IT News Africa: Top Tech Stories of the Week

The ICT and technology sector has been buzzing this week; however, next week is sure to be a week not to be missed. Not only will Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015 be commencing in Barcelona, but we are also expecting Top-flight speakers at our upcoming Innovation Dinner.

IT leaders will convene at The Michelangelo, Sandton, Johannesburg for the next Innovation Dinner on the 4th of March 2015, addressing the theme “Digital Transformation: 2015 Trends. Be sure to book your place as this event should not be missed.

Moving over to the top tech stories of the week, VMware has appointed its new VP for the EMEA region. Moving over to Zimbabwe, the ICT ministry has effectively canceled Telecel’s operating licence.

Ahead of MWC, the Sony Xperia Z4 has been allegedly leaked. The team at IT News Africa hopes you have a fantastic weekend. Our top stories of the week can be found below:

News

Nigeria: MTN Business set to drive mobile advertising
According to MTN Business, in a world where more and more of our daily critical activities are increasingly done on the go, mobile devices have emerged the next viable platform which today’s marketing professionals interested in delivering effective integrated marketing communications campaigns can no longer afford to ignore or leave out. Read More.

VMware appoints new VP in EMEA
VMware has revealed the appointment of Scott Dodds as Vice President of Channel and Alliances in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Read More.

Orange launches 4G in Gaborone
According to a Orange Botswana, it has now launched its new 4G service in Gaborone. According to the company,  the launch is set to offer a timely boost to the local economy offering firms the opportunity to increase innovation, boost productivity and cut costs, as has been the experience of companies in countries such as the UK, US, Sweden, Japan, Germany and South Africa since the technology was first introduced. Read More.

Kenyan govt set to install 1,600km of fibre optic cable
Kenya’s ICT ministry has revealed that it plans to roll out 1,600 kilometres of fibre optic cables, over and above the current project, during the course of 2015. According to the authority, this is part of the National Optic Fibre Backbone Infrastructure (NOFBI) project. Read More.

Kenya: Govt shifts focus to computer labs in schools
the Kenyan government is set to adopt an educational model used in Brazil in order to establish computer labs in schools. Education Cabinet Secretary, Jacob Kaimenyi said the ministry studied the Brazilian computer project for schools, which it implemented with the support of Unesco. Read More.

Zimbabwe: ICT ministry cancels Telecel Licence
The Zimbabwean ICT ministry has effectively cancelled Telecel’s operating licence. The move by the official was due to the mobile operator’s alleged failure to settle its outstanding debt. The debt incurred, according is currently at USD 137.5 million – which was initially for the licence fee. Read More.

Nigeria: WorldRemit set to simplify mobile money transactions
WorldRemit and VTNetwork have collaborated in order to launch a new mobile money transfer service. According to both companies, the platform is expected to offer residents the opportunity to directly deposit money into the mobile wallets of friends and family in Nigeria – in a simplistic manner. Read More.

ZA domains reach 1 million registrations
ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA), the regulator of .ZA, has revealed that the number of registered .ZA domain names has reached and exceeded 1 million this week. This milestone is a first in Africa as .ZA becomes the first country domain in Africa to reach 1 million registrations. Read More.

NSE Ticker App set to simplify African Stock Markets
According to the developers of the NSE Ticker, the app equips investors with tools to understand the Nigerian Stock Exchange and analyse its data. NSE Ticker is the first of a series of apps designed to help improve access to leading stock markets in Africa. Read More.

Kenya: ICT start-ups to get boost from upcoming innovation showcase
The ICT Authority has announced that Kenya will hold the inaugural ICT Innovation forum, bringing together novel technology-based ideas, solutions and practices on the 2nd – 3rd March, 2015 at KICC, Nairobi. Read More.

Opinions

Advanced analytics & telecoms could make a powerful combination
Advanced analytics, growing off a foundation of effective Business Intelligence (BI), presents unprecedented opportunities for business. Where traditional BI delivered an historical view or trends in customer behaviour, sales, products life-cycle or market forces, advanced analytics is predictive in nature, prescriptive and rides on the output of traditional BI. Read More.

Security should be a top priority for the CIO
For a country like South Africa that is visibly paranoid about security, the country’s information security landscape is seriously lagging in terms of awareness and practical, relevant application. Today’s chief information officer (CIO) needs to keep tabs not only on external security threats, but on internal threats as well, because the potential for disaster is inherent in both. Read More.

