Business Day Focus 4.0 2023 by business_essentials

FOCUS 4.0 Future proof your business through digital transformation The new rules for Survival, Innovation and Growth

New threat vectors require a different type of coordinated security response Cyber crime is forecast to cost the global economy $10.5 trillion by 2025*. New threats emerge every seven seconds. Protecting your business and your data requires a different approach to security. BCX Secure can help. *Source: Cybersecurity Ventures

www.bcx.co.za Our most important customer, is yours.

Editor’s Letter Dear Colleagues,

Just two years ago, digital transformation was simply a buzzword that many CEOs glossed over – something to look at in the future. Then Covid-19 happened, and suddenly digital transformation was on everybody’s lips. There was no gentle transition to remote working, online meetings and the like. To survive, companies needed to immediately transform to digital. Those who had embraced digital transformation before the Covid-19 pandemic were able to adapt. But there were many companies out there who had no idea on the first steps to take to accommodate remote workers, secure their online communications and host meetings on Zoom, Google Meet and the like. How to run a business remotely has been a challenge for everyone. Success has required buy-in from employees at every level of an organisation. Businesses have had to pivot to stay relevant and adopt new ways of doing business. Even those business owners who had implemented a

digital transformation strategy suddenly had to cope with managing employees remotely, which brought its own set of challenges. And everyone is still trying to navigate this new digital environment to find the ideal solution. A successful digital transformation strategy in this ‘new normal’ is only possible by taking an employee-centric approach. In this work-from-home era, soft skills are critical for employees, who need to be customer-centric more than ever before. For our country to succeed, we need to collaborate, upskill our employees, and take advantage of the opportunities provided by digital transformation to build an inclusive economy in South Africa. Regards

Cold Press Media Director: Jennifer Potter

Business Day Focus 4.0 is published by Cold Press Media (Pty) Ltd for Arena Holdings (Pty) Ltd. Copyright ©: Cold Press Media and Arena Holdings 2020. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without prior permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Board of Management of Arena Holdings (Pty) Ltd. All correspondence about Business Day Focus 4.0 should be directed to Cold Press Media.

Thought Leadership Index 8 10 11 13 14 15 20 23 28 32

Cybersecurity resilience ensures business continuity

34 38 40 44 48

Digital Transformation: How to futureproof your business success

49 54 55

Empowering a nation starts with empowering blue-collar workers

58 59

Building the virtuous health cycle: diagnostics capacity building

Six things SMEs should consider when selecting a cloud provider The unseen challenges of an overlooked market The economy of security The edge of creativity in business A data-first strategy builds business resilience in the digital disruption era Digital transformation, the African way: closing the digital divide Enabling youth with 4IR skills is an investment in our economy SA’s digital skills shortage is an untapped industry Transforming the customer-centric business through innovation, data, and analytics Digital transformation helps to build a data-centric culture FinTech and financial inclusion for the unbanked and underbanked in Africa Kubernetes is fundamentally changing IT and Modern Data Protection Continuous innovation and digital transformation are essential to business success The digital economy delivers jobs and accelerates SME development Data insights can prepare organisations for future roles and identify transferable skills Digital Ad Fraud: Turning the tide with FouAnalytics

CONTENTS

COMMS

BCX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC, 3, 10, 12, 13, 14, OBC IT SERVICES

Logicalis SA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,8 FINANCE

Cliquefin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,11 STRATEGIC MARKETING

Datacentrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15, 16, 17 EDUCATION

Johannesburg Business School . . . . . . . . . ........18, 20, 21, 25 Snapplify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 MICT SETA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 23 University of the Free State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Liberty2degrees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26, 27, 38 Altron Karabina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 ENTERPRISE SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT

Accenture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 29 SUPPLY CHAIN DEVELOPMENT

Blue Yonder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 31 DIGITAL SOLUTIONS

SAS Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32, 33 Cloudsmiths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34, 35 Take Note IT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Digital Tribe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS

Bigen Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40, 41 SOFTWARE

Sybrin SA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46, 47, 48 Veeam Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43, 44, 45 DIGITAL

Vulatel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49, 50, 51 Takealot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52, 53, 54 Pnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55, 56, 57 HEALTH

Roche Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58, 60, 61 ENTERTAINMENT

MultiChoice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62, 63 LEGAL

Werksman Attorneys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64, 65

TH O UG H T L E A D E R S HI P

Cybersecurity resilience ensures business continuity By Doctor Mafuwafuwane, Logicalis Practice Manager: Security Solutions & Strategy

he Fourth Industrial era is about converting technological trends such as big data analytics and artificial intelligence into outcomes such as greater employee productivity, more efficient processes and enhanced customer service delivery. However, the promise of the Fourth Industrial era will only be realised if organisations have sufficient cybersecurity measures in place. And this is proving difficult in the face of an unrelenting wave of cyberattacks. According to Interpol’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report, published in October 2021, South Africa experienced 230 million cyberattacks between January 2020 and February 2021 alone. Consequently, organisations are shifting their cybersecurity focus away from simply keeping criminals out of the company’s network. There is a greater focus on cyber resilience - ensuring the business continues to operate and function even in the event of a cyberattack. To remain cyber resilient means organisations must prevent, detect, contain, and recover from cybersecurity threats. This can be achieved by

You have to ensure that adequate security monitoring for the organisation is extended to the perimeter and assess endpoint protection for devices that access the organisation’s network. 8

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the ability to respond assertively to a cyber incident. A cyber resilience programme depends on persistent network and information systems monitoring to detect anomalies and potential cybersecurity incidents before they can cause any significant damage. Also important is building a comprehensive incident response plan, constructing governance and assurance capabilities, implementing a user-awareness programme, adopting a zero-trust model to control access to sensitive data, and capacitating a secure workforce.

Doctor Mafuwafuwane Logicalis Practice Manager periodically assessing the business’s cybersecurity plans, policies, and procedures, to ensure cybersecurity programmes are fit for purpose and ready for use in the event of an attack. A key to building a sustainable cyber resilience environment is deploying risk-appropriate information security measures - relying on people, processes, and technology to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of your information assets, business processes and infrastructure. You have to ensure that adequate security monitoring for the organisation is extended to the perimeter and assess endpoint protection for devices that access the organisation’s network. You should also reduce the risk of Shadow IT, safely adopt licensed software and cloud collaborative tools, and implement comprehensive policies and measures to prevent data loss. The safeguarding of digital assets relies on the active detection of malicious indicators and

It’s essential to obtain expert advice when developing your business continuity plan and building team response expertise. An incident response management programme and business continuity measures will help keep the business operational even if it has experienced a cyberattack and enable your organisation to get back to business as usual as quickly as possible. Cyber resilience also depends on continuous improvement and adapting to change. Maintaining and updating a cybersecurity improvement programme is essential to risk mitigation. Ensure that the programme is overseen by senior management and aligns with the broader business objectives. Up-to-the-minute cyberthreats such as phishing seek to target key employees, resulting in increased business downtime, financial losses and reputational damage. Train employees to deal with emerging threats and the most prevalent forms of social engineering. Traditional cybersecurity measures are insufficient in staving off the wave of cyberthreats in the Fourth Industrial era. By shifting the focus to cyber resilience, organisations can minimise the impact of a breach and address it more quickly.

We build and invest in social impact platforms and businesses to financially empower communities.

Access the mass consumer market. Reach, engage, and transact with more than 30 million consumers across the country through our platforms and aggregated footprint.

Our Traction Aggregated Network

+150,000 STORES Accessing

+30 MILLION CONSUMERS Creating a digital world for all.

Active Consumers

We’re a technology investment company moving at the speed of life to drive financial inclusion for the mass market. Our evolving collection of innovative platforms and strategic collaborations are geared toward including the mass market in the digital economy.

Growing at a rate of

We harness our technology, rich consumer insights, and ubiquitous network to digitise key life occasions, creating access to payment, savings, investment, insurance, and medical platforms as well as communication solutions and other B2B products.

+2 MILLION

+3,000 EVERYDAY

Let’s Collaborate info@cliquefin.com Find us on

cliquefin.com

Our Investments

TH O UG H T L E A D E R S HI P

Six things SMEs should consider when selecting a cloud provider By Renette Lombard, Managing Executive, Midmarket CSO at BCX

he cloud is, undoubtedly, the best way for a startup or small business to access all the IT infrastructure and enterprise-grade tools they need without having to invest heavily upfront. However, the cloud is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. While South Africa now has a wealth of excellent cloud options available, it is important to ensure that the cloud service providers, specific solutions, and support agreements you choose align 100% with your business’s needs and budget.

Here are six key factors to consider when selecting cloud services for your business: Costs - Cloud costs can escalate alarmingly if not carefully planned and managed. It is important to determine what cloud resources you’ll need and how you will be billed. You’ll also need to consider whether public, private or hybrid cloud is the most cost-effective for you and whether it makes sense to move all or some of your data and workloads to the cloud. Cloud service providers typically offer a range of products, which can be billed by time, gigabytes, executions or instances. Some offer volume discounts, while others provide free tiers. If comparing the options proves daunting, an expert cloud partner can help you analyse your needs and select the right services to meet them.

the provider’s certifications, regional footprint, redundancy and resilience, guaranteed uptime, and levels of support. With load shedding an ongoing concern in South Africa, the service provider should offer data centres with resilient power and backup. Disaster recovery and backup - Service providers’ backup and disaster recovery provisions and processes differ: consider their testing, recovery-time objectives, SLAs and exclusions to ensure these meet your business’s specific needs.

Governance and compliance - It is vital to ensure that the cloud service provider you choose aligns with best practices in data protection and cross-border data flows. If data sovereignty is a concern, check that the provider is present in-country and will retain your data in the country.

Tools and features - Hyperscalers such as Azure, Google, Alibaba, Huawei and AWS offer tools and features to enable integration and migration of existing business tools into the cloud, as well as ever-growing ecosystems of value-adds. When selecting a cloud service provider, look at the products on offer, such as developer tools, AI and machine learning, analytics, web and mobile apps, API management, dashboards and security.

