TechCentral Podcast
Interviews with leaders in South Africa's ICT industry.
25
FEB
Interview: DG and HP on the rapidly shifting South African IT landscape [promoted]
In this episode of the podcast, TechCentral speaks to representatives from Digital Generation (DG) and HP about the impact that Covid-19 has had on the local IT industry and how it's shifted conversations with end-user customers.
DG marketing and sales specialist Michelle Budde kicks off the conversation with a look at how her company adopted to the Covid-19 and the associated lockdowns. She then talks about some of the challenges the industry has faced in securing stock in the past year.
Budde also covers DG's black empowerment credentials and its relationships with global original equipment manufacturers, including HP.
Ricardo Duarte, senior technical consultant at HP, then joins the discussion in the second half of the podcast to talk about HP's direction since the break-up of Hewlett-Packard to create HP and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
Duarte then has a look at what the largest enterprise users in South Africa are talking about today, a year into the Covid pandemic, and what some of the hottest topics are on their agendas, including cybersecurity.
He then unpacks HP Analytics and why this is relevant in today’s climate of working from home - how can endpoint data analytics could help organisations deal with distantly connected users and ultimately the user experience?
Don't miss the conversation!
DG marketing and sales specialist Michelle Budde kicks off the conversation with a look at how her company adopted to the Covid-19 and the associated lockdowns. She then talks about some of the challenges the industry has faced in securing stock in the past year.
Budde also covers DG's black empowerment credentials and its relationships with global original equipment manufacturers, including HP.
Ricardo Duarte, senior technical consultant at HP, then joins the discussion in the second half of the podcast to talk about HP's direction since the break-up of Hewlett-Packard to create HP and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
Duarte then has a look at what the largest enterprise users in South Africa are talking about today, a year into the Covid pandemic, and what some of the hottest topics are on their agendas, including cybersecurity.
He then unpacks HP Analytics and why this is relevant in today’s climate of working from home - how can endpoint data analytics could help organisations deal with distantly connected users and ultimately the user experience?
Don't miss the conversation!
22
FEB
Interview: Why Dark Fibre Africa was named Top Employer 2021
Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) was recently awarded Top Employer status in South Africa for 2021 by the Top Employers Institute. But how did the company win this highly valued accolade?
In this promoted episode of the TechCentral podcast, DFA chief human capital officer Portia Thokoane and the company's head of strategy and mergers & acquisitions, Vino Govender, unpack what was involved in achieving the Top Employers award.
With headquarters in the Netherlands and offices in several countries around the world – including South Africa – the Top Employers Institute was established with the aim of promoting excellence in human capital management to support business strategy.
DFA's efforts in this regard were led by Thokoane, who believes human capital had become increasingly acknowledged as a critical business differentiator. She believes that organisations that give adequate attention to this area of their businesses will continue to distinguish themselves from those that do not.
In the podcast, Thokoane and Govender talk about the work that was done at DFA to secure the award, including how it identified factors crucial to employee engagement and development and applied those across the organisation.
Thokoane also provides her views in the podcast on the big trends in the human resources industry in 2021 and beyond.
Don't miss the discussion!
In this promoted episode of the TechCentral podcast, DFA chief human capital officer Portia Thokoane and the company's head of strategy and mergers & acquisitions, Vino Govender, unpack what was involved in achieving the Top Employers award.
With headquarters in the Netherlands and offices in several countries around the world – including South Africa – the Top Employers Institute was established with the aim of promoting excellence in human capital management to support business strategy.
DFA's efforts in this regard were led by Thokoane, who believes human capital had become increasingly acknowledged as a critical business differentiator. She believes that organisations that give adequate attention to this area of their businesses will continue to distinguish themselves from those that do not.
In the podcast, Thokoane and Govender talk about the work that was done at DFA to secure the award, including how it identified factors crucial to employee engagement and development and applied those across the organisation.
Thokoane also provides her views in the podcast on the big trends in the human resources industry in 2021 and beyond.
Don't miss the discussion!
19
FEB
'DevAnything': In conversation with iOCO's Brian Harding and Richard Vester [promoted]
In this final episode in this week's series of podcasts with executives from iOCO, the systems integrator in the EOH Holdings stable, TechCentral speaks to Brian Harding and Richard Vester about the company's local and international expertise in software development and cloud computing.
