb’s inaugural
CHRIS TREDGER Industry Tech update event, during which Stuff magazine’s Toby
chris@itwebafrica.com Shapshak described Africa as “the most innovative, most exciting,
most incredible place in the whole world right now.”
Production Manager The ‘stuff’ of debate, some would argue.
SINDISO KHUPE We also feature thought-proving insight into data, from breaches Multi-cloud approach to ICT:
Quest for speed, agility continues
sindiso@itweb.co.za and governance, through to BI skills availability and application.
Designers Enjoy the read!
ZACK HOOSEIN
ONTIRETSE NGOLWANE Chris Tredger
ANA GOLIJANIN Editor
CONTENTS
Circulation Manager
CARRIE-ANN WALDECK
carrie@itweb.co.za
Business Development Director
CARYN BERMAN SURVEY
caryn@itweb.co.za 2 Multi-cloud approach
to ICT 6
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January 2018 | 01
COLUMN
African innovation hubs,
the next weekend hangouts
tech hub model. And the Silicon tech hubs Thinking outside the… hub
were not built around Africa's unique The Tshimologong Digital Precinct is a
culture and problems. For one thing, Africa half block in Braamfontein dedicated to
has a notable IT and tech skills shortage, innovation, ticking all the right boxes in
which spells slim pickings when it comes terms of what Barry sees as the future
to new talent to man the innovation hubs of quintessentially African tech hubs.
of tomorrow. Unveiled last year, after three years in
When faced with the question of how we development, it's designed for Africa,
address this issue, a lot of industry experts to channel youth energy and convert
will tout 'education, education, education,' tech users into creators through skills
but if you're a twenty-something living development. But above all that, its
in Africa, with little to no digital exposure greatest differentiator is its open-door
beyond your Facebook newsfeed, are policy.
you really going to be on the hunt for Anyone can apply for membership.
opportunities in this sector? No, you're too So, people come together from a range of
busy looking for things that interest you, analogous fields to share ideas to better
like coffee, pizza and bandwidth – which enable innovation. Why? Because the
is incidentally the philosophy behind the more unique minds, the merrier: people
feast for the senses at the Fak'ugesi festival, with different backgrounds will not be
currently redefining how we do innovation constrained by the same limitations of
By LEE NAIK, CEO OF TRANSUNION AFRICA in Africa. their field or the known solution it offers to
the problem, leading to a greater diversity
F rom labs to hubs, and now festivals,
the concept of setting a specific space
aside for innovation has been around for
What sets the Grand
Geek's Fak'ugesi apart?
The mastermind behind this philosophy
of approaches.
That combined input is what drives
aggressive innovation, which is why
a while, though the scenery has changed is Barry Dwolatzky, professor of Software companies like Microsoft, Telkom, IBM,
significantly over the years – all the more so Engineering at the Wits School of Electrical Cisco and others invest the time and
on our own continent, where the fun-first, and Information Engineering, and director of money to align their organisations with
business-later Fak'ugesi Digital Festival in the Joburg Centre for Software Engineering, concepts like this in the first place. Is this
Braamfontein is drawing new crowds. otherwise known as "the Grand Geek". He what more African organisations should
But are these hubs all they're cracked up knows that before we can develop talent, we be doing instead of flogging the proverbial
to be? Or are they more flavour of the week need to attract and foster it. dead horse with unstimulating brainstorm
than drivers of change? I've always stood by the belief that if sessions and dated processes?
you do innovation only from inside your
Hubs with more local flavour organisation, it will fail. Innovate from the outside in
Africa has no shortage of innovation This year's Fak'ugesi festival gave I've always stood by the belief that if
hubs. There's iHub in Kenya, arguably attendants the chance to 3D print a robot you do innovation only from inside your
the continent's most famous innovation themselves, reimagine their surroundings organisation, it will fail, whether due to
hub. Iceaddis in Ethiopia dabbles in with a combination of Minecraft and VR, bureaucracy or a limited pool of ideas. It's
every industry from interior design to participate in an animation challenge, and time to admit that none of us can have all
recruitment. And of course, CcHub in browse interactive arts and projections, the answers, so we must start reaching out
Nigeria is making headlines with the against a backdrop of local music talent. to people and organisations that we know
Biri chatbot right now. That's just to It doesn't sound like an innovation hub, are better at coming up with those answers
name a few, but no matter how far down because it isn't one. Instead, Fak'ugesi than we are.
the list you read, many share the same is the taster – the coffee, pizza and Ask yourself, could you coax hundreds
problematic characteristics. bandwidth if you will. It was designed of people out of bed on the weekend to
Whether these similarities are that they to appeal to Africa's growing experience come to your organisation and participate
have a corporate or educational format, culture; to pique interest and develop the way Fak'ugesi has? If the answer is
or that they are built for more tech-type a taste for tech and digital, where no, then it's time to start thinking about
individuals like developers, the resulting there might not have been one before. how you could. What do you need to do to
problem is the same – they're all slightly Meanwhile, something bigger was waiting turn your innovation efforts into the next
tweaked iterations of the Silicon Valley in the wings. weekend hangout?
