Pontsho Ramontsha
The Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) is hosting a colloquium on 20 and 21 October to discuss the implications of the changes to the telecommunications industry announced by the Minister of Communications on 3 September.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Vodacom to announce 3G launch date
Vodacom will announce the launch date of its 3G network at the Sandton Convention Centre on the 9th of November. Vodacom will also, for the first time, run a public 3G demonstration at a location outside of its offices at Vodaworld.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Altron revenue shows growth
Altron has reported a growth of 18% in revenue, 35% in operating income and 10% in headline earnings per share for the six months to 31 August 2004.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Capitec Bank, MasterCard pilot pre-authorised EMV debit card
Capitec Bank and MasterCard Southern Africa today announced a pilot of pre-authorised debit card based on the EMV standard, in the Qwa-Qwa town of Phuthadjitjaba in the Free State province. The new debit card is said to be specifically designed to provide a straightforward, low-cost banking product with easy access to the mass market.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
ICT Awards finalists announced
The finalists for the African ICT Achievers Awards have been announced, with a good mixture of public and private sector finalists from across Africa, says Jane Mosebi, MD of ForgeAhead.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Cornastone wins CT technical support centre tender
Black-owned and managed enterprise solutions integration company, Cornastone, has been awarded the tender for the City of Cape Town enterprise resource planning (ERP) technical architecture support centre project.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
UCS Solutions and avision in IP partnership
UCS Solutions, a local provider of technology and business solutions to the retail sector, has formed an intellectual property partnership with avision, the technology services arm of AVI.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Drive-by hacking problem growing
The ability to connect to someone else's wireless network is proving just too tempting for a growing number of 'wireless network enthusiasts', to the point that it is becoming a sport known as 'War driving' or 'Drive-by hacking'. IS Digital Networks MD, Barry Cribb, says via wireless, a drive-by hacker can plant a virus or Trojan horse application onto a network, and, even more concerning, use that network to attack other organisations.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
MasterCard advances Africa's smart card adoption
MasterCard International today launched its OneSMART MasterCard programme for Africa at a smart card exhibition at the Sandton Convention Centre.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Attix5 powers Tiscali backup drive
Internet service provider, Tiscali, has announced a 12-month licensing agreement with remote back-up and retrieval specialist, Attix5. The deal reportedly aims to bring force to the ISP's continuing drive to add value to its subscriber base.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Worldwide semiconductor capital equipment spending on pace to grow
Worldwide capital equipment spending is set to grow by 66% in 2004. However, despite this strong growth, the industry will begin to experience a downward cycle in 2005, according to Gartner. Capital equipment spending in 2005 is projected to decline by 0,6%.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Didata and Ispat Iscor sign multi-million Rand outsourcing deal
African steel producer, Ispat Iscor, recently signed a three-year network outsourcing contract with Dimension Data. The deal will result in Didata providing an outsourced network management solution to 19 sites across SA.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
New laws must be passed to combat rise of counterfeit reality
While digital media presents companies with new options for handling information, it also allows unscrupulous entities to create an entire world of digital forgeries that will become virtually impossible to detect through casual inspection. Digital media has created new possibilities in counterfeit reality, with many images no longer easily certified as real.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Standard Bank aims to improve card risk management
Standard Bank has selected the Fair Isaac Corporation's Triad account management system to replace its existing credit card risk management software. Triad has become the global standard account strategy solution for consumer credit grantors, says local distributor PIC Solutions.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Data warehouse and design cause to be held soon
Data Warehouse and ETL practitioners will have the opportunity to learn the latest techniques in the information integration field. Lawrence Corr and Joe Caserta, together with other international guests, will hold a Data Warehouse Design and Development Master Class at the Sunninghill Auditorium, Johannesburg, from 15-19 November.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
DataPro's private placement results out
Telecommunications company and ISP, DataPro - which is to list on Altx on October 18th - released the results of its private placement today. Says James Herbst, the director responsible for corporate finance: "Of the ordinary shares available in terms of the private placement, subscriptions were received for shares, resulting in an over-subscription rate of 2,49 times."
