30 Jul 2013

IT & Telecommunications

The next day we were at sea...

According to Public Enterprises Deputy Minister, Bulelani Magwanishe, the jobs are there - in the maritime industry. In fact, according to him, there are more than 40,000 of them. The only problem is that there aren't more than 40,000 young people to take those jobs. The call has been made: Youngsters... You're needed in the maritime industry.

"Hello Control..." Security is so tight no cellphones or cameras are allowed into the building, but at least here's a description of what's it's like inside Eskom's national control centre after a group of journalists took "the tour".

Not too long ago, having a heart condition, failed liver, lung cancer et al basically meant tidying up your medical affairs and await the Grim Reaper. Nowadays a great number of people who might otherwise have passed on are enjoying a life... In fact, they're able to participate in their own World Transplant Games.

Fancy a walk on the wild side...for free? SANParks has announced the 2013 SA National Parks Week dates. On these dates, day visitors you can enjoy free access to most of the 21 national parks across the country. Free access to parks does NOT include free access to accommodation facilities and other tourist activities.

Now's your chance to experience what all our overseas visitors have been "Ooing" and "Aahing" about.

Rod Baker, Content Director

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Weekly top stories


IT & Telecommunications
IP VPNs - the evolution of communications
[Dean Young] Choosing a technology partner provider for your voice, video and data traffic can be complex. This is particularly relevant in business competitive environments where delays, information loss and downtime are truly worst case scenario. Read more >>

Tellumat inks Phybridge distribution agreement
Tellumat Communication Solutions, the business communications solution provider in the Tellumat group, has signed a distribution agreement with Canadian-based Phybridge, a manufacturer of voice over IP (VOIP) Customer Premises Equipment. Read more >>

High tech vs high touch: why your tech is only as good as the person implementing it
[Bruce von Maltitz] Nigel Clarke, an IT manager from the UK, made a few headlines earlier this year when he drew up a comprehensive call centre menu map - a project called "Please Press 1". Read more >>

Mobility delivers real business benefits
[Nihan de Kock] You can't go far these days without hearing about mobility and how important it has become for both consumers and businesses. However, when looking beyond the hype, it can sometimes be difficult for business leaders to understand exactly how mobile technology can make an impact on their organisations. Read more >>

The impact of UC on Mpact
Unified Communications (UC) has transformed the way business is conducted and is an evolving frontline of business, characterised by the adoption, integration and application of next-generation technology to operate ahead of competitors. Read more >>

How to keep Wi-Fi networks secure
The days of being tethered to a phone cord to be able to access the internet or tap into a company network are long gone. The advent of Wi-Fi, the technology that allows electronic devices to exchange data wirelessly via radio waves, is having hot spots sprouting up everywhere, making it easier than ever before for people to stay connected on the go. Read more >>

Mind the skills gender equity gap
The skills shortage in the ICT sector is much lamented and analysed, and even though many IT companies have some kind of skills programme in place, very few inroads have been made into alleviating the gap between market needs and the competencies available. Rigatech, a company that has been formed specifically to grow South Africa's ICT skills base, is focusing on developing one particular demographic: previously disadvantaged women. Read more >>

Biz announces GoPro reader comp winner!
[Issued by Bizcommunity.com] Finally, the announcement you've been waiting for - the winner of our GoPro reader competition! Read more >>  visit press office >>


Hardware
Reviewing top tech
What you need to know in order to stay up to date with what's happening in the tech environment. Read more >>


Internet
Check Point Software launches 13500 Appliance
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd, a global company in the business of securing the internet, has announced the launch of its 13500 Appliance, the first in a new line of 13000 Appliances designed specifically to expand the company's data centre network security offerings. Read more >>

Free Wi-Fi in Cape Town's Company's Garden
The historic Company's Garden in Cape Town is no longer just for the squirrels. Today the 361-year-old garden, which was once part of a provisioning station for sailors, will get a technological overhaul with free Wi-Fi available to the public. Read more >>

Don't be comfortable with anything but winning
[Courtney Bentley] Ever felt like you are coming second place? It takes a paradigm shift in thinking to achieve a quantum leap result. Read more >>

US tech firms losing business over PRISM: poll
WASHINGTON, US: Revelations about the US government's vast data collection programs have already started hurting American technology firms, according to an industry survey released this week. Read more >>


