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José Soares, director of IT at The Capital Hotels, Apartments and Resorts, fell in love with computers when his dad brought home a Sinclair ZX81.
Through a series of upgrades – from the Commodore 64 to early Apple machines and eventually his first PC – Soares developed a passion for gaming and technology.
Meet the CIO is presented by Wipro
That passion led him to co-found a mobile gaming company and eventually to pursue a career in IT management.
Our guest in the latest episode of Meet the CIO, Soares tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the journey that led him to The Capital Hotels group.
Soares also discusses:
• The assets owned by the group and why it’s focus is a little different to other companies in the hospitality industry;
• What the group’s IT stack looks like, and the big projects Soares is leading;
• How the internet and modern technology have transformed the hospitality industry;
• His strategic priorities as head of IT;
• The role of artificial intelligence in the hospitality industry, and how The Capital Hotel is approaching AI;
• The qualities that make for a good CIO; and
• The importance of developing the next generation of IT talent.
Don’t miss a great conversation! TechCentral -
The digitisation of money is helping drive financial inclusion and improve access to complex financial services in South Africa and the rest of the African continent.
In this episode of TCS+, Hannes Wessels, GM for South Africa at Binance, explains the role cryptocurrencies are playing in the digitisation of cash as well as the potential that blockchain technology offers in enhancing the security of digital transactions.
In this episode, Wessels delves into:
• The trends, challenges and opportunities shaping the future of digital banking in South Africa;
• How Binance is capitalising on the growth of mobile banking and other advancements in financial technology;
• Examples of how blockchain technology can enhance transaction security;
• How decentralised finance can make financial services accessible to everyone in Africa; and
• How Binance is contributing to the digital cash revolution.
Don’t miss this exciting episode of TCS+. TechCentral -
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In the second part of a three-part interview series with TechCentral’s TCS+, Digicloud Africa executives unpack how African ICT companies can become reseller partners for Google Cloud in Africa.
Digicloud is Google Cloud’s chosen enablement partner for Africa and works closely with the US technology giant to deliver its services across the continent – through a network of resellers.
In this episode of TCS+, Digicloud Africa CEO Gregory MacLennan and head of technical operations Louis van Schalkwyk unpack what’s involved in becoming a reseller partner to Digicloud Africa and Google Cloud.
The two men chat about:
• Digicloud Africa’s role as the African enablement partner for Google Cloud;
• Google Cloud’s go-to-market strategy in Africa and how it works through Digicloud Africa to support a network of resellers across the continent;
• How the relationship between Google Cloud, Digicloud and its resellers partners operate in the context of serving end-user customers;
• How IT companies can sign up to become Google Cloud resellers through Digicloud – the requirements and what’s involved;
• How Digicloud supports specialisation by its reseller partners; and
• The challenge of managing a network of resellers across a continent as vast as Africa.
Don’t miss the interview, or the others in this insightful series with Digicloud Africa. TechCentral -
Digicloud Africa has a big role to play in the African ICT ecosystem as Google Cloud’s enablement partner on the continent.
Two of Digicloud’s top executives recently sat down for an interview with TechCentral’s TCS+ to unpack the business, its relationship with Google, and how it serves its reseller partners and their clients in adopting Google Cloud services.
Gregory MacLennan, Digicloud’s CEO, and Louis van Schalkwyk, the company’s head of technical operations, tell TechCentral about the business and why Google Cloud services are seeing strong demand across Africa.
In this first of a succinct three-part series with Digicloud, MacLennan and Van Schalkwyk discuss:
• The history of Digicloud and how it became Google Cloud’s enablement partner for Africa;
• How the partnership with Google Cloud works, and why Google chooses to work through reseller partners in smaller markets like those in Africa;
• The solutions on offer from Google via Digicloud; and
• How companies can become Google Cloud resellers through Digicloud Africa – and why the company is encouraging more entities to sign up and go through the process of accreditation (and what’s involved).
Don’t miss the interview! TechCentral -
In this episode of TCS+, TechCentral speaks with Jason Oehley and Andre den Hond, regional sales manager and senior sales engineer, respectively, at Arctic Wolf, a company specialising in cybersecurity operations. They discuss the benefits of partnering with a cybersecurity provider versus building an in-house security operations centre (SOC).
