TechCentral Podcast
Interviews with leaders in South Africa's ICT industry.
06
JUL
Dell Technologies rings the changes - MD Doug Woolley on where to next [promoted]
TechCentral is joined in this episode of the podcast by Doug Woolley, MD of Dell Technologies South Africa, for a discussion on the company post Dell's blockbuster acquisition in 2016 of EMC for US$67-billion and how that deal has changed the organisation.
In the first of a series of three podcasts with Dell Technologies executives, Woolley explains the rationale behind the acquisition of EMC (and with it, VMware) and the impact it's had on Dell locally. He explains the importance of VMware to Dell and why it continues to be run as a separate business.
He then expands on where Dell Technologies is positioned in the local market, as an end-to-end technology provider, as well as the company's growth plans in the coming years.
Don't miss the discussion!
In the first of a series of three podcasts with Dell Technologies executives, Woolley explains the rationale behind the acquisition of EMC (and with it, VMware) and the impact it's had on Dell locally. He explains the importance of VMware to Dell and why it continues to be run as a separate business.
He then expands on where Dell Technologies is positioned in the local market, as an end-to-end technology provider, as well as the company's growth plans in the coming years.
Don't miss the discussion!
03
JUL
Ex-Huge Group CEO Anton Potgieter on his new telecoms venture
Anton Potgieter, founder of TelePassport and a former CEO of Huge Group, has a new venture in the telecommunications space. Called Trabel, the Cape Town-based company has developed Scotty BusinessLine, an app and service he said will "reinvent business calls on cellphones".
Scotty BusinessLine provides “a second or business telephone line on your mobile phone”, Potgieter said.
"Historically, making business calls from a cellphone has had several inherent failings: the telephone number shown is not a company number, which can look unprofessional, the call is not automatically charged to the company account and requires reimbursement (via tax inefficient “cell allowances”, or admin-intensive manual claim forms), and possibly the most important, the company gets no record of the business numbers that are being called on its behalf," he explained.
Scotty is an Android app - iOS is coming soon - that gives users their own Scotty telephone number (in the 087 range) from which they can make or receive calls at a flat rate of 79c/minute.
The app replaces users' default Android phone dialler and allows them to make calls through either their Sim card, or through their Scotty number, using a choice of two separate dial-out buttons.
Calls made from the “Scotty” button are made from the Scotty phone number and they use neither the phone's Sim card airtime or data - instead, these are billed to the Scotty account. The technology Trabel is using is known as "seamless callback".
In the podcast, Potgieter explains why he started Trabel and launched Scotty BusinessLine, and why he believes there is huge demand for such a solution in South Africa.
Scotty BusinessLine provides “a second or business telephone line on your mobile phone”, Potgieter said.
"Historically, making business calls from a cellphone has had several inherent failings: the telephone number shown is not a company number, which can look unprofessional, the call is not automatically charged to the company account and requires reimbursement (via tax inefficient “cell allowances”, or admin-intensive manual claim forms), and possibly the most important, the company gets no record of the business numbers that are being called on its behalf," he explained.
Scotty is an Android app - iOS is coming soon - that gives users their own Scotty telephone number (in the 087 range) from which they can make or receive calls at a flat rate of 79c/minute.
The app replaces users' default Android phone dialler and allows them to make calls through either their Sim card, or through their Scotty number, using a choice of two separate dial-out buttons.
Calls made from the “Scotty” button are made from the Scotty phone number and they use neither the phone's Sim card airtime or data - instead, these are billed to the Scotty account. The technology Trabel is using is known as "seamless callback".
In the podcast, Potgieter explains why he started Trabel and launched Scotty BusinessLine, and why he believes there is huge demand for such a solution in South Africa.
30
JUN
Interview: Giovanni Chiarelli on MTN South Africa's 5G launch
MTN South Africa chief technology and information officer Giovanni Chiarelli joins the TechCentral podcast to chat about the company's launch on Tuesday of its commercial 5G network and what was involved.
In the podcast, Chiarelli talks about why MTN has chosen the cities and towns it has for the launch, why it's using different frequency bands - including 700MHz in Port Alfred - and why it won't be rushing to build a national 5G network until there's clarity on the outcome of a planned spectrum auction.