Picking up on the focus of the podcast series -- namely, the great African tech opportunity -- Harding, who is managing executive for iOCO digital, international and regions, unpacks the the size of the opportunity and where South Africa fits into the picture.
Vester -- who is group executive for cloud -- then provides an overview of iOCO's cloud business and its go-to-market approach.
Harding turns to the four key components he believes companies must get right if they want to be successful at digital transformation, namely software, design, agility and interconnect.
The discussion also covers South Africa's opportunity to become a much bigger outsourcing destination. What will it take to get this right as a country?
Don't miss the discussion, and this wrap to an insightful series of podcasts.
Picking up on the focus of the podcast series -- namely, the great African tech opportunity -- Harding, who is managing executive for iOCO digital, international and regions, unpacks the the size of the opportunity and where South Africa fits into the picture.
Vester -- who is group executive for cloud -- then provides an overview of iOCO's cloud business and its go-to-market approach.
Harding turns to the four key components he believes companies must get right if they want to be successful at digital transformation, namely software, design, agility and interconnect.
The discussion also covers South Africa's opportunity to become a much bigger outsourcing destination. What will it take to get this right as a country?
Don't miss the discussion, and this wrap to an insightful series of podcasts.
18
FEB
Interview: Colin Millar on why iOCO is MAD about APIs [promoted]
In the fourth episode in TechCentral's s podcast showcase with iOCO, the systems integrator in the EOH Holdings stable, TechCentral speaks to Colin Millar about the rapidly growing importance to business of APIs, or application programming interfaces.
In the podcast, Millar, who is MTN MAD API and Chenosis partner executive at iOCO, unpacks why APIs are becoming so important in modern business and how telecommunications operators like MTN Group as well as fintech players and e-commerce providers can access value-added revenue streams through the clever use of APIs.
The conversation then turns to the extensive work that iOCO has done with MTN to develop the MAD API platform and the Chenosis API marketplace and the significance thereof for developers and businesses across the African continent.
In the podcast, Millar also unpacks:
* Why modern companies are becoming platform businesses and how, through these platforms, enabled by APIs, businesses can interconnect their partner ecosystems and find new routes to market;
* How, through APIs, businesses can distribute their services more widely, integrate with powerful third-party apps, create new products and offer personalised customer service; and
* How APIs have developed, allowing for more apps - and even APIs themselves - to interact in different ways.
Don't miss the interview and the others in this series with iOCO.
In the podcast, Millar, who is MTN MAD API and Chenosis partner executive at iOCO, unpacks why APIs are becoming so important in modern business and how telecommunications operators like MTN Group as well as fintech players and e-commerce providers can access value-added revenue streams through the clever use of APIs.
The conversation then turns to the extensive work that iOCO has done with MTN to develop the MAD API platform and the Chenosis API marketplace and the significance thereof for developers and businesses across the African continent.
In the podcast, Millar also unpacks:
* Why modern companies are becoming platform businesses and how, through these platforms, enabled by APIs, businesses can interconnect their partner ecosystems and find new routes to market;
* How, through APIs, businesses can distribute their services more widely, integrate with powerful third-party apps, create new products and offer personalised customer service; and
* How APIs have developed, allowing for more apps - and even APIs themselves - to interact in different ways.
Don't miss the interview and the others in this series with iOCO.
17
FEB
'Egypt is rising': An interview with iOCO's Essam Elbadri [promoted]
Egypt is on the rise. Since the "Arab Spring" a decade ago, the North African country has been on an upward march and is becoming an important centre for technology innovation.
That's the view of Essam Elbadri, founder and CEO of Asset Technology Group, a company today owned by South Africa's EOH Holdings.
In the third episode in a podcast series with executives from iOCO, the systems integrator in the EOH stable, Elbadri unpacks how the technology sector has helped Egypt grow strongly in recent years.
The conversation covers some of the country's initiatives to grow the ICT sector and the economy, including the ICT 2030 strategy, the New Admistrative Capital smart city and the development of technology parks.
Elbadri also talks about why iOCO is excited about the Egyptian market and why it invested in Asset Technology Group.
Don't miss the discussion!