The conversation begins by focusing on the critical role of security operations in ensuring business continuity. Every organisation requires a certain level of security, which can vary based on what employees are doing and what the organisation is focused on. Security operations are about finding the right balance between the actual security level and the required level – enough to be protected but without overspending.
The speakers then explore the challenges of building an in-house SOC. The biggest challenges they see with customers trying to build a SOC are skills shortages, identifying and integrating the right security tools, and a lack of comprehensive visibility across the organisation's attack surface. They find that organisations often struggle to find the right skills and tools, and even if they do, it can be difficult to retain skilled security professionals. Customers also experience alert fatigue from too many alerts from their security tools.
Partnering with a provider like Arctic Wolf can help address these challenges. Arctic Wolf will work and integrate with the customer's existing security tools and team, providing 24/7 monitoring and threat detection. This removes the burden of building and managing an SOC from the customer, allowing them to focus on business risk and strategic security management.
Arctic Wolf’s “concierge delivery model” helps customers continuously improve their security posture through a collaborative, partnership approach. This includes vulnerability management, security awareness training and incident response capabilities. This approach contrasts with a product-centric approach, which the speakers argue is not enough in today’s threat landscape.
The speakers conclude by discussing future trends in cybersecurity. They predict a consolidation in the cybersecurity market, with smaller companies being absorbed by larger ones. They also believe that the threat landscape will become more complex as attackers leverage AI and other advanced techniques. They stress the importance of a proactive and comprehensive approach to security, and the value of partnering with a security provider that can help organisations stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape.
Don’t miss this informative and important discussion! TechCentral -
The world of telephony might not be particularly sexy, but it is an industry that has changed fundamentally in the past 20 years.
And David Meintjes and Rob Lith of Telviva, a South African company specialising in cloud-based unified communications solutions for businesses, has been at the forefront of the technology changes that have swept through the industry in that time.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show, the pair tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the journey from the early days of the business – when it was known as Connection Telecom – to the cloud-based telephony specialist it is today, as Telviva.
In the interview, Meintjes and Lith chat about:
• The evolution of Connection Telecom, its original mission, and how the business evolved into the unified communications as a service (UCaaS) provider it is today;
• How the telephony market in South Africa has changed beyond recognition over the past 20 years; and
• Telviva’s international expansion plans and its strategy around acquisitions.
There’s plenty more in this interview with two ICT industry legends – don’t miss it. TechCentral -
South Africa’s rooftop solar installation industry has a bright future and is on track for its second-best year on record, despite the suspension of load shedding in March.
That’s according to Andrew Middleton, co-founder and CEO of GoSolr, one of South Africa’s largest rooftop solar installation companies, who spoke to TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (TCS) earlier this week.
According to Middleton, citing figures from Eskom, 749MW of rooftop solar capacity has been installed in South Africa this year, taking the total to 5.9GW. Some 162MW of new rooftop solar was added in the third quarter, down 267MW from the same three months in 2023, when load shedding was frequently at stage 4 or higher.
The figures are contained in the latest quarterly report published by GoSolr on the state of the industry.
In his interview with TCS, Middleton unpacks:
• The impact of the suspension of load shedding on the rooftop solar industry;
• What’s driving consumers to consider solar at home today;
• The impact of the adoption of electric vehicles on the demand for home solar – and what sort of solar installation consumers who own or are thinking of buying an EV need to consider;
• The state of play in the municipalities around feed-in tariff structures – an update on Cape Town, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Nelson Mandela Bay and more;
• The future role of embedded generation systems in communities – the way forward and the hurdles that might be encountered; and
• Why government was wrong to withdraw the tax rebate on solar panels and to impose higher taxes on their importation.
Don’t miss this insightful conversation about the state of South Africa’s rooftop solar industry. TechCentral -
Nasdaq-listed Equinix has completed construction of the first phase of a new data centre in Johannesburg, part of a R7.5-billion commitment to building cloud infrastructure in South Africa and the rest of the continent over the next five years.
