IT News Africa: Top Stories of the Week

This week in tech has been an exceptionally busy one at that. Not only did we attend the 2014 Gartner Symposium, but we also gained access to some rather insightful knowledge that revealed the Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2015.

The 2014 Gartner Symposium also revealed that Africa has been marked as one of the fastest growing technology markets in the world. Cloud computing also graced the headlines this week as it is set to grow quite rapidly within South Africa and Kenya.

East Africa has also been a major highlight this week as it has received accolades for its impressive internet and connectivity potential. We hope you have a fantastic weekend. Don’t forget to check out our exclusive video with Will Hahn, principal research analyst – Gartner.

News

Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2015
The 2014 Gartner Symposium, which is being held at CTICC in Cape Town, has presented a variety of different topics throughout the day. However, one of the highlights of the event covered the Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2015. Read More.

Cloud Computing set for massive growth in SA & Kenya
Rapidly expanding bandwidth capacities, following the landing of undersea cables, have led to the proliferation of data centres and established a solid platform for the development of cloud computing services in South Africa and Kenya. Enterprises are steadily embracing outsourcing and managed services for various business and technological benefits, further driving migration to cloud computing. Read More.

Africa marked as fastest growing technology market
The 2014 Gartner Symposium, which is being held at CTICC in Cape Town, recently revealed the Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2015. Adding to this, Vodacom’s managing executive of m-Commerce, Hemmanth Singh, has marked Africa as the fastest growing technology market. Read More.

East Africa tops Africa for internet access & connectivity
Kenya currently leads in African connectivity with the highest bandwidth per person on the continent, the fastest speeds, and some of the lowest internet costs, according to a presentation held by Liquid Telecom Kenya CEO Ben Roberts, at the EastAfrica.com conference in Nairobi. Read More.

Ghana: Tigo reveals top-ups for mobile money service
Tigo Ghana will be allowing users to purchase airtime for friends and family from other networks. According to Tigo, the move is set to enhance its mobile money service. Read More.

Opinions

Protect data availability to comply with POPI
Protecting customers’ personal information against loss or damage is just as important for companies considering the Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act as protecting it against theft and unauthorised access. Read More.

Demystifying Long Term Evolution
Data is being consumed rapidly and consumers require instant communication and access to information. This is mostly due to the emergence and increased availability of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets as well as more and less costly bandwidth. These ‘smart devices’ are allowing users to access the Internet, visit social media pages, access YouTube video’s and communicate with one another. As such, consumers are demanding faster Internet speeds, allowing them to upload and download at the proverbial rate of knots. Read More.

Top Interview

Video Interview: Will Hahn principal research analyst – Gartner

Will Hahn, principal research analyst, Gartner, presented at the 2014 Gartner Symposium this week in Cape Town South Africa.

Hahn presented on how digital services will transform telecom markets in South Africa and beyond. Additionally, Hahn spoke on the topic of have an African strategy? Great! Only 53 to go.

IT News Africa caught up with Hahn, at the 2014 Gartner Symposium, to obtain an overview of each session. Watch the interview here.

Gadgets and Gaming

Apple’s iOS 8 is on the way
Apple is preparing to give its products a much needed update with the announcement of the upcoming iOS 8 software update. According to Apple, iOS 8 is the biggest iOS release ever and will be aimed at spicing things up for developers as well as consumers. Read More.

Darryl Linington