Standards and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) - If you’re entrusting mission-critical systems and data to a cloud service provider, you will need the assurance that they offer best practice security, standards and SLAs. Consider

Exit provisions - It is also essential to consider how you will exit the agreement if you choose to. Consider the level of vendor lock-in and the possible complexities of moving from the service provider, before taking the leap.

Renette Lombard

When selecting a cloud service provider, look at the products on offer such as developer tools, AI and machine learning, analytics, web and mobile apps, API management, dashboards and security.

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T H O UG H T LEADERS H I P

The unseen challenges of an overlooked market By Tony Reddy, CliqueFin CEO

s the world continues to advance, so does the technology we use. However, there is one fundamental problem. If technology progresses faster than those who are meant to use it, a disconnect occurs. Many businesses strive to bring faster solutions that advance at the speed of light. To be relevant, we need solutions that advance at the speed of life.

for South Africans who choose to use cash. Accessing basic services costs more for those who already don’t have much. For those who live in the city, paying your electricity, satellite television bills, or ordering groceries can be done on apps.

Modelled after the silicon valley giants, most South African FinTech solutions make it impossible for the cash customer to participate. You still find disclaimers about delivery in outlying areas being billed differently. Businesses have normalised the idea that consumers should adapt to them, rather than businesses offering solutions that adapt to the consumer.

South Africa is an emerging market where the majority of its population prefers using cash. Multiple initiatives by banks and telecommunications companies with low-cost bank accounts and wallets have not seen meaningful adoption by this market. The biggest issue for cash-using customers is their exclusion from the digital economy. They can’t take advantage of the benefits that e-commerce offers, so every transaction is laden with unseen costs such as travel and risk. They are also excluded from first-tier investments and healthcare products. Only 15% of South Africans have medical aid. In addition, it is difficult for a cash customer to acquire household assets because credit is difficult and expensive to access. Lay-by is the current method for most of the population to access

Tony Reddy, CliqueFin CEO

high-value items but requires a commitment to large monthly payments. Preferring to use cash should not alienate or disadvantage already disadvantaged communities. Life has become even more expensive

CliqueFin financially empowers communities by building and investing in social impact platforms and businesses. These evolving and innovative platforms and strategic collaborations are geared toward including the mass market in the digital economy. The company harnesses its technology, rich consumer insights, and ubiquitous network to digitise key life occasions, creating access to payment, financial planning, investment, communication solutions and other businessto-business products to drive financial inclusion.

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Reimagine Growth BCX, a subsidiary within Telkom Group, is one of Africa’s largest system integrators and digital transformation partner for enterprises and public sector organisations across various industries within South Africa, SADC, and the UK. For over 40 years, BCX has delivered solutions for how people learn, live, and work every day.

www.bcx.co.za Our most important customer, is yours.

T H O UG H T LEADERS H I P

The economy of security By Wayne Olsen, Managing Executive Cybersecurity at BCX.

hy should a business bother with spending money on security and what value does it deliver?

Cloud, virtual machines, servers, hyperscalers, as-a-Service solutions, digital twins and digital transformation – every one of these is a solution designed to transform the organisation with efficiencies and functionalities that redefine its performance on the local and global stage. Each one is a risk. The cybersecurity threat is a constant and pervasive presence that’s costing companies money, loss of reputation and is growing increasingly complex to manage. Surveys and statistics show a landscape that’s growing increasingly aggressive, and the cost to business is becoming ever greater.

or else. It’s the threat of what will happen if the business isn’t compliant, secure, or prepared. Instead of an investment into the company’s foundations, it is an expense. Or is it? Sure, the cost of security is unavoidable and the price of a breach is untenable. Still, there are other aspects to security investment that go beyond simply battening down the digital

According to Statista, the average cost of a data breach in the US in 2022 has risen to US$9.44 million compared with US$9.05 million in 2021 – this is a significant surge from the US$5.5 million only ten years ago in 2012. The data indicates that a heavy financial toll has been borne across multiple organisations. The average cost of a data breach, globally, in healthcare over the past year equated to $10 million. This rose to US$5.97 million in the financial industry, and in pharma to US$5.01 million. These numbers are reflected in the IBM 2022 Cost of a Data Breach Report that revealed how nervous companies are right now – 83% are waiting for the breach to happen. It’s not an if. It’s a when. This smart and relentless cybersecurity threat comes with another price tag – security investment. The 2021 State of Ransomware Survey and Report revealed that 72% of cybersecurity budgets have increased, and 93% had to allocate special budgets to fighting the threat. Companies are investing in security across networks, cloud, endpoints, identity access and more, all in a bid to ensure that the business can continue to do just that – business. Within this maelstrom, it is easy to see why companies often perceive cybersecurity as a grudge purchase. It’s the cost that has to be paid,

hatches. The business that bothers with investing in a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), a security team, a Security Operations Centre (SOC), a Network Operations Centre (NOC), and agile security technology isn’t just investing in tools. It is investing in resilience, relevance and strategic growth. Despite the costs outlined above, the right cybersecurity investment saves money. A robust cybersecurity policy structured in alignment with business strategy will minimise the risk of attacks and unexpected vulnerabilities, placing your business on a far more stable foundation. This has a knock-on value across compliance mandates such as POPIA and reputational value, which have proven long-term positive financial implications. Add to this the obvious savings that come hand-in-endpoint with a robust security system. Not having to pay the cost of a successful attack, and with security woven in with a business strategy, the dialogue is taken away from ‘No, you can’t do that’ towards ‘Here’s how security can enable that’. While many aspects of security cannot be quantified precisely and their return on investment easily measured, the value of security can be felt in business confidence - in its ability to embark on digital initiatives, unpack new solutions and services, and minimise the risks while maximising the opportunities. In this way, security is defined less by what it demands from the business and more by how it transforms what the business can do.

Wayne Olsen

A robust cybersecurity policy structured in alignment with business strategy will minimise the risk of attacks and unexpected vulnerabilities, placing your business on a far more stable foundation. Business Day – FOCUS 4.0

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The edge of creativity in business By Mandisa-Ntloko Petersen, Chief Marketing Officer at BCX

e are all capable of being creative. With the use of the correct tools, our innate skills can be enhanced and harnessed.”

These are the words of Dr Monica Garfield from Bentley University when analysing the impact of technology on creativity and how the two forces combined can translate into innovative thinking within the organisation. It’s a sentiment echoed by Harvard Business, the institution highlighting how it is creativity that facilitates growth and allows employees and organisations to adapt with agility and resilience to uncertainty and complexity, both within the business and in the world as a whole. Creative thinking, technology and people are the next big thing in business and together, they are set to shape success in 2022. Not individually. Not as singular components but as an ecosystem that blends the potential of people within a culture of creativity that leverages nextgeneration technology to enable and empower. This is key and is what Deloitte defines as ‘investing in creative potential’, where creativity has to be provided with the right ingredients for it to thrive. These ingredients vary depending on the organisation but tend to fit within four categories: processes, culture, tools and performance. ‘Process’ is how well creative endeavours are integrated within the business. Is it easy for people to brainstorm, share new ideas, explore alternative ways of working, to be different? Is it acceptable for the culture to grow around the ideas of intrapreneurship – where the people

within the business are dedicated to building and growing it? Culture and process often walk hand in hand. Together they are the keys to allowing employees to feel as if their contributions have value. Tools are aligned with processes and technology. What solutions, digital or otherwise, empower people to engage, collaborate and share information? Investing in technology that enables people to connect and communicate more effectively makes it significantly easier for them to do their jobs, and go beyond, into innovation and ideation. Technology offers

multiple touchpoints of enablement that change conversations to ‘what if?’. What if we moved this approach, changed this service, or resolved this customer expectation in a new way? This ‘What if’ translates to a reimagining of the business and drives growth, changes customer expectations, and evolves services and solutions. It also reimagines how your people engage with your business as a whole. A company willing to redefine and reimagine its creative thinking, culture and technology is more likely to disrupt and innovate. It is also more likely to retain its employees, show consistent growth, and find fresh ways of exploring new markets. Instead of viewing uncertainty and complexity with concern, a company powered by creativity, which also puts humans at the centre of its philosophy, will embrace these challenges with ambition and a sense of opportunity. As McKinsey’s Award Creativity Score (ACS) proves, creativity generates business value, better financial performance and innovation. Measuring your business creativity may not be a science and capturing that elusive dragon of truly inspirational innovation may be rare. Still, neither will be found in a business that neglects the potential of the human, creativity and technology in its future.

Mandisa-Ntloko Petersen,

Creativity is one of the core success metrics of the modern business. Investing in technology that enables people to connect and communicate more effectively makes it significantly easier for them to do their jobs, and go beyond, into innovation and ideation 14

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T H O UG H T LEADERS H I P

A data-first strategy builds business resilience in the digital disruption era By Ahmed Mahomed, CEO at Datacentrix

rganisations have been pressurised to transform the way they operate. The sudden requirement for remote working has compelled many to embark on a digital transformation journey, perhaps more urgently than intended.

A data-first strategy provides the roadmap to digitalisation that many businesses are seeking. The best place to start is identifying and extracting intelligence from existing data sources, applying the insight and scaling up as required, assuming that the right infrastructure architecture is in place.

Consequently, businesses everywhere are pegging their futures on a cloud-first strategy. But what if Datacentrix recommends implementing a data-first strategy? How will such a strategy fundamentally change the outcomes? Technology is a significant business driver, and data is the most valuable company asset. Remote working environments mean that data is no longer confined to the safety of on-premises infrastructure but travels freely across multiple devices and locations, adding to the CIO’s challenges. We’re seeing multiple data sources, as well as unstructured data, in the form of mail repositories, end user and IoT devices, operational technology systems, and social media. This could include information about customer and staff behaviour, vendor purchasing habits, and stock levels. These points generate data that can be used for real-time insights that unshackle organisational reliance on historical data. However, for the data to deliver real business value, it needs to be mined, managed and protected effectively.