That's the view of Essam Elbadri, founder and CEO of Asset Technology Group, a company today owned by South Africa's EOH Holdings.
In the third episode in a podcast series with executives from iOCO, the systems integrator in the EOH stable, Elbadri unpacks how the technology sector has helped Egypt grow strongly in recent years.
The conversation covers some of the country's initiatives to grow the ICT sector and the economy, including the ICT 2030 strategy, the New Admistrative Capital smart city and the development of technology parks.
Elbadri also talks about why iOCO is excited about the Egyptian market and why it invested in Asset Technology Group.
Don't miss the discussion!
16
FEB
iOCO's nuvoteQ: The SA company making waves in the global medtech field [promoted]
South Africa's nuvoteQ, which is part of the iOCO stable, is making waves in the global medical technology space with a focus on delivering software-as-a-service solutions to the clinical research industry.
In this, the second in a series of podcast interviews with executives from iOCO, the systems integrator in the EOH Holdings stable, TechCentral speaks to Adriaan Kruger, co-founder and CEO of medtech specialist nuvoteQ, about opportunities in the rest of Africa and further abroad.
In the podcast, Kruger outlines nuvoteQ key focus areas, talks about how the Covid-19 pandemic has placed an emphasis on the need for a robust, reliable healthcare system in Africa, and how homegrown companies such as nuvoteQ can apply technology to enhance the reputation of Africa's clinical research industry.
Don't miss the discussion!
In this, the second in a series of podcast interviews with executives from iOCO, the systems integrator in the EOH Holdings stable, TechCentral speaks to Adriaan Kruger, co-founder and CEO of medtech specialist nuvoteQ, about opportunities in the rest of Africa and further abroad.
In the podcast, Kruger outlines nuvoteQ key focus areas, talks about how the Covid-19 pandemic has placed an emphasis on the need for a robust, reliable healthcare system in Africa, and how homegrown companies such as nuvoteQ can apply technology to enhance the reputation of Africa's clinical research industry.
Don't miss the discussion!
15
FEB
EOH CEO Stephen van Coller on the great African tech opportunity [promoted]
Africa is ripe with opportunities for technology-led distruption and tech companies with the right approach to this vast market stand to benefit.
That's the view of EOH Holdings CEO Stephen van Coller, who introduces a series of TechCentral podcasts this week with executives from iOCO, the systems integrator in the EOH group.
From Cape Town to Cairo, Van Coller unpacks why he believes Africa’s economic renaissance could be fuelled by the growth of tech, with countries such as Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and Kenya leading the way.
The continent is already attracting investments from global tech giants such as Google and Facebook, while China is leading investments in Africa’s tech infrastructure.
But what are some of the opportunities and the hurdles and what is the role of the public and private sectors in overcoming these?
With the right enabling policies, improvements in infrastructure, a focus on education and training, and the explosion of tech hubs, coupled with a young population, and a focus on entrepreneurship and innovation, the picture is brighter than many might imagine.
In this opening podcast of the series, Van Coller touches on iOCO's view of the opportunities based on its own findings and on-the-ground experiences.
Don't miss this insightful podcast series!
That's the view of EOH Holdings CEO Stephen van Coller, who introduces a series of TechCentral podcasts this week with executives from iOCO, the systems integrator in the EOH group.
From Cape Town to Cairo, Van Coller unpacks why he believes Africa’s economic renaissance could be fuelled by the growth of tech, with countries such as Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and Kenya leading the way.
The continent is already attracting investments from global tech giants such as Google and Facebook, while China is leading investments in Africa’s tech infrastructure.
But what are some of the opportunities and the hurdles and what is the role of the public and private sectors in overcoming these?
With the right enabling policies, improvements in infrastructure, a focus on education and training, and the explosion of tech hubs, coupled with a young population, and a focus on entrepreneurship and innovation, the picture is brighter than many might imagine.
In this opening podcast of the series, Van Coller touches on iOCO's view of the opportunities based on its own findings and on-the-ground experiences.
Don't miss this insightful podcast series!
05
FEB
Interview: People, and why they're the weakest link in information security [promoted]
In this episode of the podcast, TechCentral speaks to Brenton Swanepoel, head of the technical team at Obscure Technologies South Africa, about why humans remain the weakest link in the information security chain and what can be done about it.