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Quality customer service through Video Quality Assurance
MultiChoice says that from now on, it will ensure that all interaction between its customers and front-line staff will be video recorded. According to the company's Customer Care Manager for the Randburg branch, Zonke Gama, Video Quality Assurance (QA) is a new form of quality assurance used by MultiChoice for its front-line service providers.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
New business development manager for Faritec
Faritec, a black-empowered managed services company, today announced that Mzilikazi Ndhlovu has been appointed Enterprise business development manager for its public sector division. Ndhlovu will be responsible for promoting Faritec's brand awareness and growth within the public sector.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Knowledge Focus logs The Block
Information asset management solution provider, Knowledge Focus, has developed a video logging and retrieval system for M-Net's latest reality show, The Block. The system is designed to capture, digitise and catalogue more than 650 hours of video footage recorded during the series.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Global Vision gets Foschini contract
SA retailer, the Foschini Group, has outsourced a software development project to Cape-based software innovator, Global Vision. The new solution will enhance the retailer's ability to monitor the movement of the over 400 000 items of merchandise which are returned to a central warehouse each year.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Cost of UK health ICT project jumps by tens of billions
Laura Rohde, IDG News Service (London Bureau)
The price tag for upgrading the ICT infrastructure of the UK National Health Service (NHS) could be three to five times higher than the original estimate when the project - billed as the world's largest ICT project - was launched two years ago.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Microsoft hopes to settle
Scarlet Pruitt IDG News Service (London Bureau)
Microsoft Corp. still hopes to settle with the European Commission over the sanctions ordered against it to correct its anticompetitive behavior, even as its appeal of the case winds its way through the legal channels, a senior company executive said today.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Microsoft's Halo 2 leaked to Internet
GamePro staff, GamePro
Microsoft has confirmed that a pirated copy of Halo 2 for Xbox in the PAL video format and French language started circulating on the Internet late Wednesday night, over newsgroups and piracy sites. It was supposedly leaked from a European manufacturing plant used to press game discs, and the company is threatening severe action against those making the game available for download.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Novell to defend open source software with patents
Robert McMillan, IDG News Service (San Francisco Bureau)
Novell is prepared to use its portfolio of US software patents to protect the open source software it ships against patent lawsuits, the company says in statements posted to the Novell.com Web site, and in an e-mail sent to customers.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
EU asks countries to justify using Intel chips
Simon Taylor, IDG News Service (Brussels Bureau)
The European Commission has asked four European Union (EU) countries on Wednesday to justify why they favour Intel processors in computers for public authorities. The commission has asked France, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden for information on why invitations for tenders to supply computers for public authorities specified they should contain Intel or equivalent microprocessors, or processors using a specific clock rate.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Supreme Court passes on RIAA, network-sharing cases
Tom Krazit, IDG News Service (San Francisco Bureau)
The US Supreme Court declined Tuesday to hear appeals in two cases concerning the right of the entertainment industry to subpoena file-traders, and whether telecommunication companies have to share their networks with start-up competitors.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
HP could make more of Compaq acquisition, CEO says
Sumner Lemon, IDG News Service (Taipei Bureau)
More than two years after completing its buy-out of rival, Compaq Computer, Hewlett-Packard has not done enough to take full advantage of the acquisition, according to HP's chairman and CEO. "We are not fully leveraging what we built," said Carly Fiorina, HP's chairman and CEO, during a speech in Taipei on Friday.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Woolworths standardises BI and reporting platform
Siobhan McBride, Computerworld Today (Australia)
Retailer Woolworths is standardising the platform for its corporate-wide business reporting and query analysis procedures. This move follows the supermarket chain's first phase of consolidating its business reporting functions to achieve further efficiencies from its supply chain.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
SGI launches Linux-based visual computer line
Robert McMillan IDG News Service (San Francisco Bureau)
Silicon Graphics Inc. (SGI) today launched the successor line to its Onyx visualization systems. Called Prism, the systems are reportedly based on Intel Corp.'s Itanium 2 processor and the Linux operating system.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Sony says PSP launch on track
GamePro staff, GamePro
According to an interview in Japanese gaming publication Famitsu, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCEI) CTO, Masa Chatani, has reassured consumers that the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) is on track for an end of year release in Japan, and a first quarter 2005 debut worldwide.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
SAP to increase focus on business intelligence software
John Blau, IDG News Service (Dusseldorf Bureau)
SAP AG plans to expand its focus on business intelligence (BI) software over the next year. "BI software is an area in which we aim to expand in 2005," says SAP spokesman, Markus Berner. "We already have an offering in this space and substantial expertise, but we want to increase our focus. We are planning to devote around 100 people to this effort."
