TCS+

The digitisation of money is helping drive financial inclusion and improve access to complex financial services in South Africa and the rest of the African continent.

In this episode of TCS+, Hannes Wessels, GM for South Africa at Binance, explains the role cryptocurrencies are playing in the digitisation of cash as well as the potential that blockchain technology offers in enhancing the security of digital transactions.

In this episode, Wessels delves into:

• The trends, challenges and opportunities shaping the future of digital banking in South Africa;

• How Binance is capitalising on the growth of mobile banking and other advancements in financial technology;

• Examples of how blockchain technology can enhance transaction security;

• How decentralised finance can make financial services accessible to everyone in Africa; and

• How Binance is contributing to the digital cash revolution.

Don’t miss this exciting episode of TCS+.

In the second part of a three-part interview series with TechCentral’s TCS+, Digicloud Africa executives unpack how African ICT companies can become reseller partners for Google Cloud in Africa.

Digicloud is Google Cloud’s chosen enablement partner for Africa and works closely with the US technology giant to deliver its services across the continent – through a network of resellers.

In this episode of TCS+, Digicloud Africa CEO Gregory MacLennan and head of technical operations Louis van Schalkwyk unpack what’s involved in becoming a reseller partner to Digicloud Africa and Google Cloud.

The two men chat about:

• Digicloud Africa’s role as the African enablement partner for Google Cloud;

• Google Cloud’s go-to-market strategy in Africa and how it works through Digicloud Africa to support a network of resellers across the continent;

• How the relationship between Google Cloud, Digicloud and its resellers partners operate in the context of serving end-user customers;

• How IT companies can sign up to become Google Cloud resellers through Digicloud – the requirements and what’s involved;

• How Digicloud supports specialisation by its reseller partners; and

• The challenge of managing a network of resellers across a continent as vast as Africa.

Don’t miss the interview, or the others in this insightful series with Digicloud Africa.

Digicloud Africa has a big role to play in the African ICT ecosystem as Google Cloud’s enablement partner on the continent.

Two of Digicloud’s top executives recently sat down for an interview with TechCentral’s TCS+ to unpack the business, its relationship with Google, and how it serves its reseller partners and their clients in adopting Google Cloud services.

Gregory MacLennan, Digicloud’s CEO, and Louis van Schalkwyk, the company’s head of technical operations, tell TechCentral about the business and why Google Cloud services are seeing strong demand across Africa.

In this first of a succinct three-part series with Digicloud, MacLennan and Van Schalkwyk discuss:

• The history of Digicloud and how it became Google Cloud’s enablement partner for Africa;

• How the partnership with Google Cloud works, and why Google chooses to work through reseller partners in smaller markets like those in Africa;

• The solutions on offer from Google via Digicloud; and

• How companies can become Google Cloud resellers through Digicloud Africa – and why the company is encouraging more entities to sign up and go through the process of accreditation (and what’s involved).

Don’t miss the interview!

In this episode of TCS+, TechCentral speaks with Jason Oehley and Andre Den Hond, regional sales manager and senior sales engineer, respectively, at Arctic Wolf, a company specialising in cybersecurity operations. They discuss the benefits of partnering with a cybersecurity provider versus building an in-house security operations centre (SOC).

The conversation begins by focusing on the critical role of security operations in ensuring business continuity. Every organisation requires a certain level of security, which can vary based on what employees are doing and what the organisation is focused on. Security operations are about finding the right balance between the actual security level and the required level – enough to be protected but without overspending.

The speakers then explore the challenges of building an in-house SOC. The biggest challenges they see with customers trying to build a SOC are skills shortages, identifying and integrating the right security tools, and a lack of comprehensive visibility across the organisation's attack surface. They find that organisations often struggle to find the right skills and tools, and even if they do, it can be difficult to retain skilled security professionals. Customers also experience alert fatigue from too many alerts from their security tools.

Partnering with a provider like Arctic Wolf can help address these challenges. Arctic Wolf will work and integrate with the customer's existing security tools and team, providing 24/7 monitoring and threat detection. This removes the burden of building and managing an SOC from the customer, allowing them to focus on business risk and strategic security management.

Arctic Wolf’s “concierge delivery model” helps customers continuously improve their security posture through a collaborative, partnership approach. This includes vulnerability management, security awareness training and incident response capabilities. This approach contrasts with a product-centric approach, which the speakers argue is not enough in today’s threat landscape.

The speakers conclude by discussing future trends in cybersecurity. They predict a consolidation in the cybersecurity market, with smaller companies being absorbed by larger ones. They also believe that the threat landscape will become more complex as attackers leverage AI and other advanced techniques. They stress the importance of a proactive and comprehensive approach to security, and the value of partnering with a security provider that can help organisations stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape.

Don’t miss this informative and important discussion!

Networking equipment wholesaler Switchcom Distribution has partnered with Huawei Technologies to bring new offerings to the South African market and elsewhere in Africa.

In this episode of TCS+, Lynton Brits, national sales manager at Switchcom, and Tanki Lebatla, account manager at Huawei, tell TechCentral’s TCS+ business technology show about the partnership and what it means for the market.

In the show, Brits and Lebatla delve into:

• The networking and backup power solutions offered by Switchcom through its partnership with Huawei;

• The training and implementation support Huawei provides to Switchcom and what that means for Switchcom’s reseller clients;

• How the two companies are shoring up the supply chain to ensure that customers have enough stock;

• The guarantees Huawei and Switchcom offer clients on the hardware, as well as the process for swap-outs and replacements; and

• The hardware innovations and capabilities of Huawei’s networking and backup power products.

