TechCentral Podcast
Interviews with leaders in South Africa's ICT industry.
23
MAY
Cybersecurity: mind the gap [promoted]
Huge skills gaps in the cybersecurity sector mean that self-starters who upskill themselves now could quickly put themselves on rewarding and lucrative career paths.
TechCentral chatted in this podcast to Anna Collard, senior vice president of content strategy and evangelist at KnowBe4 Africa, about the company’s recent Cyber Security Skills Pipeline survey and what to do about the opportunity.
Collard, a seasoned cybersecurity specialist and advisor, said the responses to the survey revealed some startling challenges across all industries, the greatest being the lack of qualified candidates with the right aptitude and level of experience.
Said Collard: “On the one hand, we have massive youth unemployment; on the other, we see a cybersecurity skills gap. That’s an opportunity!”
Respondents to the survey showed:
• 56.7% could not find qualified candidates;
• 71.7% could not find candidates with enough practical experience; and
• 50% said candidates did not demonstrate the necessary levels of attitude and aptitude.
Roles organisations most need to fill are:
• Cloud security professionals: 58.3%
• SOC analysts and threat hunting teams: 53.3%
• Risk, governance and compliance professionals: 55%
• Red teaming and offensive security professionals: 48.3%
• Network engineering: 36.7%
• Security culture and awareness professionals: 35%
The solution is to:
• Be a role model. Take on interns and offer young people an opportunity to learn and get experience in this field.
• Look for aptitude and attitude; the technical skills will follow.
• Embrace all opportunities to share and to learn through whatever channel, not necessarily the traditional tertiary institutions, but also micro-learning.
We all have a lot to gain from this conversation and KnowBe4 Africa has certainly exposed the gap. Now, to fill it!
Watch or listen to this fascinating podcast now.
TechCentral chatted in this podcast to Anna Collard, senior vice president of content strategy and evangelist at KnowBe4 Africa, about the company’s recent Cyber Security Skills Pipeline survey and what to do about the opportunity.
Collard, a seasoned cybersecurity specialist and advisor, said the responses to the survey revealed some startling challenges across all industries, the greatest being the lack of qualified candidates with the right aptitude and level of experience.
Said Collard: “On the one hand, we have massive youth unemployment; on the other, we see a cybersecurity skills gap. That’s an opportunity!”
Respondents to the survey showed:
• 56.7% could not find qualified candidates;
• 71.7% could not find candidates with enough practical experience; and
• 50% said candidates did not demonstrate the necessary levels of attitude and aptitude.
Roles organisations most need to fill are:
• Cloud security professionals: 58.3%
• SOC analysts and threat hunting teams: 53.3%
• Risk, governance and compliance professionals: 55%
• Red teaming and offensive security professionals: 48.3%
• Network engineering: 36.7%
• Security culture and awareness professionals: 35%
The solution is to:
• Be a role model. Take on interns and offer young people an opportunity to learn and get experience in this field.
• Look for aptitude and attitude; the technical skills will follow.
• Embrace all opportunities to share and to learn through whatever channel, not necessarily the traditional tertiary institutions, but also micro-learning.
We all have a lot to gain from this conversation and KnowBe4 Africa has certainly exposed the gap. Now, to fill it!
Watch or listen to this fascinating podcast now.
18
MAY
Dean Broadley on why product design at Yoco is an evolving art [promoted]
Dean Broadley, head of product design at Yoco, an African technology company, talks to TechCentral in this podcast interview about why and how the firm has deliberately not painted all customers with the same brush, but rather built relationships and maintained trust as an open commerce ecosystem for small businesses.
“Our core customers are a diverse and fluid group of people, and to truly serve them we need to think about all the tools and services they might need in their unique circumstances,” says Broadley. “Our vision, therefore, is to be a multi-product business – a complete payments experience – to help our customers not just accept payments, but manage and grow their businesses.”
Broadley has spent his career working hard to connect experiences in the physical, digital and career spaces, and finds great value in leaving things more “human” than he found them. He firmly believes if we build the humans, then the products will follow.
The design thought process requires a curious mindset and a fascination to unpack the problem before looking at creating a solution. It is this empathetic nature that is reflected in the values of Yoco, in its approach to product design, and in its growing team of ambitious and talented people.
