TechCentral Podcast
Interviews with leaders in South Africa's ICT industry.
20
JAN
Interview: .ZADNA acting CEO Peter Madavhu
In this promoted episode of the podcast, .ZADNA acting CEO Peter Madavhu joins TechCentral for a discussion on the role of the regulatory agency in South Africa's Internet domain space.
In the discussion, Madavhu provides an overview of the .za namespace and what is involved in regulating it.
.ZADNA is a non-profit accountable to the department of communications & digital technologies responsible regulating local Internet registrars. Madavhu talks about the regulator's ambit and how it works with registrars.
What are the benefits of using .za over, say, a .com address? And what are the challenges that the local industry is facing and how can these be resolved?
Madavhu talks about this as well as the growing problem of domain-name abuse and how is .ZADNA trying to deal with it.
The discussion wraps up with a discussion about .ZADNA's alternative dispute resolution process and how it works.
In the discussion, Madavhu provides an overview of the .za namespace and what is involved in regulating it.
.ZADNA is a non-profit accountable to the department of communications & digital technologies responsible regulating local Internet registrars. Madavhu talks about the regulator's ambit and how it works with registrars.
What are the benefits of using .za over, say, a .com address? And what are the challenges that the local industry is facing and how can these be resolved?
Madavhu talks about this as well as the growing problem of domain-name abuse and how is .ZADNA trying to deal with it.
The discussion wraps up with a discussion about .ZADNA's alternative dispute resolution process and how it works.
17
DEC
2019
Interview: Axiz's Traci Maynard on incentives in the channel
In this promoted episode of the podcast, TechCentral talks to Axiz executive Traci Maynard about the importance - and upsides and risks - of using incentives in the IT distribution channel.
Maynard explains why vendors use incentives for their distribution and reseller partners, the impact these incentives have on the channel - helping drive different behaviours - and how they work.
Research group Forrester has shown how companies can automate incentives, which helps remove friction in the partner sales process and streamline the lead to revenue processes.
Maynard shares examples of incentives that work particularly well and how companies can measure how well they are actually working. What are the return-on-investment metrics companies need to pay attention to?
Lastly, she explains how the shift to cloud computing is changing the incentives model and how Microsoft manages incentives through its Cloud Solution Provider partner programme.
Maynard explains why vendors use incentives for their distribution and reseller partners, the impact these incentives have on the channel - helping drive different behaviours - and how they work.
Research group Forrester has shown how companies can automate incentives, which helps remove friction in the partner sales process and streamline the lead to revenue processes.
Maynard shares examples of incentives that work particularly well and how companies can measure how well they are actually working. What are the return-on-investment metrics companies need to pay attention to?
Lastly, she explains how the shift to cloud computing is changing the incentives model and how Microsoft manages incentives through its Cloud Solution Provider partner programme.
12
DEC
2019
Interview: Highpeak MD Gavin Hill on the tech behind Vumacam's CCTV network
In this promoted episode of the podcast, TechCentral speaks to Gavin Hill, MD of Highpeak Technology Services, about the work his company has done to build the IT system that helps power Vumacam's CCTV network throughout Johannesburg.
The system, built with the support of Tarsus On Demand and Microsoft, delivers complex and real-time analytics to help security companies and law enforcement offers fight crime in the city.
Highpeak built a custom, cloud-based platform to analyse hundreds of millions of data points and apply intelligent analytics to create actionable information to help Vumacam fight crime.
In the podcast, Hill explains how Highpeak got involved in the project, its relationship with Tarsus On Demand and why it's using Microsoft's South African Azure data centres and a cloud-based model to run the solution.
He explains what the technology allows Vumacam and its security company customers to do and how the company plans to build artificial intelligence and other advanced features into the system.
Don't miss the discussion!
The system, built with the support of Tarsus On Demand and Microsoft, delivers complex and real-time analytics to help security companies and law enforcement offers fight crime in the city.
Highpeak built a custom, cloud-based platform to analyse hundreds of millions of data points and apply intelligent analytics to create actionable information to help Vumacam fight crime.
In the podcast, Hill explains how Highpeak got involved in the project, its relationship with Tarsus On Demand and why it's using Microsoft's South African Azure data centres and a cloud-based model to run the solution.
He explains what the technology allows Vumacam and its security company customers to do and how the company plans to build artificial intelligence and other advanced features into the system.
Don't miss the discussion!
04
DEC
2019
Interview: Dimension Data Security managing executive Tony Walt
Dimension Data Middle East & Africa on Wednesday announced it has launched a significant new practice, known as Dimension Data Security, that will sit alongside its existing businesses Internet Solutions, Dimension Data Systems Integration, Britehouse and Merchants.