Shifting focus from a cloud-led to a data-led strategy It is crucial for CIOs to understand where their data lives, how it is secured, and how it is being delivered to where it is needed. Here, organisations are finding that a purely cloud-led

Ahmed Mahomed

technology strategy is not delivering on these requirements. A hybrid IT model addresses cloud flexibility while encouraging a data-led approach. Data should reside and be processed where it provides the most value. Data type will dictate where it lives and is processed, either in the cloud or at the edge. This strategy is reliant on well-structured infrastructure. The modern business needs on-demand capacity that combines the scalability and economics of the public cloud with the security and performance of on-premises IT. A hybrid IT model encompasses an ideal hosting environment for data, whether on-premises, co-located or multi-cloud infrastructure. It considers the reliable transportation of and identity-based accessibility to data and delivers pervasive data security that ensures that the valuable data is not intercepted erroneously.

Companies are becoming smarter and using data to drive business strategy and gain competitive advantage. Ignore this at your peril, as it’s no longer a case of debating the cost of deploying a digital strategy but rather asking whether your business can afford not to. The time to close knowledge gaps within your organisation and gain business value much faster is now.

Remote working environments mean that data is no longer confined to the safety of onpremises infrastructure but travels freely across multiple devices and locations, adding to the CIO’s challenges.

Business Day – FOCUS 4.0

A Datacentrix company

e NA

A Datacentrix company

JOHANNESBURG BUSINESS SCHOOL

www.jbs.ac.za

Partnering for a better future Empower your leaders and invest in your organisation's future with JBS

s the world continues to navigate the rapidly changing business landscape, it is more important than ever for organisations to focus on sustainable solutions that drive financial success and positive social impact. Organisations need employees with the appropriate skills and expertise to drive digital transformation and sustainable development. By leveraging digital transformation and technology, businesses can streamline processes, increase efficiency, and improve decisionmaking. And when done with sustainability in mind, digital transformation can also reduce waste, minimise environmental harm, and promote social well-being. Investing in digital transformation skills for business leaders more than just a trend. It is necessary for a sustainable future and success. By embracing digital transformation and making sustainability a top priority for your organisation, you can achieve business and societal success. The future is bright, and the Johannesburg Business School (JBS) is here to help you get there. At JBS, we believe in the power of digital transformation to drive sustainability and create

Business Day - Focus 4.0

a better world for humanity. That's why we partner with organisations from the private and public sectors to design and deliver tailored programmes and learning solutions that develop existing and future leaders. We co-create executive education programmes that significantly improve individual and organisational performance, ensuring that your organisation succeeds and positively impacts the world. JBS also understands that real progress means empowering all members of society, so we work with companies, philanthropists and government to co-create entrepreneurship programmes that advance economic transformation, reduce unemployment and increase economic participation for previously disadvantaged groups. By partnering with the Johannesburg Business School, you will have access to our expertise and innovative approaches to executive and entrepreneurship education. We are in the business of reimagining your future. Partner with us and elevate your organisation, employees and South Africa to the next level. Contact us today to learn more. JBS. The Business of Reimagining Your Future

ABOUT US: The Johannesburg Business School (JBS), a faculty of the University of Johannesburg (UJ), is committed to empowering business leaders and organisations with expertise to navigate the rapidly changing business landscape and achieve organisational success and positive social impact. With a focus on digital transformation and sustainability, the business school provides academic, executive and entrepreneurship programmes and learning solutions to develop organisations and leaders fit for the future. We equip business leaders with the skills to create, innovate, streamline processes, increase efficiency, and promote sustainability.

Contact details

www.jbs.ac.za marketing@jbs.ac.za 011 559 7570 JBS Park, 69 Kingsway Avenue, Auckland Park, Johannesburg

SNAPPLIFY

www.snapplify.com

Working together to transform education

echnology companies have a big part to play in digital transformation. By definition, high-growth businesses are good for the economy and sustainability, and tech companies are a big driver of innovation. These are not only businesses that can leverage technology to achieve efficiencies and scale, but businesses that can drive digital innovation and strengthen our digital future. Worldwide, the educational landscape has shifted. As a growing number of educational institutions continue to embrace remote and blended learning, the need for accessible, sustainable solutions that integrate with other digital education tools is becoming increasingly vital. Deep integration between partners in the education sector shows results, particularly as educational institutions will always construct their e-learning implementation from multiple interlocking tools. Schools derive greater benefits from integrated offerings as these create more expansive learning opportunities and reduce friction, which in turn lowers some of the barriers to access and learning.

snapplify

ABOUT US:

To facilitate collaboration throughout the educational community and drive digital transformation, Snapplify’s technology is available to help other businesses to grow, while enabling these frictionless user experiences for students and educators. This includes solutions that focus on user data management, identity management and access control. Our partners are using this technology to access Snapplify’s large network of educational institutions, test out new markets, pull real-time user data and make data-led decisions, verify teacher roles and promote their products directly to educators, enable secure login and launch to their platforms, and facilitate large-scale rollouts of e-learning projects.

Snapplify is at the forefront of edtech solutions, and specialises in enabling digital learning for individuals and institutions via the largest digital educational marketplace in Africa.

For educational institutions, these solutions also make onboarding easier, enabling them to use existing accounts to sign in to 600+ digital education tools, and provide better data security and privacy compliance.

Contact details

Snapplify is the largest aggregator of digital content in Africa; has the largest network of independent booksellers in Africa; and is the home of the largest community of teachers in Africa. In addition, Snapplify’s education technology is used by education businesses and governments throughout the wider education ecosystem to power their edtech products and interventions.

Wesley Lynch: +27(0) 21 975 7192 hello@snapplify.com Bonitas Office Park, cnr Carl Cronje Dr and Fountain Rd, Cape Town, 7550

Collaboration has been a key part of Snapplify’s success story and we look forward to working with more partners to accelerate digital transformation within the education ecosystem.

snapplify

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TH O UG H T L E A D E R S HI P

Digital transformation, the African way: closing the digital divide By Professor Randall Carolissen, Dean, Johannesburg Business School, University of Johannesburg

he African continent is at a crossroads. Globally, technology has become pervasive and is used to make exponential leaps across all aspects of life. Yet, Africa continues to lag when it comes to digital transformation and the concept of digital economies. But we cannot stand back from this. There is too much at stake. The digital divide between countries on the continent and the rest of the world will continue to increase. Africa will continue to be the continent that is seen as solely useful for extracting raw materials. And, gradually, African countries will stagnate.

The digital state of the continent

To ensure that Africans take greater advantage of technological advancements, it is important to understand the continent’s structural and social issues. Firstly, African economies are fragile, which is most evident when there is a global crisis. African countries often suffer disproportionately.

Secondly, the sovereign debt of many African countries puts them in a place where they cannot invest in infrastructure, which is a significant hindrance to how to take advantage of technology. Without infrastructural development, especially beyond urban areas, it becomes challenging to bring technology to the people. Another limitation is the distance between mobile phone penetration, which is high, although primarily in urban areas, and the actual use of mobile phones. According to the 2020 State of the ICT Sector report, South Africa’s smartphone penetration was 91.2% in 2019. This is misleading because many may have mobile phones, but don’t necessarily connect to the internet. Instead of using these devices to disseminate knowledge or access new ideas and thinking on the internet, people use the phone for talking and messaging. This may be due, in part, to the roll-on effect of limited infrastructure, namely higher than normal data costs and insufficient bandwidth.

What Africa brings to the table

Africa’s challenges provide exciting opportunities to roll out digital solutions in a way that advances and shifts the continent’s paradigm beyond simply trying to fill all the infrastructure gaps. The continent has a great deal to offer through indigenous knowledge systems and developing digital solutions for sectors like agriculture. We need to leverage and take advantage of our rich endowments across the continent and, in the process, disseminate these to the rest of the world on our terms. For example, in agriculture, Africa has shown how agricultural practices can be made more efficient by applying the right solution to the right geographic location at the right time using drone technology. In addition, with the high mobile penetration, the banking sector, internationally and on the continent, has been looking at how to use technology to make transacting easier. MPESA, which started in Kenya and has spread to other

Business Day – FOCUS 4.0

T H O UG H T LEADERS H I P

Professor Randall Carolissen, Dean, Johannesburg Business School, University of Johannesburg

countries on the continent, serves as an African model that can be replicated in other parts of the world. Furthermore, with Africa poised to become a free trade area with the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, trade across borders and the future role of borders create even greater opportunities, including a possible increase in revenues generated. At the heart of this is Africa’s people, who are the continent’s biggest asset. It is imperative to look at how we educate people using technology while ensuring they are in the best position to leverage the rich endowment mentioned earlier.

Building leaders that are fit for the future

According to the World Economic Forum, one-third of current jobs will disappear by 2030. At the same time, Africa’s youth demographic is the second highest globally after Asia. Add to this how the future of work will be totally different from what we are used to, and there is no room

for debate. To harness this youth dividend, we are compelled to train people differently and make our continent more digitally literate. We are obliged to make sure that we embed technology into the way we live and leverage technology, or we won’t be able to interface effectively with the rest of the world. We need to train leaders who are fit for the future. We need imaginative leaders who combine analytics with design and creativity and use both sides of their brains. And this needs to happen earlier than at a tertiary level. I constantly ask myself how we prepare our kids and develop their brains optimally so that when they get to university, they can indeed become these innovative, forward-looking, curious, productive, and visionary citizens who we further upskill and release into the world? We must look at our school systems critically because you can only develop your brain if you stretch it at a young age.

