Author: Editor
By Harsha Maloo, Head of Payments at Synthesis In the rapidly evolving landscape of cross-border payments, one trend stands out as a game-changer: the migration of SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) into the ISO 20022 standards. This shift impacts global banks and holds significant potential for transforming the way we conduct international transactions. With the ISO 20022 standard’s data-rich framework, enhanced transparency, efficiency, and compliance are set to revolutionize the payment ecosystem. In this article, we delve into the future of cross-border payments and explore how the adoption of ISO 20022 is shaping the payment landscape. Unlocking the Power…
Modern point of sale solutions with smart value adds can make a significant difference to small business growth and customer engagement, explains Gareth Corbishley, Commercial Lead at Halo Dot. Most businesses, when faced with the point of sale (POS) conversation, get inundated by potential solutions. It’s a minefield of acronyms, lingo, and depreciating hardware. In the segment of software point of sale (SoftPOS), decision-makers are offered the opportunity to optimise their payments and manage their customer expectations; without the complications associated with traditional POS devices. Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) want insights that can help them make more informed decisions…
Economist and entrepreneur, Alan Levy, has just published a groundbreaking paper detailing a novel strategy to combat the sale of illegal drugs: “The Sellers Dilemma: Winning the War on Drugs.” In this compelling piece, Levy simplifies the complexities of the illegal drug (ID) market by reducing it into a game with three main players: law enforcement (LE), end-user buyers (EUB), and sellers (S). He argues that the rules of this ‘game’ need a radical change to turn the tide in the war on drugs. Currently, both EUBs and S are deemed offenders, effectively forming a clandestine relationship protecting each other…
Ralph Berndt, sales and marketing director at Syrex South African businesses are turning to the cloud for the storage and management of their data. But even though this brings significant security advantages with it, when compared to on-premises environments, the cloud is not without its challenges especially given how rapidly the threat landscape is evolving. Regardless of whether the data is stored locally or in the cloud, a breach can have serious consequences, including loss of data, damage to reputation, and financial risk. It is surprising to think that the shared responsibility model is still not understood by all companies.…
Why AI is not going to change the world (too much) By Hanno Brink, Machine Learning Engineer at Synthesis LLMs have come onto the scene and really shaken up the technology world over the last couple of months, and it is very clear that this technology unlocks a lot of exciting new possibilities. However, I feel like there seems to be a lot of fear and hype around the technology, and I think that it might be a bit premature. LLMs, as they exist today, are very good at two things: generating text and understanding natural language. Although we have…
Frik van der Westhuizen, CEO of EQPlus With revenue in the IT consulting and implementation segment projected to top $65 billion by the end of this year, it has become an increasingly important component of the technology environment. Organisations are looking to unlock the value of their digital investments with consultants providing an important enabling mechanism in this regard. Locally, consultants must turn the focus on how they can provide value to their companies. Being a better consultant can result in increased business opportunities and job satisfaction. Here are several tips to how to become a better consultant in the…
South Africa’s focus on green hydrogen as a renewable energy source and cleaner fuel for industries is of critical importance to stakeholders in the construction industry. It not only flags the country as one committed to climate change, but also opens the door to more commercial construction projects. CEO of Databuild, Morag Evans says there is a lot of news about the government’s eagerness to progress with Strategic Integration Projects, including the Green Hydrogen National Plan. In December 2022, Business Tech online reported that the then Minister of public works and infrastructure Patricia de Lille had gazetted nine infrastructure projects…
If you take a sick day so you can have a fun day, you’re committing fraud and can lose your job Calling in sick to your workplace when you’re actually attending an event can get you fired. You’re essentially lying to the business and going against clear-cut company policy. A sick day is defined as time off work to recover from mental or physical illness, a health condition or injury. Employees are entitled to one to two days of paid sick leave without a medical certificate. It is not, says Nicol Myburgh, Head: CRS Technologies HCM Business Unit, for when…
Obsidian Systems, a supplier of open-source software solutions, is excited to announce that it will host David Walker, Field CTO for EMEA at Yugabyte, in May for a special visit to South Africa. The visit aims to strengthen the partnership between Obsidian Systems and Yugabyte, expand Yugabyte’s presence in the region, and provide local businesses with valuable insights into the advantages of adopting distributed SQL databases. Yugabyte is a global leader in providing high-performance, distributed SQL databases, helping organisations scale and manage their data more efficiently. Their flagship product, YugabyteDB, is an open-source, cloud-native, and highly resilient distributed database that…
By Frikkie Malan, Chief Commercial Officer at Remote Metering Solutions Reducing a building’s carbon footprint is challenging, but the benefits are substantial. Efficient, low-carbon facilities utilise cost-effective solutions to minimise emissions while enhancing health, equity, and lowering operational costs. Property managers and building owners can consider several tools for carbon emissions reduction and cost savings: Decarbonisation Electrification Efficiency Digitalisation The World Economic Forum emphasises that these approaches are essential for reducing carbon emissions and overall building operation costs. Buildings can achieve low or zero-carbon-ready performance by reducing (or eliminating) energy produced from fossil fuels, utilising renewable energy, reducing high global…