02 | January 2018
COMPANY NEWS
BUSINESS
Power of Training health DVT delivers
partnerships in entrepreneurs employee rewards
support of NSP through Altron's system for Perkaloo
Dr Reginald Setlhakgoe MediSwitch Software development and
from EOH said: "The fight Medical students receive testing company DVT has
against HIV and TB morbidity excellent clinical training, delivered a seamless Web and
and mortality is the kind but they often graduate not USSD mobile communication
that will be won through knowing how to run a practice system for SA's newest
partnership and collaboration as a business. MediSwitch, independent loyalty and
between various stakeholders a unit of JSE-listed Altron, employee engagement portal,
and government. Today's is helping to change this by Perkaloo. The system is
collaboration initiative investing time and resources designed to help Perkaloo
between De Beers, EOH, SABCOHA and government has once again in training medical students by support as many companies,
demonstrated to all of us the positive impact that can be achieved. giving them advice on entering employers, employees and
Health has been taken to the people, and community members the business environment partners as possible, or as
received comprehensive health screening. However, more as healthcare practitioners. Perkaloo's co-founder Deon
importantly, they acquired valuable information regarding their MediSwitch, which has trained Nieuwoudt contends, "just
personal health, which is one of the most priceless gifts any person over 200 students, offers about every employer and
can ever receive – because it empowers the individual.” practice management talks employee in South Africa
www.eoh.co.za once a year to University of by radically transforming
Witwatersrand physiotherapy employee benefits". From
CommerceQuest SA makes a difference students, as well as University the start, we set out to create
The Izzi Trust is the preferred educational trust of ADvTECH of the Western Cape dentistry a unique platform unlike
schools and tertiary institutions. Through meaningful and students. MediSwitch is a leader anything else available on the
responsible partnerships with corporates, The Izzi Trust is able in electronically delivering local market," says Nieuwoudt.
to provide opportunities to students to attend private schools claims from healthcare "Perkaloo was designed to
or tertiary institutions that enable them to achieve their full professionals to medical break down the traditionally
potential. These partnerships help break the cycle of poverty schemes and administrators for difficult barrier to entry of
that many of the youth in our country continue to face. In 2017, quick payment. most rewards programmes.”
The Izzi Trust welcomed CommerceQuest SA (CQSA) as a valued www.altron.com www.dvt.co.za
partner in helping it achieve its objective. CQSA sponsored two
IT bursaries at Rosebank College for two talented and deserving
young women.
www.cqsa.co.za
Praesignis launches data and business
intelligence platform for PinkDrive
Since June 2016, Praesignis has been PinkDrive’s data, analytics
and business intelligence (BI) partner. This year Praesignis
developed a customised solution for PinkDrive, launching the
platform during October, International Breast Cancer Awareness
Month. It ties in with its vision of providing a data and BI platform
that will optimise the collection, analysis and utilisation of all
PinkDrive's data.
www.praesignis.com
Major job loss in SA, report shows
According to the Daly Group, almost 60 000 employees lost their
Marko Salic, Argility
jobs in SA in 2016, a report by Solidarity trade union revealed in
Pretoria recently. Solidarity's research shows that employees in the Argility announces exciting plans for
mining industry are hit hardest, with 36 companies that have been formation of innovative technology group
engaged in retrenchments during the past year, and with 29 261 Argility has announced the formation of the Argility Technology
employees facing retrenchment in the industry. Second worst-off Group and its acquisition of Cquential Solutions and Fleet Domain.
is the ICT industry, with 8 141 employees at six companies being Argility CEO Marko Salic says the acquisitions form part of a broader
affected by retrenchments. The loss in jobs will impact on other strategy aimed at building an innovative technology group with
job opportunities, Solidarity general secretary Gideon du Plessis is specialised experience and expertise across multiple industry
quoted as saying. verticals.
www.dalycreditcorp.com www.argility.com
January 2018 | 03
COMPANY NEWS
BUSINESS
DVT, Dynamic DNA welcome 100 learners EOH takes science
into 2017 Learnership Programme of CX to new levels
Software development and testing company DVT, together with Customer experience (CX)
sister company and education partner Dynamic DNA, have has evolved from a soft focus
announced the largest ever intake to their co-run learnership IT to a core strategic business
skills training and apprenticeship programme for 2017. For the imperative, requiring analytical
first time, 100 learners have been selected to participate in the prowess underpinned by
programme, with special provisions made to accommodate the large high-level business and process
number of students at Dynamic DNA's Randburg headquarters, in improvement skills. With
Johannesburg. Established in 2015, the Learnership Programme this in mind, Africa's largest
gives learners the opportunity to empower themselves with technology service provider,
specialist IT, software development, software testing and business EOH Coastal, is making greater
skills that make them highly employable. use of its CX offering to better
www.dvt.co.za understand target markets and ultimately deliver the best possible
products and services to them. The head of CX at EOH Coastal,
How marketing automation Michelle Badenhorst, says: "We assess the organisation and start with
helps the insurance industry an outside-in approach to inform operational strategies that deliver
Much like it helps just about every other industry, marketing superlative CX. Our business strategies grow organically from the
automation offers a number of benefits to the insurance industry, insights that we get from our customers.”
according to Grapevine. As the era of digital continues to change www.eohcoastal.co.za
the way businesses operate all over the world, the insurance
industry is slowly but surely awakening to the benefits of ATIO attains level 1 B-BBEE status
automation. A study conducted by ITC and Velocify, Techsurance ATIO, a specialist ICT services company, has achieved a level 1
Marketing Revolution, showed 71% of consumers shopping for B-BBEE status, awarded by Mazars, a SANAS accredited B-BBEE
insurance went online to get a quote; 62% of online insurance verification agency. "It has always been our goal to continually
shoppers sought two or three quotes; and 66% of online insurance improve our B-BBEE status, and after achieving level 2 status
shoppers were looking for a lower price. for four years in a row, we have finally managed to achieve this
www.grapevinegroup.co.za new milestone. This recognition comes as a result of hard work
and a great deal of long-term planning on the part of the entire
business. We believe this is a clear indication of our commitment to
transformation, and we are excited about this achievement," says
ATIO CEO Chris Van der Sande.
www.atio.co.za
Driving organisational
performance with functional analytics
The ability to gain insights from data will help businesses pinpoint
market trends and highlight any issues, says ITWeb. Over the
years, business intelligence (BI) has transformed the way we do
business, by giving organisations access to floods of information
from multiple data sources and impacting industries in the process.
