Digital Transformation
4 Ways SAP is Tackling Supply Chain and Industry Challenges
Sourced from Shutterstock. As companies all over the world face unprecedented challenges, they are turning to technologies that provide reliable insights to help them better support their employees, customers and suppliers. Stepping up to fulfil these needs, SAP has announced that it will help companies improve supply chain and industry-specific processes, connect through the business network and embed sustainability as a critical measure of business success. “In uncertain times, companies need a trusted partner to help them make confident decisions to enhance agility and resiliency during and beyond the current COVID-19 crisis,” says Thomas Saueressig, member of the Executive Board of SAP SE for SAP Product Engineering. “In today’s hyperconnected world, it’s even more important for busine...
4 Ways Digitisation Can Unlock Africa’s Recovery from COVID-19
Four steps to achieve a digital society for all Africans and avoid the stalling of African digitisation: 1. Bridging the digital divide Broad-based digitisation, especially for those people at the bottom of the pyramid, is an effective measure to ignite and sustain economic growth, and it starts with ensuring access to digital infrastructure for all. A study by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) found that expanding mobile broadband penetration by just 10% in Africa would equate to an increase of 2.5% in GDP per capita. Yet, traditional models for investing in digital infrastructure do not stack up in many rural or remote areas, due to a combination of high deployment costs, regulatory barriers and poor returns on capital. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_101.td-a-rec-img{ text-align:...
Why Africa Urgently Needs Affordable Broadband Internet, Especially Now
Sourced from Getty Images. The director of Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resources Management at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Jean-Paul Adam, told journalists during a virtual press briefing on 10 June 2020 that Africa contributes less than 1% to the world’s digital economy, which accounts for about 15% of global GDP. He says the continent needs about $100 billion to achieve universal, affordable and good quality internet access by 2030 (according to the World Bank). Presently, only 17.8% of households in Africa have the internet at home and the continent accounts for only 21% of worldwide internet users. It is estimated that over a quarter of a billion school children in Africa have been affected by COVID-19 and most of them lack the digital tools to continue their e...
How Startups Will Impact the Real Estate Industry
These days, most entrepreneurs are opting to use co-working spaces as opposed to renting out traditional offices and committing to leases. This means that there is a growing opportunity for people who want to provide these co-working environments in what’s called space as a service. A co-working space provider is capable of taking the risk on behalf of entrepreneurs, they can (with enough entrepreneurs on the floor) afford to pay for a long lease to occupy a building or office, something that a sole entrepreneur might not be able to do. In Kenya, current space as a service options for entrepreneurs includes Nairobi Garage, iHub, The Kijiji, Nailab, Ikigai and iBiz Africa. These co-working environments ensure that they take care of providing the services that entrepreneurs would ...
Building High-quality Networks with Huawei’s WiFi 6
Fred Saayman, Huawei BU Executive at Pinnacle Today’s digital, mobile Internet era has ushered in wireless networks that are bringing previously undreamed of benefits to enterprises across the board. We are becoming accustomed to being able to access the Internet anytime and from anywhere, in fact, this has become a necessity in our work and personal lives. Moreover, WiFi networks have become critical to digital transformation, linking users to clouds and Internet of things (IoT) devices, enabling network resources to be shared with employees, driving collaboration, efficiency and facilitating mobile workforces along the way. The vast majority of top tier organisations have implemented wireless offices, vastly boosting their working efficiency. The same is true of the education sector, as ...
How COVID-19 Has Emphasised the Need for Digital Transformation
When it comes to digital transformation, COVID-19 has been a massive accelerant. Businesses with long-term transformation deadlines have been forced to bring them forward dramatically: what was once planned for 18 months’ time, now has to be ready immediately. Consumers are engaging with businesses that are digitally astute now more than ever before. Those that are able to innovate, and to make their products and services available quickly, easily and reliably, are sure to succeed; those that aren’t sufficiently transformed will likely be left behind. This digital transformation drive has far-reaching implications: for how we work, for the tools we use, and for businesses’ long-term relevance. It is shaping the future of our working world. The evolution of office space /* custom css */ .td...