Network
Telkom adopts more tolerant approach
[Duncan McLeod] Do not look now, but something profound is happening at Telkom. The new management team, led by group chief executive Sipho Maseko and board chairman Jabu Mabuza, appears to be trying to change perceptions that the company is a litigious and rapacious monopolist. Read more >>

Every IT department is an island
[Chris Welham] IT departments exist, most often, in isolation. There is a very real disconnect between IT professionals and business executives, particularly in small and medium businesses. Read more >>

Please Call Me battle continues
Telecommunications company Vodacom on Wednesday, 24 July, attempted to discredit the authority of a US patent expert testifying in court in its ongoing battle with one of its former employees over the Please Call Me service. Read more >>

Enticing employees into participating in ESN
An increasing number of companies are investing in enterprise social networking (ESN), those internal platforms that are designed to foster collaboration, productivity, increase knowledge and encourage communication among employees. Read more >>

PRISM surveillance leads to loss of trust
WASHINGTON, USA: Revelations about the US government's vast data collection programmes have started hurting American technology firms, according to an industry survey released this week. Read more >>

What do you know about social intranet?
[David Gitonga] Over the last few years, business communication has changed tremendously. Long gone are the days when we could operate in silos, or collect and hoard knowledge on our computers. Successful organisations know that effective communication, knowledge-share and collaboration are the cornerstones for sustainable growth. Corporate intranet and largely social intranet has been the single most sought-after tool to help in this regard. Read more >>


Services
Intrigue, speculation over Wiggill murder
One wonders if Eskom's chief executive Brian Dames dropped his coffee when he read about the mysterious death of First Tech chairman Jeff Wiggill a few weeks ago. Read more >>

Q&A with email reputation specialist Lindani Tshabangu
[Nina Joubert] Lindani is Everlytic's Reputation Manager and so little is known about her role as email delivery expert. Her title is often confused with that of an online reputation management specialist. Read more >>

Vicitude partners with Yellowfin SA
Cape Town-based software specialist, Vicitude Business Solutions, has signed a reseller agreement with Yellowfin South Africa, the official distributor for Yellowfin in sub-Saharan Africa. The agreement will see Vicitude offering Yellowfin's easy-to-use Business Intelligence (BI) solution, and associated training and implementation services, to its clients and businesses across South Africa. Read more >>

Call Recording Compliance: The future has arrived
"This call may be recorded..." This hackneyed phrase will soon be a relic of the past, as existing and new consumer rights, electronic communications and data protection legislation radically transform the business landscape in South Africa. Read more >>

Augmented reality - increasing interactivity in buying, selling, sharing
Using augmented reality (AR), marketers can take the print and physical world and combine it with the digital world, giving both users and brands the capability and ability to increase the levels of interactivity in the buying, selling and sharing process. Read more >>


Software
How to create, promote a premium WordPress theme
[Zubin Kutar] Nowadays, building and selling premium WordPress themes has become a very lucrative venture for many developers. Here are some things you need to consider if you want to make money through creating premium WordPress themes. Read more >>


International

Shift to mobile hits tech giants' bottom line
WASHINGTON, US: With the shift to mobile Internet gaining pace, some of the big tech firms are adapting and others are not. Read more >>

Samsung profits up 49,7% for June quarter
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA: Samsung Electronics, described as the world's largest technology firm by revenue, last week posted another record quarterly net profit, but weakening earnings momentum has fuelled fears over sagging demand for high-end smartphones. Read more >>

Hackers charged for global racket
NEW YORK CITY, USA: The US authorities indicted five men on Thursday, 25 July, on charges of running a global hacking operation that enabled them to steal the bank card numbers of more than 160m people. Read more >>

BlackBerry fires its product testing team
OTTAWA, CANADA: Struggling smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry has fired 250 employees in a new product testing division at its Canadian headquarters, a spokesman for the company said on Thursday, 25 July. Read more >>

OnMobile partners with MTN to migrate their RBT services globally
BANGALORE, INDIA: India headquartered OnMobile Global Limited‚ a global leader in telecom value-added services (VAS)‚ announced on Tuesday that it has won a deal with MTN Group as preferred RBT partner. Read more >>

KPN sells German mobile operator to Telefonica
THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS: Dutch telecom operator KPN has announced that it had sold its German subsidiary E-Plus to Spain's Telefonica for €5bn in cash and a 17.6% stake in Telefonica Deutschland. Read more >>


More International


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