Broadley also talks in the podcast about how through “open commerce” and by creating a coherent experience for existing and new users, everyone thrives.
“The past six months at Yoco have been very busy, we’ve grown immensely in lots of ways. We have a remote team that spans across the Middle East and Africa with a strong tech and engineering team, which is helping us towards our vision,” he says.
“Our core customers are a diverse and fluid group of people, and to truly serve them we need to think about all the tools and services they might need in their unique circumstances,” says Broadley. “Our vision, therefore, is to be a multi-product business – a complete payments experience – to help our customers not just accept payments, but manage and grow their businesses.”
Broadley has spent his career working hard to connect experiences in the physical, digital and career spaces, and finds great value in leaving things more “human” than he found them. He firmly believes if we build the humans, then the products will follow.
The design thought process requires a curious mindset and a fascination to unpack the problem before looking at creating a solution. It is this empathetic nature that is reflected in the values of Yoco, in its approach to product design, and in its growing team of ambitious and talented people.
Broadley also talks in the podcast about how through “open commerce” and by creating a coherent experience for existing and new users, everyone thrives.
“The past six months at Yoco have been very busy, we’ve grown immensely in lots of ways. We have a remote team that spans across the Middle East and Africa with a strong tech and engineering team, which is helping us towards our vision,” he says.
17
MAY
Everything PC S01E02 – ‘AMD: Ryzen from the dead – part 2’
Welcome back to Everything PC, and to the second episode of this brand new South African podcast that’s aimed at computer enthusiasts and technologists.
In the second part of a two-parter on Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Everything PC hosts Duncan McLeod and Gerhard Pretorius unpack the Silicon Valley company’s bumpy history, its fights with Intel and why it’s emerging, after five decades in the business, as a powerhouse in semiconductors.
The podcast covers the most important milestones in AMD’s history, including its licensing agreement with Intel to start making x86 chips, its deal to buy graphics chip maker ATi and its recently blockbuster, US$50-billion acquisition of Xylinx – and why it could change everything in the chip business!
In the second part of a two-parter on Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Everything PC hosts Duncan McLeod and Gerhard Pretorius unpack the Silicon Valley company’s bumpy history, its fights with Intel and why it’s emerging, after five decades in the business, as a powerhouse in semiconductors.
The podcast covers the most important milestones in AMD’s history, including its licensing agreement with Intel to start making x86 chips, its deal to buy graphics chip maker ATi and its recently blockbuster, US$50-billion acquisition of Xylinx – and why it could change everything in the chip business!
10
MAY
Everything PC S01E01 - 'AMD: Ryzen from the dead - part 1'
Welcome to the first-ever episode of Everything PC, a new South African podcast aimed squarely at computer enthusiasts.
In this episode, the first of a two-parter, your hosts Duncan McLeod and Gerhard Pretorius unpack why Advanced Micro Devices - the US chip company better known as AMD - is worth watching.
In fact, AMD has a fascinating history, which we unpack in some detail in part 1 of this two-parter episode.
Having been founded within months of rival Intel, the companies have had a love-hate relationship for decades.
But AMD is on the rise, for various reasons, and is set to give Intel a proper run for its money in the next few years.
In this podcast, we unpack why: what is AMD doing right, why has its market capitalisation topped Intel's this year (albeit briefly), why is its "fabless" approach to chip making playing to its advantage, why is its alliance with Taiwan's TSMC so important, and what comes next?
We hope you enjoy Everything PC as much as we have enjoyed putting it together.
We will push out the first few episodes through TechCentral's podcasting and YouTube channels, but we encourage you to subscribe to the podcasts by searching for Everything PC in your favourite podcatcher.
In this episode, the first of a two-parter, your hosts Duncan McLeod and Gerhard Pretorius unpack why Advanced Micro Devices - the US chip company better known as AMD - is worth watching.
In fact, AMD has a fascinating history, which we unpack in some detail in part 1 of this two-parter episode.
Having been founded within months of rival Intel, the companies have had a love-hate relationship for decades.
But AMD is on the rise, for various reasons, and is set to give Intel a proper run for its money in the next few years.
