TechCentral

Asokan Moodley is leading Nedbank’s drive into the world of AI – and it is already starting to have a meaningful impact on productivity in the bank.

In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, Moodley – Nedbank Group Technology’s head of end user and communication experience, infrastructure and operations – unpacks what the bank is doing with Copilot for Microsoft 365 and the lessons learnt so far from the deployment of the technology.

Nedbank, which is one of the first organisations in South Africa to deploy Copilot for Microsoft 365, has made the technology available to select employees, including senior management, ahead of a planned wider deployment.

In the interview, Moodley discusses:

• Why Nedbank decided to be a relatively early adopter of Copilot for Microsoft 365;

• Which employees the technology has been deployed to initially and why they were chosen;

• The business challenges the bank is hoping the technology will address;

• The important lessons learnt so far, and how other companies should be approaching their deployments;

• The potential pitfalls of using advanced AI tools in a highly regulated industry like banking;

• The security concerns, and how Nedbank is addressing these; and

• How the bank helped employees embrace AI tools in their day-to-day work, and the feedback they have provided regarding their use of the technology.

Moodley also shares his views on whether AI tools, including Copilot for Microsoft 365, provide a competitive edge in both the short and the long term.

If your organisation is thinking of deploying AI technology to its employees – and especially if it’s considering Copilot for Microsoft 365 – this is a conversation you shouldn’t miss, especially as Moodley shares his views on how leaders in other organisations who have embarked on a similar journey should approach this.

Kartik Mistry, recently appointed head of Standard Bank Connect, believes there is still strong growth ahead for South Africa’s mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) market.

Standard Bank, which recently rebranded its MVNO from Standard Bank Mobile to Standard Bank Connect and shifted its network partner from Cell C to MTN South Africa, has launched a new value proposition in cellular communications for its customers.

TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod is joined by Mistry on the TechCentral Show, where he explains the bank’s decision to partner with MTN and why it decided to engage directly with a mobile network operator rather than working through an “enablement” partner as it had done previously.

Kartik, who has experience in both telecommunications – he has previously served as chief operating officer at Rain – and in banking, talks about the state of the MVNO market in South Africa, where Standard Bank Connect is positioning itself strategically, and why the market might be primed for consolidation.

Don’t miss the discussion! TechCentral

Kartik Mistry, recently appointed head of Standard Bank Connect, believes there is still strong growth ahead for South Africa’s mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) market.

Standard Bank, which recently rebranded its MVNO from Standard Bank Mobile to Standard Bank Connect and shifted its network partner from Cell C to MTN South Africa, has launched a new value proposition in cellular communications for its customers.

TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod is joined by Mistry on the TechCentral Show, where he explains the bank’s decision to partner with MTN and why it decided to engage directly with a mobile network operator rather than working through an “enablement” partner as it had done previously.

Kartik, who has experience in both telecommunications – he has previously served as chief operating officer at Rain – and in banking, talks about the state of the MVNO market in South Africa, where Standard Bank Connect is positioning itself strategically, and why the market might be primed for consolidation.

Don’t miss the discussion!

HP, long been a leader in the technology space, launched the Amplify Partner Program in 2021. The programme has since gone from strength to strength. Through its dynamic nature, it stands out as one of the most powerful partner programmes in the technology space.

In this episode of the TechCentral’s TCS+ series, HP Southern Africa MD Yesh Surjoodeen discusses Amplify in more detail, and explains how it is taking HP partners across the globe to new heights.

Surjoodeen unpacks the origin of the programme along with the latest updates announced in Las Vegas earlier this year at HP’s Amplify Partner Conference.

Additionally, he explains how the programme is helping partners drive AI readiness and technology adoption among customers, alongside empowering partners to make a positive impact in sustainability and environmental awareness.

HP has set itself apart in the way it supports the channel and end-user customers. Watch or listen to the interview with Surjoodeen to learn more about HP’s Amplify Partner Program. TechCentral

HP, long been a leader in the technology space, launched the Amplify Partner Program in 2021. The programme has since gone from strength to strength. Through its dynamic nature, it stands out as one of the most powerful partner programmes in the technology space.

In this episode of the TechCentral’s TCS+ series, HP Southern Africa MD Yesh Surjoodeen discusses Amplify in more detail, and explains how it is taking HP partners across the globe to new heights.

Surjoodeen unpacks the origin of the programme along with the latest updates announced in Las Vegas earlier this year at HP’s Amplify Partner Conference.

Additionally, he explains how the programme is helping partners drive AI readiness and technology adoption among customers, alongside empowering partners to make a positive impact in sustainability and environmental awareness.

HP has set itself apart in the way it supports the channel and end-user customers. Watch or listen to the interview with Surjoodeen to learn more about HP’s Amplify Partner Program.

The big developer conferences by Microsoft, Google and Apple this year all focused on artificial intelligence, with each setting out a unique strategy to win in the AI race.

But what did Microsoft’s Build, Google’s I/O and Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference tell us about each company’s strategy, and which company is leading in the race to commercialise generative AI?