Moreover, the ability to analyse this data, and glean actionable
insights from it, is helping companies of all types and sizes make
better, more intelligent decisions ahead of time. This in turn is
helping businesses meet their customers' needs by offering them
strategic and innovative products and solutions.
www.itweb.co.za
Discounted Accounting
EasyBiz QuickBooks ran a 30 % Discounted package on its two
flagship products, QuickBooks Accounting and Quick Payroll,
Auto Group Image when bought as a bundle until December. Due to lack of sufficient
reporting and tracking of transactions, many small and medium
KDS Direct showcases more sized business owners are not able to fully grasp the financial
product ranges to small office operators fundamentals of their organisations. Knowing where your business
Since KDS Direct launched its online store in October 2016, it has is heading is vital in creating a successful venture and if you are
kept its promise of delivering excellent printer products, with the serious about your company's success you will need a cost-effective,
commitment to guarantee the best price on each product. easy to understand and easy to use accounting software.
www.kdsdirect.co.za www.quickbooks.co.za
04 | January 2018
COMPANY NEWS
BUSINESS
CaseWare updates International
financial reporting template partnership
New Sectional Titles Schemes Management Regulations mandate benefits SA
disclosure requirements for the trustees of body corporates and Obsidian Systems is the South
their managing agents. CaseWare Africa, a division of Adapt IT African training partner of
and a global leader in auditing and financial reporting software, Atlassian. Muggie van Staden, CEO
has released an updated version of its IFRS for SMEs template. The at Obsidian Systems, explains:
aim is to assist trustees to discharge their extended obligations, in "Being part of the Atlassian
terms of the regulations, as easily and accurately as possible. Jannie ecosystem enables us to leverage
Marais, product manager: Financial reporting at CaseWare Africa: off their extensive international enterprise software experience
"We researched the implications extensively, and consulted with and pair that with our knowledge of the South African market. The
the Financial Intelligence Centre, to ensure that trustees and agents result is a unique combination of best practice that provides our local
do not fall foul of the new regulations." customers with a tailored approach to their business operations."
www.cqs.co.za www.obsidian.co.za
Africa's first Data Virtualisation business acquired
integrated physical, TIBCO Software, a global leader in integration, API management,
cyber defence centre and analytics is acquiring Cisco's Data Virtualisation business
XON and NEC Africa have (formerly Composite Software). This strategic move strengthens
launched their joint Cyber TIBCO's portfolio of analytics products, allowing businesses to
Defence Operation Centre get analytic solutions into production faster than alternatives,
(CDOC). This is the only facility while continuing to adapt as data sources change from traditional
from a single service provider databases and big data sources to cloud and IOT. The transaction
in Africa that offers end-to- remains subject to customary conditions and is expected to close in
end physical and cyber defence the near future.
services, with all the underlying www.tibco.com
IT infrastructure necessary for a
turnkey solution. Pan-African XON turns 21
Carel Coetzee, XON www.xon.co.za bolstered by $30bn shareholder
XON is celebrating 21 years of business. It all began in 1996 around
FINANCIAL a core small networks and office support and maintenance service
that has grown into carrier-class and enterprise networking,
information management, information security, infrastructure,
Altron delivers growth in turbulent times outsourcing and professional services. Carel Coetzee, CEO of XON
During the past six months, the continuing operations of says, "That constant attention to customer requirements and
JSE-listed Allied Electronics Corporation (Altron) presented market needs led us to acquire a new shareholder in NEC, a global
a significantly improved performance, with a 5% increase technology giant with annual revenues in the region of $30 billion,
in revenue to R6.8 billion and a 19% increase in EBITDA to so we now compete at a different level throughout Africa.
R501 million. This growth was driven by the performance of the www.xon.co.za
group's international operations. Commenting on Altron's interim
results, chief executive Mteto Nyati said: "We are working on
our goal to deliver consistent double-digit growth rates at the INDUSTRY SOLUTIONS
EBITDA level. Central to this is our approach to how we sell to our
customers. We are placing more emphasis on cross-selling and Epicor success
upselling as one Altron.” story – Bakers SA
www.altron.com When Bakers SA turned to its local IT
partner – New Era Solutions – for advice,
they worked together to review relevant
enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems
ICT INSIGHT and concluded that the latest version
of Epicor ERP would not only solve the
business challenges faced today, but would
also enable future growth. "We moved to Epicor ERP due to the growth
To read the FULL company releases, visit of the business and the consequent requirement for improved reporting
www.itweb.co.za directly from our ERP system," said Abdool Kader Tayob, chief executive,
Bakers SA. "We needed a competitively priced, dynamic business
Contact sales@itweb.co.za for any sales enquiries. intelligence tool that provided the performance monitoring, reports, and
analytics that enabled better decision-making for the business.”
www.epicor.com
January 2018 | 05
MULTI-CLOUD APPROACH TO ICT SURVEY
By SUZANNE FRANCO
Speed to market
increases through cloud
organisations moving to the cloud will requirements. As well as governance, risk
keep growing at a faster rate. "One needs and compliance, there are other important
to speed up innovation and reduce time to policies that should be in place, such as
market through cloud. Cloud is an enabler cloud service visibility and continuous
to achieve better productivity, agility and cloud service provider evaluation," Lala
capacity to respond to ever- changing advises.
business realities," he says. The survey also revealed that 44% of
Almost 60% of respondents stated that respondents' cloud services are hosted
their company is currently considering locally, while 33% are using both local and
moving to the public cloud and the cross-border providers.
majority is confident they have considered "Compliance to local data laws is an
all the risk associated with the move. advantage as well as being able to receive
"The risks that should be considered face-to-face support that your enterprise
are cloud compatibility and compliance, needs," comments Lala.
security and data privacy, as well as service When asked what ICT services are the
level agreements," says Lala. most difficult to place in the cloud due
to risk factors, security features was
the ranked highest at 36%, CRM came
in second at 26% and business process
Experienced operation third at 25%.