In this podcast, we unpack why: what is AMD doing right, why has its market capitalisation topped Intel's this year (albeit briefly), why is its "fabless" approach to chip making playing to its advantage, why is its alliance with Taiwan's TSMC so important, and what comes next?
We hope you enjoy Everything PC as much as we have enjoyed putting it together.
We will push out the first few episodes through TechCentral's podcasting and YouTube channels, but we encourage you to subscribe to the podcasts by searching for Everything PC in your favourite podcatcher.
02
MAY
Llew Claasen on how exchange controls are harming SA tech start-ups
South Africa’s exchange control regulations and intellectual property transfer rules are harming the potential of South Africa’s start-up ecosystem.
This is the view of Llew Claasen, co-founder – with Vinny Lingham – of venture capital firm Newtown Partners, who says the regulations make it difficult for venture capital providers to invest in local start-ups.
Claasen joins the TechCentral podcast to talk about the changes the South African Reserve Bank should make to address the problem.
The regulations, Claasen says in the podcast, make it harder for South African investors and entrepreneurs to be successful on the global stage. And the rules mean South Africa is at risk – and, in fact, very likely already is – missing out on the billions of dollars in global investment money targeting start-ups from the African continent.
Is it difficult for government to change the regulations to promote investment in South African start-ups? And why are the rules there in the first place? Claasen unpacks these questions in the discussion.
He also talks about Newtown Partners’ history, the investments it’s made, the company’s partnership with Imperial Group and its focus on corporate venture capital.
Claasen, who is an enthusiast of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies, also talks about why he’s excited about decentralised finance, or DeFi, as well as social tokens, and where he sees the crypto space going in the coming years.
Don’t miss the discussion!
This is the view of Llew Claasen, co-founder – with Vinny Lingham – of venture capital firm Newtown Partners, who says the regulations make it difficult for venture capital providers to invest in local start-ups.
Claasen joins the TechCentral podcast to talk about the changes the South African Reserve Bank should make to address the problem.
The regulations, Claasen says in the podcast, make it harder for South African investors and entrepreneurs to be successful on the global stage. And the rules mean South Africa is at risk – and, in fact, very likely already is – missing out on the billions of dollars in global investment money targeting start-ups from the African continent.
Is it difficult for government to change the regulations to promote investment in South African start-ups? And why are the rules there in the first place? Claasen unpacks these questions in the discussion.
He also talks about Newtown Partners’ history, the investments it’s made, the company’s partnership with Imperial Group and its focus on corporate venture capital.
Claasen, who is an enthusiast of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies, also talks about why he’s excited about decentralised finance, or DeFi, as well as social tokens, and where he sees the crypto space going in the coming years.
Don’t miss the discussion!
20
APR
The inside scoop on OVEX's big expansion plans [promoted]
In this podcast, TechCentral talks to OVEX CEO Jonathan Ovadia and marketing lead Nicola Bergonzoli about the crypto company’s ambitious expansion plans in Africa.
Ovadia unpacks OVEX’s plans to expand to 20 African markets by the end of the year and how the company intends getting there.
With a trading volume of US$600-million/month and a growth rate of 30%, OVEX is on a mission to decentralise finance across the African continent.
Ovadia and Bergonzoli’s insights give assurance to institutions and individuals entering the crypto market.
Don’t miss the discussion.
Ovadia unpacks OVEX’s plans to expand to 20 African markets by the end of the year and how the company intends getting there.
With a trading volume of US$600-million/month and a growth rate of 30%, OVEX is on a mission to decentralise finance across the African continent.
Ovadia and Bergonzoli’s insights give assurance to institutions and individuals entering the crypto market.
Don’t miss the discussion.
25
MAR
Decentralised finance, the 'end of banks' - and what comes next
Simon Dingle and Steven Sidley believe a revolution is coming to the world of finance, and it could mean the end of banks – at least as we know them.
Dingle and Sidley join TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod to discuss their newly published book on “decentralised finance”, or DeFi, and unpack why they think the staid world of banking is poised for a radical overhaul – one that will lead to the death of financial institutions that don’t adapt to a new world underpinned by cryptography and blockchains.
In the prologue to the book, called Beyond Bitcoin: Decentralised Finance and the End of Banks, the authors state that “great fortunes will be made and lost” in DeFi’s wake.