Dean Furman, a South African AI expert and keynote speaker, joins TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show (TCS) to unpack the companies’ keynote presentations and what they tell us not only about their strategies but also where the technology is headed in the coming years.

Furman, who also provides training on AI to corporate South Africa, chats about what the latest developments mean for businesses and consumers, and dives into what the technology means for productivity.

Alan Kemp, director at Iris Network Systems, has a long history in South Africa’s internet service provider industry. So, he knows all too well how load shedding can play havoc with internet and telecommunications networks, and the teams employed to ensure their smooth functioning.

Iris Network Systems is a specialist South African service provider that specialises in network monitoring and management, with a historical focus on ISPs and operators, and currently entering the Enterprise market. Being in this space in South Africa presents several real challenges, not least of them dealing with the chaos caused by Eskom’s rolling power cuts.

In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+ business technology show, Kemp tells Duncan McLeod about the impact of load shedding on networking monitoring and management, and the solution Iris has developed to lessen the aggravation caused to network support teams.

Kemp unpacks how Iris assists companies impacted by load shedding as well as the company’s full solution set.

If you’re an ISP or network operator, you’ll not want to miss this discussion. TechCentral

Alan Kemp, director at Iris Network Systems, has a long history in South Africa’s internet service provider industry. So, he knows all too well how load shedding can play havoc with internet and telecommunications networks, and the teams employed to ensure their smooth functioning.

Iris Network Systems is a specialist South African service provider that specialises in network monitoring and management, with a historical focus on ISPs and operators, and currently entering the Enterprise market. Being in this space in South Africa presents several real challenges, not least of them dealing with the chaos caused by Eskom’s rolling power cuts.

In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+ business technology show, Kemp tells Duncan McLeod about the impact of load shedding on networking monitoring and management, and the solution Iris has developed to lessen the aggravation caused to network support teams.

Kemp unpacks how Iris assists companies impacted by load shedding as well as the company’s full solution set.

If you’re an ISP or network operator, you’ll not want to miss this discussion.

Promoted | Check Point’s Rudi van Rooyen explains why cloud security is not as straightforward as organisations might assume.

The software security landscape is in a constant state of flux.

According to research undertaken by Check Point Software Technologies – an AI-powered, cloud-delivered cybersecurity platform provider protecting over 100 000 organisations worldwide – African organisations have been attacked on average 2 508 times a week in the last six months. This compares to 1 379 per organisation globally.

Some 70% of malicious files impacting African organisations were delivered via e-mail in the last 30 days, while the most common vulnerability exploit type is “information disclosure”, impacting 75% of organisations.

The race is therefore on between threat actors looking to exploit organisations and cybersecurity experts who protect sensitive organisational data.

In this episode of TCS+, Rudi van Rooyen, security engineer at Check Point Software Africa, offers a deep dive into the ins and outs of software system security for organisations of any size.

Van Rooyen unpacks:

• Why cloud migration is not a cure-all for software security issues in an organisation, and how security in a cloud setting should be approached.

• How Check Point manages to maintain a prevention-first approach to cybersecurity despite new types of attacks being developed daily.

• How AI is helping the chief information security officer cope with skills shortages and overwork by simplifying security operations.

• How Check Point’s virtual CISO function assists security leads in addressing their cybersecurity concerns.

• Insights into how much cybercrime impacts the South African economy.

• What Check Point recommends organisations do to better protect themselves against cybercriminals.

Insightful, important and sometimes technical, this discussion is critical for any information security expert or business owner looking to better protect their enterprise against cyber threats.

* This promoted content was paid for by the party concerned TechCentral

Promoted | Check Point’s Rudi van Rooyen explains why cloud security is not as straightforward as organisations might assume.

The software security landscape is in a constant state of flux.

According to research undertaken by Check Point Software Technologies – an AI-powered, cloud-delivered cybersecurity platform provider protecting over 100 000 organisations worldwide – African organisations have been attacked on average 2 508 times a week in the last six months. This compares to 1 379 per organisation globally.

Some 70% of malicious files impacting African organisations were delivered via e-mail in the last 30 days, while the most common vulnerability exploit type is “information disclosure”, impacting 75% of organisations.

The race is therefore on between threat actors looking to exploit organisations and cybersecurity experts who protect sensitive organisational data.

In this episode of TCS+, Rudi van Rooyen, security engineer at Check Point Software Africa, offers a deep dive into the ins and outs of software system security for organisations of any size.

Van Rooyen unpacks:

• Why cloud migration is not a cure-all for software security issues in an organisation, and how security in a cloud setting should be approached.

• How Check Point manages to maintain a prevention-first approach to cybersecurity despite new types of attacks being developed daily.

• How AI is helping the chief information security officer cope with skills shortages and overwork by simplifying security operations.

• How Check Point’s virtual CISO function assists security leads in addressing their cybersecurity concerns.

• Insights into how much cybercrime impacts the South African economy.

• What Check Point recommends organisations do to better protect themselves against cybercriminals.

Insightful, important and sometimes technical, this discussion is critical for any information security expert or business owner looking to better protect their enterprise against cyber threats.