'First world technology and local expertise can solve third world problems'
SA's vast geographical landscape and the great socio-economic disparities between urban and rural communities mean that the country faces unique developmental challenges, many of which are best solved by SA people and locally-developed and inspired solutions. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Altech concludes BEE deal for fleet management division
Altech has entered into an empowerment agreement related to the fleet management division of Altech Netstar. A company named Altech Netstar Fleet Management Services (ANFMS) has been established to purchase the fleet management division from Altech Netstar, and to operate the business. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Axis and IBM partner in digital video surveillance
Axis Communications says that IBM is offering Axis network video products as part of a Digital Video Surveillance solution. The system is an open framework for event-based surveillance that includes advanced indexing and analytics technologies. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
MWEB Business offers protection solutions for SMEs
SMEs often do not have the resources to invest in expensive technology to protect their businesses from threats online. Local ISP, MWEB has recently launched two new free offerings for SMEs that aim to help them to protect their businesses from online security threats. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Ericsson 'helping to build the future'
Thanks to the enthusiasm and effort of a team of volunteers involved in the 'School Aid 2005 - Uganda' project, the children of Buvuma Island, off the northern shore of Lake Victoria, have become the grateful recipients of a new school building. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
'If the government is serious about training people, why does it opt for the cheap and nasty option?'
While the government is continually talking about the dire need for training more people - saying training is pivotal to the growth of the economy - it is strange that government tenders always opt for the cheapest training company, or training course, says Shaun Quin, Cape Town branch manager of black-empowered nationwide IT training company, IT Intellect. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Online job-hunting on the rise
Online job-seekers are more experienced and older than is traditionally believed, and visitors to online job boards spend more time engaging with the Web site than in other information-only Web sites. This is according to statistics released by SA career Web site, CareerJunction. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
John Blau, IDG News Service (Dusseldorf Bureau)
The US military plans to test an Internet router in space, in a project that could also benefit civilian broadband satellite communications. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Qualcomm rejects $20m Nokia payment
Stephen Lawson, IDG News Service (San Francisco Bureau)
Qualcomm has rejected a $20m payment from Nokia for royalties on patented Qualcomm technology, snuffing out a possible resolution of part of the companies' ongoing intellectual-property dispute. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Software AG to acquire webMethods
Software AG, one of Europe's largest systems software and Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) providers, and webMethods, a business integration and optimisation software company, have entered into a definitive agreement for Software AG to acquire webMethods in a cash tender offer for $9,15 per share or approximately $546m. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Microsoft patches critical Windows flaws
Robert McMillan, IDG News Service (San Francisco Bureau)
Microsoft has released its regularly scheduled batch of security patches, fixing critical flaws in Windows and the Microsoft Content Management Server. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Microsoft's top lawyer happy with Vista Ready info
Martyn Williams, IDG News Service (Tokyo Bureau)
Microsoft's top lawyer says that he is happy with the information that the company provided about its Vista operating system, and its compatibility with existing PCs, ahead of the software's launch in January this year.Martyn Williams, IDG News Service (Tokyo Bureau) [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Experian notes jump in UK identity theft reports
Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service (London Bureau)
Identity thieves are showing more determination in picking out victims, while the number of reported UK victims of identity theft continues to rise, according to data released by credit-checking agency, Experian. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Europe's dot-eu Internet domain turns one year old
Martyn Williams, IDG News Service (Tokyo Bureau)
Europe's top-level Internet domain, dot-eu, turns one year old this week, and has already become the continent's number three regional domain name. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Datatec in 20,7m pound acquisition
Datatec has conditionally agreed to acquire the Crane Telecommunications Group, a UK-based European value-added distributor of voice, data and converged communications solutions, from various shareholders, including Apax PP Nominees, for a maximum consideration of 20,7m pounds. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Palm prepares Linux platform for future smartphones
Ben Ames, IDG News Service (Boston Bureau)
Palm is to unveil a platform before the end of this year that runs the Palm OS on top of a Linux kernel, allowing the company to improve the performance and stability of its handhelds and smartphones, says CEO, Ed Colligan. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Matt Hamblen, Computerworld (US online)
Skype is in the early stages of testing an enterprise-class version of its service and is soliciting interest in an early adopter programme by businesses with more than 1000 employees. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Apple delays Leopard, blames iPhone
Nancy Gohring, IDG News Service (Seattle Bureau)
Apple says that it will not release Leopard, the next version of the Mac operating system, in early June as planned, blaming the delay on the iPhone. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
MicroWorld Technologies warns that a worm named 'Win32.Warezov.ms' is spreading via spammed e-mails, disguised as system-generated security warnings from the e-mail service provider. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
IBM announces public beta for Lotus Notes and Domino 8
IBM has announced that customers, partners and users can now download and try IBM Lotus Notes and Domino 8, a next generation e-mail and collaboration platform that aims to help users to streamline daily business tasks that run across a variety of computing platforms and technology software systems. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Extend your UPS battery life
American Power Conversion (APC), a provider of global, end-to-end solutions for real-time infrastructure, has put together a checklist for users to get the most out of their uninterruptible power supply (UPS) batteries. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
"Are you totally protected?"