Banks, they say, will go through a “painful shudder of reinvention”. They also state that the changes brought about by DeFi will make the trillion-dollar rise of bitcoin look "pedestrian". It will disrupt and displace companies, and even entire industries, they say.
Dingle and Sidley unpack why they believe DeFi is going to usher in the biggest technology-led disruption in a generation and what it ultimately will means for banks, individuals and even nation states.
Dingle and Sidley join TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod to discuss their newly published book on “decentralised finance”, or DeFi, and unpack why they think the staid world of banking is poised for a radical overhaul – one that will lead to the death of financial institutions that don’t adapt to a new world underpinned by cryptography and blockchains.
In the prologue to the book, called Beyond Bitcoin: Decentralised Finance and the End of Banks, the authors state that “great fortunes will be made and lost” in DeFi’s wake.
Banks, they say, will go through a “painful shudder of reinvention”. They also state that the changes brought about by DeFi will make the trillion-dollar rise of bitcoin look "pedestrian". It will disrupt and displace companies, and even entire industries, they say.
Dingle and Sidley unpack why they believe DeFi is going to usher in the biggest technology-led disruption in a generation and what it ultimately will means for banks, individuals and even nation states.
18
MAR
Maxtec and BigFix - stopping cyberattackers in their tracks [promoted]
Irrespective of measures you have put in place and the regularity of your system diagnostics, cyberattacks are becoming ever more sophisticated. They are praying on all operating systems and the misguided belief that patching software is enough.
And distributed workforces have made the cybercrooks’ job all that much easier.
Cyberattacks and embedded ransomware will exploit your vulnerabilities without warning and sometimes over an extended period of time.
Together, Maxtec and BigFix can help companies significantly improve their security, lower costs and simplify endpoint management, while providing shared visibility and risk control between IT operations and security.
TechCentral speaks to Bret Lenmark, product marketing director at BigFix, and Praven Pillay, MD of Maxtec, to unpack this in more details and why Maxtec’s measure of success is directly proportional to a company’s reduced time to remediation.
This is an insightful conversation between two experienced executives who can help reduce your enterprise security risks through intelligent automation.
And distributed workforces have made the cybercrooks’ job all that much easier.
Cyberattacks and embedded ransomware will exploit your vulnerabilities without warning and sometimes over an extended period of time.
Together, Maxtec and BigFix can help companies significantly improve their security, lower costs and simplify endpoint management, while providing shared visibility and risk control between IT operations and security.
TechCentral speaks to Bret Lenmark, product marketing director at BigFix, and Praven Pillay, MD of Maxtec, to unpack this in more details and why Maxtec’s measure of success is directly proportional to a company’s reduced time to remediation.
This is an insightful conversation between two experienced executives who can help reduce your enterprise security risks through intelligent automation.
16
MAR
mobiLearn's Hasmukh Gajjar on how online learning can uplift Africa [promoted]
If we are complacent, South Africa – and Africa – could become consumers of the fourth Industrial Revolution and not contributors to it.
This is one of the reasons ICT industry veteran Dr Hasmukh Gajjar wants to capitalise on the ubiquity of smartphones and make credible and useful educational material available for all.
Gajjar has over 25 years of experience in the technology sector and, while he has served as a strategic advisor and board chair of Vodacom and to other top businesses, his passion is for people and their upliftment.
Gajjar's mobiLearn is contributing to the development and upliftment of people in marginalised communities – and to the broader society – through smartphones, with much of what the company offers available free of charge.
In this podcast interview, learn more about these initiatives and why Gajjar is so passionate about digital literacy.
This is one of the reasons ICT industry veteran Dr Hasmukh Gajjar wants to capitalise on the ubiquity of smartphones and make credible and useful educational material available for all.
Gajjar has over 25 years of experience in the technology sector and, while he has served as a strategic advisor and board chair of Vodacom and to other top businesses, his passion is for people and their upliftment.
Gajjar's mobiLearn is contributing to the development and upliftment of people in marginalised communities – and to the broader society – through smartphones, with much of what the company offers available free of charge.
In this podcast interview, learn more about these initiatives and why Gajjar is so passionate about digital literacy.