Opportunities & Risks From the 4th Industrial Revolution in Africa
Sourced from Shutterstock. Insurance provider and risk mitigator Aoncyber has published a new report titled “Cyber Risks in Africa.” The report focuses on the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) which is ushering in a new economy and a new form of globalisation, both of which demand new forms of governance to safeguard the public good. This new chapter in human development is enabled by extraordinary technological advancements, and along with this progress comes inherent risks. African states need to equip themselves better when it comes to cyber resilience in order to actively participate in the global economy, by effectively managing and mitigating the effects of data breaches and cybercrime on their economy and citizens. The 4th Industrial Revolution brings many opportunities, as well as in...
Investment in Digital Transformation is Expected to Reach $7.4 trillion by 2023, says Report
As organizations look to transform their business operations and revolutionize customer service, Digital Transformation (DX) is at the top of most CXOs’ agendas; in fact, DX spending is expected to approach $7.4 trillion between 2020 and 2023, a CAGR of 17.5%. However, according to the latest industry data released today from Veeam Software, almost half of global organizations are being hindered in their DX journeys due to unreliable, legacy technologies with 44% citing lack of IT skills or expertise as another barrier to success. Moreover, almost every company admitted to experiencing downtime, with 1 out of every 10 servers having unexpected outages each year — problems that last for hours and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars – and this points to an urgent need to moderniz...
COVID-19 Boosts Demand for Human-Centered Digital Design
Sourced from TTEC.com If there is one thing that COVID-19 has highlighted; it is the importance of people in the economic value chain. Sandton-based business management consultant Immersion Group says that one of the emerging trends they’re seeing is that more organisations are seeking human-centred design experts to enhance or improve digital customer experiences, breaking down barriers that may be hindering their ability to satisfy their customers. Organisations are now facing urgent decisions as they pivot to accommodate the many unexpected circumstances, and when these challenges risk affecting the bottom line; it’s crucial that organisations rapidly take stock of what is working and what isn’t working when prioritising digital experiences that put the customer first. From onboarding t...
Egyptian Fintech Startup Offers Online Payment Platform for Students
Sourced from Innovation Village. Local fintech startups Klickit (previously known in the market as Q-Less) and Paymob are officially enabling digital payments for educational entities affiliated with global advisory and educational management firm GEMS Education. This agreement will allow parents of students in GEMS schools across Egypt to make tuition payments online for over 6,000 students. The model is expected to be rolled out to more countries in the future. The GEMS network includes more than 250 schools in 13 countries, of which four are in Egypt, namely The British School Al-Rehab, Madinaty Language School, Madinaty Integrated Language Schools (MILS) and The British International School Madinaty. “Our partnership with Klickit is driving our digital transformation goals forward. Thr...
Investment in Drone Industry Grows to $1.2 billion
By the end of 2019, total investment in the drone industry was a record-high of $1.2 billion, a Year-Over-Year growth of 67% – this is according to the data acquired by Finbold.com. The report indicates that venture capital funding stood at $930 million at the end of last year. VC funding accounts for 68.87% of all drone industry investment The data shows how between 2008 and 2019 funding in the sector stood at $4.43 billion while venture capitalists pumped in a total of $3.46 billion by last year. In general, drone investment through VC represented 68.87% of all funding. There was a significant spike in the investment between 2012 ($42 million) and 2013 ($121 million) with a growth of about 188.1%. Venture Capital funding joined the drone sector by only $2 million in 2010, a figure t...
ATCON Tasks Nigerian Government to Begin Digitizing the Economy
Sourced from the Guardian Nigeria. The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has charged the Federal Government to begin the digitization of the nation’s economy. The association stressed the importance and crucial need for the government to map out fresh plans that would assist the country cope with economic challenges post-COVID-19 pandemic. Olusola Teniola, president of ATCON, told The Guardian Nigeria that every sector of the Nigerian economy should brace for the challenges ahead, stressing that information and communication technology (ICT) would be strategic in diversifying and digitising the economy going forward. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_dff.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_dff.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Teniola makes clear that the assoc...