We need to train leaders who are fit for the future. We need imaginative leaders who combine analytics with design and creativity and use both sides of their brains. And this needs to happen earlier than at a tertiary level. Business Day – FOCUS 4.0

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Enabling youth with 4IR skills is an investment in our economy By Matome Madibana, MICT SETA CEO

he Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) refers to our current period of technological development that is happening at an increasingly rapid rate. Technological advancement offers us an opportunity to bolster our economy exponentially. The most effective course of action as an industry and country would be to empower our youth with the necessary skills to grow and develop to keep pace with our rapidly changing world. The 4IR has enabled the integration of systems and processes across multiple industries, not just those that are tech-oriented. This offers our youth opportunities regardless of the industry they find themselves in. The 4IR requires us to hone a different skills set than the one we have traditionally used. It includes complex problem solving, critical thinking and creativity. These skills are rare in our current market, yet to progress at the same rate as the rest of the world, we must embrace and adopt 4IR on a large-scale to take advantage of its many

By Matome Madibana, MICT SETA CEO

While our current education system has begun implementing more technologically-based learning, more must be done at the foundational level to integrate 4IR into educational practices so that it becomes a natural way of functioning

benefits. One such benefit is the incredible potential for job creation as constant innovation breeds more industries requiring more skilled workers. Software development and cyber security are two examples of 4IR industries that have mushroomed over the past two decades that need workers with adaptable skills and who are technologically savvy. We must focus on the youth to grow our country’s skills base in the ICT and other sectors. Implementing a solid 4IR skills development mandate for our youth is paramount to the success of future generations. Incorporating learnership programmes to assist with their development in fields like coding and artificial intelligence, among others, are some of the ways our youth are currently being upskilled. Still, there are many more avenues that can be explored as industries continue to change. While our current education system has begun implementing more technologically-based learning, more must be done at the foundational level to integrate 4IR into educational practices so that it becomes a natural way of functioning. Getting the youth on this prosperous path today is essential to futureproofing our economy, enabling them to become financially independent and secure in the knowledge that they possess the critical skills needed to thrive. MICT SETA would like to see 4IR technology to be the focal point of our youth’s growth and the economic imperative it deserves to be. Developing new technological skills and innovation is vital to our economic survival, and 4IR is the clear path to fulfilling that mandate.

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he University of the Free State (UFS) is a world leader in fields of Cancer Research, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Astrophysics, Gender and Africa Studies and Groundwater Studies.

Key focus areas include developing the role of agriculture in sustainable and economic development within the region and beyond, positioning the UFS as an Indigenous Knowledge Systems hub in traditional medicine. The Afromontane Research Unit is a global leader in mountain research through our Qwaqwa Campus in the Eastern Free State. We play a leading role in developing multi-lingual pedagogic strategies through our Academy for Multilingualism. The UFS is a proud global citizen; we continuously focus on increasing our visibility and impact in the communities we serve.

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ADVANCE YOUR CAREER IN THE DIGITAL AGE WITH JBS Are you looking to stay ahead in the digital age? Look no further than the Johannesburg Business School (JBS). Our academic, executive education and entrepreneurship programmes have been designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in a rapidly changing digital landscape. We offer a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) with a specialisation in Digital Transformation, a Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) in Business Administration, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA), both with a Digital Transformation Lens. The JBS curriculum is designed to help you stay ahead of the curve, equipping you with the tools you need to lead in the future, no matter what form it takes. Our faculty, made up of respected local and international business leaders, will challenge you to think critically and creatively, improving your social and digital acumen and cross-cultural competencies. This thinking will give you a competitive edge in today’s global marketplace. Join us and be part of a community of forward-thinking and future-fit leaders ready to impact the business world. Enrol in our PGDip, MBA, or DPhil program today and position yourself for success in the digital age. Take control of your future by enrolling for a qualification at JBS!

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At Liberty Two Degrees, we believe that the accelerating macro-economic trends, including the digital landscape, are driving us towards a future that will look significantly different to today. We believe in making sure that the physical environment lives alongside the digital environment and uses improved technology-driven insights to provide the confidence to make real-time data-driven decisions. In executing our Smart Spaces building block, we’ve seen a significant increase in the technology deployed within our business and, by extension, its influence in how we run our business and how we implement our digital strategy to create experiential offerings.

SMART Spaces: We maximise insight obtained from smart data solutions, with opportunities to be delivered alongside traditional experiential strategies. Good Spaces: We create robust assets that will benefit generations, allowing for agile and adaptable environments that align to net-zero goals.

Interactive Spaces: We have a vision to create vibrant and diverse spaces with experience at their heart. Safe Spaces: We drive a clearly defined mall strategy that ensures the mall environments hold the highest standard of safety and security for tenants and shoppers.

www.liberty2degrees.co.za

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SA’s digital skills shortage is an untapped industry By Vukani Mngxati – CEO of Accenture in Africa

ver the past few years, the world has seen a massive wave of digital advancement. How we engage with others has been permanently altered and digital innovation has become a real necessity. This has brought South Africa’s severe shortage of digital skills sharply into focus. It’s a problem that could profoundly hamper our growth and progress on a global stage. A recent roundtable saw three experts Mteto Nyati – Chairman of Wazo Investments, Pieter de Villiers – CEO of Clickatell, and myself - all with our fingers on the digital pulse and an unwavering belief in South Africa’s potential to overcome our weaknesses and engage on the issue. The future is digital – period. What is important is for us to start. The time to talk has ended. Yes, we need policy – but let us improve it as we go along. Let us get to the point where we can begin a journey. Vukani Mngxati

In processing this complex issue, we must acknowledge a fundamental truth. South Africa has no shortage of young, curious people, and the digital world offers plenty of jobs to fill. We only need to enable a match. De Villiers believes digital skills are a larger opportunity for SA than mining and agriculture ever were. He sees incredible talent and potential

The future is digital – period. What is important is for us to start. The time to talk has ended. Yes, we need policy – but let us improve it as we go along. Let us get to the point where we can begin a journey. 28

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among our youthful population, who are eager, energetic, and digitally enabled. We need to believe in our youth and invest in their potential. What has dawned on us is that digital skills are an industry. To build an industry, we must come together and create a world-class capability out of our young talent. We have the main ingredient - young people. Now it is up to us how we methodically create the industry. A belief in the potential and taking a collective approach is undoubtedly a start. But where to begin? Our experts believe that schooling systems and traditional expectations need an overhaul. For a start, we need to inspire learners to take on subjects like mathematics and science towards pursuing the career paths that will grow our country’s digital development. This is no task for a solo undertaking. This will take a national and determined push across the board. In addition to growing digital minds from school level, another priority is raising awareness around the importance of investing effort and funds to realise our digital goals. Nyati believes that tapping this potential comes with a shift in mindset – that one has to have a clear view that you can create the future you want. He would like to see the creation of a different future where our young people are engaged, productive and able to start up their own businesses off the back of the technologies out there. It starts with being intentional and pulling together the resources we have. Public-private sector collaboration is certainly key. The government needs to set the right type of governance for a strong foundation, while the private sector brings the means and tools to design a digital skills supply chain for the country and put SA on the map.

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and leverages resolution Machine Machine Learning Learning surfaces surfaces recommendations based and leverages and leverages resolution resolution on data patterns and recommendations recommendations basedbased outcomes andand continuon data on data patterns patterns and ouslyand learns. outcomes outcomes continuand continu-

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“So what did “So what did we achieve in we in twoachieve years since two years since implementation? implementation? We saw improved We saw improved customer service customer service by 10%, reduced by 10%, reduced inventory investment inventory investment by 20%, increased by 20%, increased forecasting accuracy forecasting accuracy by 10%, increased by 10%, increased park location count park location count by 60% and grown by 60% and grown business by 10% – business by 10% – this a remarkable this a remarkable story!” story!” Mahindra & Mahindra Aniruddh Srivastava Mahindra & Mahindra Head of Demand & Supply Planning Aniruddh Srivastava Head of Demand & Supply Planning industries: Automotive / Industrial industries: Automotive / Industrial Solutions: • AI / ML • API & Services •Solutions: Control Tower • Ecosystem • AI / ML • API & Services •• Integration • IoT • Mobility Control Tower • Ecosystem • Integration • IoT • Mobility

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Innovating for inclusivity and sustainability Essie Mokgonyana, SAS Country Manager & Sales Director for South Africa

any of us may think of sustainability as a buzzword, especially living in Africa where we have so many challenges that require such urgent attention. But as business leaders we need to consider the way our business decisions today will impact society around us and how - if our decisions are not taken with sustainability in mind - we may inadvertently create a society that cannot sustain our business.

AI and Cloud technology for positive social impact and innovation. One example is our partnership with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) to bring together our AI expertise and IIASA’s scientific systems analysis to see the impact of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest with new eyes. “Citizen scientists” used an app to classify satellite images, allowing us to train AI models that can now help protect this wilderness ecosystem by monitoring new areas autonomously and detecting deforestation with better than 90% accuracy.

For example, if business does not invest in education and innovation, it will ultimately lead to an uneducated, mediocre society that is unable to grow and, consequently, unable to afford the goods and services that business provides. Mediocrity is the enemy of innovation, and innovation holds the key to the future.

Driving sustainability through innovation

Innovation is not the same as it was even a decade ago. Previous industrial revolutions, and the first 30+ years of digital transformation, focused on technology and innovation for financial gain. Today, we have a better understanding of the need to innovate around people for survival and sustainability. Agile and resilient leaders must develop better customer experiences, nurture tomorrow’s workforce, and embrace digitalisation to create a competitive advantage. Sustainable innovation cannot be achieved without focusing on people and society to create inclusive growth and close wealth gaps. Nor can it be achieved

without focusing on the environment and caring for the resources needed to sustain life and industry. To understand its impact in both these spheres, business must leverage the power of analytics. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Cloud are the catalysts of cross-organisational innovation, helping companies to make faster, better decisions. Data and analytics can be used in meaningful ways to solve humanitarian issues around poverty, health, human rights, education and the environment.

Leveraging innovation and collaboration to solve burning problems

SAS has partnered with like-minded organisations across the globe apply data,

We as Africans are capable of global innovation. And given our urgent challenges, perhaps we also have exactly the circumstances needed to catalyse innovation for inclusivity and sustainability.

Another example is the work we’ve done with the Federal Public Service Finance Agency (FPS), Belgium, to calculate every new tax measure to the Cent. Because even minor shifts in tax rules could have major implications for Belgium’s citizens, understanding the exact impact of every change allows FPS to deliver fast, accurate insights to policymakers.