What portion of your IT budget is
consultants allocated to cloud migration projects?
Most are taking a cautious approach and
understand the need will only allocate under 10%. On the other
Jiten Lala, manager: portfolio and partner
management for ICT delivery at T-Systems to design 'wiggle hand 9% will spend more than half of the
budget on cloud.
room' in the process.
A dopting a multi-cloud approach is the
way to go, according to T-Systems.
A recent survey by ITWeb, in
ABOUT THE SURVEY
partnership with T-Systems, examined to "Other points to be taken into The 2017 Multi-cloud approach to ICT Survey
what extent this approach is used in local consideration are security, vendor lock-in was run online on ITWeb for a period of two
businesses. and pay-per-user service levels," he adds. weeks in June and July, to gain valuable insight into
the multi-cloud approach to ICT strategies of SA
First things first: do companies have The most popular model being pursued
organisations.
a formal cloud strategy in place? Over is off-premises private cloud (57%),
1
80% of the respondents do have it, and followed by on-premises self-managed To what extent organisations have a formal
23% report their strategy is extensively (44%). About 30% have opted for off- cloud strategy in place;
2 Are organisations ensuring governance, risk
developed. premise public cloud or on-premises
and compliance policies are in place;
But not all those who have a strategy vendor managed (22.9%). 3 The most significant factors when considering
have made the move into the cloud as an ICT service provider.
yet – 63% of respondents currently Policies challenge
WHO RESPONDED
have a cloud service provider. Of those, Just under half (46%) of respondents
• A total of 318 responses were received for
over 20% are using three or more cloud cited they do have a governance, risk the Business Resilience Survey.
service providers, and a further 22% are management and compliance policy in • 19% of respondents are executive
using two, while 21% have opted for one place with regard to their cloud strategy, management and 33% middle management.
• 22% of survey respondents are from fairly
provider only. while the rest either don't know or don't
large companies with between 501-5000
Jiten Lala, manager: portfolio and have it. employees and 15% are from multinationals
partner management for ICT delivery "Cloud policies ensure you receive with over 10 000 employees.
at T-Systems, believes the number of the right solutions for your cloud
06 | January 2018
MULTI-CLOUD APPROACH TO ICT SURVEY 2017
MULTI-CLOUD APPROACH TO ICT SURVEY
TO WHAT EXTENT DOES YOUR ORGANISATION HAVE A FORMAL CLOUD STRATEGY
IN PLACE TO ADDRESS ICT PRIORITIES?
No cloud strategy
in place
18% Moderately
developed cloud strategy
36%
36%
Extensively
developed cloud strategy
23%
Minimally
developed cloud strategy
26%
WHICH OF YOUR IT INFRASTRUCTURE IS CURRENTLY HOW MANY CLOUD SERVICE PROVIDERS DO YOU
HOSTED IN THE CLOUD? CURRENTLY WORK WITH?
38%
Data centre operations
38%
Customer relationship management
34%
Business process operation
33%
Network and communications services
32%
Help desk support
31% 23% 22.3% 21.5%
18.9%
ICT infrastructure
14.3%
29%
IT security services
21%
One Two Three Don't know 0
Enteprise resource or more
Enterprise resourceplanning
planning
xx | November 2017
January 2018 | 07
MULTI-CLOUD
MULTI-CLOUD APPROACH APPROACH TO ICT SURVEY 2017
TO ICT SURVEY
HOW IMPORTANT IS SECURITY WHEN DO YOU HAVE A GOVERNANCE, RISK MANAGEMENT,
SELECTING A CLOUD SERVICE PROVIDER? AND COMPLIANCE POLICY IN PLACE REGARDING
YOUR CLOUD STRATEGY?
Somewhat Neutral
important 1%
5% 46%
Yes
Very 31%
important No
94%
22%
94% Don't know
Unimportant 0%
HOW MUCH OF YOUR IT BUDGET IS ALLOCATED TO CLOUD MIGRATION AND IMPLEMENTATION PROJECTS IN FY17?
37%
19%
14%
11%
10% 9%
10% or less 11- 20% 21 -30% 31 - 40% 41 - 50% More
than 50%
November 2017 | xx
08 | January 2018T-SYSTEMS SOUTH AFRICA (Southern Peninsula) region. The trust was limited to smart phones,” said Mpumi Nhlapo,
founded in 2008 and raises funds to support Head of T-Systems South Africa’s Marketing
AND WAYDE VAN NIEKERK the work of the Neonatal unit at the Groote Communications, IT Portfolio and Solution
HELP CONNECT MOTHERS Schuur Hospital in Cape Town. The Neonatal
unit provides care and treatment to over 2000
Sales.
OF PREMATURE BABIES of the 40 000 babies born in the area each “We quickly identified that the Neonatal Unit
year. had been using a manual system for the
WITH HOSPITAL. management of communication with the
Johannesburg, South Africa, August 2017
T-Systems South Africa’s brand ambassador parents of premature babies once they had
and 400m World Record holder, Wayde van been discharged from the hospital.”