The discussion kicks off with a look at some of the recent high-profile data leaks and data breaches that have hit local and international companies and the sort of attacks that are being mounted by hackers and why.
When it comes to the human factor, what are the best ways of minimising the impact of weak security practices, including employees choosing easy-to-guess passwords or otherwise doing things that expose their organisations to attack?
The conversation also touches on some of the solutions Obscure Technologies offers to help companies protect themselves and emphasises why user education remains a critical component in the information security toolbox.
Don’t miss the discussion!
The discussion kicks off with a look at some of the recent high-profile data leaks and data breaches that have hit local and international companies and the sort of attacks that are being mounted by hackers and why.
When it comes to the human factor, what are the best ways of minimising the impact of weak security practices, including employees choosing easy-to-guess passwords or otherwise doing things that expose their organisations to attack?
The conversation also touches on some of the solutions Obscure Technologies offers to help companies protect themselves and emphasises why user education remains a critical component in the information security toolbox.
Don’t miss the discussion!
29
JAN
It's time to get SASE - A new security model, unpacked by Dimension Data and Cisco [promoted]
In this episode of the podcast, TechCentral speaks to executives from Dimension Data and Cisco about the exciting new area of information security called SASE, or Secure Access Service Edge.
Pronounced "sassy" and coined by research firm Gartner, SASE is a big focus for both Cisco and its partner Dimension Data.
In short, SASE is the convergence of wide-area networking and cloud security services into a single, cloud-delivered service model. It has been described as the future of cloud security.
In the podcast, Dimension Data senior solutions architect Brynmor Campos and Cisco consulting systems engineer, Security Solutions, at Cisco Greg Griessel discuss what SASE is, why it's garnering significant focus in IT security discussions and what it means for South African organisations.
Griessel and Campos unpack how Covid-19 and the associated work-from-home measures have made the transition to a new security model more urgent.
Don't miss this important discussion!
Pronounced "sassy" and coined by research firm Gartner, SASE is a big focus for both Cisco and its partner Dimension Data.
In short, SASE is the convergence of wide-area networking and cloud security services into a single, cloud-delivered service model. It has been described as the future of cloud security.
In the podcast, Dimension Data senior solutions architect Brynmor Campos and Cisco consulting systems engineer, Security Solutions, at Cisco Greg Griessel discuss what SASE is, why it's garnering significant focus in IT security discussions and what it means for South African organisations.
Griessel and Campos unpack how Covid-19 and the associated work-from-home measures have made the transition to a new security model more urgent.
Don't miss this important discussion!
20
JAN
Interview: Ukheshe CEO Clayton Hayward on the Oltio acquisition
In this episode of the podcast, TechCentral's Duncan McLeod interviews Clayton Hayward, CEO of fintech platform provider Ukheshe Technologies, about its acquisition from Mastercard of Oltio.
The deal, announced late last year, sees Ukheshe buying a company that developed the digital payments platform that supports Masterpass, Mastercard's QR payment service. Masterpass allows consumers to pay with their bank card by scanning a QR code with their mobile phone.
In the podcast, Hayward tells McLeod about Ukheshe, what the company does and where it fits into the fintech ecosystem in South Africa. He then explains the rationale for buying Oltio.
Ukheshe has an established partnership with Mastercard and is a participant in the company's Accelerate programme, which offers an access point to tap into Mastercard technology, data, expertise and global network that helps companies scale globally.
Ukheshe will continue to provide the same support to local banks and other service providers that currently offer Masterpass, ensuring business continuity with no impact to consumers or merchants.
Don't miss the interview!
The deal, announced late last year, sees Ukheshe buying a company that developed the digital payments platform that supports Masterpass, Mastercard's QR payment service. Masterpass allows consumers to pay with their bank card by scanning a QR code with their mobile phone.
In the podcast, Hayward tells McLeod about Ukheshe, what the company does and where it fits into the fintech ecosystem in South Africa. He then explains the rationale for buying Oltio.
Ukheshe has an established partnership with Mastercard and is a participant in the company's Accelerate programme, which offers an access point to tap into Mastercard technology, data, expertise and global network that helps companies scale globally.
Ukheshe will continue to provide the same support to local banks and other service providers that currently offer Masterpass, ensuring business continuity with no impact to consumers or merchants.
