Author: Editor

Company’s leadership reflects on 25 years in the market and its unrivalled service deliver since the first installation of Linux. Management at leading open technology solutions provider Obsidian Systems are proud people… they recently toasted 25 years in the market, cementing the company’s position as the oldest open source business in Africa. Muggie van Staden, MD of Obsidian Systems recalls the first Linux installation at then client Nandos… they say it’s remarkable how far the company has progressed and how it has steadily evolved into an enterprise-facing open solutions specialist services provider. At the core of the company’s value proposition…

Read More

MotionAds empowers delivery drivers with additional income through targeted advertising on their bikes. Established two years ago, MotionAds has been addressing a critical gap in the local market by leveraging the ubiquity of food delivery bikes for corporate advertising, and through this supplementing the income of food delivery drivers, a booming segment of the gig economy in this country. A portion of the advertising campaign spend goes directly to the drivers who are essentially micro-enterprises. The benefits for corporates include locally targeted advertising specific to the suburbs and streets where they want to grow their brands. From the boxes on…

Read More

Synthesis launches Halo – the secure, instant, contactless payment solution set to enable all businesses. Synthesis, an innovative software development and consulting company has launched ‘Halo’, becoming the first official Tap on Phone technology provider in Africa. In collaboration with Nedbank, the Tap on Phone solution was unveiled on the 30th of June. Halo is a radical advancement in mobile payments that enables secure contactless card payment acceptance on any Android device. The technology is termed ‘Tap on Phone’ due to the way in which a payment card is tapped on a mobile device or phone. It is used by…

Read More

CIOs must be able to adapt to the changes that come from the continuously evolving digital landscape. Thinking outside the box is a prerequisite if they are to ensure their companies remain competitive. It comes down to being dynamic and always looking at innovations around the corner. David Herselman, MD of Syrex, believes that part of this entails addressing the skills shortage and focusing on training employees to meet the demands of the connected business environment. As such, he takes a hands-on approach on all training inside the organisation with the various technical teams to ensure that they get the…

Read More

With the current lockdown impacting every business in some way, DAC Systems has been able to remain operational thanks to the Microsoft cloud ecosystem. Situational awareness The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in more than half the world’s population entering a period of self-isolation and, in many countries, the temporary closure of all non-essential businesses; South Africa’s having been extended to the end of April. Where possible, employees and business owners alike continue working, but from home. However, many have found this extremely challenging for a multitude of reasons. This ability is essential to business’ survival and enable industry to reduce…

Read More

Personalising the insurance experience is not a new concept. In fact, insurers’ ability to understand their customers on an individual level has long been considered the panacea for the sector. Evolving technology, more sophisticated data analysis tools, and the emergence of artificial intelligent and robotic process automation are contributing to an enabling environment to fulfil this vital step in the insurance value chain. After all, by having an improved awareness of their customers’ actions and behaviours, insurers can deliver more frequent and high-value engagements. This is imperative if a satisfactory experience characterised by speed and convenience is to be delivered.…

Read More

Hollard has modernised its operations by partnering with SilverBridge and migrating its Exergy solution to Microsoft Azure as the independent insurer focuses on embracing emerging technologies to help position the business for a digital world. Previously, Hollard Botswana used an on-premise solution that ran independently from Hollard International. But as digitalisation is accelerating globally to encompass a wider share of the insurance value chain, Hollard Botswana identified the need to modernise its core systems. This would equip the insurer to not only scale more effectively, but also respond more easily to changing customer requirements. To this end, the Botswana business…

Read More

As the construction industry reopens under level 3 lockdown restrictions, the Construction Covid-19 Rapid Response Task Team (CC19RRTT) continues to lobby government for change that will facilitate the recovery of the embattled sector, despite the Covid-19 pandemic. This is according to Cox Yeats attorney and CC19RRTT representative Richard Hoal, speaking at an online roundtable discussion hosted by Databuild. Also on the panel were iProp marketing director and chairperson of the South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA) National Developers Forum Richard Bennet, Combined Flooring contracts director Jason Merrington, Kaygrant Technical Services business manager Andrew Farrow and Corobrik commercial director Musa Shangase.…

Read More

At the beginning of March few anticipated the significant impact the COVID-19 pandemic would have on the lives of all South Africans. As the gradual easing of the strict lockdown conditions approaches, thoughts turn to how companies will begin their recovery. Ian McAlister, GM of CRS Technologies, looks at what to expect. Friday, 1 May signifies the transition to Level 4 lockdown conditions which will result in several more industries resuming operations, albeit in a limited capacity. And while all the details around operational issues are still to be confirmed, expectations are that at least 1.5 million South Africans will…

Read More

This effective communications channel is on track to become i-mail or intelligent mail to suit the needs of multiple generations. With the range of digital communication channels now available, the question of whether or not e-mail will become obsolete is relevant – but ICT and digital professionals believe that email will always continue to serve as a fast, simple, efficient and accurate means of communication. Leading provider of end-to-end digital services and solutions Obsidian Systems believe statistics, like those depicted in the Radicati Group’s Email Statistics Report, 2018 – 2022, reflect the significance of email in today’s communication paradigm. Some…

Read More