Niekerk, is one person that holds the cause of
mothers of premature babies very closely. He “As an ICT company, we then explored how
was born prematurely at 29 weeks and we could leverage technology to address
understands what his mother went through some of the key challenges in the process
and the role that a neonatal facility can play in which included missed appointments that
affording premature babies with a fighting could, as a result of ROP, place eyesight and
chance due to the necessary treatment and even the life of the premature baby at risk.
care provided. Together with his mother, With this in mind, we developed a solution
Odessa Swarts, Wayde is an ambassador of that allows the unit to communicate with
the Newborns’ Groote Schuur Trust. and track the patients, continuously update
contact details, schedule appointments and
The prospect of motherhood is a joyful time for
Wayde van Niekerk and T-Systems’ Pledge send reminders through the mobile phone.
women all over the world. The anticipation of a
Early in 2016, van Niekerk donated R500 000 Additionally, the system is capable of
new life is often accompanied by planning for
to the Newborns Groote Schuur Trust. This act scheduling and managing staff standby
the arrival of a baby with the preparation of a
compelled T-Systems South Africa to further rosters in line with set business rules, reducing
nursery, clothing and other essentials.
assist with his cause. In support of Wayde’s the pressure on doctors and nurses and
However, a premature birth can result in a
charity foundation, The Wayde Dreamer ensuring proper availability of both is catered
stressful event as the baby often can
Foundation, T-Systems South Africa donated for.”
experience health issues such as Retinopathy
a patient management solution to the
of Prematurity (ROP), a disease of the eye that
Newborns Groote Schuur Trust. With this very simple yet impactful solution,
occurs in premature babies as well as
parents in even the most remote parts of the
Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS), to
T-Systems developed and implemented a Western Cape can have direct communication
mention a few. Access to healthcare is vital for
solution that addresses critical points in the with the hospital staff.
these mothers and babies, along with support
relationship between the Neonatal unit and
during this distressful time.
the parents of the premature babies when the This initiative by T-Systems South Africa and
babies leave the hospital. An on-line patient Wayde van Niekerk, together with the
The role of Newborns Groote Schuur Trust
management system that enables the Newborns Groote Schuur Trust is a bold step
The Newborns Groote Schuur Trust, an
Neonatal unit to have completely hassle-free in utilising technology to improve healthcare
independent Non-Governmental Organisation
communication with the parents so that services for South African citizens.
(NGO), plays an important role for mothers
critical appointments are managed which fits
and their premature babies in the Metro West
the schedules of both parties. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT
T-SYSTEMS IN SOUTH AFRICA AT:
Technology connects parents and the
Neonatal unit T-SYSTEMS SOUTH AFRICA (PTY) LTD
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS GATEWAY
Many parents using Public Healthcare stay NEW ROAD, MIDRAND 1685
quite far from Public Hospitals with Neonatal
units and therefore find it difficult to TEL: +27 11 254 7400
consistently return to the hospital for regular EMAIL: COMMUNICATIONS@T-SYSTEMS.CO.ZA
check-ups.
“A key attribute of the solution is that it is @T-SystemsSA
available on any mobile phone and is not
www.t-systems.co.zaCOMPANY NEWS
TECHFORUM
Navigating towards
smart ports in a
digital storm
As digitisation drives a wave of
technological innovation and
integration, so an increasing
number of industries are seeking
to transform themselves into
enterprises that are more data and
insights-driven, says Vino Govender
CM (SA), executive: product
Vino Govender, Dark Fibre Africa innovation and marketing at Dark
Fibre Africa. The port industry is no exception he says.
www.dfafrica.co.za
The Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa Team with the Dreamworks Printing team
Growing fledging businesses Key to leveraging
Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa is partnering with The mobile business
Investment House to help fledgling businesses get off the ground, processes
through its incubation programme, in providing goods and services to Companies can benefit by
help grow their organisations. The 12-month incubation programme mobilising their ECM and
includes training, regular coaching, and financial management services. BPM systems, but only if they
www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.za adopt effective data security
solutions, says JP Lourens,
Do we still need software product manager at
professional Kyocera Document Solutions
software testers? SA. Adding it gives users the
Considering the perceived role ability to access data and
JP Lourens, Kyocera Document Solutions
of professional testers, their job South Africa documents wherever they are,
is not under any threat, and at the same time being able to also introduce new security risks.
won't be for quite a while yet, www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.za
says Mario Matthee, head: SQA
Architecture and R&D at DVT. A missing puzzle piece
Today, the whole approach to As mobile malware and ransomware proliferates at a rapid rate,
Marc Pillay, DEVELOP South Africa
digital transformation, driven by companies are recognising the need for security technologies to
Seven simple steps 'instant-everything' millennials, protect network resources accessed by employees with their devices
to retain clients demands everything must just says Michael Morton, a mobile security specialist at Securicom.
Customer relations management is work, and fast. While there's an However, he adds that they're missing an important piece of the
a skill that comes naturally to some advantage to be had by getting to puzzle. "A mobile management solution holds little ground without a
people, but to others it may seem market first, it's quickly eroded if policy in place. Companies are neglecting to define what resources can
like a daunting task, says Marc the product can't meet your user's be accessed and have not identified what devices are already accessing
Pillay, CEO of DEVELOP South requirements, in which case the network. End-user training and education are also pushed aside as
Africa. Having a positive attitude they'll have no issue switching to there's an assumption that a mobility management solution will take
towards customers – even if they competitors that were slower to care of the risk. However, it doesn't work that way.
are somewhat challenging – is market but more committed to www.securicom.co.za
critical for salespeople says Pillay. quality, Matthee explains.
