Author: Gugu Lourie

By Anthony Rodriguez Data is all around us. Some might even argue that there is too much of it which is simply adding to the information overload many people are experiencing. However, when used in conjunction with analytics, data has the potential to unlock more effective and accurate decision-making. In recent years, using the phrase big data has been a way of illustrating the amount and complexity of the data that consumers and businesses have at their disposal. Throw in terms such as structured versus unstructured data, then it is easy to understand why people tend to lose interest in…

By Andrew McStay Final details of Apple’s new smartwatch have finally arrived at the firm’s glitzy Spring Forward event. But while the hype machine steps up another notch, there are other issues regarding health and self-tracking and, possibly even more important, over wearable tech companies’ interest in our emotional lives. Apple’s Watch records exercise, tracks our movements throughout the day, assesses the amount of time we are stood up and reminds us to get up and move around if we have been sat for too long – let’s not forget Tim Cook’s “sitting is the new cancer” line. It achieves…

By Gugu Lourie First National Bank (FNB) on Tuesday reported a 17% rise in pre-tax profit to R8.5bn in the six months to end-December 2014, boosted by strong growth in both non-interest revenue (NIR) and net interest income (NII) and a decrease in local bad debts, particularly in residential mortgages and personal loans. The bank said NIR rose 10% year-on-year with continued strong growth of 12% in overall transactional volumes with electronic transactional volumes up 14%. It added that its customers continue to migrate to electronic channels with ADT deposits increasing 11%, whilst branch-based deposits decreased 18%. “The success of…

By Gugu Lourie In a move signaling its commitment to South Africa, SAP SA, a unit of German-based enterprise software firm SAP, is strengthening its Broad-Based-Black-Economic-Empowerment (BBBEE) credentials by concluding another empowerment transaction. SAP South Africa will issue 19.5% shares to The SAP South Africa Empowerment Trust, the beneficiaries of which are previously disadvantaged black students. These beneficiaries will use the dividends received from SAP South Africa to pay for studies facilitated by the Maharishi Institute. This move will enable SAP to achieve a 30% ownership target in the BBBEE codes applicable to all South African IT companies. Currently, SAP…

Apple today unveiled the all-new MacBook, a new line of notebooks reinvented in every way to deliver the thinnest and lightest Macs ever. Every component of the new MacBook has been meticulously redesigned to create a Mac that weighs just two pounds and is 13.1 mm thin. The new MacBook features a stunning 12-inch Retina display that is the thinnest ever on a Mac, an Apple-designed full-size keyboard which is dramatically thinner and highly responsive, the all-new Force Touch trackpad that brings a new dimension of interactivity to the Mac, an incredibly compact USB-C port for data transfer, video out…

Apple today announced that Apple Watch, its most personal device yet and the newest innovative addition to Apple’s ecosystem, will be available on Friday, April 24 to customers. Apple Watch brings an entirely new way to receive information at a glance and interact with the world through third-party app experiences designed specifically for the wrist. “Apple Watch begins a new chapter in the way we relate to technology and we think our customers are going to love it,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We can’t wait for people to start wearing Apple Watch to easily access information that matters, to…

By Staff writer The Interactive Advertising Bureau South Africa (IAB), representing the country’s online media and marketing industry, has entered into discussions with the South African Press Council to explore the viability of a cross-platform news media code of ethics and voluntary editorial content regulatory system. The envisaged code shall apply to news content across both print and online publications. As a result of media convergence, with traditional and new media outlets all operating in the digital space, various news media industry bodies, including the South African National Editor’s Forum (Sanef), the Press Council, the IAB and broadcast role players…

By Gugu Lourie Invenfin, a business unit of Stellenbosch-based investment conglomerate Remgro, has bought 20% stake in SA’s cloud-based enterprise software company Wyzetalk for an undisclosed amount. This deal makes Invenfin the largest investor in Wyzetalk. Wyzetalk, which has grown to 30,000 paying users on its platforms, has added a new Professional Services division focused on advisory services, social business strategy consulting and ongoing community management services to ensure successful implementations. “Most recently Invenfin, the early stage venture investment arm of Remgro Limited, has become our largest investor with the acquisition of a 20% equity stake. It means that we…

By Tony Smith, CEO of Oxygen8 “Imagine walking past your pharmacy in a shopping mall and receiving a notification that you’re running out of asthma medication, and if you press one button to complete payment, your package will be ready for collection in the next 5 minutes”. “Whether you’re a retailer or a customer, isn’t this win-win situation the perfect way to transact business?” This type of customer engagement is not futuristic. Many organisations are now using mobile solutions, big data, the cloud alongside mobile payment gateways to gain the competitive edge by understanding their customers’ needs and providing goods…

By Ujuh MTN is set to run with stricter credit criteria in South Africa after the mobile phone giant suffered significant increase in bad debt in the country of its birth. This is reflected in MTN Group’s results for the year ended December which showed the business losing some profit margin partly due to increased bad debt. MTN generates a significant portion of its revenue from a credit based business model. This is the so-called contract arrangement with customers. The arrangement where customers use air time and pay later is also called post-paid segment of the market and stand alongside…