Creating a new future for Africa through sustainable innovation

In Africa, we too must look beyond ordinary innovation. If we are to usher Africa into prosperity, we must use the technologies available to innovate solutions for our burning problems. But an idea without execution is useless. We must put thought and research into ideas that matter – and then create analytics solutions that improve business decisions, performance and impact.

We as Africans are capable of global innovation. And given our urgent challenges, perhaps we also have exactly the circumstances needed to catalyse innovation for inclusivity and sustainability.

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SAS INSTITUTE

www.sas.com/en_za/home.html

Reimagine Africa’s future through innovation and sustainable AI with SAS© ediocrity is the enemy of innovation, and trend is not destiny. Business leaders can therefore no longer afford to ignore the growing youth population of Africa, or their concerns. To usher Africa into prosperity, now more than ever, it is crucial to embrace innovation and sustainability, combining forces to advance industry and develop and deepen skills, towards overcoming the continent’s most pressing challenges to inclusive and sustainable growth.

Partnering with SAS© gives you access to advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and cloud technology that can help you drive business efficiencies, enhance risk management and governance, improve customer experience, nurture tomorrow’s workforce and drive positive social and environment impact. Together we can create a brighter, more sustainable future in Africa. It is about moving mediocrity out of the way and joining the movement for change.

ABOUT SAS SAS is a global leader in advanced analytics and AI. Through innovative software and services, SAS empowers and inspires customers globally to transform data into intelligence. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW®. As a multinational business, SAS has been present in Africa since 1995 and takes great strides to understand the nuances of each market it invests in and operates in. SAS Institute South Africa is a Level 1 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment contributor.

Contact details

93 Central St, Houghton Estate, Johannesburg, 2198 https://www.sas.com/en_za/home.html Contact 011 713 3400 Mabel.Schrimpton@sas.com

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Digital Transformation: Digital Transformation: How to How to Future-Proof Your Business Success Future-Proof Your Business Success By Jason Timm, CloudSmiths CEO

By Jason Timm, CloudSmiths CEO

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efore 2020, the pivot towards digitalisation took place across efore 2020, the pivot towards industries, although at a very slow digitalisation took place across pace. Many businesses hesitated to adopt industries, although at a very slow strategic digital transformation, holding onto pace. Many businesses hesitated to adopt tried-and-trusted legacy systems. All of this strategic digital transformation, holding onto changed after 2020. tried-and-trusted legacy systems. All of this changed after 2020. Business Survival in a Post-Covid World The COVID pandemic fast-tracked digital Business Survival in a Post-Covid World transformation processes in many The COVID pandemic fast-tracked digital organisations as businesses were forced transformation processes in many to quickly adapt to remote-working models, organisations as businesses were forced rapidly evolving customer expectations and to quickly adapt to remote-working models, ongoing disruptions to the global supply chain. rapidly evolving customer expectations and Old legacy systems and processes can no ongoing disruptions to the global supply chain. longer cut it in today’s digital-first world. Old legacy systems and processes can no longer cut it in today’s digital-first world. Digital transformation is no longer an abstract goal to achieve in the future. It is vital for Digital transformation is no longer an abstract future-proofing your business and making it goal to achieve in the future. It is vital for futuremore resilient to uncertainty. proofing your business and making it more resilient to uncertainty. At a high-level, digital transformation is the strategic integration of digital technologies At a high-level, digital transformation is the into key business areas that change how strategic integration of digital technologies into a business operates and delivers value to key business areas that change how a business customers. operates and delivers value to customers. The Changing Face of Digital Transformation The Changing Face of Digital Transformation The issue that businesses run into when it The issue that businesses run into when it comes to digital transformation is that it looks comes to digital transformation is that it looks different for every business, based on their different for every business, based on their operations, tools, systems, and existing digital operations, tools, systems, and existing digital cohesion. However, we can broadly identify a cohesion. However, we can broadly identify a few flagship business areas that are targeted few flagship business areas that are targeted for digital transformation: for digital transformation: Operational efficiency – a large part of Operational efficiency – a large part of digitalisation is improving or updating existing digitalisation is improving or updating existing business processes to make them more business processes to make them more efficient. This can be through automating efficient. This can be through automating manual procedures, creating responsive manual procedures, creating responsive workflows based on smart data-driven

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customer profiles based on smart data analysis that employees can access from anywhere. analysis that employees can access from anywhere. Digital technology integration – Integrating more digital solutions into everyday business Digital technology integration – Integrating can automate repetitive processes, allowing more digital solutions into everyday business them to run on autopilot and freeing employees’ can automate repetitive processes, allowing time torun focus their and attention on larger them to on autopilot freeing employees’ operations. time to focus their attention on larger operations. Integration of technology should benefit a department a whole. Ideally Integration or oforganisation technology as should benefit a it should be an end-to-end solution or at least department or organisation as a whole. Ideally a solution of ‘talking’ to other tech it should becapable an end-to-end solution or at least solutions that are being integrated. a solution capable of ‘talking’ to other tech

Jason Timm, CloudSmiths CEO workflows based on smart data-driven insights or improving end-to-end visibility and collaboration across an entire workforce. insights or improving end-to-end visibility and collaboration across an entire workforce. Workforce enablement – Equipping teams and workforces with the data and tools they Workforce enablement – Equipping teams need to take fast, seamless action without and workforces with the data and tools they requiring manual validations or data from need to take fast, seamless action without siloed, disconnected systems. This enables requiring manual validations or data from employees to work from anywhere and still siloed, disconnected systems. This enables access essential data and information in employees to work from anywhere and still real-time from a single source of truth. access essential data and information in real-time from a single source of truth. For example, Salesforce’s CRM tool provides real-time customer data updates and For example, Salesforce’s CRM tool provides buildscustomer profiles based on smart data real-time customer data updates and builds

solutions that are being integrated. Customer experience – Customer expectations and needs have changed. Transformation Customer experience – Customer expectations strategies this.Transformation It is essential to and needsshould have reflect changed. offer multiple forms of customer strategies should reflect this. It isengagement essential to that a customer on their preferred offer reaches multiple forms of customer engagement channel and provides a consistent that reaches a customer on their customer preferred experience every device. Businesses channel andacross provides a consistent customer experience across every device. should leverage historical data to Businesses personalise should leverage historical data to personalise and contextualise the customer experience for and contextualise each customer. the customer experience for each customer. Workplace culture and leadership – The Workplace culture and leadership – The pandemic helped many businesses realise the pandemic helped many businesses realise value of offering employees remote and flexible the value of offering employees remote and working options. Digital transformation should flexible working options. Digital transformation help build a better workplace culture based on should help build a convenience better workplace flexibility, trust and that culture allows based on flexibility, trust and convenience that employees to have a healthier work-life balance. allows employees to have a healthier work-life balance. Digital Transformation For Your Business Before taking any decisive action, It’s essential Digital For Your Business to defineTransformation what digital transformation means Before taking any decisive action, It’s business essential for you. What critical areas of your to define what digital transformation means do you want to improve? What are the short for you. What critical areas of your business and long-term benefits? These considerations do you want to improve? What are the short will help you draw up an effective digitaland long-term benefits? These considerations transformation strategy for your business. will help you draw up an effective digitaltransformation strategy for your business.

ALTRON KARABINA

www.altronkarabina.com

The customer cliff-hanger: experiences at the edge

eeting the customer at the edge of their experience has become a competitive differentiator for the modern organisation. Serve the customer at the edge. This should be the mantra of the modern organisation. Why? Because it’s a quantifiable value-add that delivers tangible value to the bottom line. McKinsey revealed that improving customer experiences resulted in a sales revenue increase of up to 7% and profitability by 2% with an overall shareholder return of up to 10%. Yet… Gartner found that 86% of customers expect companies to know about them during service interactions when only 14% of companies have actually managed to build a 360-degree view of their customers. There is a disconnect between the digital evolution of customers and the digital capabilities of the companies that serve them.

provided enough visibility to deliver expectations. Now, digital has reshaped this landscape with multiple devices, touchpoints and inputs. From social media to a brick-and-mortar store to email, finding the customer has become challenging and complex. To meet the customer at the point of interaction and ensure that their experience is one that they want to repeat, companies need to reimagine and digitise the customer. Revise how they learn from them, talk to them, and engage with them. Customers have the power to decide what they want to do and who they want to do it with, and companies need to invest in technologies that put them right on the edge of the customer’s vision.

Enter the edge of experience. The edge is where most technology organisations talk about the speed of compute right at the point where the data is created and curated. But today, the edge is more than just networks, data and storage. It is the point at which the organisation serves the customer – right at the edge of insights, business processes and experiences. In the past, customer insight and understanding came from face-to-face meetings and slow-burn interactions that

Digital transformation, as beleaguered as the conversation may be, has accelerated the use of technology to improve the customer experience and harness opportunities. In the 90s, customer experiences were managed by CRM platforms that provided a one-dimensional view of the customer. Now, these platforms have to embrace the omnichannel and provide insights and data that allow for an integrated customer experience. They need the capabilities that eCommerce giants demand from their technology – and that their customers demand from them. If technology moves from back-end conversation to boardroom priority, then companies can use it to actively

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James Hickman Acting Executive: Altron Karabina refine automation, personalisation, relevance, customer journey orchestration and data management. The customer experience of today is no longer about the back-office processes that have been put in place by client representatives and talking about a hobby or including an email address. It is about connecting across hundreds of different digital and social touch-points, about online experiences that run seam-lessly from mobile to laptop to the physical world and systems that are capable of lever-aging data in a way that keeps the business relevant throughout. Perhaps the best way to frame the customer experience today is the thoughtful use of digital to give customers what they want. It is in the hands of a well-rounded strategy that digital will shine, moving from hype to providing customer experiences that differentiate and disrupt.