Don't miss the interview!
20
JAN
Don't ignore cloud backup: Keepit CEO Frederik Schouboe explains why [promoted]
As companies move IT from on-premises environments into the cloud, many assume it is sufficient to allow their cloud vendor to manage their backups for them.
This is absolutely not the case, according to Keepit co-founder and CEO Frederik Schouboe, who explains in this episode of the TechCentral podcast why it's crucial that companies ensure they have a proper backup plan in place for their software-as-a-service (SaaS) and other cloud-based tools.
Keepit, which is represented in South Africa by Cactus Backup, recently announced a large series-A investment round from One Peak. In the podcast, Schouboe talks about the investment and what Keepit intends to use it for.
The podcast then turns to Keepit's offerings and how SaaS backup differs from the sort of backups companies used to run when their IT infrastructure was on-premises. Keepit has its own data centres, separate from the hyperscale providers such as Microsoft and Amazon Web Services -- Schouboe explains in the podcast why this is important and delves into the regulatory implications in choosing a cloud backup provider.
He also takes podcast listeners through his views on the South African market and its growth potential as well as Keepit's partnership with Cactus Backup.
Don't miss the discussion!
This is absolutely not the case, according to Keepit co-founder and CEO Frederik Schouboe, who explains in this episode of the TechCentral podcast why it's crucial that companies ensure they have a proper backup plan in place for their software-as-a-service (SaaS) and other cloud-based tools.
Keepit, which is represented in South Africa by Cactus Backup, recently announced a large series-A investment round from One Peak. In the podcast, Schouboe talks about the investment and what Keepit intends to use it for.
The podcast then turns to Keepit's offerings and how SaaS backup differs from the sort of backups companies used to run when their IT infrastructure was on-premises. Keepit has its own data centres, separate from the hyperscale providers such as Microsoft and Amazon Web Services -- Schouboe explains in the podcast why this is important and delves into the regulatory implications in choosing a cloud backup provider.
He also takes podcast listeners through his views on the South African market and its growth potential as well as Keepit's partnership with Cactus Backup.
Don't miss the discussion!
21
DEC
2020
Your company is sitting on a data gold mine: Microsoft's JK Kanis
Businesses are sitting on a gold mine in the vast quantities of data in their organisations, yet most are not yet taking full advantage of the power of artificial intelligence, machine learning and cloud technologies to turn these data repositories into real value.
In this episode of the podcast, TechCentral interviews Microsoft South Africa Enterprise and Cloud Business Group lead Johannes "JK" Kanis on how modern technologies can help companies use their data to gain real business insights.
In the podcast, Kanis talks about the potential upside for businesses that can get this right - how they can take advantage of modern AI tools to get to grips with their data and start to turn it into something of significant value.
Kanis explains how Micosoft's Azure Synapse Analytics offering, which recently became "generally available", can help companies tame their data sets and why he believes the media, telecommunications and insurance industries in South Africa are doing better than others in this area.
Also in the podcast, Kanis talks about whether a focus on advanced technology is enough, or whether a cultural change is also needed if companies are going to take full advatntage of AI, ML and cloud. Plus, how does Microsoft South Africa help local companies wanting to take full advantage of the data they own? And how does the Open Data Initiative, founded by Microsoft, SAP and Adobe, help?
Don't miss the discussion!
In this episode of the podcast, TechCentral interviews Microsoft South Africa Enterprise and Cloud Business Group lead Johannes "JK" Kanis on how modern technologies can help companies use their data to gain real business insights.
In the podcast, Kanis talks about the potential upside for businesses that can get this right - how they can take advantage of modern AI tools to get to grips with their data and start to turn it into something of significant value.
Kanis explains how Micosoft's Azure Synapse Analytics offering, which recently became "generally available", can help companies tame their data sets and why he believes the media, telecommunications and insurance industries in South Africa are doing better than others in this area.
Also in the podcast, Kanis talks about whether a focus on advanced technology is enough, or whether a cultural change is also needed if companies are going to take full advatntage of AI, ML and cloud. Plus, how does Microsoft South Africa help local companies wanting to take full advantage of the data they own? And how does the Open Data Initiative, founded by Microsoft, SAP and Adobe, help?
Don't miss the discussion!