The new business is headed by Dimension Data veteran Tony Walt -- a former chief operating officer at Internet Solutions -- who says the addressable market across the region for the new business is in the region of R30-billion.
In the podcast, Walt tells TechCentral why Dimension Data has decided to create the new business and how it is amalgamating security expertise from elsewhere in the group, including ContinuitySA, which was previously in the Internet Solutions stable.
Walt talks about the new company’s go-to-market strategy, how the business will be positioned in the market relative to the competition and how it will draw in expertise from parent NTT’s global NTT Security business.
Dimension Data Security will consist of four key pillars, led by a consulting practice. Walt talks about the company’s growth plans and where it sees the growth opportunities.
Don’t miss the discussion!
The new business is headed by Dimension Data veteran Tony Walt -- a former chief operating officer at Internet Solutions -- who says the addressable market across the region for the new business is in the region of R30-billion.
In the podcast, Walt tells TechCentral why Dimension Data has decided to create the new business and how it is amalgamating security expertise from elsewhere in the group, including ContinuitySA, which was previously in the Internet Solutions stable.
Walt talks about the new company’s go-to-market strategy, how the business will be positioned in the market relative to the competition and how it will draw in expertise from parent NTT’s global NTT Security business.
Dimension Data Security will consist of four key pillars, led by a consulting practice. Walt talks about the company’s growth plans and where it sees the growth opportunities.
Don’t miss the discussion!
26
NOV
2019
Interview: Axiz executive Traci Maynard on IT sector growth
In this promoted episode of the podcast, Axiz executive Traci Maynard returns for a discussion on recent research by Gartner that was surprisingly upbeat on growth prospects for the IT sector in South Africa.
Gartner said IT spending in the country will total R303.5-billion in 2019, growth of 3.9% in an economy that is barely growing. In fact, the company reckons South Africa will end the year as the fourth fastest-growing major IT market in the world, behind only India, Israel and Singapore.
Does this square with reality? Axiz, one of the country's largest IT distributors, is uniquely placed to have a view on the health of the local industry.
In the podcast, Maynard explains how the shift to cloud computing in corporate South Africa is spurring sales, but also how this means the IT channel needs to adopt a different approach to the market.
She explains how Axiz is helping the channel adapt and how the changes are affecting operations elsewhere in Africa.
Gartner said IT spending in the country will total R303.5-billion in 2019, growth of 3.9% in an economy that is barely growing. In fact, the company reckons South Africa will end the year as the fourth fastest-growing major IT market in the world, behind only India, Israel and Singapore.
Does this square with reality? Axiz, one of the country's largest IT distributors, is uniquely placed to have a view on the health of the local industry.
In the podcast, Maynard explains how the shift to cloud computing in corporate South Africa is spurring sales, but also how this means the IT channel needs to adopt a different approach to the market.
She explains how Axiz is helping the channel adapt and how the changes are affecting operations elsewhere in Africa.
20
NOV
2019
Interview: Cathy Smith on repairing SAP Africa after 'kickbacks' scandal
Following the explosive reports in 2017 that SAP Africa allegedly paid kickbacks to Gupta family-owned companies to secure contracts at state-owned enterprises, MD Cathy Smith has said the organisation is on the mend.
19
NOV
2019
Interview: Nutanix speaks out on cloud and hyperconverged infrastructure
In this promoted episode of the podcast, TechCentral is joined by Nutanix vice president for customer success Pai Venugopal and regional sales director Paul Ruinaard for a discussion on hyperconverged infrastructure, or HCI, and its importance in enterprise cloud computing.
In the podcast, Venugopal talks about the Nasdaq-listed company’s focus, where it’s positioned in the market and why HCI has become a hot-button topic in enterprise IT - particularly as companies consider their options around cloud.
Venugopal and Ruinaard talk about the somewhat surprising findings a new global survey, Nutanix's Enterprise Cloud Index, the results of which were released this week at the company's .NEXT on Tour event in Johannesburg, and why companies are again looking to on-premise and hybrid solutions in favour of a wholesale shift to the public cloud.
Ruinaard talks about what the survey says about local enterprise customers in the context of the global results and the discussions he’s typically having with them.
Interestingly, for 60% of enterprises, security is the biggest factor in their cloud decisions.
Don’t miss the discussion!
In the podcast, Venugopal talks about the Nasdaq-listed company’s focus, where it’s positioned in the market and why HCI has become a hot-button topic in enterprise IT - particularly as companies consider their options around cloud.
