Author: Gugu Lourie
Automation: The recent fatal accident involving a Tesla car while self-driving using the car’s Autopilot feature has raised questions about whether this technology is ready for consumer use. By David Lyell But more importantly, it highlights the need to reconsider the relationship between human behaviour and technology. Self-driving cars change the way we drive, and we need scrutinise the impact of this on safety. Tesla’s Autopilot does not make the car truly autonomous and self-driving. Rather, it automates driving functions, such as steering, speed, braking and hazard avoidance. This is an important distinction. The Autopilot provides supplemental assistance to, but is not…
Over the past two decades, the world has witnessed a new stage of technological revolution through the Internet. By Staff Writer Globally, around 5,5 million new devices connect to the Internet every day, with more than 205 000 new gigabytes of data created every second. Termed the Internet of Things (IoT) – where any device with an on and off switch can connect to the Internet or to one another – this revolution has huge potential. However, while some companies have already started to capitalize on the IoT, many are still fearful of the concept, says Professor Johan Joubert, researcher at…
I’m currently at Sage Summit, the world’s largest gathering of entrepreneurs and leaders of Small & Medium Businesses. I am presenting on how a modern Payroll/HR and Talent Management suite helps businesses leverage the latest HR trends. By Coenette Bosman A few years ago, the tech and statistics geeks revolutionised the ways in which corporate marketing departments work. They transformed them into digitally-powered teams that use data to make decisions in real-time and to deliver personalised experiences to customers. Now, they’re set to do the same to the human resources (HR) function. The result is that HR is about to…
South African schools and universities are struggling with the high costs of textbooks and other educational materials, a shortage of teachers in key subjects like maths and science, and difficulties in funding IT infrastructure. However, technology continues to offer some compelling answers to these challenges. By Ernst Wittmann A combination of falling data connectivity prices, more widespread fibre and 3G/4G/LTE networks, and affordable, reliable tablet computers means that schools and tertiary institutions can start tapping into the cloud for learning materials. Here are a few reasons education is likely to head for the cloud in the years to come. No…
South Africa’s Telkom is partnering with Extramarks to offer zero-rated e-learning services to existing and new mobile and fixed post-paid customers. The company said the Telkom e-Education online service, provided by Extramarks, is the most structured and interactive of its kind currently in the marketplace. It covers English, Life Science, Physical Science, Natural Science and Maths from Grade R to matric and is structured into multimedia-rich ‘Learn’, ‘Practice’ and ‘Test’ modules. The Extramarks’ offering is aligned to the official school curriculum in South Africa, and offers live chat functionality for additional assistance. The learners also benefit from other services such…
There is an escalating technological arms race underway between governments and hacktivists. As governments step up their surveillance, the hacktivists find new ways to subvert it. By Monique Mann and Michael Wilson This cat and mouse game has been described as a crypto war and it’s been going on for decades. Top secret documents released by Edward Snowden confirmed the extent of global internet surveillance by government agencies. For example, the United States National Security Agency (NSA) obtained access to systems maintained by tech companies and intercepted undersea cables to monitor global internet traffic. New laws, new powers The motivation behind the…
MTN is proceeding with the listing of its Nigerian operation on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. By Gugu Lourie Africa’s biggest mobile phone operator is planning to list the Nigerian business in 2017. “At present, MTN Nigeria is targeting that the listing takes place during 2017, subject to suitable market conditions,” the company informed investors on Thursday. MTN has established a management task team with the responsibility to guide the company towards listing the operation in Nigeria. MTN Nigeria has appointed Stanbic IBTC Capital, Standard Bank of South Africa and Citigroup Global Markets as its joint transaction advisors and joint global coordinators with…
The global phenomenon that is Pokémon Go has taken over America. The augmented reality (AR) based smartphone game is now making waves in Europe. But Pokémon Go is much more than just a game. It demonstrates a future in which we start to understand and experiment with different ways to interact with people, and for businesses, their customers. By Lee Naik If you’ve been living under a rock and have no idea what Pokémon Go is all about, allow me to bring you up to speed: two weeks ago, Niantic Labs partnered with gaming company Nintendo and Pokémon Co, and released Pokémon…
Telkom announced on Wednesday that it was experiencing congestion on some sections of its 2300Mhz LTE network due to an exceptional demand increase in recent months. However, the telephone group added that it was working with its provider, Huawei, to solve the problem. By Staff Writer Telkom said the congestion was caused by a remarkable increase in customers using its data services. “Due to the popularity of our … mobile broadband network, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of customers making use of our mobile data services and specifically the data services on LTE. This is in…
Africa is no stranger to connectivity. While Africa may be behind when it comes to IT infrastructure compared to more developed nations, the fact is that more than double the population of sub-Saharan Africa has mobile phone access. By Brett Parker, MD SAP Africa With smartphone usage on the up and IT literacy expanding, bringing Internet of Things (IoT) level connectivity is a natural progression for this tech-hungry continent. The future is connected The IoT should be considered more than just technology. Rather, it is an ecosystem of products and services – from software to cloud technology – where effective connectivity…