The company’s South African MD, Sandile Dube – a former country manager at Hewlett Packard Enterprise and a former executive at Dimension Data (now NTT Data) – tells TechCentral Show host Duncan McLeod about the new Johannesburg data centre, which is located in Isando on the East Rand, and what type of clients it’s hoping to attract.
In the interview, Dube chats about:
• Equinix’s African investment plans and where it intends to build data centre facilities and why;
• The Isando data centre and what it offers;
• The Equinix company and its investment focus – including its investments in West Africa;
• Whether there is an overbuild of data centres taking place in South Africa. Can market demand sustain the level of investment taking place?; and
• How Equinix differentiates itself in an increasingly crowded market.
Don’t miss a great interview! TechCentral -
Lincoln Mali has been at the helm of Lesaka Technologies Southern Africa, a fintech with a sizeable footprint in Southern Africa’s informal markets, since 2021.
One of his main tasks has been to turn the company’s finances around by reigning in business units that were haemorrhaging cash in the past. Lesaka’s latest set of financial results suggests it’s making progress.
In this episode of TechCentral Show, Mali speaks to TechCentral’s Nathi Ndlovu about:
• Lesaka’s latest financial results, breaking down each of the group's key business units;
• The resilience of Lesaka’s loans business;
• The importance of data analytics in driving Lesaka’s merchant lending business;
• The impact of the interest rate cycle on business;
• How the digitisation of cash is progressing in the informal market;
• Lesaka’s acquisition strategy, including the recent blockbuster purchase of Adumo; and
• The rationale behind Lesaka’s primary listing on the Nasdaq in the US (it has a secondary listing on the JSE).
Don’t miss this fast-paced episode of the TechCentral Show. TechCentral -
Networking equipment wholesaler Switchcom Distribution has partnered with Huawei Technologies to bring new offerings to the South African market and elsewhere in Africa.
In this episode of TCS+, Lynton Brits, national sales manager at Switchcom, and Tanki Lebatla, account manager at Huawei, tell TechCentral’s TCS+ business technology show about the partnership and what it means for the market.
In the show, Brits and Lebatla delve into:
• The networking and backup power solutions offered by Switchcom through its partnership with Huawei;
• The training and implementation support Huawei provides to Switchcom and what that means for Switchcom’s reseller clients;
• How the two companies are shoring up the supply chain to ensure that customers have enough stock;
• The guarantees Huawei and Switchcom offer clients on the hardware, as well as the process for swap-outs and replacements; and
• The hardware innovations and capabilities of Huawei’s networking and backup power products.
This interview is not to be missed, especially for builders of networks or owners of large-scale infrastructure that cannot afford to be without power. TechCentral -
In this episode of TCS+, TechCentral speaks to CYBER1 Solutions executives Jayson O’Reilly, the company’s MD, and Akeel Sayed, head of its managed services division, about the benefits and challenges of using a managed security service provider (MSSP).
The conversation starts by discussing the growing complexity of cybersecurity and the financial motivations driving cybercriminals. With the underground economy expanding, MSSPs must constantly adapt to new attack methods. Early adopters of cutting-edge technology may take on higher risks, but they also build knowledge that benefits future clients, reducing their exposure to emerging threats.
The proliferation of security operations centres in South Africa, now numbering more than 30, is driven by skill shortages and the need for assurance. Many organisations still lack visibility into their network environments, which the experts identify as a key issue. Understanding what’s connected to a network and which applications are in use is essential but often overlooked.
MSSPs also help clients manage budget constraints and meet compliance requirements while keeping pace with fast-moving technological change. South Africa is seen as a testing ground for cybercriminals targeting the broader African market. Clients now prefer flexible, short-term investments over long-term contracts due to the evolving threat landscape. The experts stress the importance of MSSPs staying relevant by challenging vendors and adapting their offerings to new threats like artificial intelligence.
A major concern is the lack of governance in many industries, especially those with strict compliance needs. Organisations are realising the need to think like attackers and continuously evolve their defences. AI is highlighted as a significant disruptor, with MSSPs now focused on securing AI algorithms and leveraging AI to enhance security operations.
