Schneider Electric and Cisco Partner to Bridge Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT) in building management systems

Schneider Electric and Cisco Partner to Bridge Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT) in building management systems

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AI poised to make customers more powerful than bank

Increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) and explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) is likely to see the banking industry moving towards an environment where the customer owns their data and can easily move between banks or other financial organisations with their historical financial information. Prema Varadhan, chief architect and head of AI at Temenos, says this is a long-term aspiration that traditional banks may struggle to attain in the medium term. However, the first step was taken with the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe in 2018.…

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Proof-of-delivery process management and automation vital to improve businesses’ cashflow

On average, an accountant spends 25-30% of their time looking for documentation to resolve queries, or resending documents to customers to ensure payment is made. By utilising technology to automate the control and distribution of invoices and linked statements, companies can expect to achieve a 10 to 35% improvement in their monthly cash collections. Over and above this is the 25% of time (a whole week in a month) saved when there is no longer a constant need to search for documentation. The importance of proof-of-delivery (POD) management is a…

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The tall ‘POPIA’ syndrome: stand out from the crowd by preparing your financial document management system for POPIA now!

The Protection of Public Information Act (POPIA) is not yet in effect, but the final POPIA regulations were signed into law in November 2018, with all indications that the Act will shortly become effective. Although there is a 12 month grace period for compliance once the POPIA officially comes into play, companies should start preparing their data processes now to avoid the risk of non-compliance. This is according to Christopher de Zeeuw, founder and Managing Director of Capisol Software, the leading and trusted local provider of an integrated, cloud-native, document…

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Drones could help overcome the poor transport infrastructure in Africa

CAPE TOWN – Drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) could help to overcome poor transport infrastructure, as only one-third of Africans live within 2 kilometers of an all-weather road. Making sure that the remaining two-thirds have access to decent roads will cost more than $50 billion (R736.4bn) and take several years, which is why Africa has been a pioneer in using drones for peaceful civilian use. Timothy Reuter, Head of Aerospace and Drones at the World Economic Forum was part of a panel discussion on unleashing the drone economy at…

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Hisense in talks to make phones in South Africa

Deputy minister in the presidency, Thembi Siweya, has welcomed the impact the Hisense factory in Atlantis, Western Cape, has had on jobs, saying further investments will improve the lives of ordinary South Africans. Shortly after visiting the Hisense factory as part of Brand South Africa’s pre-World Economic Forum media tour, Siweya said she was happy that the plant was employing locals and helping government meet the objectives of creating jobs as envisaged in the National Development Plan. “We are happy because a plant like this produces jobs for South Africans.…

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South Africa’s manufacturing industry is lagging behind the tech curve

A new study conducted by World Wide Worx in partnership with ERP software provider SYSPRO highlights that South African manufacturers have fallen behind the technological curve when compared to other industries. The study, named The Mobile Corporation in South Africa 2019, was presented by SYSPRO and World Wide Worx at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Johannesburg. The data from this study was collated from telephonic interviews with 400 high-level decision-makers at SA enterprises, with manufacturing companies forming around half of this sample. “This study provides interesting and surprising insight into…

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Building a (digital) bridge to SME success

For small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) sustainability matters – and today, sustainability is arguably best achieved by investing in the right technology. “The world has essentially become one marketplace, and one workforce,” says Jacobus de Nysschen, executive director at Creative CFO, a financial services firm based in Cape Town that is focused on the SME sector. “To build a successful company today, you have to gain access to the global innovation marketplace, which means embracing the right technology.” According to de Nysschen, the rapidly changing nature of the modern work…

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South African municipal districts must all have Silicon Valley skills hubs

To get in gear with the Fourth Industrial Revolution and in order to transfer digital skills and foster tech enterprise development, South Africa should introduce ‘hubs’ in all the 44 municipal districts, through public-private sector partnerships. “Silicon Valley” has become an expression synonymous with the digital economy and technological innovation. Silicon Valley is a region located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay area in Northern California. It serves as global headquarters for many notable technology, innovation and social media companies, including Alphabet (Google), Apple, eBay, Facebook and…

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School of specialisation on drive to the future

The future looks bright for maths and science pupils at the Katlehong Engineering School of Specialisation, on the East Rand, who will be trained as qualified car technicians by five big motor companies in SA. Yesterday, Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi officially launched the school with a focus on manufacturing, transport and logistics. The school is situated in the eastern economic development corridor where the major industries are transport, manufacturing and logistics. Lesufi said the school has partnered with MerSeta (Manufacturing, engineering and related services Seta) to provide pupils with…

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