INDUSTRYUPDATE

During HUAWEI CONNECT 2023, Huawei held a distribution business session titled “HUAWEI eKit, Digitalisation for Success” that outlined its approach to the distribution business: focus on distribution partners (DPs), stay subcontractor-centred, and help global DPs to keep developing the SME market through continuous innovation and competitive products & services.

During HUAWEI CONNECT 2023, at the Commercial Market Summit: Join Hands with Partners to Accelerate Intelligence for SMEs, Huawei Datacom released three new product portfolios.

Technology enabled businesses and the solutions they develop represent exciting growth opportunities for investors. In South Africa technology companies and startups alone raised $168.6 million in funding in 2021, writes Nchaupe Khaole, Chief Investment Officer, Mineworkers Investment Company.

A crucial part of the AI ethics debate in South Africa is inevitably going to be led by the local business community, which holds a significant role in shaping the ethical landscape of AI within the country, writes De Wet Bischoff, Director of Operations for Accenture in Africa.

The way we perceive business flourishing is undergoing a paradigm shift as digital identity and consumer consent redefine the dynamics of transactions. Shanaaz Trethewey, Chief Operating Officer for Comcorp South Africa, a leading software innovator and authentication technology specialist, emphasises the pivotal role of individuals’ digital identity in unlocking this transformative potential.

The metaverse as a concept has gained traction in the real world with individuals and organisations engaging within its digital boundaries. This makes it important to ask the tough questions about privacy, security and legal expectations.

Whether your data resides in the cloud, on premises or in a hybrid environment, it remains arguably the single most important asset of your business, writes Mohammed Sayed, Head of Technical Services SA at DMP SA. It needs to be protected, and it needs to be recoverable, which means that, even in the era of digital transformation and the cloud, it needs to be backed up according to best practice.

Fasten your seat belts as the ‘work from anywhere’ era steps on the gas. In the fast lane of this new age, hush holidays are cruising in, a silent phenomenon stirring duty of care considerations into a tricky maze that has organisations reaching for their strategy maps.

“In the Middle East, the highest risks come from the cost-of living crisis and the inflation rate. Secondly, we also see recession fears, mostly related to a stagnant global economic outlook.” ~ HISHAM EL BADAWY, Managing Partner, Signium Egypt & GCC

While Signium’s latest research suggests inflation is expected to decline but still remain high (6.6% in 2023, compared to 8.8% in 2022), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)  concurred in June 2023 that underlying inflation pressures remain intense.

Humans – not technology – will pave the way to digital transformation success. Indeed, having a digitisation strategy in place is the starting point, but to truly activate a digital transformation programme, organisations need a strong leadership team that has acute self-awareness, and can positively contribute and direct their influence toward the people affected by change.