Chiarelli also explains why MTN is deploying a technology known as dynamic spectrum sharing and why he believes this year's Apple iPhone 12 launch is going to propel consumer interest in 5G.
In the podcast, Chiarelli talks about why MTN has chosen the cities and towns it has for the launch, why it's using different frequency bands - including 700MHz in Port Alfred - and why it won't be rushing to build a national 5G network until there's clarity on the outcome of a planned spectrum auction.
Chiarelli also explains why MTN is deploying a technology known as dynamic spectrum sharing and why he believes this year's Apple iPhone 12 launch is going to propel consumer interest in 5G.
26
JUN
Revix CEO Sean Sanders on investing in crypto
In this promoted episode of the podcast, TechCentral speaks to Revix co-founder and CEO Sean Sanders about cryptocurrencies as an investment class.
Revix, which offers access to bitcoin and other crypto assets through crypto Bundles, is backed by JSE-listed investment holding company Sabvest.
In the podcast, Sanders - who has worked in finance and venture capital and who is an expert in exchange-traded funds - explains where Revix is positioned in the market and its various offerings.
Specifically, Revix has brought the methodology of diversified index funds into the crypto world. These funds have shown they can, on average, outperform actively managed funds, according to Sanders. He explains how Revix rebalances its crypto Bundles monthly to ensure investors get optimal exposure to the top 10 cryptocurrencies.
Sanders then talks about PAX Gold, an asset-backed digital token that provides direct ownership of physical gold held in London vaults, while also benefiting from the speed and mobility of a digital asset.
The discussion turns to nation states' money printing amid the Covid-19 pandemic and what that means for investors and where Sanders sees Revix going in the coming years.
Don't miss the discussion!
Revix, which offers access to bitcoin and other crypto assets through crypto Bundles, is backed by JSE-listed investment holding company Sabvest.
In the podcast, Sanders - who has worked in finance and venture capital and who is an expert in exchange-traded funds - explains where Revix is positioned in the market and its various offerings.
Specifically, Revix has brought the methodology of diversified index funds into the crypto world. These funds have shown they can, on average, outperform actively managed funds, according to Sanders. He explains how Revix rebalances its crypto Bundles monthly to ensure investors get optimal exposure to the top 10 cryptocurrencies.
Sanders then talks about PAX Gold, an asset-backed digital token that provides direct ownership of physical gold held in London vaults, while also benefiting from the speed and mobility of a digital asset.
The discussion turns to nation states' money printing amid the Covid-19 pandemic and what that means for investors and where Sanders sees Revix going in the coming years.
Don't miss the discussion!
24
JUN
Interview: William Mzimba on why Vodacom acquired IoT.nxt
In this promoted episode of the podcast, TechCentral is joined by IoT.nxt CEO Nico Steyn and Vodacom Business CEO William Mzimba to talk about Vodacom's acquisition of the company and the work it is doing for the telecommunications operator and its parent, Vodafone Group.
In the podcast, Mzimba unpacks what attracted Vodacom to IoT.nxt and highlights some of the projects the companies are now involved in, including one to reduce power consumption at the operator's thousands of network high sites.
Mzimba also talks about how Vodacom is changing strategically as a company and how that change, underpinned by digital transformation, will accelerate in the coming years. IoT.nxt will help it in that journey.
Steyn then expands on some of the specific challenges that IoT.nxt is helping Vodacom address and looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected conversations around digital transformation.
Later in the podcast, IoT.nxt chief commercial officer Andre Strauss joins the conversation and helps explore the impact of IoT on business.
Don't miss the discussion!
In the podcast, Mzimba unpacks what attracted Vodacom to IoT.nxt and highlights some of the projects the companies are now involved in, including one to reduce power consumption at the operator's thousands of network high sites.
Mzimba also talks about how Vodacom is changing strategically as a company and how that change, underpinned by digital transformation, will accelerate in the coming years. IoT.nxt will help it in that journey.
Steyn then expands on some of the specific challenges that IoT.nxt is helping Vodacom address and looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected conversations around digital transformation.
Later in the podcast, IoT.nxt chief commercial officer Andre Strauss joins the conversation and helps explore the impact of IoT on business.