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Digital transformation helps to build a data-centric culture By Amelia Beattie, Chief Executive of Liberty Two Degrees

In this increasingly digitally-connected world, it pays to invest in and leverage data analytics to improve the customer experience. For retail mall operators, the insights they draw from data analytics enable them to provide customers with a superior shopping experience. Through data analytics, mall operators can gain insights into customer behaviour, which they can share with tenants, positioning them to thrive within their malls. Insights from data analytics can help tenants make better business decisions, optimise business processes, and accomplish day-to-day business tasks. Sharing insights can also contribute to tenant retention, which is vital for shopping malls. Developing a data-centric culture is key to successfully driving the execution of customercentric business strategies. For retail-driven businesses, data and analytics capabilities can be the foundation on which smart solutions for tenants and shoppers are built. Available technology solutions, such as smart cameras and artificial intelligence, generate rich data that captures customer behaviour, enabling landlords to shape their offerings for their tenants and customers. In its data collection processes, Liberty Two Degrees ensures that it fully complies with all applicable privacy laws of South Africa. No personal information is collected without consent from customers, and any shopper

information collected is anonymised, with no capability to make a connection between the collected data and the customer. For example, the smart cameras solution used to count foot traffic can determine a customer’s uniqueness through the use of skeletal frames, which is non-customer identifying information that is assigned a random number. Artificial intelligence is used to develop a deep understanding of shopper behaviour within our malls, such as the frequency of their visits, their movements once inside our malls, which days are busiest and the underlying reasons behind this, and understanding the shopping habits of different demographic groups. Explicit consent is required when customer information is collected when registering to use free mall Wi-Fi, and it should be stated very clearly how the data shared by shoppers will be used. The challenge for any business is to resist the temptation to collect data for the sake of it. A business needs clarity on what it seeks to achieve from the data. This will enhance its ability to draw insights from the data it collects and use these to deliver superior experiences for its targeted audiences more affordably while sustainably reducing expenses. Through its digital transformation initiatives, Liberty Two Degrees always seeks to partner with tenants to deploy solutions that maximise their time when operating within its malls.

Amelia Beattie, Chief Executive of Liberty Two Degrees

Available technology solutions, such as smart cameras and artificial intelligence, generate rich data that captures customer behaviour, enabling landlords to shape their offerings for their tenants and customers. 38

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FinTech and financial inclusion for the unbanked and underbanked in Africa By Dr Mthandazo Ngwenya, Managing Director: Development Advisory and Impact at Bigen

he South African Reserve Bank (SARB), in August 2017, established a unit within the bank called the SARB FinTech Unit. This unit was created because ‘advances are rapidly being made in financial technology (fintech) and related novel financial services platforms’. Fintechs have innovated how financial products and services are exchanged in areas that include cryptocurrency, digital payment platforms, insurance products and remittances. Some countries are utilising digital currencies as legal tender.

alternatives. The lack of interoperability and high transaction costs of e-wallet services among banks remains a challenge, potentially limiting financial inclusion.

The benefits of innovation brought about by fintech include:

Dr Mthandazo Ngwenya

• Personalised and user-friendly access to financial services

market is expected to grow rapidly at about 10% per annum over the next decade.

• Increased access to pools of credit solutions • Lower transactional costs • Digitalised wealth management solutions • Democratisation of financial information Mobile banking technologies that rely on advances in financial technologies have, in recent years, seen a rapid increase in customers. The service has proved convenient and accessible and has contributed towards the reduction of the unbanked and the underbanked, who, on many occasions, are those at the bottom of the economic pyramid - Africa’s poor citizens. By improving access to fintech services, the poor can access products and services previously beyond their reach. According to an August 2022 report by McKinsey & Company, titled Fintech in Africa: The End of The Beginning, 10% of financial transactions in Africa are digital. Fintech in Africa raised revenues of US$6 billion in 2020, charged up to 80% lower transaction costs and generated savings returns that are three times higher than other financial services providers. The fintech

Business Day – FOCUS 4.0

A success story is M Pesa, a fintech mobile banking product that began in Kenya in 2007. Operated by Vodaphone’s subsidiary Safaricom, it is Africa’s leading mobile banking service, with 51 million customers and more than 465 000 business clients in seven countries in 2022. M Pesa has an agent network of 600 000 and manages about 61 million dialy transactions on its platform. A real game-changer for financial inclusion. The explosion of mobile money seen in other countries has not taken off in South Africa, where the main banks still have a stranglehold and e-wallet services are the main

It has not been all good news for the fintech sector. It has been hit by various scandals involving cryptocurrencies and other products, with the firm FTX being the latest culprit. Investors lost billions when FTX declared bankruptcy in November last year, and investigations have revealed serious financial misconduct by some key executives at the firm. Such scandals erode public trust and threaten to undo the good work being done by fintech. South Africa took early steps to manage potential risks that could emanate from fintech. The Intergovernmental Fintech Working Group (IGFWG) was established in 2016 to allow regulators to gain greater insights and share information. Some notable members include the Financial Intelligence Centre, SARB, the Financial Sector Conduct Authority, National Treasury, the National Credit Regulator, the South African Revenue Service, and the Competition Commission. While Fintechs have a considerable role to play in financial inclusion, it does not mean they have a lower duty of care to their clients, among them vulnerable members of our societies.

While Fintechs have a considerable role to play in financial inclusion, it does not mean they have a lower duty of care to their clients, among them vulnerable members of our societies

www.bigengroup.com

BIGEN GROUP

We shape a better future for Africa through our innovative infrastructure solutions in the agriculture, energy, health, real estate, transportation and water sectors. Key to our growth is our proactive infusion of development impact in all our projects.

Doing good while doing business

This ensures that wherever we work, economic inclusion, skills development, job creation, localisation and procurement opportunities are ingrained in delivering

182(Financial Mail Advert_Aug'22).indd 1

infrastructure that empowers people and uplifts communities. Creating joint value for our partners, clients and communities while doing good while doing business is the name of our game. Bigen, a truly African Group of companies made in Africa for Africa.

www.bigengroup.com

shaping a better

FUTURE for Africa

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Kubernetes is fundamentally changing IT and Modern Data Protection By Chris Norton, Veeam Software’s Regional Director: Africa

s cloud storage and backup become ubiquitous, new technologies that run cloud-based applications and enable operability when systems go down or are hacked are set to change the IT industry. Cloud storage and backup have also significantly changed data protection, with backup and recovery and data management just a starting point for companies seeking to implement a comprehensive Modern Data Protection strategy. Most companies today utilise hybrid models of data storage and backup. These include cloud and cloud-native options, virtualisation and data storage in businesses on-premises private networks. Choosing the right hybrid option for your business and ensuring that data is secure, wherever it is stored, demands careful consideration. In the early 2000s, companies primarily stored data on private networks, with backups placed inside firewalls on those networks. By then, virtualisation technology had also become popular. It enabled companies to virtualise physical machines, giving them the means to instantly failover to restore data to a machine of their choice in the event of hardware or server failure. These technologies allowed businesses to have complete control of data and network management. With the advent of cloud and multi-cloud environments, decisions about where to store your data, critical applications and backups have become more complex. Many businesses now utilise the business services and the data storage facilities of local cloud providers and hyperscalers such as Google Cloud, Amazon

Business Day – FOCUS 4.0

Chris Norton Web Services and Azure rather than having their own technology infrastructure or data centres. There are sound Capex vs Opex and resourcing arguments for doing so. However, though these businesses no longer control their own networks, they remain responsible for the security and availability of their business data, making data protection as critical, if not even more so, than ever. Today, more than mere data backup and recovery is needed to ensure business resilience. Organisations need to make certain their businesses can remain operational when things go wrong. For example, their cloud service has gone down, they’re experiencing a technical issue, or the company has been hacked by cybercriminals who have deleted their backup, encrypted their data and are demanding a

ransom to unlock it. Such cybersecurity threats are on the rise and could destroy a business. Thankfully, new technologies and backup services exist to help ensure companies can overcome these obstacles almost immediately and get the business back up and running quickly.

Kubernetes enables business agility One such technology is Kubernetes, the next iteration of virtualisation and a platform for creating cloud-enabled applications via containers (a lightweight, unchangeable infrastructure for application packaging and deployment). Veeam believes this technology is a game-changer for the IT industry. It enables a very agile environment for workloads when

T H O UG H T LEADERS H I P

it comes to operability, data recovery, mobility and portability. When computers first emerged, the technological capability allowed one physical machine, with one operating system (OS) and one application on it, resulting in data centres with many physical machines. The virtualisation technology that came along next allowed one physical machine to run many operating systems (OSs) and multiple applications on top of that.

Kubernetes ups the power and productivity of physical machines further still. You have one physical machine, one operating system and lots of ‘containers’ that sit on top of that operating system. A container abstracts at the operating system level. These containers hold an image of an application complete with its full runtime components from the operating system that it uses to work. From a data recovery standpoint, this means an application can start on its own almost immediately without needing to start the entire operating system. And because the container is only a few megabytes in size, businesses have the ability to collapse and rebuild their environments very quickly and easily. The small container size also means it can easily be moved from one platform to another – from a physical environment to a virtual environment, to the cloud, to multi-cloud environments and back again. This agility and mobility mean organisations can create as many containers as needed without having to build a vast, customerfacing front end. A container can, for example, contain a business service you offer. The Kubernetes platform enables businesses to operate on an on-demand basis, upscaling containers-based services in times of high demand and downscaling again when demand flattens or normalises. Microservices offered in the application can also be easily updated without having to take the application offline. You just clip out a microservice from a container, update the code and then clip it back in. That service may be unavailable for a few minutes, but the application continues to run.

if these can’t be secured.

Whatever hybrid-cloud strategy organisations adopt, they must guard against single points of failure, vendor lock-in and have a clear view of the recovery timeframes essential for business survival.