This interview is not to be missed, especially for builders of networks or owners of large-scale infrastructure that cannot afford to be without power.

In this episode of TCS+, TechCentral speaks to CYBER1 Solutions executives Jayson O’Reilly, the company’s MD, and Akeel Sayed, head of its managed services division, about the benefits and challenges of using a managed security service provider (MSSP).

The conversation starts by discussing the growing complexity of cybersecurity and the financial motivations driving cybercriminals. With the underground economy expanding, MSSPs must constantly adapt to new attack methods. Early adopters of cutting-edge technology may take on higher risks, but they also build knowledge that benefits future clients, reducing their exposure to emerging threats.

The proliferation of security operations centres in South Africa, now numbering more than 30, is driven by skill shortages and the need for assurance. Many organisations still lack visibility into their network environments, which the experts identify as a key issue. Understanding what’s connected to a network and which applications are in use is essential but often overlooked.

MSSPs also help clients manage budget constraints and meet compliance requirements while keeping pace with fast-moving technological change. South Africa is seen as a testing ground for cybercriminals targeting the broader African market. Clients now prefer flexible, short-term investments over long-term contracts due to the evolving threat landscape. The experts stress the importance of MSSPs staying relevant by challenging vendors and adapting their offerings to new threats like artificial intelligence.

A major concern is the lack of governance in many industries, especially those with strict compliance needs. Organisations are realising the need to think like attackers and continuously evolve their defences. AI is highlighted as a significant disruptor, with MSSPs now focused on securing AI algorithms and leveraging AI to enhance security operations.

The podcast discussion compares MSSPs with in-house security teams, noting that MSSPs offer greater agility and a broader range of expertise. In-house teams often face resource constraints and difficulty staying up to date with new technologies. MSSPs, on the other hand, focus on governance and outcomes, allowing businesses to prioritise other critical needs.

The experts underscore the need for collaboration across the cybersecurity industry. MSSPs can share anonymised insights across clients, helping create a unified defence against attackers. Ultimately, MSSPs provide value by evolving their offerings, focusing on outcomes and using collective experience to keep clients secure in an ever-changing threat landscape.

Don’t miss a great discussion.

Hypa Fibre is a fibre internet service provider focused on underserved markets in South Africa’s townships.

John Githinji, national head of sales at Hypa, which is a subsidiary of telecommunications provider Vox, tells TechCentral’s business technology show TCS+ that the company is using its presence in underserved markets to plug gaps beyond internet services.

In this episode of TCS+, Githinji delves into:

• What Hypa is and its relationship with Vox;

• The death and disability benefit Hypa offers free of charge to its paying customers;

• Why Hypa’s customers take advantage of its death benefits instead of opting for a traditional insurance company;

• Who qualifies for Hypa’s death and disability benefit; and

• The costs associated with the offering.

This episode of TCS+ is not to be missed!

Warwick Ward-Cox, chief technical officer at Network Platforms – a wholesale provider specialising in supporting internet service providers and IT managed service providers – is deeply immersed in the plumbing of the South African technology space, currently supporting over a 100 ISPs and MSPs.

Ward-Cox, who has immersed himself in the world of technology for the past 30 years, is the guest in this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+ business technology show, in which he chats about the work that Network Platforms does and how the internet landscape in South Africa has been transformed over the past 10 years.

In this episode, he discusses:

• Network Platforms, what it does and how and why it’s focus has shifted over time;

• What internet infrastructure in South Africa looks like in 2024, including national long-distance fibre and subsea cables;

• Why some terrestrial fibre routes in South Africa are “challenging”, and why submarine cables along the coastline alleviate the problem;

• Why IP transit to ISPs is a critical service;

• Internet peering in South Africa, how it works and why it’s important;

• The outlook for peering; and

• Why ISPs and managed service providers should choose Network Platforms

This is a great conversation about the development and state of the internet in South Africa, what it looks like and where it may be going. Don’t miss it!

Twice yearly, ESET publishes its Threat Report in which it unpacks the latest trends and developments in the world of information security.

Adrian Stanford, group chief technology officer at ESET Southern Africa, is our guest in the latest episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, and he provides a succinct overview of the key trends identified in the latest ESET Threat Report, for the first half of 2024.

Stanford provides a brief overview of the findings before delving into:

• The threat posed by generative AI, including how bad actors are using the technology to break into systems and target victims;

• The rise of deepfakes and the threat they pose, particularly in mobile;

• The threat posed to Linux-based systems – and why there’s a misconception that malware doesn’t target Linux (or macOS); and

• The latest on plug-in malware impacting WordPress-based websites.

Don’t miss this informative discussion about the evolving world of cyberthreats and how they could impact you and your business.

What does it take to build and maintain South Africa’s largest wholesale telecommunications network? Robert Jorge, chief network officer at Openserve, unpacks what is involved in this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+.

In the latest in a five-part series of interviews with Openserve executives – you can find the other episodes in the series here – Jorge shares what is involved in building a modern telecoms network and how the company makes the technology decisions it does.

Jorge unpacks:

• What sets the Openserve network apart from other networks in South Africa;

• What the network looks like – from fibre to the home to national backhaul routes to international subsea cables;

• How Openserve’s network teams measure success – including a look at how the company measures reliability and how it achieves high availability through network design principles;

• The project to remove legacy copper infrastructure – which is outdated, expensive and prone to theft – from the Openserve network;

• The impact of load shedding and load reduction on the company’s infrastructure, and what it has done to cope with unreliable electricity supply; and

• What advances in technology mean for the future of the Openserve network – and what this means for businesses and consumers.

It is a fascinating discussion – do not miss it!