Don't miss the discussion!
23
JUN
Interview: TTRO's Dom Oettl and iOCO's Richard Vester on the advantage of cloud [promoted]
In this episode of the podcast, TechCentral speaks to Dom Oettl, MD of The Training Room Online (TTRO), on how the company has used cloud computing -- and specifically Amazon Web Services -- to underpin its business success.
TTRO designs and develops learning solutions using immersive technologies and learning methodologies. The company needed the enterprise benefits of scale without the complexity of traditional hosting, Oettl explains in the podcast. Specifically, it needed compute and storage on demand; redundancy and resilient architecture; intelligent load balancing; compliance and governance; and adherence to robust security standards.
Since the TTRO team didn't have the time or the expertise on AWS, it needed to lean on a local partner. It found that partner in iOCO, part of the EOH Holdings stable. iOCO group executive for cloud Richard Vester explains in the podcast how it assisted TTRO and the role of companies like iOCO in helping businesses prepare for and manage their cloud journeys.
TTRO designs and develops learning solutions using immersive technologies and learning methodologies. The company needed the enterprise benefits of scale without the complexity of traditional hosting, Oettl explains in the podcast. Specifically, it needed compute and storage on demand; redundancy and resilient architecture; intelligent load balancing; compliance and governance; and adherence to robust security standards.
Since the TTRO team didn't have the time or the expertise on AWS, it needed to lean on a local partner. It found that partner in iOCO, part of the EOH Holdings stable. iOCO group executive for cloud Richard Vester explains in the podcast how it assisted TTRO and the role of companies like iOCO in helping businesses prepare for and manage their cloud journeys.
23
JUN
Interview: Vumacam CEO Ricky Croock
Crime has accelerated dramatically since the end of level 4 of the national lockdown and is now easily as bad as it was before South Africa entered the lockdown in late March.
That's according to Ricky Croock, CEO of Vumacam, the company building a CCTV network across Johannesburg, who was speaking on the TechCentral podcast on Tuesday.
Croock discusses the impact of the lockdown on crime levels - they fell so much that not a single incident occurred across Vumacam's footprint for a period of weeks when South Africa first entered lockdown.
Unfortunately, the situation has quickly reversed. However, Croock said there are important lessons to be learnt from the lockdown to try to tackle the scourge of crime in future.
He provides an update on the Vumacam roll-out and which other cities it's looking to expand to as well as how the company seeks to address the privacy concerns related to the deployment of its network.
Don't miss the conversation!
That's according to Ricky Croock, CEO of Vumacam, the company building a CCTV network across Johannesburg, who was speaking on the TechCentral podcast on Tuesday.
Croock discusses the impact of the lockdown on crime levels - they fell so much that not a single incident occurred across Vumacam's footprint for a period of weeks when South Africa first entered lockdown.
Unfortunately, the situation has quickly reversed. However, Croock said there are important lessons to be learnt from the lockdown to try to tackle the scourge of crime in future.
He provides an update on the Vumacam roll-out and which other cities it's looking to expand to as well as how the company seeks to address the privacy concerns related to the deployment of its network.
Don't miss the conversation!
19
JUN
Eaton's Jaco du Plooy on the role of UPSes during load shedding and Covid-19 [promoted]
In this promoted episode of the podcast, TechCentral speaks to Eaton product manager for Africa Jaco du Plooy about the role UPS solutions can play in load shedding and in saving lives during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Du Plooy takes viewers and listeners through the range of UPS solutions that Eaton offers, from options for powering individuals' homes, all the way up to industrial-scale solutions for data centres.
With many people still working from home - and work-from-home rules likely to persist for some time to come - Du Plooy talks about the challenges and options available for ensuring people can continue to be productive once Eskom load shedding inevitably returns.
He also explains why total cost of ownership when buying UPS equipment is important and why buyers should avoid simply looking at the sticker price.
Lastly, Du Plooy talks about Eaton's go-to-market strategy through Pinnacle's Datanet division.
Don't miss the discussion!
Du Plooy takes viewers and listeners through the range of UPS solutions that Eaton offers, from options for powering individuals' homes, all the way up to industrial-scale solutions for data centres.
