IT News Africa: Top Stories of the Week

We are almost half way through February already. Additionally, today is said to be a unlucky day as it’s Friday the 13th; however, on a positive note tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. In this edition of the IT News Africa: Top Stories of the Week, we take a look at how dating apps can essentially open you up to hackers. To add to this, according to Securicom, Ransomware is set to plague South Africa during the course of 2015.

Moving over to Ethiopia, Mobile Money is taking in a turn in the country as various investors are looking to bring the platform to the country. As Mobile Money moves into Ethiopia, Ornage has revealed that it will be rolling out Wi-Fi in Bungoma County in Western Kenya.

To add the the top tech articles of the week, we also have a host of video interviews with industry leaders that can be viewed below. The team at IT News Africa hopes you have a fantastic weekend. Our top stories of the week as well as our Evolve Review can be found below:

News

Ransomware set to plague South Africa
Ransomware – a type of malware that stops people from using their computers and accessing their data until a ransom is paid to the creator – is rearing its head in South Africa, this is according to IT security vendor, Securicom. According to the company, it was commissioned by three local businesses in late 2014 to assist with removing ransomware from systems and recovering data. Read More.

Dating apps could get you hacked this Valentine’s Day
This Valentine’s day, your chances of finding love on an app as well as online dating sites can put you at greater risk when it comes to cyber attacks. In fact, with South Africa’s, as well as Africa’s, burgeoning mobile user market and more than half of urban cellphone users – 51% – now using mobile apps, it’s a matter of time before the wrong information falls into the wrong hands. Read More.

KPMG launches App to streamline business in Africa
KPMG Global Africa Practice has launched a new Africa Business App. According to the company, the new platform will provide businesses and investors with access to the latest Africa information about doing business across the continent. Read More.

MTN partners with CNN International for Africa View
MTN has revealed that it is now the commercial partner for CNN International’s multi-platform initiative ‘Africa View’, which tells the story of Africa’s diversity, dynamism and role on the global stage. Read More.

New global trends in consumer and enterprise mobility revealed
Citrix has revealed the Citrix Mobile Analytics Report for the first half of 2015. According to Citrix, the Mobile Analytics Report addresses both mobile subscriber and business mobility trends, drawing on data from a global cross-section of mobile network operators and enterprises. Read More.

Orange launches Wi-Fi in Western Kenya
Orange Kenya has rolled out Wi-Fi in Bungoma County in Western Kenya. According to the company, the Wi-Fi service, for the moment, covers the county headquarters in Bungoma and the town. The company did however reveal that the second phase of the project, which will be launched at a later date, will cover the entire sub-counties and the adjacent areas. Read More.

Ethiopia receives support for mobile money
Banks and micro-finance firms, located in Ethiopia, are set to launch mobile money services within the country. According to Netherlands-based company BelCash, the move is intended to assist individuals – who have little or access to banking services – to gain the ability to access these services. Read More.

Opinions

Gartner: “IoT to make an impact over next three years”
More than 40 per cent of organisations expect the Internet of Things (IoT) to transform their business or offer significant new revenue or cost-savings opportunities in the short term (over the next three years), rising to 60 per cent in the long term (more than five years), according to a recent survey by Gartner, Inc. Read More.

Digital transformation essential for automotive industry
The automotive sector is currently faced with a number of challenges. These are driven by trends such as the rise of new growth markets, changing consumer behaviour, an increasing need for greater fuel economy, new opportunities presented by connectivity, the emergence of new technology, and more. Read More.

Startups will dominate e-commerce in 2015
2015 will see many more new e-commerce start-ups along with continued growth and innovation by established niche players, predicts PayGate CEO, Peter Harvey. Read More.

Africa must put ICT into the hands of the unskilled
CTs can develop skills, which in turn can develop the ICT sector, in a ‘benefit cycle’ that can propel Africa into the mainstream knowledge economy. But more effort is needed to get this wheel rolling, says Ayanda Dlamini, Business Development Manager at LGR Telecommunications. 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

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 richest countries in Africa rated
Africa is home to some of the richest countries in the world, in part due to its oil-rich soil and human capital. With GDPs going up as high as $594.257 Billion. Read More.

Ranked: Top 10 most innovative companies in Africa
Africa is full of innovation. Whether it is a startup, or a multinational company, Africa is bursting with potential when it comes to innovation in the fields of technology, applications, education and the ICT sector. Read More.

Gadgets and Gaming

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.

Darryl Linington