The podcast discussion compares MSSPs with in-house security teams, noting that MSSPs offer greater agility and a broader range of expertise. In-house teams often face resource constraints and difficulty staying up to date with new technologies. MSSPs, on the other hand, focus on governance and outcomes, allowing businesses to prioritise other critical needs.
The experts underscore the need for collaboration across the cybersecurity industry. MSSPs can share anonymised insights across clients, helping create a unified defence against attackers. Ultimately, MSSPs provide value by evolving their offerings, focusing on outcomes and using collective experience to keep clients secure in an ever-changing threat landscape.
Don’t miss a great discussion. TechCentral -
Communications minister Solly Malatsi, a DA MP and the first non-ANC politician to hold the key technology portfolio in the democratic era, has been in the job for three months – sufficient time to get a broad handle on the big issues.
In this first interview with the TechCentral Show, TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod asks Malatsi a range of questions about the sector, including his views on how he plans to address some of the more intractable problems in his inbox.
The interview, which was recorded on Friday, 4 October – shortly before he announced he was issuing a policy direction to communications regulator Icasa that could see a big change to empowerment rules governing licensing in the sector – covers a wide range of topics, from Elon Musk’s Starlink to the ongoing feud between the SABC and Sentech.
Other topics covered in the interview include:
• The minister’s engagements with Starlink and the recent meeting in New York between Musk and President Cyril Ramaphosa;
• His views on black economic empowerment and why his top priority is reducing the cost of data and ensuring more South Africans can connect affordably to the internet and online services;
• His plan for private sector participation in the Post Office, and whether the company is really worth saving;
• The war between the SABC and Sentech, and how it can be resolved;
• Future funding models for the SABC and the future of TV licences in South Africa;
• The problems at the State IT Agency, and what the focus should be of government’s central IT procurement and services provider;
• The planned merger of Sentech and Broadband Infraco and why he believes it needs to happen;
• Government’s 40.5% stake in Telkom and what should happen to it;
• The road to digital migration and whether there is still a need for terrestrial television in 2024;
• 2G and 3G switch-off in South Africa and whether this should be mandated by the government; and
• The legislative programme for the department of communications & digital technologies.
Don’t miss the interview! TechCentral -
Hypa Fibre is a fibre internet service provider focused on underserved markets in South Africa’s townships.
John Githinji, national head of sales at Hypa, which is a subsidiary of telecommunications provider Vox, tells TechCentral’s business technology show TCS+ that the company is using its presence in underserved markets to plug gaps beyond internet services.
In this episode of TCS+, Githinji delves into:
• What Hypa is and its relationship with Vox;
• The death and disability benefit Hypa offers free of charge to its paying customers;
• Why Hypa’s customers take advantage of its death benefits instead of opting for a traditional insurance company;
• Who qualifies for Hypa’s death and disability benefit; and
• The costs associated with the offering.
This episode of TCS+ is not to be missed! TechCentral -
At more than R23-billion/year, Standard Bank Group has the biggest IT budget of any company in South Africa – and quite possibly in the whole of Africa.
The man charged with ensuring the continent’s largest financial services provider is spending that money optimally is group CIO Jörg Fischer, who is TechCentral’s guest in this episode of Meet the CIO, the publication’s monthly interview series presented by Wipro, where, instead of focusing on the vendors of technology, we interview the end users of IT – banks, retailers, manufacturers and more – about how they’re using modern technology to grow their businesses and drive their strategic agendas.
Meet the CIO is presented by Wipro
In this episode of Meet the CIO, Fischer chats about the technology function at Standard Bank Group, the role of a CIO in the financial services industry, the big strategic IT projects which the bank is involved with – and much, much more.
Among other topics, Fischer discusses:
• The career trajectory that resulted in him becoming a top IT leader;
• Why Standard Bank Group spends as much as it does on IT, and where that spending is directed;
• How IT aligns with the group’s strategic focus areas;
• The decision to migrate to SAP’s core banking solution, what was involved, the lessons learned and how the platform is working for the bank in 2024;
• What Standard Bank’s technology stack looks like, and its investment in the cloud;
• What makes a good CIO in 2024, including the skills that are important in the role;
• How Standard Bank is approaching AI – and what it can actually achieve for the bank and its clients;
• How technology is changing the banking industry;
• Standard Bank’s approach to cybersecurity; and
• How Standard Bank attracts and retains IT talent.