Not all backups are equal To build a resilient cyber environment, organisations must pay attention to the resilience of their backups. While Kubernetes provides flexibility, agility, portability and mobility, it is critical that Kubernetes environments are protected and that businesses can backup their containers sufficiently. Many CTOs and CIOs won’t move mission-critical apps to the cloud

By creating a secure backup of the Kubernetes container comprising the application and all its necessary components, you can restore the backup to the platform of your choice. There is also an option to instantly restore from this secure backup without the need for human intervention and thereby minimise downtime. A secure backup must be an air-gapped solution, with no connection between the backup and the core infrastructure. The backup must also be immutable, so it can’t be written over or altered. We always advise our customers to timelock their backups so that these may be seen, read, used and restored, but not altered for the period it is locked. Modern Data Protection needs a good backup strategy. We recommend using the 3-2-1-1-0 strategy – three copies of your data, two on different media in different media types, and one offsite copy. The offsite copy is immutable (1) and has been scanned for zero errors (0) so that on restore, you don’t recover any vulnerabilities. Whatever hybrid-cloud strategy organisations adopt, they must guard against single points of failure, vendor lock-in and have a clear view of the recovery timeframes essential for business survival. The first protects them from being vulnerable to avoidable disruption, the second enables them to build and take advantage of the right technology solutions for their business needs and the third means their backup and recovery strategy should maintain data protection and business productivity. That way, whatever cloud service they deploy, any outage or attack shouldn’t spell disaster for the business and the organisation should be able to operate. Finally, when deciding which technologies to employ in your business, you should always remember that the technology is there to support the business and create flexibility, opportunity and advantage rather than hinder it.

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Syb WHO WE ARE

We’ll exceed your wildest techspectations!

We understand software engineering and technology. As leaders in the field of digitisation we have the expertise to match the best suited proven technologies and resources to your needs. Our suite of solutions has been carefully curated to support your initiatives, irrespective of size or complexity.

Purposefully and strategically applying technology to business cases, we’re here to enable you to rapidly adjust to ever-changing market realities. With us you’ll leapfrog the competition - delivering fast, impactful results.

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800+

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30%

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brin Architecture, Roadmaps, and Design

Strategic Resource Placement

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WHAT WE DO

Digital Advisory Optimise Your Business

We want to come along this digital journey with you, helping you set future benchmarks today. Optimising your processes impacts your ability to respond better, innovate faster, and grow quicker, whilst improving your employee and customer experiences.

From analysing the status quo, to architecting the future, let us be your Digital Transformation Partner. We can advise, design, build, implement, orchestrate, and support you to whichever extent you require. With domain expertise in various verticals and solutions, we’re sure to find the perfect fit, and if we can’t find it – we’ll build it!

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Continuous innovation and digital transformation are essential to business success By Karabo Moloko, Sybrin South Africa CEO

echnology is a key driver of business success, especially in today’s digital world. As South Africa is a rapidly developing country with one of the largest populations and economies on the continent, it’s increasingly important for businesses to stay ahead of the curve and remain competitive. By leveraging digitisation technology such as AI and automation, organisations can create new products and services, improve processes, increase efficiency, and reduce costs. In South Africa, the impact of technological innovation was most noticeable with the proliferation of mobile phones and the internet, allowing businesses to extend their operations to rural locations, and giving individuals access to a more extensive range of products and services. More recently, we’ve witnessed how digital technology has successfully enabled remote working, allowing companies to source talent from around the world and launch products and services in new markets, giving them access to a much larger customer pool. As technology progresses, so too must businesses, or they’ll risk falling behind. However, investing in technology can be risky. Companies must properly assess the risks versus the potential benefits. When evaluating technology, organisations should consider factors such as cost, performance, scalability,

and ease-of-use, and how it will integrate with their existing systems and processes. They must also consider the impact on their customers’ experience. The security aspect should also meet the necessary regulatory compliance requirements. Companies should not aim to replicate what their competition is doing but rather anchor digital innovation on their customers’ needs and what pain point or opportunity it will address. Once these have been identified, the business can identify compatible technology. The next step is to develop a plan for implementing the technology. This plan should include a timeline for the implementation, the resources needed, and the budget for the project. Organisations need to have a portfolio view of their transformation programmes. The speed and scale of change will inevitably touch other work streams. Programmes and governance should not slow delivery down but rather direct delivery while remaining agile and output-focused. The business should also develop a plan for monitoring and evaluating the success of the technology. This involves collecting data on the technology’s performance, analysing the data, and making adjustments as needed. Lastly, the business should develop a plan to reskill

When evaluating technology, organisations should consider factors such as cost, performance, scalability, and ease-of-use, and how it will integrate with their existing systems and processes. 48

Business Day – FOCUS 4.0

Karabo Moloko and upskill their employees. The scale of digital transformation transforms not only what work people do but how they do the work and how they should think about it. Old ways of thinking will not deliver technology’s required Return on Investment. Organisations must prepare their employees for a digital reality regardless of where they are in the business. This will increase the chances of success. The post-COVID economy will be dominated by digital transformation. Companies must ensure that the products and services they produce are affordable, accessible, and easy to use, as this will help them to reach a larger portion of the population in South Africa. By partnering with an experienced digital t r a n s f o r m a t i o n t e c h n o l o g y p rov i d e r, organisations can access the expertise and resources they need to identify and implement the right technology for their business requirements, thereby greatly reducing the risks.

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Empowering a nation starts with empowering blue-collar workers By Dawie Nel, CIO, Vulatel Group

s we navigate the 4th Industrial Revolution, we are met with a barrage of challenges. The technology landscape is ever-changing and driven by mass information requiring numerous iterations of computing, networks and business systems while strategically focusing on distributed cloud architecture and cloud-based services. As business leaders, we are tasked with ensuring systems and technologies meet demand. Our focus is often blurred by the insatiable hunger for faster, better and more economical solutions. How do we ensure that skills development funding is not only consumed by white-collared workers but channelled to where it is really needed - the grassroots tradespeople who keep the lights on?. With ageing infrastructure and diminishing budgets, we have to re-evaluate where we spend our time and energy because the systems, solutions and fast access networks still require a solid medium, built on masts and rooftops or under pavements and embankments. The need to connect still relies on tangible physical infrastructure. Data warehouses and cloud

computing still require data centres. Our focus should be on developing blue-collar workers, not just to perform the specific skill or job we have entrusted to them (this is essential) but to empower them to create businesses with sustainable technology. There are some really good news stories of this happening, but with limited success. Often there is no follow-through. We upskill people, ensure they have some grasp on business and then leave them to fend for themselves. Let’s focus on the development of the builders, diggers, climbers and plumbers, and inspire them to create businesses by ensuring they have excellent support structures and mentorship to sustain their businesses. More importantly, for these tradesmen and women to upskill and teach their employees the trade or craft, which will enable their businesses to thrive, and ultimately provide opportunities for their employees to create their own small businesses.

Dawie Nel

We are then truly empowering a nation.

Let’s focus on the development of the builders, diggers, climbers and plumbers, and inspire them to create businesses by ensuring they have excellent support structures and mentorship to sustain their businesses. Business Day – FOCUS 4.0

Connecting you to the world

Vulatel is your full-service fibre and mobile network construction solutions provider. We’re building networks that connect companies and people across South Africa and beyond. Our unique combination of industry-leading expertise, world-class technology and commitment to customer service makes us the supplier of choice for planning, installing and maintaining the networks that bring people together. Our end-to-end, turnkey telecoms network solutions are designed and implemented to facilitate seamless, always-on fibre to the home (FTTH) and fibre to the business (FTTB) and wireless mobile and corporate connectivity.

We’re creating tomorrow, and everyone’s invited. www.vulatel.co.za

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End-to-end wireless solutions using licensed & unlicensed RFbands from initial survey to ongoing network support

DISTRIBUTORS OF NETWORK EQUIPMENT Distribution, installation & servicing of wireless microwave equipment from manufacturers

Managed Services Long-term maintenance & repair services tailored to your network performance standards

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The digital economy delivers jobs and accelerates SME development By Mamongae Mahlare, Takealot Group CEO

ow do we create more employment while growing an inclusive and transformed South African economy? This is a perpetual challenge faced by the public and private sectors. Part of the answer lies with e-commerce and digital markets.

In the standard retail model, a business opens more stores when it is successful. This requires great capital investment. Although this works for well-funded players, SMEs without such access face various market barriers. For these enterprises having a product or service is not enough. Statistics suggest that only one in ten South African start-ups make it past year three. How can we improve those odds and generate jobs to jumpstart the economy? Mamongae Mahlare, Takealot Group CEO

The digital economy: the great equaliser

The market penetration for South Africa’s digital economy is currently around 4%. This reflects a massive growth potential when you consider similar emerging markets such as Brazil, which are at about 8 to 14 percent.

Business Day – FOCUS 4.0

E-commerce unlocks small businesses’ power to contribute to a vibrant economy by leveraging technology and innovation. Takealot is a case in point. Our platform and others like it now offer the infrastructure to help SMEs compete on an equal footing with large enterprises by reducing the costs associated with competing in this market. Small businesses register and list their products on the platform, supply the goods, and are in business. Registration gives them instant access to a receptive customer base, storage, order fulfilment and delivery. Our model removes the complexity of running a business, increasing the odds of success and allowing SMEs to enter the formal economy. Thousands of new entrepreneurs have entered the market, encouraged by the success of their

peers on such platforms and the opportunity to compete head-to-head with global and local brands. The Takealot Group’s success evidences the power of this business model. The company started 11 years ago with 20 employees. Today the ecosystem supports more than 33 000 jobs. Small and medium-sized businesses trading on the platform have grown from 120 to 8000, and there are more than 10 000 restaurant partners on our on-demand Mr D platform. The power of the model is that we are only successful if the SMEs we partner with are too. This represents a symbiotic relationship that unlocks entrepreneurial talent and enables a pathway to equitable economic participation that helps transform our economy and distribute wealth among a wider group of people.

The future of South Africa’s Digital Economy The market penetration for South Africa’s digital economy is currently around 4%. This reflects a massive growth potential when you consider similar emerging markets such as Brazil, which are at about 8 to 14 percent. To maximise the future growth of this sector, we need to create the right conditions for different business models to evolve and become profitable. This is a delicate balancing act between regulating to encourage investment and development while pre-empting potential competitive concerns. It is equally important to increase access to affordable data, electricity and logistics infrastructure, helping to reduce the cost of doing business. If we fail to get this right, we will miss a golden opportunity to transform and accelerate our economy.