With many people still working from home - and work-from-home rules likely to persist for some time to come - Du Plooy talks about the challenges and options available for ensuring people can continue to be productive once Eskom load shedding inevitably returns.
He also explains why total cost of ownership when buying UPS equipment is important and why buyers should avoid simply looking at the sticker price.
Lastly, Du Plooy talks about Eaton's go-to-market strategy through Pinnacle's Datanet division.
Don't miss the discussion!
18
JUN
Interview: SweepSouth co-founder Alen Ribic
In this episode of the podcast, TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod is joined by Alen Ribic, co-founder - with his wife, Aisha Pandor - of SweepSouth, the on-demand home cleaning company that last year raised R30-million in a funding round from Naspers.
Ribic talks about the challenges of starting and running a business with a spouse, how SweepSouth coped with the lockdown, which prevented its on-demand cleaners from working, and the fund that was created to support cleaners during this time.
The fund has already raised more than R9-million and backers include Dell founder Michael Dell and his wife Susan.
The conversation then turns to what SweepSouth has done since the Naspers investment, including expansion into Kenya and the recent launch of SweepSouth Connect, a new marketplace that connects vetted professionals to people needing those services in their local area.
It's a great discussion with the co-founder of one of South Africa's most successful start-ups - don't miss it!
Ribic talks about the challenges of starting and running a business with a spouse, how SweepSouth coped with the lockdown, which prevented its on-demand cleaners from working, and the fund that was created to support cleaners during this time.
The fund has already raised more than R9-million and backers include Dell founder Michael Dell and his wife Susan.
The conversation then turns to what SweepSouth has done since the Naspers investment, including expansion into Kenya and the recent launch of SweepSouth Connect, a new marketplace that connects vetted professionals to people needing those services in their local area.
It's a great discussion with the co-founder of one of South Africa's most successful start-ups - don't miss it!
17
JUN
Skybox Security on toughening up IT defences in a pandemic [promoted]
In this episode of the podcast, TechCentral is joined by Peter Margaris and Simone Santana of Skybox Security for a discussion on why information security must remain a top priority through the Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns.
Santana, who is business development director for Skybox Security in South Africa, discusses the company’s presence in the local market, how long it’s been operating for here and which industries it is particularly focused on.
Margaris, who is head of product marketing based in California, expands on the sort of conversations he’s been having with chief information security officers in recent months, especially since Covid-19 became a global issue, and what their key concerns are from a security perspective.
While many companies have realised that their employees can work from home and be productive, it has placed enormous strain on corporate IT departments, and especially those employees responsible for ensuring the integrity and safety of IT systems and company data.
Do work-from-home measures require a complete rethink of the way the corporate network is engineered? Is it as simple as using a VPN, or are some companies going to have to reengineer the way they approach IT and IT security? Margaris tackles these questions in the podcast.
What are some of the other technologies that are being employed during this time to secure company data and the network? Are customers experiencing specific challenges managing an expanded hybrid network environment? And although Covid-19 has arguably done more than anything else to accelerate digital transformation initiatives, is that a good thing if companies are suddenly trying to rush into it?
Related to this, with digital transformation accelerating, are customers concerned about being able to adequately analyse their attack surface and overall potential risk exposure?
If you’re in the information security business, don’t miss this discussion.
Santana, who is business development director for Skybox Security in South Africa, discusses the company’s presence in the local market, how long it’s been operating for here and which industries it is particularly focused on.
Margaris, who is head of product marketing based in California, expands on the sort of conversations he’s been having with chief information security officers in recent months, especially since Covid-19 became a global issue, and what their key concerns are from a security perspective.
While many companies have realised that their employees can work from home and be productive, it has placed enormous strain on corporate IT departments, and especially those employees responsible for ensuring the integrity and safety of IT systems and company data.
Do work-from-home measures require a complete rethink of the way the corporate network is engineered? Is it as simple as using a VPN, or are some companies going to have to reengineer the way they approach IT and IT security? Margaris tackles these questions in the podcast.
What are some of the other technologies that are being employed during this time to secure company data and the network? Are customers experiencing specific challenges managing an expanded hybrid network environment? And although Covid-19 has arguably done more than anything else to accelerate digital transformation initiatives, is that a good thing if companies are suddenly trying to rush into it?