Don’t miss a fascinating conversation that provides great insight into how IT has become mission critical in modern banking. TechCentral -
Warwick Ward-Cox, chief technical officer at Network Platforms – a wholesale provider specialising in supporting internet service providers and IT managed service providers – is deeply immersed in the plumbing of the South African technology space, currently supporting over a 100 ISPs and MSPs.
Ward-Cox, who has immersed himself in the world of technology for the past 30 years, is the guest in this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+ business technology show, in which he chats about the work that Network Platforms does and how the internet landscape in South Africa has been transformed over the past 10 years.
In this episode, he discusses:
• Network Platforms, what it does and how and why it’s focus has shifted over time;
• What internet infrastructure in South Africa looks like in 2024, including national long-distance fibre and subsea cables;
• Why some terrestrial fibre routes in South Africa are “challenging”, and why submarine cables along the coastline alleviate the problem;
• Why IP transit to ISPs is a critical service;
• Internet peering in South Africa, how it works and why it’s important;
• The outlook for peering; and
• Why ISPs and managed service providers should choose Network Platforms
This is a great conversation about the development and state of the internet in South Africa, what it looks like and where it may be going. Don’t miss it! TechCentral -
Donald Valoyi saw the potential market for on-demand grocery delivery in South Africa early on, and his company Zulzi was a pioneer in the space.
It even went on to help Shoprite Holdings launch the Checkers Sixty60 app.
Zulzi was founded in 2013 as an “aggregator” of various shopping outlets to help consolidate online shopping for customers.
Today the company provides support to Sixty60 and continues to operate as a separate entity through seven of its own “dark stores”, or warehouses.
Zulzi founder Valoyi joins the TechCentral Show to chat about the company's journey, which began with his exit from corporate South Africa into entrepreneurship.
He shares his views on the innovations reshaping the e-commerce sector and how South African businesses should equip themselves to handle competition from international players.
Valoyi also chats about:
• His entrepreneurial ambitions and why he chose e-commerce as his focus;
• The early days of Zulzi, and how he built the business;
• How Zulzi’s relationship with Shoprite and the Checkers Sixty60 app came about;
• Why Valoyi believes the Post Office is key to driving e-commerce growth in South Africa;
• Why the medical sector is ripe for e-commerce disruption; and
• How technologies like artificial intelligence are changing the online shopping experience.
Don’t miss the interview! TechCentral -
Twice yearly, ESET publishes its Threat Report in which it unpacks the latest trends and developments in the world of information security.
Adrian Stanford, group chief technology officer at ESET Southern Africa, is our guest in the latest episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, and he provides a succinct overview of the key trends identified in the latest ESET Threat Report, for the first half of 2024.
Stanford provides a brief overview of the findings before delving into:
• The threat posed by generative AI, including how bad actors are using the technology to break into systems and target victims;
• The rise of deepfakes and the threat they pose, particularly in mobile;
• The threat posed to Linux-based systems – and why there’s a misconception that malware doesn’t target Linux (or macOS); and
• The latest on plug-in malware impacting WordPress-based websites.
Don’t miss this informative discussion about the evolving world of cyberthreats and how they could impact you and your business. TechCentral -
South African scientists have launched a cost-effective air-quality monitoring system built using internet of things and artificial intelligence technologies.
Bruce Mellado, professor of particle physics and director of the Institute for Collider Particle Physics at Wits University, is one of the key people behind the new initiative, which is aimed at improving air quality in South Africa and eventually other markets around the world. He recently joined Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show to discuss the project.
Mellado, who also director at the iThemba Laboratories for Accelerator Based Sciences – a unit of South Africa’s National Research Foundation – takes TechCentral through the devices, how they were built and how they’re being deployed in South Africa to detect reportable problems with air quality.
“We decided to create, for the first time in South Africa, a cost-effective air-quality monitoring system based on sensors, IoT and AI. We have named this system Ai_r.,” Mellado wrote in a recent article for The Conversation and published on TechCentral.