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
CA adds anti-virus, anti-spyware to Cisco NAC programme
Paul Roberts, IDG News Service (Boston Bureau)
Computer Associates International (CA) said on Wednesday that it was joining a Cisco Systems programme to harden enterprise networks against attacks by enforcing security policies on computer hosts that attempt to access network resources.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Microsoft pushes out seven critical security fixes
Paul Roberts, IDG News Service (Boston Bureau)
Microsoft on Tuesday released 10 software security patches for its products, including seven that it deemed critical and that could allow remote attackers to take control of systems running the company's software. The software maker advised customers to download and install critical patches for a wide range of products as soon as possible, including its Windows operating system, Exchange e-mail server and Microsoft Office productivity software.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Sun releases JDS for Solaris
Robert McMillan, IDG News Service (San Francisco Bureau)
Sun Microsystems last week quietly released a version of its Java Desktop System (JDS) software, which is based on the Solaris x86 operating system, a move the company is calling the first step in a long-term strategy to unify the user interface for Sun's Linux and Solaris products.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
3Com launches set of products for IP telephony
Matt Hamblen, Computerworld (US online)
3Com announced a set of products last week designed to help companies converge voice and data networks onto the Internet Protocol, including a new version of an enterprise-class IP voice module that runs on Linux-based servers. The voice module revision, the 3Com VCX 5.0 IP Telephony module, is designed for operations with more than 400 users, 3Com officials say.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Audiovisual market moving to wireless
Trevor Blows, ETA Audiovisual sales director
The audiovisual market, incorporating presentation equipment such as projectors and video conferencing equipment, is moving to full wireless connectivity. Within the next twelve to 24 months all new equipment will comply with the 802.11B Wi-Fi standard, the mobile wireless protocol.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
ACT! Professional announced
Sage, a provider of accounting and customer-centric software for small and mid-market businesses, has announced ACT! Professional, which is distributed locally by GBS Distribution, through a nationwide network of resellers and a community of ACT! certified consultants, and which is said to represent a significant evolution of the software, with more than 50 new product features and hundreds of usability enhancements.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
CA offers (ISC)2's CISSP review seminars, examinations
The International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2, a non-profit international organisation, which is in its 15th year of educating, qualifying and certifying information security professionals worldwide, today announced that Computer Associates International (CA) is offering review seminars and examinations for the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification to its staff and customers.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
BMC Software delivers Patrol for SAP Enterprise Portal
BMC Software has announced the delivery of Patrol for SAP Enterprise Portal (SAP EP), which aims to provide customers with advanced service level and availability management for their SAP Enterprise Portal-based environment.SAP Enterprise Portal is designed to unify enterprise information and applications and provides a personalised, secure user interface. Because it relies on information from a variety of sources, management of the SAP Enterprise Portal-based environment is critical to optimising the customer experience, the company says.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
FSC launches new Lifebook
Fujitsu Siemens Computers has introduced the world's first convertible notebook with a modular bay that weighs less than 2 kg, it says. The ultra-portable Lifebook T4010 allows meetings to be held virtually anywhere. With a second battery, it can operate without recharging for up to 8.5 hours. Simply turn the display, and the notebook is transformed into a tablet PC.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
The high price of counterfeit products
ICT World exclusive
Although the pressure on ICT budgets has begun to ease, customers are still demanding 'more bang for their buck'. When a branded product suddenly drops in price, it might seem like a windfall for both customer and reseller alike, yet the initial saving achieved can result in a much more expensive exercise, not to mention the cost of a tarnished reputation. Unfortunately what customers are reluctant to believe is that the bargain they have just bought may be a counterfeit product.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Oracle unveils planning and budgeting application
Ephraim Schwartz, InfoWorld (US online)
This week Oracle added a planning and budgeting solution, Oracle Enterprise Planning and Budgeting (EPB), to its enterprise application offerings. The application will, over time, replace the current Financial Analyzer and Sales Analyzer.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Gigabyte bundles games with new graphics accelerators
Gigabyte Technology, together with official local distributor, Rectron, has introduced two games, Thief: Deadly Shadows from Eidos, and Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising from NovaLogic, which are bundled with selected nVidia-based and ATi-based graphics accelerators. nVidia's GeForce 6800, FX 5900, FX 5700, PCX 5900, PCX 5750 series, and ATi's X800, X600, X300 series graphics accelerator cards now all feature the abovementioned games, at no extra cost.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
IBM launches top-end Power5 servers
David Legard, IDG News Service (Australia Bureau)
IBM has filled out the top end of its eServer range, with three multiple-processor systems aimed at data centres and large enterprise clients, the company announced today. The p5-595 and i5-595 systems can incorporate up to 64 Power5 processors and the p5-590 up to 32, according to IBM, enabling users to run up to 250 virtual servers off each machine.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