Related to this, with digital transformation accelerating, are customers concerned about being able to adequately analyse their attack surface and overall potential risk exposure?
If you’re in the information security business, don’t miss this discussion.
17
JUN
iOCO's Varsha Ramesar on doing analytics right in the hyperscale world [promoted]
In this episode of the podcast, TechCentral is joined by iOCO managing executive for data and analytics Varsha Ramesar and iOCO executive head of cloud Richard Vester for a further discussion on hyperscale computing.
Specifically, Ramesar and Vester delve into three key areas in the hyperscale computing and cloud discussion, namely analytics and big data; skills; and moving data to actionable intelligence.
Ramesar kicks off the conversation with a look at her role at iOCO and the sort of conversations she is having with enterprises in South Africa.
She then discusses the differences of running analytics and big data processes in the hyperscale computing world compared to what companies have been doing on premises until now.
Are South African companies taking full advantage of the power of hyperscale cloud technologies? And what does hyperscale allow companies to do with analytics and big data? Companies are sitting on more data today than ever, but the difficulty is translating that into actionable intelligence. What are some of the things companies should be considering when having these conversations? Ramesar and Vester delve into this in some detail.
They also discuss the skill sets required by organisations. Do companies need to re-skill their employees as they move to hyperscale cloud services? And if so, what is involved and how should companies be approaching this?
How do they ensure they’re using the right data and putting the right rules against that data to ensure they are getting the information they need to make business decisions in real time?
Don’t miss the discussion!
Specifically, Ramesar and Vester delve into three key areas in the hyperscale computing and cloud discussion, namely analytics and big data; skills; and moving data to actionable intelligence.
Ramesar kicks off the conversation with a look at her role at iOCO and the sort of conversations she is having with enterprises in South Africa.
She then discusses the differences of running analytics and big data processes in the hyperscale computing world compared to what companies have been doing on premises until now.
Are South African companies taking full advantage of the power of hyperscale cloud technologies? And what does hyperscale allow companies to do with analytics and big data? Companies are sitting on more data today than ever, but the difficulty is translating that into actionable intelligence. What are some of the things companies should be considering when having these conversations? Ramesar and Vester delve into this in some detail.
They also discuss the skill sets required by organisations. Do companies need to re-skill their employees as they move to hyperscale cloud services? And if so, what is involved and how should companies be approaching this?
How do they ensure they’re using the right data and putting the right rules against that data to ensure they are getting the information they need to make business decisions in real time?
Don’t miss the discussion!
12
JUN
Mike Sharman on launching MatchKit.co with Bryan Habana
Mike Sharman, founder of digital marketing agency Retroviral, joins TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod for a chat about MatchKit.io, a new website builder aimed at sports professionals.
Founded by Sharman, Springbok rugby player Bryan Habana, and sports content creator and broadcaster Ben Karpinski, Retroactive - which owns MatchKit.co - intends to help professional sportsmen and sportswomen worldwide develop a digital presence for themselves.
In the podcast, Sharman explains that while most sports people have a presence on social media, they often don't have their own website.
The idea behind the website is to make it easier for sports professionals to develop an online presence, raise money for their chosen charities and make money from selling merchandise.
In the podcast, Sharman explains how the business model works, how he and Habana came up with the idea for the platform, and where they see it going next.
Sharman also looks back at 10 years of Retroviral and some of the big campaigns the agency has worked on in that time, including with Nando's and RocoMamas.
Don't miss the discussion!
Founded by Sharman, Springbok rugby player Bryan Habana, and sports content creator and broadcaster Ben Karpinski, Retroactive - which owns MatchKit.co - intends to help professional sportsmen and sportswomen worldwide develop a digital presence for themselves.
In the podcast, Sharman explains that while most sports people have a presence on social media, they often don't have their own website.
The idea behind the website is to make it easier for sports professionals to develop an online presence, raise money for their chosen charities and make money from selling merchandise.
In the podcast, Sharman explains how the business model works, how he and Habana came up with the idea for the platform, and where they see it going next.
Sharman also looks back at 10 years of Retroviral and some of the big campaigns the agency has worked on in that time, including with Nando's and RocoMamas.
Don't miss the discussion!
