technology news
Uplogix Supports Remote Network Management with Optimal Security
During this global pandemic, network security and reliability is more critical than ever – IT managers need to know that their network is locked down inside and out, and be able to prove it. With the average cost of a security breach increasing annually, all organisations need reliable network security. At the same time, there has been a global rise in cybersecurity incidents, including in South Africa, simply because more people than ever before have been working from home while practising social distancing. Risna Steenkamp, General Manager: ESM at value-added distributor Networks Unlimited Africa, explains, “Employees around the globe had to transition from an on-premises work environment to remote working, and organisations had to adapt their networks accordingly – many of them in a rel...
Motorists Urge ‘all-in-one’ Navigation App to Roll-out Across Africa
Image sourced from Forbes African motorists are calling for the introduction of NEXIT – a navigation app that allows users to search for any combination of restaurants, hotels, shopping malls, attractions and petrol stations based on specifications like price and distance. According to Vanguard Nigeria, the app – which is currently only available in the US – “provides turn-by-turn navigation and the ability to find exactly what the user is looking for, when it is needed, particularly on the go” and is useful on long journeys or road trips. “I’ve read about this app. I [hope it] will be introduced here. It’s a harrowing experience for [roadtrippers] to just branch off at any restaurant on the way, not knowing their hygiene level or how affordable their food can be,” says Nigerian motorist, ...
Top 10 Most Popular Android Apps in Nigeria
Sourced from Gadgets Now. In this tech-reliant world, smartphones and apps have become essential. Whether it’s to make communicating with remote-working colleagues more convenient or keeping up with friends and family on social media – apps play a huge role in our day-to-day interactions with the world. Here’s a closer look at the top 10 android apps used by Nigerians: 10. WhatsApp Business WhatsApp Business enables users to have a business presence on WhatsApp, communicate more efficiently with customers and ultimately help grow business. 9. Telegram Telegram is a communication tool with over 400k users – it connects users via a unique, distributed network of data centres around the globe. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_bce.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_bce.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 ...
New Malware Steals Facebook Credentials from African Mobile Users
Sourced from Republic Title Anti-fraud firm, Evina has revealed that a certain malware uses javascript to retrieve the login credentials of Facebook users. The company confirms that social media users in Africa are amongst those who have been targeted. This malware launches a browser that loads Facebook at the same time a mobile user is trying to open the platform – by displaying in the foreground, the user believes the fraudulent browser is legitimate. Malware and ransomware that targets hundreds of millions of mobile users worldwide can have devastating personal, productivity and financial consequences. “This new malware is particularly dangerous as it could effectively ruin your online and offline life by making off with the credentials of one of your most valued pieces of digital real ...
Vodacom Nigeria Appoints New MD
Vodacom Business Africa announced that it has appointed Valentine Chime as the new managing director for its Nigeria operations. Chime joins the Company from Aruwa Capital, a private equity company investing across West Africa. Prior to this, he was at Kaizen Venture Partners, a private equity company focused on distressed assets. He has held various C-suite positions in a number of portfolio companies in different sectors. As MD, Chime will drive the Company’s vision of becoming Africa’s leading cloud and digital service provider, bringing to market a very relevant suite of next-generation technology solutions in the fields of Edge AI, SD-WAN/NFV and Cloud. “Vodacom Business Africa is well-known and very respected in the industry, and I look forward to taking up this mission. COVID-19 has...
Facebook and Instagram Now Remind Users to Wear ‘Face Coverings’
Facebook and Instagram have taken it upon themselves to remind users to wear face masks, this comes after a surge in positive COVID-19 cases in the US – there’s no word yet on whether or not this alert will rollout worldwide. Essentially, the social platforms will plaster an alert at the top of the respective apps – Facebook users will then be able to navigate the reminder for more tips by opting to visit the COVID-19 Information Center while Instagram users will be directed to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more information. “With the rise in COVID-19 cases in the US, we’re putting an alert at the top of Facebook and Instagram to remind everyone to wear face coverings and find more prevention tips from the CDC in our COVID-19 Information Center,” reads a statement from...