14
MAR
Altron Karabina: a journey of success and significance
Everything starts with a journey, a journey that sometimes results in unexpected learnings.
TechCentral is joined in this podcast by Collin Govender, MD of Altron Karabina, to talk about his career journey and some positive learnings he has shared with his teams.
It started at something of a low point in 2018, but through a deliberate vision and staying true to that vision, Govender and his team have brought Altron Karabina to a very different place.
Under Govender’s context of celebrating failure and embracing change, great successes are being recognised at Altron Karabina and these are reflected in the big growth in the company’s Net Promoter Score, Employee Engagement Index and profitability .
Don’t miss the discussion.
TechCentral is joined in this podcast by Collin Govender, MD of Altron Karabina, to talk about his career journey and some positive learnings he has shared with his teams.
It started at something of a low point in 2018, but through a deliberate vision and staying true to that vision, Govender and his team have brought Altron Karabina to a very different place.
Under Govender’s context of celebrating failure and embracing change, great successes are being recognised at Altron Karabina and these are reflected in the big growth in the company’s Net Promoter Score, Employee Engagement Index and profitability .
Don’t miss the discussion.
04
MAR
Reinventing learning: a major focus for HP in Africa
An interview with Bradley Pulford, MD of HP South Africa, on the importance of technology to lifelong learning.
Technology has, now more than ever, become a critical component to a learner's journey and ongoing success after school.
The chalkboard and textbooks serve a purpose, but having access to an infinite wealth of information, dedicated resources and online learning through a practical 15-inch screen is radically more beneficial.
Bradley Pulford, vice president and MD of HP Africa, joins the TechCentral podcast to talk about some of the offerings HP has in the market to empower Africa.
While one would assume processing speeds, storage capacities and other important technical specifications would be at the forefront of the conversation, this was not the case. Pulford was very clear that just as important are security tools. He also elaborated on the fact that we all know that having access to a laptop device is a privilege but knowing what to do with it and having access to the materials is life changing.
For more insights as a learner, a teacher or, indeed, as a parent, have a quick listen to this frank conversation and be reassured that HP is far more than just a technology hardware provider.
Don’t miss the discussion.
Learn more about the programmes discussed in this interview:
The HP Idea (Innovation and Digital Education Academy) programme offers teachers and educators the opportunity to create digital capabilities based on educational frameworks from leading international universities.
HP Life (Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs) is a free skills-training programme for entrepreneurs, business owners and lifelong learners all over the world.
* This promoted content was paid for by the party concerned
Technology has, now more than ever, become a critical component to a learner's journey and ongoing success after school.
The chalkboard and textbooks serve a purpose, but having access to an infinite wealth of information, dedicated resources and online learning through a practical 15-inch screen is radically more beneficial.
Bradley Pulford, vice president and MD of HP Africa, joins the TechCentral podcast to talk about some of the offerings HP has in the market to empower Africa.
While one would assume processing speeds, storage capacities and other important technical specifications would be at the forefront of the conversation, this was not the case. Pulford was very clear that just as important are security tools. He also elaborated on the fact that we all know that having access to a laptop device is a privilege but knowing what to do with it and having access to the materials is life changing.
For more insights as a learner, a teacher or, indeed, as a parent, have a quick listen to this frank conversation and be reassured that HP is far more than just a technology hardware provider.
Don’t miss the discussion.
Learn more about the programmes discussed in this interview:
The HP Idea (Innovation and Digital Education Academy) programme offers teachers and educators the opportunity to create digital capabilities based on educational frameworks from leading international universities.
HP Life (Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs) is a free skills-training programme for entrepreneurs, business owners and lifelong learners all over the world.
* This promoted content was paid for by the party concerned
21
JAN
A new year, a new way of investing [promoted]
Revix CEO Sean Sanders returns to the podcast to offer his predictions for the world of cryptocurrencies in 2022.
The podcast unpacks the relative maturity of the crypto space this year, and delves into a serious discussion on crypto as an investment.
Sanders talks about the “flexing” of the market and how that impacts investment in this space.
The podcast unpacks the relative maturity of the crypto space this year, and delves into a serious discussion on crypto as an investment.
Sanders talks about the “flexing” of the market and how that impacts investment in this space.
