IT News Africa: Most read articles of the week

It’s been another insightful week in the world of technology.

The annual Gartner Symposium ITXPO kicked off at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Monday, 17 September 2018 which unpacked an array of topics including data & analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, culture, customer experience, cybersecurity, and more.

IBM also introduced technology that gives businesses new transparency into AI and Huawei’s announced the launch of their latest device.

IT News Africa also had the chance to sit down with Huawei’s CTO, Steve Apps as he gave insight on IOT and Smart Cites. Here’s a round up of the most read articles of the week.

Interview: Huawei’s CTO, Steve Apps, unpacks IOT as part of a “Smart Cities” landscape

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a talking point in many discussions on how connectivity will move us forward as a society and what kinds of technologies will help shape future cities. Huawei is one of many large tech companies with a vested interest in IoT. Steve Apps, Huawei’s Chief Technology Officer, recently spoke on the subject at TechX in Johannesburg. Read more.

Huawei Mate 20 Lite to launch 5 October 2018

Huawei’s new Mate 20 Lite, which will be launched in South Africa on 5 October 2018, will have multiple new features – as revealed by the firm. Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated of these is the device’s four AI cameras – two rear-facing and two front-facing – which will be a first for South Africa. Users will now be able to fully optimise their selfies, as Huawei brings the power of AI to front-facing cameras. Read more.

Machines learning to speak as we do

The fact that machine learning (ML) services are now available through AWS has led to a shift in the capabilities that developers can offer their clients with regards to natural language processing (NLP) and the cloud services they inform. Machine learning is an area of artificial intelligence (AI) built on the idea that systems can learn from data, identify patterns and make decisions. Read more.

New IBM software service addresses need for more transparency in AI decision making

IBM introduced technology that gives businesses new transparency into AI, enabling them to more fully harness its power. The software service, which automatically detects bias and explains how AI makes decisions – as the decisions are being made – runs on the IBM Cloud to help organizations manage AI systems from a wide variety of industry players. IBM Services will also work with businesses to help them harness the new software service. Read more.

Gemalto pilots blockchain technology to put users in control of their Digital ID

Who are you, and can you prove it? The new Gemalto Trust ID Network enables users to give digital service providers fully verified and secured answers to these simple yet critical questions. By creating and managing their own ‘Self-Sovereign’ Digital ID, users can enroll with a host of different digital banking, eCommerce and eGovernment services, without having to go through repeated due diligence processes for each of them. This innovative distributed approach to Digital ID management enables service providers to leverage ubiquitous identities certified by trusted parties whilst putting users firmly in control of their data. Read more.

South Africa takes 6th place in Global Robotics Olympics

A team of learners from Tshwane, mentored by the University of Pretoria’s (UP) MakerSpace centre and a group of UP engineering students, was placed sixth out of 180 teams from around the world participating in the annual FIRST Global Challenge Robotics Olympics in Mexico City. The teams were required to build and code their own robot. Team South Africa (which nicknamed itself ‘The Springbots’), in addition to placing sixth, won The Walt Disney Award for Imagination and Creativity, awarded to the team that displays the most creative approach to problem-solving. Read more.

Customers to benefit from disruption in retail banking, says FNB

Customers will be the main beneficiaries of disruption and increased competition in Retail banking due to a potential improvement in value and customer service. This is according to Raj Makanjee, CEO of FNB Retail who is reflecting on the increasingly competitive environment as new entrants enter the market. Read more.

Mike Harris delivers opening keynote at Gartner Symposium ITXPO 2018

The annual Gartner Symposium ITXPO kicked off at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Monday, 17 September 2018. The three-day conference is set to bring Africa’s leading CIOs and senior IT executives together in Cape Town to discuss key topics including data & analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, culture, customer experience, cybersecurity, and more. Read more.

Payspace selected as cloud service provider to former Sage Managing Director

PaySpace, a cloud-based Payroll and Human Capital Management software solutions, announced that it has been selected as the preferred cloud service provider to former Sage Managing Director for Africa and the Middle East, Anton Van Heerden’s company, DNA HR and Payroll. Speaking of the partnership and what attracted DNA to PaySpace, Anton van Heerden comments: “They basically achieved what I knew needed to be the future of payroll software. The system ticks all the right boxes around efficiency, security, ease of use and has some amazing differentiating features. Read more.

New report unveils predictions for the Future of Multi-Cloud

F5 Networks has unveiled EMEA’s first-ever Future of Multi-Cloud (FOMC) report, highlighting game-changing trends and charting adaptive best practice over the next five years. The F5 commissioned report was conducted by the Foresight Factory, which drew on its proprietary bank of over 100 trends and original research across 25 regional markets. It also features exclusive qualitative interview input from influential global cloud experts specialising in entrepreneurialism, cloud architecture, business strategy, industry analysis, and relevant technological consultancy. Read more.

By Neo Sesinye
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