Panda Software has launched the beta version of TotalScan, an online malware scanner designed to detect all types of threats on users' PCs. The prime feature of TotalScan is its detection capacity: it currently detects more than 700 000 viruses, spyware, Trojans and other types of threats, Panda says. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Windows Vista Starter Edition - 'a good option for home users'
While the release of Windows XP Starter Edition (SE) into the local market last year was met with a healthy dose of scepticism on the part of users and the technical press, the release of Windows Vista SE in the past two months seems to have changed those sentiments completely. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Psion Teklogix, a global provider of solutions for mobile computing, wireless data collection, imaging and RFID, has launched the 8580 and 8590 Vehicle-Mount computers. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Oracle announces Siebel Wireless for BlackBerry
John Blau, IDG News Service (Dusseldorf Bureau)
Enterprises using Oracle's CRM software will be able to extend the application to workers with BlackBerry smartphones. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
FibreCAT SX40 storage subsystem 'guarantees highly available applications'
Fujitsu Siemens Computers (FSC) recently announced the introduction of FibreCAT SX40, a storage subsystem designed to easily and reliably expand the hard disk capacity of directly connected Primergy servers. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
J2 Software launches T3 Insure
Local data security solutions provider, J2 Software, the distributor of T3 Security products throughout Africa, has launched a T3 Insure division, and now offers customers global theft insurance. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Centrino Pro 'gives wireless management and security capabilities'
Under a brand called Intel Centrino Pro processor technology, Intel says that it will extend its features designed for desktop business PCs called Intel vPro processor technology into its forthcoming high-performance laptop offering. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Transcend announces MP3 players with capacities up to 4GB
Duxbury 'delivers scalable and reliable smart switches'
Gigabit ProSafe stackable Smart Switches are now available locally from Duxbury Networking. Gigabit switches are designed to offer scalability, performance and reliability to growing businesses that require full-featured network switches, and supporting bandwidth-intensive applications with security. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Compuware strengthens end-to-end service management solution
Compuware has introduced Compuware Vantage 10, a service-management solution designed to enable IT organisations to manage application service from a business perspective. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
vPro-enabled motherboard available through Pinnacle
Broad-based ICT distributor, Pinnacle Micro, has announced the availability of Foxconn's Q9657MC-8KS2H motherboard featuring Intel vPro technology, an introduction said to emphasise manageability, security and energy efficiency in business PCs. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
IT franchise company, Computer Corporation - now in its sixth year of business - has become an LG Electronics direct partner, and will be selling the entire range of LG products to its 33 franchise outlets around the country. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
'Semi-outsourced' call centre model may slash local revenues
Dave Paulding, Interactive Intelligence's regional sales manager for UK and Africa, calls for a renewed focus on industry security and management standards if SA is to halt the 'semi-outsourced' call centre trend. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Networking skills shortage creates alarm
Certain parts of the world are facing a serious skills shortage gap in the networking environment, according to Peter Denny, a director of black-empowered IT training company, ITIntellect, who adds that the shortage, in these areas, "might badly hamper future economic growth" in the regions. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
IT contractors in the UK want more money
IT contractors in the UK expect to be paid at least inflationary increases this year - or more - and it appears that it is the same scenario locally, although there is a school of thought in the UK that IT contractors want a pay hike of as much as 10% - 15%. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
Skills shortage continues in local technology industry
SA is facing a serious IT skills deficit, very much in line with the problem faced in the UK - although in the UK jobs are increasingly being lost to outsourcing. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
A critical eye on the glamorous Open Source
Keith Fairhurst, director, EOH Technology Consulting, challenges the open source promise for the enterprise.
Open source remains one of this year's hot IT topics. Last month the government announced the formal adoption of its open source policy and strategy in a cabinet statement declaring that the government would migrate to open source software. [Issue:Two hundred and thirty (9/4/07 - 13/4/07)]
