South African Internet of Things (IoT) startup Consumption Information Real Time (CIRT) today announced a strategic alliance with Microsoft to provide the global IT firms’ clients with access to a stream of innovative IoT solutions.
CIRT is a black-owned and managed IoT data insights solutions provider.
The deal aims to further digital transformation in the region.
As part of this agreement, Microsoft will provide technical guidance, support and access to engineering resources, business development resources, and company solutions’ integration to Microsoft Azure.
In addition, once the migration has taken place and the solutions are commercial marketplace transactable, the organisation will provide the benefits available through its Commercial Marketplace and associated programmes for which the Company Solutions qualify.
In return, CIRT will integrate Q-Hop, Fridgeloc Solution, Vaccloc and Temploc Cold Supply Chain Monitor Solution with Azure IoT Central and other relevant Azure and Microsoft Power BI Services as well as complete onboarding of all solutions to Azure Marketplace.
“We are currently engaging with several global fuel retailers and a Mobile Network Operator to deploy our latest solution for retailers – Q-Hop. Q-Hop is a contactless and cashless retail experience for grocery, personal care and convenience retailers,” Ajay Lalu, co-founder and director for CIRT said.
“The Q-Hop solution was developed during a hard lockdown in South Africa entirely virtually and proudly using local technology. Our alliance with Microsoft will give us the global platform to accelerate the deployment and continued evolution of our solutions. Microsoft have been an amazing strategic partner from the outset and have supported the development and deployment of our IoT solutions.”
CIRT deals with large enterprise clients like Anheuser-Busch InBev’s (AB InBev) South African subsidiary South African Breweries (SAB), where the organisation co-developed and deployed a pilot of its Fridgeloc© Connected Cooler solution.
“At a time when the needs of customers and businesses are constantly changing, the collaboration with CIRT is necessary. Many of our retail clients constantly seek innovative IoT solutions to help them create in-store and online experiences that build customer loyalty,” says Tony Shakib, IoT Business Acceleration GM at Microsoft.
“The strategic alliance with CIRT will provide our global clients with access to a stream of innovative IoT solutions.”
Microsoft Business Development teams have already started to work with CIRT on various go-to-market initiatives.
CIRT’s latest solution – Vaccloc – monitors the cold supply chain for Covid-19 Vaccine distribution.
It can link into a blockchain platform giving complete transparency to doctors and patients, thereby ensuring the vaccine’s efficacy prior to administration.
Cold supply chain monitoring is a significant issue, especially in developing countries in Africa and South America due to distances that vaccine vials need to travel to patients.
Also read: South Africa’s AuthGate: The Next Big FinTech Player in Africa
As more and more transactions are performed digitally, less paper and coin money is needed – signalling the eventual disappearance of cash.
This is a worldwide phenomenon that will only accelerate in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“By creating the mechanism for touchless digital payments to be accepted by e-commerce players in the physical world, by merchants and by unmanned terminals we are well-positioned to address the needs of a changing payment landscape,” says Sameer Jooma, a non-executive director on the board of AuthGate.
Jooma tells TechFinancials, in an exclusive interview that AuthGate is poised to be the next big FinTech player in Africa.
He says AuthGate will achieve this by offering a way for merchants to accept mobile payments from virtually any payment processor and by opening up the digital payments’ ecosystem for small and large payment processors and wallet providers.
“We have become an enabler and create market access into untapped markets for them, not just in South Africa and the rest of Africa, but globally too,” explains Jooma.
AuthGate – an enabler for digital payment – is a South African start-up, founded in January 2018.
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