www.developsa.com www.dvt.co.za The need to automate
One Channel CEO Bernard Ford
Boosting profits for SA law firms says the professional services
According to a national survey of law firms and legal professionals industry is changing rapidly. To
by LexisNexis and the Law Society of South Africa, around 92% remain competitive, firms need
of respondents believe improved use of technology is a priority to change their working models
for the growth of their businesses. There are two technologies, and automate all back-end
which can help law firms capture more revenues and reduce services to eliminate paper-
operating costs says JP Lourens, software and solutions product driven processes. Ford says this
manager at Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa. “The one is will help to reduce operational
automated disbursement recovery and the other is a digital content costs and customer requests
management solution, which enable legal firms to digitise more of service time in order to bolster
their processes and transform the way they operate.” relationship management.
www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.za Bernard Ford, One Channel www.onechannel.co.za
10 | January 2018COMPANY NEWS
ENTERPRISE
Datacentrix and clients
win Pan-African OpenText Awards
Datacentrix, a provider of high performing and secure ICT solutions,
and three of its flagship clients, have netted four of the six OpenText
Digiruption Indaba awards for 2017. This confirms Datacentrix's
unparalleled depth of understanding, not only of OpenText's Enterprise
Information Management tools, but also in integrating OpenText into SAP-
based enterprise software. One of the awards (Go-Live Project of the Year)
represents a true world-first. Awarded to Datacentrix client MediClinic,
the healthcare provider successfully integrated OpenText Extended ECM
and SAP SuccessFactors. "The solution helped to transform the human
capital management of MediClinic's over 16 000 staff members," explains
Lenore Kerrigan, country sales director: Africa at OpenText.
www.datacentrix.co.za
‘Most powerful unified
cloud solution available’
Your customers need to find a service that redefines how they COMPUTING
modernise, innovate and compete in the world today – something
that allows users and developers to cost-effectively build, deploy Tech trends disrupting business
and manage workloads seamlessly in the cloud and on-premises. According to Telviva the fourth industrial revolution is here
With Oracle and First Distribution, you'll ensure your customers powered by innovation in IT, with its fusion of emerging
have access to the best integrated cloud platform using Oracle technologies in the physical, digital and biological spheres.
cloud services. Oracle has a deep product portfolio across all Technologies like AI, 3D printing, VR, automation and IOT make
applications, platforms and infrastructure – giving customers the almost every aspect of our lives quicker, cheaper and simpler,
freedom to build their own path to the cloud so they can spend including business, and as a result, almost every industry in every
less time maintaining and more time on innovation. country is experiencing some kind of disruption.
www.firstdistribution.com www.telviva.co.za
Evolving the conversation Businesses rely on Cloudera
When the Sunbird Facilities Management division was established in With billions of sensors, smart machines and connected devices
2016, it required a 'greenfields' Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) generating data every second, the Internet of Things (IoT) is
solution. With no legacy system in place, Sunbird conducted research placing unprecedented demands on organisations' data storage,
to find a software solution that would offer flexibility and agility. processing and analytic capabilities. Cloudera, the modern
"The ability to deliver swift and tractable solutions was the greatest platform for machine learning and analytics, optimised for the
requirement for this EAM implementation," states Barry Diedericks, cloud, announced that more enterprises across an array of sectors
EAM Subject Matter Expert at Softworx, an Infor partner. "As such, are turning to Cloudera Enterprise Data Hub to power their IoT
developing a Computer-Aided Facilities Management system was journey, generate actionable insights and, as a result, disrupt their
essential to managing the complex requirements of Sunbird's diverse own industries. Cloudera is enabling real-time data insights and
portfolio of clients in Southern and East Africa, across English, predictive analytics to help companies use IoT to drive operational
French and Portuguese-speaking countries." efficiencies, introduce new products and services.
www.softworx.co.za www.cloudera.com
SOFTWARE
EOH International goes live International Kanban
on SAP S/4 HANA Cloud in UAE training course offered by DVT
EOH International, a division of EOH Holdings (a South African Software development and testing specialist DVT is offering a two-
registered company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange), day international Kanban training course through its specialist
has become the first company to go live with SAP S/4 HANA Public training division, The DVT Academy. The interactive course will
Cloud in the UAE. The first phase of the global roll-out focused focus on Kanban as an Agile framework and mindset. "Kanban
on the UAE in order to prepare the foundation for future phases is not an alternative to popular approaches such as Scrum, but is
and global adoption, streamlining the group's own international complementary and will help any team improve their ability to
operations. The implementation was completed in six weeks, sustainably deliver valuable software earlier," says Melani French,
primarily from South Africa, leveraging an agile approach to Executive Head: Business Enablement at DVT. French says the course
implementation and enabling the back-office operations of the is ideally suited to individuals and teams either thinking of adopting
company in the UAE. In April this year, EOH became the first Agile as a framework, or already invested in Agile, wanting to harness
African adopter of SAP S/4HANA Cloud. new and advanced ideas and strategies.
www.eoh.co.za www.dvt.co.za
January 2018 | 11REPORTBACK: INDUSTRY TECH UPDATE
By ALLYSON TOWLE
Today’s tech for a better tomorrow
Africa's distinctive problems have resulted in a unique brand of
innovation, says Toby Shapshak.
"The Ubuntu operating system was de-
veloped in a Cape Town garage and today
about 40% of ATMs in the US are using
this system. It also underpins Amazon's
EC2 system, which is the biggest cloud
network in the world."
Africa, he continued, is also leapfrog-
ging the rest of the world in drone delivery
services.
"Drone delivery in the African mar-
ket has grown significantly, especially
in Rwanda, where drones which use
cellphone networks collect blood from
the blood banks and deliver them to
healthcare facilities. If you compare the
rudimentary of drone deliveries in the de-
veloped world to what is happening here,
you will find that Africa is far ahead."