Venugopal and Ruinaard talk about the somewhat surprising findings a new global survey, Nutanix's Enterprise Cloud Index, the results of which were released this week at the company's .NEXT on Tour event in Johannesburg, and why companies are again looking to on-premise and hybrid solutions in favour of a wholesale shift to the public cloud.
Ruinaard talks about what the survey says about local enterprise customers in the context of the global results and the discussions he’s typically having with them.
Interestingly, for 60% of enterprises, security is the biggest factor in their cloud decisions.
Don’t miss the discussion!
24
OCT
2019
Interview: Axiz executive Traci Maynard on ethical leadership
In this episode of the podcast, TechCentral speaks to Traci Maynard, an executive at technology distributor Axiz, about the important of ethical leadership and good corporate governance in South Africa’s IT industry.
In light of the various scandals that have erupted around several high-profile companies in the past 18-24 months, Maynard talks about how corporate South Africa allowed itself to be caught up in the state capture narrative, the risk to corporate reputations and the need for solid governance controls to ensure wrongdoing isn’t allowed to flourish.
She explains the types of governance checks and balances that need to be put in place to ensure companies aren’t found wanting -- and looks specifically at some of the controls Axiz has in place to prevent corrupt and unethical practices.
Axiz, part of the JSE-listed Aviva Holdings, is a major player in the complex South African IT distribution market. It, along with other distributors, work with multinational vendors to supply technology products and services into the public sector and into corporate clients. With many parts to the chain, Maynard explains how ensuring ethical behaviour at all levels can sometimes be quite challenging.
In the podcast, she talks through a scenario of where and how unethical behaviour might creep into a big tender, for example, and how companies should determine what amounts to good business and what doesn’t. What red flags should companies be looking out for?
It’s a great discussion on a crucial topic -- don’t miss it!
In light of the various scandals that have erupted around several high-profile companies in the past 18-24 months, Maynard talks about how corporate South Africa allowed itself to be caught up in the state capture narrative, the risk to corporate reputations and the need for solid governance controls to ensure wrongdoing isn’t allowed to flourish.
She explains the types of governance checks and balances that need to be put in place to ensure companies aren’t found wanting -- and looks specifically at some of the controls Axiz has in place to prevent corrupt and unethical practices.
Axiz, part of the JSE-listed Aviva Holdings, is a major player in the complex South African IT distribution market. It, along with other distributors, work with multinational vendors to supply technology products and services into the public sector and into corporate clients. With many parts to the chain, Maynard explains how ensuring ethical behaviour at all levels can sometimes be quite challenging.
In the podcast, she talks through a scenario of where and how unethical behaviour might creep into a big tender, for example, and how companies should determine what amounts to good business and what doesn’t. What red flags should companies be looking out for?
It’s a great discussion on a crucial topic -- don’t miss it!
21
OCT
2019
Interview: Seacom head of digital and CX Kevin South
In this promoted episode of the podcast, TechCentral is joined by Seacom’s head of digital and customer experience, Kevin South, for a discussion on digital transformation and how companies should be approaching such projects.
South talks about the conversations that companies should be having before they even embark on the digital transformation journey and the pitfalls they should avoid. Is not doing anything an option for some companies, especially in light of the sometimes-overblown promises made by IT vendors and horror stories of project failures?
In the podcast, South goes through six useful steps or considerations he believes will help companies achieve a successful, largely seamless digital transformation project, including the need to “understand your own data”; put the customers’ journey first; redesigning processes; adapt or change the operating model; create a single organisational point of ownership (and who that person should be; and build a new business in parallel to the existing one.
It’s a great discussion – don’t miss it!
South talks about the conversations that companies should be having before they even embark on the digital transformation journey and the pitfalls they should avoid. Is not doing anything an option for some companies, especially in light of the sometimes-overblown promises made by IT vendors and horror stories of project failures?
In the podcast, South goes through six useful steps or considerations he believes will help companies achieve a successful, largely seamless digital transformation project, including the need to “understand your own data”; put the customers’ journey first; redesigning processes; adapt or change the operating model; create a single organisational point of ownership (and who that person should be; and build a new business in parallel to the existing one.
It’s a great discussion – don’t miss it!
14
OCT
2019
Interview: Veritas regional director David McMurdo
In this promoted episode of the podcast, TechCentral speaks to David McMurdo, regional director for South Africa at Veritas Technologies, about the explosion of data and how companies can get control over it.
McMurdo opens the podcast with a discussion about Veritas’s history and its go-to-market strategy in South Africa, including working through partners such as Axiz. He explains in broad terms what Veritas does and the solutions it brings to the enterprise data management market.