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Data insights can prepare organisations for future roles and identify transferable skills By Paul Byrne, Head of Data Insights at Pnet

he world of data and analytics has permeated our daily lives, from fitness tracking to financial wellness. Companies of all sizes are measuring data to monitor behaviour, performance and results and are planning accordingly.

needs will grow in demand. Wellness and health specialists, learning and education staff, as well as sales and marketing professionals will be required to ‘guide’ us in making decisions in a world with endless options. Demand for wellness specialists has increased by more than 15 times over the past five years, customer success staff by more than four times, and an increase in demand for digital marketing professionals and e-commerce managers have been noticeable.

Data also plays a significant role in talent attraction and is set to change how recruiters find and retain talent. By paying close attention to supply and demand trends in the job market, companies can now be proactive to prevent being negatively affected by skills shortages. At Pnet, an online recruitment platform, data insights are a foundation for talent attraction and retention strategies. Beyond just supply and demand data, Pnet analyses talent behaviour from its CV database of 5.6 million job seekers to understand common skills for specific roles and how these are changing as we move into our future world of work. By using such data, companies can track the supply and demand of talent and monitor patterns of change in skills mix to make better data-driven decisions on how to repurpose or transfer skills as they prepare for the full impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). We can see a clear trend that the jobs of tomorrow will be technology, human or sustainability-based.

Sustainability-based jobs of tomorrow

Paul Byrne

Technology-based jobs of tomorrow Information Technology (IT) will continue to be a big player in the job market. Pnet foresees a substantial increase in demand for IT roles like Data Engineers, Data Scientists, Cloud Engineers, DevOps Engineers and Salesforce Developers. Looking at Cloud Engineers, we are seeing 11 times more advertised vacancies than five years ago.

Human-based jobs of tomorrow While automation will be a real force in the future, many job roles designed to satisfy human

By paying close attention to supply and demand trends in the job market, companies can now be proactive to prevent being negatively affected by skills shortages.

Climate change, the global energy crisis and the destruction of crucial natural environments have become a tangible threat to our world, and we are slowly becoming more environmentally conscious. We need a sustainable environment that can provide the right agricultural set-up for sustainable food supply and energy. Therefore, the need for sustainability-based professions is on the rise. Demand for renewable energy specialists has increased more than six times over the last five years.

Understanding the value of Big Data The increasing use of the internet to attract talent provides companies like Pnet with an incredibly rich source of data. It enables us to access real-time information on skills availability and demand and the skills needed in the new world of work. This can assist local businesses in adequately preparing for future roles and identifying transferable skills to reskill and grow existing talent in preparation for a very different world of work. With the proper steps in place, companies of all sizes can still attract and retain top talent in an increasingly competitive global employment landscape.

Business Day – FOCUS 4.0

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Building the virtuous health cycle: diagnostics capacity building By Jonathan Keytel , Roche Diagnostics Head of Healthcare Transformation

e all have an anecdote where diagnostics have taken centre stage. A seemingly simple blood test can give families hope and peace of mind. But in Africa, many stories don’t have the happy endings they should. Africa currently has, on average, one pathologist per one-million people. Healthcare providers can drive capacity building on a large scale. But in many cases, clinical processes are further advanced than laboratory processes because pathologists don’t have the resources or training to implement them effectively. Here, an essential part of the healthcare cycle is underperforming and not serving patients as it should.

The virtuous cycle – a case study in progress In July 2022, the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), Philipps-University Marburg and Roche Diagnostics launched a strategic partnership. The central objective of the partnership is to strengthen diagnostics infrastructure and capacity in north-eastern Tanzania by creating a state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence. The Centre is designed to drive sustainable capacity building and develop the skill sets necessary to meet local needs. This Centre of Excellence is co-funded by the Deutsche Investitions-und Entwicklungsgesellschaft (DEG), a development finance provider from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and Roche Diagnostics. The COVID pandemic highlighted that we need to invest more energy and effort in diagnostics to create a virtuous, uninterrupted cycle that delivers better outcomes to clinicians and patients.

Jonathan Keytel

In the context of this case study, this plays out at three levels. At one end is an academic partner from Europe that brings high-tech systems. At the other end is a leading and respected Tanzanian institution that encompasses the African context.

By doing now what the patient needs next, more families could get the happy endings they deserve in their healthcare journeys than ever before.

Business Day – FOCUS 4.0

Roche Diagnostics brings expertise and essential diagnostic tools as a private partner. This creates a virtuous cycle in that the sum of these parts creates better outcomes – for patients, for hardworking clinicians, and the strategic partners involved. The Centre will merge three laboratories already run at the facility – the clinical laboratory, the teaching laboratory and the research laboratory. This consolidates three testing streams, building a virtuous cycle of expertise. Testing is more cost-effective when it is done in batches. The downside to batching is that the lab might have to wait several days before they have enough samples to run the test. So the doctor and patient wait longer for their results. If the clinician is confident in the quality of results they are receiving from the lab, they feel more engaged in the process and are more likely to send bigger batches of tests. This drives faster output for the patient and the clinician. These interlocking virtuous cycles ensure that the lab is operationally, financially and socially sustainable. The lab becomes a sustainable service provider in the clinical setting, shaping diagnostic capacity organically. We can also expand the lab’s reach with digital technology and telemedicine, allowing it to operate across borders and tap into diagnostic expertise from around the globe. As businesses with the power to invest, we are investing in a virtuous cycle that equilaterally serves the investors, the laboratory, the clinicians and, most importantly, the patient. By doing now what the patient needs next, more families could get the happy endings they deserve in their healthcare journeys than ever before.

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Digital Ad Fraud: Turning the tide with FouAnalytics Daniel Courtenay, MultiChoice’s Executive Head of Group Digital Marketing

ver the last 30 years, the internet has changed the entertainment industry landscape. ‘Digital’ has facilitated the rapid growth of content theft - illicit pirated movies, TV shows, and other content - infringing copyrights and taking profits away from creators. ‘Digital’ has also facilitated the global criminal activity known as ad fraud – ads shown to fake users, bots, and ads shown on fake sites and sites using pirated content to attract audiences. For the entertainment industry, this is effectively a ‘triple-whammy’ – the loss of audiences to piracy sites, of profits to creators, and advertising dollars that inadvertently flow to piracy sites, thus funding further criminal activity. Digital ad fraud is the single biggest threat affecting advertisers in every industry, who spend enormous sums on digital advertising. Globally, digital ad spending has passed the US$500-billion mark annually. These dollars are replenished every year, making it a very attractive soft target for criminal organisations, large and small. Ad fraud also poses a significant threat to the brand reputations of organisations. For example, when their ads appear on unsavoury websites they wouldn’t typically choose to be associated with. Digital ad fraud is not a new problem. In 2004, Google’s former CFO George Reyes said that fraud was the biggest threat to the internet economy. In 2016 the World Federation of Advertisers published its first guidance on ad fraud, advising its members to act aggressively to counter the problem, allegedly eating close to US$20 billion of its members’ ad budgets. Market research company eMarketer estimates that digital ad fraud will cost the industry US$100 billion by 2023.

Daniel Courtenay Existing anti-fraud solutions have been unable to keep up with the exponential growth of this illicit industry. A 2021 report by the Digital Citizens Alliance, a US-based consumer-focused group that raises awareness on issues around internet safety, revealed that piracy sites stole more than US$227 million in digital ad dollars in 2013, with that number quadrupling in 2021 to US$1.34 billion. MultiChoice Group is one of the pioneering major brand advertisers in Africa leading the charge against ad-supported piracy and digital ad fraud. The group has adopted and is using

FouAnalytics, facilitated by Media Analytics Global, to measure all digital ad campaigns and all websites. FouAnalytics is an analytics platform for monitoring programmatic ads and websites. It can detect fraud committed by sites and mobile apps and enables companies to add these sites to block lists. Initial data has revealed that nearly 40% of ads in our programmatic display campaigns have gone to suspicious or fraudulent sites and apps. With FouAnalytics, we took immediate action by adding these sites and apps to block lists to optimise campaigns. Over the coming year, our investment in FouAnalytics will empower us to optimise away from fraudulent digital properties towards better marketing outcomes. We have engaged our business analytics teams to study the impact of reducing ads flowing to fraudulent sites and piracy sites on our business results over the coming months. We are only beginning this journey to better understand digital ad fraud using FouAnalytics. As a broadcaster, we need to ensure that our content creators are adequately protected. At the same time we strive to understand the impact of ad fraud on our business outcomes and digital marketing performance. Hopefully, our example will inspire others to tackle ad fraud more aggressively by actively using analytics in their digital media campaigns.

Digital ad fraud is the single biggest threat affecting advertisers in every industry, who spend enormous sums on digital advertising. Globally, digital ad spending has passed the US$500-billion mark annually.

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A team of A team of A legal teamspecialists of legal specialists legal specialists distinguished distinguished distinguished by excellence by excellence by excellence

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Advertisers Index A

Accenture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 29 Altron Karabina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

BCX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC, 3, 10, 12, 13, 14, OBC Bigen Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40, 41 Blue Yonder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 31

Cliquefin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 11 CloudSmiths (PTY) LTD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34, 35

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Digital Tribe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Johannesburg Business School . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18, 20, 21, 25,

Liberty2Degrees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26, 27, 38 Logicalis South Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 8

MICT SETA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 23 Multichoice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59, 62,63

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Pnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55, 56, 57

Takealot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52, 53, 54 Take Note IT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Roche Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58, 60, 61

SAS Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32, 33 Datacentrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15, 16, 17 Snapplify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Sybrin SA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46, 47, 48

University of Free State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Veeam software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42, 43, 44, 45 Vulatel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49, 50, 51

Werksmans Attorneys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64, 65

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Business Day Focus 4.0 2023

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