Building the modern data centre: Plan for availability
The always-on era is becoming a reality for every business: Globalisation is allowing companies to spread their operations across multiple time zones just as users are abandoning the old nine-to-five working day and want access to their email and data anytime, anywhere.  Globally, according to Veeam’s most recent Availability Survey, enterprises have unplanned downtime an average of 13 times a year, for up to 51 hours of downtime, which can add up to between $1.4m and $2.2m in lost revenue, decreased productivity and missed opportunities. Read More.

Interviews

IFS targets Africa as key growth market
Alastair Sorbie is currently CEO and President of IFS, a position he has held since 2006. Sorbie joined the Swedish ERP solutions provider as managing director in 1997, when IFS entered the UK market. Watch the interview here.

Transforming African travel with smart technology – Sabre
Travel and tourism alone is the third most popular topic, according to Sabre Corporation, for mobile apps, behind weather and news. These are mainly limited to mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, but the opportunity for wearable technology with apps in travel is significant – we can see uses for this for travelers, airlines, hotels and agencies. There is steady growth in the use of apps and online travel tools in SA, and points out that the country is ‘at the forefront of mobile payment and geo-location solutions. By taking note of key trends, South African and African industry leaders can get several steps ahead of their foreign counterparts. Watch the interview here.

Big Data & Connected Intelligence changes everything – HP
Joseph Kim is the Senior Director and General Manager for HP Propel. According to Kim, HP Software’s product lineup aims to help IT organisation transform into an IT Service Broker. Watch the interview here.

Top Features

Top African and Global leaders set to attend MWC 2015
Mobile World Congress 2015 (MWC) is set to commence from 2-5 March 2015. IT News Africa will be in attendance at the event. MWC will be hosting top level C-Level professionals from Africa, as well as from across the globe. Read More.

Overcome load shedding with these top tech tips
As load shedding is becoming a regular occurrence in South Africa, IT News Africa has put together a few tech tips to get you through the load shedding cycles. Read More.

Social media takes aim at SONA 2015
President Jacob Zuma delivered his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in South Africa despite a walkout by the DA, the expulsion off EFF MPs, and threats of court action after cell phone connectivity was cut ahead of his address, which may have prevented media from reporting on the topics discussed in a timely manner. Read More.

Top Lists

Top 10 Cyber Security Trends for 2015
Paladion Networks has highlighted the top 10 cyber security trends that will impact global digital security in 2015, and beyond. These trends can have long-term impact on the enterprises in Middle East and Africa. Read More.

Top 5 challenges Enterprise Mobility faces in 2015
In recent years, there has been an increase in the business orientation of IT. No longer does IT work in a silo, thinking narrowly in terms of infrastructure and capabilities. The modern IT leader takes a business-first approach to technology decisions: what business strategies, initiatives and practices do we need to empower, and what’s the best way to do it? Read More.

Gadgets and Gaming

The Order 1886 – QTE Fest
Developer Ready at Dawn has finally released The Order: 1886. The title comes in as an exclusive on the PlayStation 4 console, and was officially launched on 20 February, 2015. Read More.

Saints Row IV Re-Elected Review
The Saints Row series has mostly attempted a more humorous, light-hearted offering when compared to other open-world games, such as Grand Theft Auto. Saints Row IV is no different and looks to take the humour one step further. Initially released in 2013, the game has now made its way onto PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in the form of Saints Row IV: Re-Elected, and includes its recent standalone expansion, Gat Out of Hell. Read More.

Dying Light Review
Techland has brought out some great gaming titles in the past, with the inclusion of some not so great titles. Some of the more notable titles would be Dead Island, Dead Island: Riptide, as well as Call of Juarez: Bound By Blood. Fast forward to 2015 and developer Techland, along with publisher Warner Bros. have now released Dying Light. Read More.

Evolve Review
Before the launch of Evolve, I have had quite a bit of hands-on time with this title. This includes testing out the Alpha, Beta, and Technical tests as well as playing and experiencing code at various trade shows. With the Alpha and Beta out the way, Evolve has finally seen a retail release. However, has developer Turtle Rock and publisher 2K Games evolved the typical online and offline shooter… or has evolution taken its toll on their latest title? Time to find out.

Review: Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro – Tablet Meets Projector
Tablets devices have come a long way over the past few years. We have seen the release of waterproof tablets, as well as the release of tablet devices that are aimed at the mobile workforce. However, Lenovo has taken the core concept of the tablet device and evolved it into something unique and innovative. For the past few years we have been waiting for the tablet/projector hybrid, and it is finally here. Read More.

Darryl Linington