Veritas has broken down data management into three components grouped under the abbreviation “API”, or availability, protection and insight.
Companies are drowning in data but struggle to get access to relevant information at the right time to make meaningful business decisions. McMurdo talks about how serious this problem is and what the solutions are.
Is moving to the cloud the answer? McMurdo addresses this in the podcast, and what companies should be doing in terms of their cloud strategies.
He also touches on the subject of digital transformation and the role Veritas can play in helping companies on this journey.
McMurdo opens the podcast with a discussion about Veritas’s history and its go-to-market strategy in South Africa, including working through partners such as Axiz. He explains in broad terms what Veritas does and the solutions it brings to the enterprise data management market.
Veritas has broken down data management into three components grouped under the abbreviation “API”, or availability, protection and insight.
Companies are drowning in data but struggle to get access to relevant information at the right time to make meaningful business decisions. McMurdo talks about how serious this problem is and what the solutions are.
Is moving to the cloud the answer? McMurdo addresses this in the podcast, and what companies should be doing in terms of their cloud strategies.
He also touches on the subject of digital transformation and the role Veritas can play in helping companies on this journey.
17
SEP
2019
Interview: Seacom’s Mark Tinka on why Africa is falling behind on IPv6
In this promoted episode of the TechCentral podcast, Seacom head of engineering Mark Tinka explains why how South Africa – and the broader African continent – is falling behind the rest of the world in implementing Internet protocol version 6, or IPv6, and why this is potentially a very serious problem.
Africa is the only region worldwide that has not yet run out of IPv4 addresses and this appears to have lulled communication service providers and enterprises in the region into a false sense of security.
In the podcast, Tinka explains why the world is moving to IPv6, what is involved from a technical perspective and why Africa is so far behind in making the switch – and why this could prove to be a costly headache.
It’s a great discussion – don’t miss it!
Africa is the only region worldwide that has not yet run out of IPv4 addresses and this appears to have lulled communication service providers and enterprises in the region into a false sense of security.
In the podcast, Tinka explains why the world is moving to IPv6, what is involved from a technical perspective and why Africa is so far behind in making the switch – and why this could prove to be a costly headache.
It’s a great discussion – don’t miss it!
28
AUG
2019
Interview: BBD on how digital disruption is upending financial services
In this episode of the podcast, BBD UK director and the group’s executive head of banking, Matthew Barnard, and BBD executive head of cloud services, Dieter Rosch, discuss the fundamental digital disruption sweeping through banking and financial services.
South African banks spend a huge amount of money on IT every year, but several disruptive forces, including the shift to cloud computing, are emerging that could turn the sector on its head in the coming years.
Barnard and Rosch share their views on the software trends in financial services IT and how banks are approaching the topic of digital transformation to ensure they remain innovative and relevant.
Many of these institutions have an enormous base of legacy technology that may serve to hold them back in these critical projects. What are the best-practice approaches to digital transformation, and how do South African banks compare to their peers internationally? Should they be reinventing their core, or building separate businesses to chase new fintech opportunities?
Rosch looks at some of the approaches being adopted and talks in detail about the concept of “microservices” versus “monoliths” versus “hybrids”. Why could a microservices approach help banks achieve their goals? And how should they be approaching cloud in their transformation journeys?
Barnard talks about how regulation affects the industry and the ability to lead projects of this magnitude, and why the ability to train and retain key skills will be a critical success factor.
It’s a great discussion for anyone involved in or interested in how digital disruption is upending the financial services sector. Don’t miss it!
South African banks spend a huge amount of money on IT every year, but several disruptive forces, including the shift to cloud computing, are emerging that could turn the sector on its head in the coming years.
Barnard and Rosch share their views on the software trends in financial services IT and how banks are approaching the topic of digital transformation to ensure they remain innovative and relevant.
Many of these institutions have an enormous base of legacy technology that may serve to hold them back in these critical projects. What are the best-practice approaches to digital transformation, and how do South African banks compare to their peers internationally? Should they be reinventing their core, or building separate businesses to chase new fintech opportunities?
Rosch looks at some of the approaches being adopted and talks in detail about the concept of “microservices” versus “monoliths” versus “hybrids”. Why could a microservices approach help banks achieve their goals? And how should they be approaching cloud in their transformation journeys?
Barnard talks about how regulation affects the industry and the ability to lead projects of this magnitude, and why the ability to train and retain key skills will be a critical success factor.
It’s a great discussion for anyone involved in or interested in how digital disruption is upending the financial services sector. Don’t miss it!