Yes, there are real problems in Africa,
but we live in the most innovative place in
the world, and because we have real prob-
Toby Shapshak, publisher of Stuff SA magazine
lems, we have to solve them ourselves and
when we solve them, we also solve them
for the rest of the world, he noted.
A frica's distinctive problems have
resulted in a unique brand of innova-
tion, making it the most innovative and
Africans, it will also be beneficial for the
rest of the world as well.”
He referenced Shuttleworth, founder and
Digital challenges
According to Syed Ahmed Mohiuddin,
exciting place in the world right now. CEO of Canonical, who developed the Linux- CEO, MD and chief architect, BITS
This is according to Toby Shapshak, based Ubuntu operating system, the open Consultancy Services elaborates, the
publisher of Stuff SA magazine, speaking source software that has a global footprint. evolution of digital economies is affecting
at the ITWeb Industry Tech Update 2017.
Shapshak discussed Africa's innovative
prowess, and how tech advancements
have improved lives, while driving eco- AI: Game changer or buzzword?
nomic growth on the continent.
“There’s this misconception that Africa Is artificial intelligence (AI) really the game changer it is purported to be or is it just another
is a terrible place,” he says, “Africa is the buzzword?
most innovative, exciting and incredible This was the question discussed by Wesbank’s Willie Strydom, enterprise security
place in the world right now. architect, and Kevin Stroud, developer emerging technologies. “AI is the natural evolution of
It is interesting to note, adds Shapshak, IT,” they said, “but more importantly, it is needed because AI can and will change how the IT
that out of necessity, these innovations industry as a whole will operate in the future.”
usually involve the mobile phone. Andrew Dawson, commercial director, MACmobile, provided a review of their findings
“The innovative spirit across Africa will from the deployment of sales force automation, logistics, distribution and retail loyalty
continue producing ground-breaking tech rewards platforms throughout Africa.
solutions. A prime example is the mobile This was followed by Sameer Jooma, head: consumer and shopper innovation, Africa
payment system M-Pesa. In Kenya, $148 Zone, Anheuser-Busch InBev, elaborating on robot automation, cashless vision and
million a day is transacted through this consumer targeting and the benefits being experienced by their organisation.
system: equivalent of 40% of Kenya’s GDP.
Though a solution like this was designed
and developed to a problem facing
12 | January 2018REPORTBACK: INDUSTRY TECH UPDATE
The innovative
spirit across Africa
will continue
producing
ground-breaking
tech solutions.
Toby Shapshak
Dion Chang, CEO and founder of Flux Trends Willie Strydom, Enterprise Security Architect,
Wesbank
all industries around the world and transformation, most companies are still He elaborated on the most critical
creating new opportunities. facing significant challenges to operate in developments over the years and how
However, tech alone doesn’t drive a digital economy. change is an imperative that business
digital transformation, Mohiuddin "Unfortunately, this means the gap does not embrace effectively.
said. Despite the hype around digital between those companies that have Manuel Corregedor, COO, Telspace
embarked on a transformation strategy Systems explored the changes taking
and those yet to get their act together is place within the information technology
widening," he said. space, with a special focus on lessons he
“To ensure success, companies need has learnt within the retail and banking
to have digital strategies that include sectors in South Africa.
technology, customer experience, business Highlighting the strategic
culture and people change management.” management principles within
information technology, Mthandeni
Disruptive forces Langa, senior analyst at Commonwealth
Dion Chang, CEO and founder of Flux Bank, demonstrated how business, IT
Trends presented a look into what is next and organisational strategies hinge on
for business people and businesses. an efficient enterprise IT integration.
Chang has been tracking the disruptive He exposed the links existing between
forces that have been constantly business, IT and organisational
changing, challenging and moulding architecture and how to address these
the business landscape since 2012. within a digital framework.
ITWeb Industry Tech Update 2017
At the inaugural industry tech update event, hosted by ITWeb on 18 October 2017 in
Johannesburg, speakers shared insights into how technology innovation across major
industries is contributing towards an improved future.
Syed Ahmed Mohiuddin, CEO, MD and chief
architect, BITS Consultancy Services
January 2018 | 13INDUSTRY INSIGHT: CONTINUAL SERVICE IMPROVEMENT
The morning after
become familiar with it? hours off the process compared to the
Just as change management is essential paper-based one; is the user interface
for any implementation where people enough for people to be productive
are not used to the new technologies, using the training provided; and does it
change control focuses on the adoption correspond to the metrics that were set out
of a process once it is released into the to be measured when the process began?
business. This real-world environment will result
In reality, this is something that should in small tweaks and modifications needing
have been catered for in the planning to be made to get the process just right.
phase. But, as the old saying goes about However, these corrections do not indicate
the best laid plans, the final process is a failing on the design and implementation
generally quite different from how it phases of the project. Instead, it reflects
looked when still being designed and the the unpredictability of the human element.
change control being planned for. The more experienced consultants will
Experienced consultants understand the know to expect variances after the go-live
need to design ‘wiggle room' in the process date of the process and celebrate when
that considers any feedback that might these are minimal.
change the way the process was originally By putting a CSI strategy together, along
designed. This avoids overcomplicating with key areas for regular review, possible
a process during inception, before it has pain points, and the criteria that need to be
measured, the consultant will be ready to
Jannie Pretorius, professional services manager move on to the next project.
at Elingo
Experienced Time well spent
W hat happens after a company has
successfully deployed a process
in its environment? While many might
consultants
It will enable the owner to understand
variances in the data better and gain
insight into what needs to be done should
be forgiven for thinking that completing understand the need there be any issues down the line with the
an implementation is the end result, the
reality is it serves as a vital platform for to design 'wiggle process.