African Airline Industry Lost $55 Billion from COVID-19 Lockdowns
Sourced from The African Report. Africa’s travel and tourism industry have lost $55 billion due to the closure of borders across the continent in attempts to stave off the spread of the novel coronavirus. This is according to the African Union, who says that on the continent where safaris are a powerful overseas tourism market, the sector has been crushed by hard lockdowns that sealed air, land and sea borders. “The impact is really severe,” says Amani Abou-Zeid, Commissioner for the African Union during a virtual briefing organised by the World Economic Forum and the WHO on Thursday. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_fbb.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_fbb.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } “We are talking here about $55 billion lost within three months in a year when we were supposed ...
Huawei Unveils the Watch GT 2e Smartwatch
Huawei has unveiled its latest addition to the Watch GT 2 family – the Huawei Watch GT 2e smartwatch. Designed to inspire an active lifestyle, the new smartwatch boasts supreme battery life and is powered by Huawei’s first self-developed wearable chipset, the Kirin A1. The chip provides for low-power computing and long-lasting battery life for workout tracking, heart rate detection, sleep monitoring and other features. Another highlight of the Huawei Watch GT 2e smartwatch is Smart Power Saving 2.0, which strikes a perfect balance of performance and power consumption, effectively allowing for a sustained battery life. This feature can intelligently detect user scenarios so as to allocate battery power reasonably, whether it is worn during workouts or in idle status. The GT 2e smartwatch su...
Is the Global Pandemic an Opportunity to Reimagine Urban Development in Africa?
Sourced from SA Commercial Prop News. The need for social distancing and better sanitation could leapfrog development of African cities into a more sustainable future. This is according to Duncan Bonnett, Director of Market Access & Research at Africa House, and research partner of exhibition organiser Messe Muenchen South Africa. He says that, while Africa’s architects and planners have long been pushing for greener, smarter better designed urban spaces, the COVID-19 pandemic may help fast-track moves to better living spaces. New opportunities arise from disruptions Speaking ahead of the bauma CONEXPO Africa trade show, Bonnett says “The pandemic has certainly caused delays and disruptions across construction and infrastructure development, but there are some silver linings for the se...
4 Ways to Boost Your eCommerce Business
Sourced from IOL. South Africa’s eCommerce industry is booming as a result of retailers who were constrained from operating normally due to lockdown and safety restrictions. Now, with lockdown restrictions easing, the temptation is to throttle back on online efforts and go back to the ways of old. That would be a big mistake, believes Warrick Kernes, founder of the Insaka eCommerce Academy. “Previously the challenge with building an online store was creating a website and taking payments online or delivering a parcel overnight. Today, these challenges are largely solved, but now a new challenge has emerged due to the mass of sellers coming online,” says Kernes. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_d8f.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_d8f.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Here are four ways...
Air Quality Has Sharply Improved Around the World During COVID-19
Sourced from The South African. While no person would choose to go through the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, researchers worldwide are keen to investigate the effects of this crisis global experiment. Sustainability experts, Lerato Moja, deputy director for South Africa’s department of environmental affairs and Lungile Manzini, assistant director for the department, write about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of air, nature and environment. Around half of the world’s population is on lockdown in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19, a public health emergency that has claimed thousands of lives and sparked fears of the worst global recession since the Great Depression. This has brought about a profound change in the quality of air, water as well as the environment...
M-PESA is Close to a 99% Market Share in Kenya
Sourced from Tech Weez. As of 31 March 2020, the number of registered mobile money subscriptions in Kenya was 29.1 million. This space is dominated by Safaricom with M-PESA having a 98.8% market share. The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) reports that Airtel Money comes in a far, far second at 1.1%, and third is T-Kash at a 0.05% share. Equitel, which is regarded more as a banking product than a mobile money service was not ranked by the CA. Launched in 2007, M-PESA has become a Kenyan stable, with Tech Weez writing that as of right now the service and its products are symbiotic with the country’s economy so far as to be impossible to run a business without it, or any other mobile money platform. M-PESA’s success has also firmly planted Kenya in the world map, the service is consider...