CA offers measured workload pricing across mainframe
Computer Associates International recently announced the availability of measured workload pricing for the company's comprehensive portfolio of mainframe management software products. This is said to be a combination of usage-based pricing and best practices management capabilities, which aims to enable CA customers to maximise the performance of their data centre investments.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
New FC SAN from Tarsus
Tarsus Technologies has announced the availability of a new Fibre Channel SAN attached 2U controller shelf from HP. The new controller shelf connects to HP StorageWorks Serial ATA (Sata) and/or SCSI disk enclosures, Tarsus says.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Peribit Networks, the global vendor of WAN bandwidth optimisation products, has joined EMC's Network-Attached Storage (NAS) Partner Programme, which is designed to enable joint customers to deploy data replication and remote backups across their existing wide area network links with greater flexibility, efficiency and reliability.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Africa - the time is now
Michael Leeuwen, director, PM Tech Holdings
Today, many of our locally developed products are on a par with, if not better than, other foreign offerings. One of the key reasons is that they are developed and produced with the African market in mind. Indeed, these products offer robustness and easy installation, which is critical when dealing with countries that do not necessarily have the skills to successfully deploy them. And, from a hardware point of view, one might even be faced with power supply issues as well.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Cisco introduces new global specialisation
Cisco Systems has unveiled the Cisco Security Virtual Private Network (VPN)/Firewall Express specialisation, designed for channel partners who sell into SMEs and support Cisco's Self Defending Network strategy, which aims to provide an integrated approach to help customers identify, prevent and adapt to security threats associated with their network. The new express specialisation is designed to help channel partners grow revenue and differentiate themselves from competitors.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Esquire makes life easier for the smaller computer dealers
Esquire Technologies says that it is making it easier for the small-to-medium-sized enterprises, specifically BEE operations, to get started and build up a business. Esquire has developed several strategies to assist the SME enterprise - these include Internet-based payments at their premises, competitive pricing, and immediate availability of stock, as well as no queuing.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Channel academy reinforces IBM
In a programme designed to strengthen the technical and sales abilities of its business partners, the recent Channel Academy run by IBM SA has further reinforced the company's commitment to focus on channel enablement across the country, the company says.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
"Software channel must adapt or die"
While the software market is undoubtedly one of the most lucrative markets for vendors, their sales channels seem to hitting a bit of a snag. The era of online licensing and software downloads is changing the way in which some channels operate in this space, even threatening the very existence of software sales channels.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
The offshore outsourcing market will continue to grow nearly 20% annually through 2008, says Meta Group, a provider of ICT research, advisory services, and strategic consulting. In a METAspectrum report on the offshore outsourcing market, recently released at its Outsourcing 2004 Conference & Technology Showcase in San Francisco, the group reports that offshore growth will continue to exceed outsourcing generally. By 2005/06, most ICT organisations will have an "offshore" strategy, despite current efforts of domestic vendors to position "portfolio optimisation" as an alternative global approach.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
IT asset management solution, a significant value for enterprise
Asset lifecycle management creates significant value for an enterprise by reducing the total cost of ownership of the assets, and by increasing asset productivity. On average, enterprises realise a 15 to 20% reduction in the total cost of asset management, while experiencing a 15 to 20% increase in productivity.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Adopt multi-phased ICT security approach
Andrew Wilson, security specialist at DVT
Regular patches for Microsoft operating systems are a fact of corporate life for every company with Windows desktops and servers. Hardly a week passes without yet another discovery of a Windows or Internet Explorer security hole, that lets people with malicious intent wreak havoc on someone else's hard drive or network.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Sam's Soapbox: On a downhill run...
A little birdie tells me that a large number of the issues around the ICT BEE Charter were resolved in meetings held yesterday between various stakeholders and the ICT Charter Working Group.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Sam's Soapbox: More discussions...
I am beginning to think, what with all the 'discussion forums' that we have been having lately, that it must be really hard for anyone in this industry to actually get any work done...
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Mixed bag & nuts
Nicolas Callegari
I went through to the Audio Visual Exhibition at Sandton Convention Centre today, but the show was not that great. In fact, it was very disappointing, but I did find something very interesting, which I hope we will see a lot more of in the future.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Mixed bag & nuts
Nicolas Callegari
Welcome back from the weekend. I trust everyone is well rested and ready to take the horns by the bull (that is what he wants to say - sub-editor) this week?
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
Pontsho's pitch
The buzz word these days seems to be security, security, security. And the threat is not just confined to PCs, cellular networks and handsets have been getting their fair share of problems.
[Issue:One Hundred and Ten (11/10/04-15/10/04)]