“Our team of 25 people includes more than 20 years of experience as particle physicists in working with sensors, communications and AI,” he wrote.
“There are only 130 big air-quality measuring stations in South Africa. They only measure the air quality in the vicinity of the station. This is why we need cost-effective, dense networks made up of Ai_r systems set up all around these stations, to measure air quality in a much wider area. Our vision is to place tens of thousands of these devices all over South Africa.”
In this episode of TCS, Mellado chats about:
• The latest developments in particle physics, some of the work he is involved in and how a particle physicist got involved in an air-quality monitoring project;
• Where the idea for the Ai_r device came from, its development and how it works;
• The role of IoT and AI in the device, and why the development team made the technology choices it did;
• The data that’s been collected so far, and what it can be used for;
• How much the solution costs, and how you can buy one to monitor your air quality at home.
Don’t miss a great conversation! TechCentral -
Jorge Mendes has been in the hot seat at Cell C for just over a year, and the turnaround at the long-troubled mobile operator is starting to gain traction.
In this episode of the TechCentral Show (TCS), Mendes sits down with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod for a detailed interview in which he provides an update on what’s happened in the past year at Cell C, paints of a picture of the state of the business today, and sets out what comes next for the mobile operator.
To signal the management team’s intentions, and to declare the business is on a new strategic footing and is in the market for the long term, Cell C recently refreshed its brand identity and signalled its intention to take back market share from its bigger rivals.
In this episode of TCS, Mendes tackles a range of questions, including:
• Why he left what seemed to be a plum job at Vodacom to take on the difficult challenge of turning around Cell C;
• What went through his mind in the first few days on the job;
• Cell C’s plan to recapture the title of third largest mobile operator from Telkom – and to take the fight to MTN and Vodacom;
• Why Cell C has struggled to compete, how it accumulated huge amounts of debt and why the new strategy is its best but last chance of success;
• The state of Cell C’s finances – and especially its balance sheet – following the recent recapitalisation led by its largest shareholder, Blue Label Telecoms;
• His relationship with Blue Label founders and co-CEOs Brett Levy and Mark Levy;
• The role of regulatory support, especially in call termination;
• Why Cell C handed back the spectrum it secured in the 2022 spectrum auction, and its plans for participation in future auctions;
• The role of mobile virtual network operators and wholesale services in Cell C’s recovery plan; and
• Cell C’s strategy to capture more of the lucrative contract market.
There’s plenty more in the interview with Mendes – don’t miss the conversation! TechCentral -
Meet the CIO is presented by Wipro.
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There is much more to being a chief information officer than being an advocate of the latest technology. In fact, articulating a vision, and architecting it, is critical.
That’s according to Shabhana Thaver, CIO at Investec Specialist Bank, who is the guest in the hot seat in episode 2 of TechCentral’s new interview series, Meet the CIO, which is presented by Wipro.
According to Thaver, technology is changing banking and many other industries in fundamental ways, and CIOs need to play a big role in providing an holistic view to the rest of the C-suite of what those changes mean for their company and for their industry.
“You have to be a risk officer, you have to be a compliance officer, you have to be a CIO, you have to understand the commercials and the revenue side of things… I'm a technologist, I love the fancy new stuff and dabbling and playing with it, but being in in a bank, which is systemic, you have to consider the impact of what you are doing, not just the change and the benefit.”
In the interview, Thaver discusses:
• Her career background in software development, and what led her to Johannesburg from Durban, her hometown, and then to Investec;
• Her career at Investec, leading to her appointment as CIO;
• The role of the CIO in a modern bank like Investec, and how the role of an IT leader differs in a bank compared to other industries;
• What makes a good CIO – and the role the CIO should play in helping establish organisational strategy;
• The big IT projects she is leading at Investec and the impact these will have on the bank;
• Investec’s technology stack and how it compares to other banks in South Africa;
• The likely impact of artificial intelligence – including generative AI – on Investec and its clients, including a look at how the bank is approaching AI;
• How AI will impact the banking industry – as well as what it means for productivity and jobs; and
• How else technology is changing the banking industry
Don’t miss a fascinating interview. TechCentral - Mehr anzeigen