The CSI strategy completes the change
business growth.
Experienced consultants understand
room' in the process. control phase with the process owner
becoming accountable for it, thanks to
the need to design 'wiggle room' in the having the ability to deliver input and
process. value in meaningful ways.
Even though many hours have been had the opportunity to run for a while and In the end, spending some extra time
spent methodically planning, mapping, minimise any costly reworking. after the process is implemented is often
and getting all stakeholders in the Ultimately, this ushers in the next phase the difference between it reaching its
company to buy in to the vision of the of the process – that of continual service return on investment and objective or
process, it is just part of the journey. improvement (CSI). Essentially, this means simply fizzling out a few months down the
Similarly, the build phase and the the process is now available and being line. Often, this is not reflective of a bad
smooth release into business form key used by real people and not just driven by process design unfit for purpose, but rather
steps in the success of the process cycle. assumptions and historical data. The way the process owner not understanding
And once these elements are completed, users interact with it often bring up quite its intricacies and value it brings to the
many make the mistake of thinking they unique experiences that no testing could company.
can move on to the next project. accurately cater for. A good CSI strategy ensures the
consultant can hand over the mantle of
Next steps Taking it to CSI process champion to someone else and
However, the question that needs to be Feedback needs to be leveraged to analyse return a few months later to see how it
addressed before moving on to the next the process with a fresh set of eyes, has evolved in ways they could not have
‘big thing' is what is going to happen to reviewing the original business objects and originally foreseen. And that makes it an
the process? How will the process survive measuring whether the process is meeting essential part of evaluating the success
in the business without its champion at them in the live environment. of the project, using that experience
the helm, smoothing over any operational Important questions to ask include and feedback for future process design,
questions that might arise as employees whether the digital form is really shaving implementation, and CSI development.
14 | January 2018INDUSTRY INSIGHT: DATA ARCHITECTURE
Data architecture goes agile
database, as well as describing the way data streams and real-time capabilities – in
data will be processed, stored and used. other words, an agile data fabric," says Mike
Tuchen, CEO at Talend.
Where to? Recent technology innovations permit
Relational databases and data warehouses large volumes of data (at a low cost) to be
have served businesses well in the past ingested into the business environment
by collecting and normalising relational and reserve the structuring and modelling
data where the data format and structure for later during consumption. This was the
is known and doesn't change frequently. initial agility handle for data architecture.
However, the relational model and process However, the conversation has changed
for defining schema in advance cannot keep to the speed of which one can extract value
pace with the rapidly evolving variety and from the available data and how quickly the
format of data today. The integral Waterfall data can be translated from information into
design and modelling methodology means actionable intelligence. Getting data into the
users have to wait for long before they can business environment easily does not mean a
realise some value from the life cycle. At data analyst can just as easily and quickly get
times, the data analysts just want to mine the insight from the data.
data for possible insights; however, they are
Mix it up
Masindi Mabogo, director at PBT Group
Arguably, I find the best data architecture
for agility includes a mix of on-premises and
W ith the advent
It is without doubt that
What is required for the cloud physical data architecture. It has been
noted the mix can also consider a distributed
agility is synonymous with fast-paced digital era is a scalable implementation focusing on domain-
turnaround time. The speed at which IT specific knowledge pillars with solid
personnel and processes should respond integration software security levels. It can then be complemented
to user requirements, either new or by a logical model that presents a logical
enhancements, is becoming the main
built for modern data consolidated front for analysis, without
factor between winning, keeping or losing environments... moving data into a single location.
customers in this digital era. Companies should strive to remain
IT professionals are finding they are technology agnostic by choosing data
confronted with this reality due to processing technologies that can seamlessly
accelerated technological innovations, not sure of what questions to ask to ensure move processes and logic into a different
coupled with numerous sources and the data is truly beneficial. Legacy databases domain in just a few clicks and minor
data types to consider, as well as more are simply not agile enough to meet the configurations. All the work executed for
demanding users to support. Meeting these growing needs of most companies today. one technology should be easily transferable
new and ever-evolving data demands As a result of this, an attempt was made to the next, providing the organisation with
requires companies to create a data to invoke agility by implementing legacy economies of skills and scale. The legacy
infrastructure and architecture that is data models in smaller sprints. This worked modelling techniques still have a handful
agile enough to keep pace with the market, well as long as the end state was known of use cases that may warrant a space in a
as well as the needs of the company to or predictable and there was no need to business's data architecture landscape for
respond to swift opportunities. respond to changing business environments. those well-known structured data.
As data capabilities continue to However, these are key benefits of The promise of faster time to market,
mature, how a business structures its agility and cannot be omitted. Within the better management of change and
data architecture for agility becomes Waterfall model, once the architecture is disruption, and leaner, more efficient
imperative. Data architecture is one of implemented, enhancement agility can be operations is the trademark for true agility.
the key pillars of enterprise architecture, achieved, provided the new or changed If agility has any shortfall, it will be the
alongside application, business and user needs will be within the boundaries lack of adequate focus on dependency
integration architecture. anticipated during the requirements phase. analysis; however, the benefits outweigh
In fact, the data architecture pillar is "What is required for the digital era is the drawbacks. It's almost impossible
the definition or blueprint of the data a scalable integration software built for to conclude on the topic of agility fabric
design that will be used by the business in modern data environments, users, styles without dropping some big names;
achieving the implementation of a physical and workflow – from batch and bulk to IOT however, I am resisting!
January 2018 | 15You can also read
