Thursday, November 28African Digital Business Magazine

Tech

Main, Tech

Why the subscription economy is transforming B2B operating models forever

From Hello Fresh to the Spotify, subscription services are now so commonplace they’ve almost become the norm. Subscriptions started life in the media world, with newspaper and magazine subscriptions dating back centuries. But in the last ten years, the subscription business model has exploded in popularity across consumer industries including fashion, food and beauty, creating what has been dubbed, the ‘subscription economy.’ The model, which promotes a more convenient, cheaper way of accessing goods, has revolutionising the way we buy and sell consumer products. It should be no surprise then, that it’s now transforming B2B operating models. In the last few years, we’ve seen the proliferation of cloud-based ‘anything-as-a-service’ products, paid for on subscription. These new offerings ad...
Energy, Tech

Schlumberger and AVEVA Announce Agreement to Advance Digital Solutions for Oil & Gas Production Operations

Industry leaders to integrate AVEVA PI System with Agora edge technologies and cloud-based production solutions enabled by the DELFI environment from Schlumberger Schlumberger and AVEVA today announced an agreement to integrate edge, AI and cloud digital solutions to help operators optimize oil and gas production. The companies will work together to streamline how energy operators acquire, process and action field data for enhanced wellsite efficiency and performance. Initial focus of the collaboration includes linking edge systems to applications in the DELFI* cognitive E&P environment to better manage equipment health and optimize performance. “This partnership brings together our edge and cloud solutions with the AVEVA PI System™ to seamlessly liberate access to data acceler...
South Africa News, Tech

Another data breach rocks South Africa as details of 1.4 million South Africans gets leaked

We are currently living in a world that is being driven by technology. It is very rare to find any aspect of our daily lives that is not impacted by technology. Since Government imposed the National Lockdown – which aims to mitigate the worst effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic – there has been a significant move towards social distancing and essential services within the financial services industry have moved online. “Criminals have also moved online,” reports Manie van Schalkwyk, CEO of the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS), “it is estimated that there are 17 billion cyber attacks that take place around the world every day. Another South African company reports a data breach Over the past two years, South African companies have been reporting that they have been victims ...
Tech

Dell Technologies Emerging Africa Forum to Showcase the Power of Transformative Technologies

With digital transformation being a key priority for businesses and government across East, West and Central Africa, Dell Technologies has reinforced its commitment to providing its customers with advanced technologies that drive business continuity and growth. Dell Technologies Forum Emerging Africa takes place on October 6, 2021 and will bring together business leaders and industry experts, to share their insights on how technology can help shape the future success of businesses. The event will also serve as a platform for Dell Technologies to showcase its ground-breaking portfolio of enterprise and consumer solutions that accelerate the digital delivery of modern IT services that can differentiate a business, its products, and operations. Mohammed Amin, Sr. Vice President – MERAT wil...
Tech

UNGA 2021: UN Assistant Secretary-General Welcomes New Multilateral Organization Working to Reduce Global Digital Divide

Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) convened Ministers and delegates from UN member states at UNGA side event to discuss ‘Shaping an Inclusive Digital Age.’   First event during UNGA held by seven-member global bloc spanning Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, 80% of whose 480 million population are under the age of 35. The Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), a global multilateral body working to strengthen collaboration towards the sustainable and inclusive growth of the global digital economy, today held a high-level side event as part of the ongoing 76th UN General Assembly. Speakers at the virtual event included the UN Assistant Secretary-General and Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology,  Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, DCO Chairpe...
Business, Tech

Redefining digital transformation for the modern work environment

Kriya Govender, CEO of PRP Solutions “Digital transformation” has been a hot topic for company executives for a while, but it failed to gain traction in their businesses.  However, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, momentum has shifted with those still undecided about digital transformation and forced many organizations to accelerate their digital transformation strategy. Digital transformation can be daunting for organisations at the best of times. Over the years, it has become a business imperative as companies across most industry sectors, focus on delivering the most value for customers while optimising employee productivity and leveraging modern technologies to improve key business measurements and metrics required to do all this. There is no “one size fits all”...
Science, Tech

Partnership for data-driven early response to hunger launched

Leading research and humanitarian agencies have joined forces to harness data and technology in a bid to stop climate shocks resulting in hunger in vulnerable livestock farming communities. The Jameel Observatory for Food Security Early Action is being created to help tackle the growing threat to people in the world’s drylands posed by the increasing severity and frequency of climate-related disasters. The new venture will bring together the expertise of five partners – the University of Edinburgh, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Save the Children, the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), and Community Jameel. The partnership will connect cutting-edge technology and data surveillance on early warning signs of severe weather and systemic climate change wi...
South Africa News, Tech

You’re safe from ransomware – if you have R6.4bn lying around

Ransomware attacks have massively increased since the start of lockdown. Here’s what you need to know to protect your company. When hackers targeted Transnet’s computer systems in late July this year, logistics at major ports ground to a near-halt for the second time in a month (following the protests and looting) as the company was forced to switch to manual cargo processing. “The IT industry has seen a massive increase in ransomware attacks since the start of lockdown, when companies’ digital footprints increased as remote work became the norm,” says Marilyn Moodley, Country Leader for South Africa and WECA (West, East, Central Africa) at SoftwareONE. Problematically, many organisations unfortunately only realise too late that ransomware protection is a business issue and not an IT is...
South Africa News, Tech

Remote work a win for SA ICT professionals

The Covid-19 pandemic brought with it some unexpected benefits for the South African ICT sector, including increased productivity and the potential for employers to reduce their operating costs. This is one of the findings in the first South African ICT Skills Survey to be carried out since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic by Wits University’s Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE) in partnership with the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA). The JCSE-IITPSA ICT Skills Survey assesses skills demand and supply from both a corporate and practitioner perspective, to identify the most pressing skills needs and current skills capacity. The 2021 edition of the survey also set out to assess the impact the pandemic has had on ICT skills in South Africa...
Kenya News, Main, Tech

Report shows young people earning livelihoods working in digital platforms

By Dr. Ehud Gachugu  The digital economy is expanding largely in Kenya. Covid-19 has accelerated the growth since Kenyans, especially youth, have now recognized the potential to earn a living in digital platforms. The pandemic led not only to a health crisis but also an economic crisis. The measures imposed by the Ministry of health, such as physical distancing and cessation of movements, contributed to the increasing role of platform livelihoods. Those in logistics were considered as essential delivery agents and service providers. The small and medium enterprises switched to online shopping. Farming was also not left out as when complying with the set measures, a social and online farmer emerged. The offline gigs for musicians and creatives declined hence they focused on their digital p...