TechCentral

The world of telephony might not be particularly sexy, but it is an industry that has changed fundamentally in the past 20 years.

And David Meintjes and Rob Lith of Telviva, a South African company specialising in cloud-based unified communications solutions for businesses, has been at the forefront of the technology changes that have swept through the industry in that time.

In this episode of the TechCentral Show, the pair tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the journey from the early days of the business – when it was known as Connection Telecom – to the cloud-based telephony specialist it is today, as Telviva.

In the interview, Meintjes and Lith chat about:

• The evolution of Connection Telecom, its original mission, and how the business evolved into the unified communications as a service (UCaaS) provider it is today;

• How the telephony market in South Africa has changed beyond recognition over the past 20 years; and

• Telviva’s international expansion plans and its strategy around acquisitions.

There’s plenty more in this interview with two ICT industry legends – don’t miss it.

South Africa’s rooftop solar installation industry has a bright future and is on track for its second-best year on record, despite the suspension of load shedding in March.

That’s according to Andrew Middleton, co-founder and CEO of GoSolr, one of South Africa’s largest rooftop solar installation companies, who spoke to TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (TCS) earlier this week.

According to Middleton, citing figures from Eskom, 749MW of rooftop solar capacity has been installed in South Africa this year, taking the total to 5.9GW. Some 162MW of new rooftop solar was added in the third quarter, down 267MW from the same three months in 2023, when load shedding was frequently at stage 4 or higher.

The figures are contained in the latest quarterly report published by GoSolr on the state of the industry.

In his interview with TCS, Middleton unpacks:

• The impact of the suspension of load shedding on the rooftop solar industry;

• What’s driving consumers to consider solar at home today;

• The impact of the adoption of electric vehicles on the demand for home solar – and what sort of solar installation consumers who own or are thinking of buying an EV need to consider;

• The state of play in the municipalities around feed-in tariff structures – an update on Cape Town, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Nelson Mandela Bay and more;

• The future role of embedded generation systems in communities – the way forward and the hurdles that might be encountered; and

• Why government was wrong to withdraw the tax rebate on solar panels and to impose higher taxes on their importation.

Don’t miss this insightful conversation about the state of South Africa’s rooftop solar industry. TechCentral

South Africa’s rooftop solar installation industry has a bright future and is on track for its second-best year on record, despite the suspension of load shedding in March.

That’s according to Andrew Middleton, co-founder and CEO of GoSolr, one of South Africa’s largest rooftop solar installation companies, who spoke to TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (TCS) earlier this week.

According to Middleton, citing figures from Eskom, 749MW of rooftop solar capacity has been installed in South Africa this year, taking the total to 5.9GW. Some 162MW of new rooftop solar was added in the third quarter, down 267MW from the same three months in 2023, when load shedding was frequently at stage 4 or higher.

The figures are contained in the latest quarterly report published by GoSolr on the state of the industry.

In his interview with TCS, Middleton unpacks:

• The impact of the suspension of load shedding on the rooftop solar industry;

• What’s driving consumers to consider solar at home today;

• The impact of the adoption of electric vehicles on the demand for home solar – and what sort of solar installation consumers who own or are thinking of buying an EV need to consider;

• The state of play in the municipalities around feed-in tariff structures – an update on Cape Town, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Nelson Mandela Bay and more;

• The future role of embedded generation systems in communities – the way forward and the hurdles that might be encountered; and

• Why government was wrong to withdraw the tax rebate on solar panels and to impose higher taxes on their importation.

Don’t miss this insightful conversation about the state of South Africa’s rooftop solar industry.

Nasdaq-listed Equinix has completed construction of the first phase of a new data centre in Johannesburg, part of a R7.5-billion commitment to building cloud infrastructure in South Africa and the rest of the continent over the next five years.

The company’s South African MD, Sandile Dube – a former country manager at Hewlett Packard Enterprise and a former executive at Dimension Data (now NTT Data) – tells TechCentral Show host Duncan McLeod about the new Johannesburg data centre, which is located in Isando on the East Rand, and what type of clients it’s hoping to attract.

In the interview, Dube chats about:

• Equinix’s African investment plans and where it intends to build data centre facilities and why;

• The Isando data centre and what it offers;

• The Equinix company and its investment focus – including its investments in West Africa;

• Whether there is an overbuild of data centres taking place in South Africa. Can market demand sustain the level of investment taking place?; and

• How Equinix differentiates itself in an increasingly crowded market.

Don’t miss a great interview! TechCentral

Nasdaq-listed Equinix has completed construction of the first phase of a new data centre in Johannesburg, part of a R7.5-billion commitment to building cloud infrastructure in South Africa and the rest of the continent over the next five years.

The company’s South African MD, Sandile Dube – a former country manager at Hewlett Packard Enterprise and a former executive at Dimension Data (now NTT Data) – tells TechCentral Show host Duncan McLeod about the new Johannesburg data centre, which is located in Isando on the East Rand, and what type of clients it’s hoping to attract.

In the interview, Dube chats about:

• Equinix’s African investment plans and where it intends to build data centre facilities and why;

• The Isando data centre and what it offers;

• The Equinix company and its investment focus – including its investments in West Africa;

• Whether there is an overbuild of data centres taking place in South Africa. Can market demand sustain the level of investment taking place?; and

• How Equinix differentiates itself in an increasingly crowded market.

Don’t miss a great interview!

Lincoln Mali has been at the helm of Lesaka Technologies Southern Africa, a fintech with a sizeable footprint in Southern Africa’s informal markets, since 2021.

One of his main tasks has been to turn the company’s finances around by reigning in business units that were haemorrhaging cash in the past. Lesaka’s latest set of financial results suggests it’s making progress.

In this episode of TechCentral Show, Mali speaks to TechCentral’s Nathi Ndlovu about:

• Lesaka’s latest financial results, breaking down each of the group's key business units;

• The resilience of Lesaka’s loans business;

• The importance of data analytics in driving Lesaka’s merchant lending business;

• The impact of the interest rate cycle on business;

• How the digitisation of cash is progressing in the informal market;

• Lesaka’s acquisition strategy, including the recent blockbuster purchase of Adumo; and

• The rationale behind Lesaka’s primary listing on the Nasdaq in the US (it has a secondary listing on the JSE).

Don’t miss this fast-paced episode of the TechCentral Show. TechCentral

Lincoln Mali has been at the helm of Lesaka Technologies Southern Africa, a fintech with a sizeable footprint in Southern Africa’s informal markets, since 2021.

One of his main tasks has been to turn the company’s finances around by reigning in business units that were haemorrhaging cash in the past. Lesaka’s latest set of financial results suggests it’s making progress.

In this episode of TechCentral Show, Mali speaks to TechCentral’s Nathi Ndlovu about:

• Lesaka’s latest financial results, breaking down each of the group's key business units;

• The resilience of Lesaka’s loans business;

• The importance of data analytics in driving Lesaka’s merchant lending business;

• The impact of the interest rate cycle on business;

• How the digitisation of cash is progressing in the informal market;

• Lesaka’s acquisition strategy, including the recent blockbuster purchase of Adumo; and

• The rationale behind Lesaka’s primary listing on the Nasdaq in the US (it has a secondary listing on the JSE).

Don’t miss this fast-paced episode of the TechCentral Show.

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. TechCentral

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. TechCentral