Resilient economy pushes April BETI up
After two consecutive months of declines, the BankservAfrica Economic Transactions Index (BETI) increased in April 2023. Although encouraging, it is unlikely that this is the start of a notable recovery phase in the economy as the index deteriorated on an annual and...
Usurpa Gallery introduces a new medium of fine art
As the first fine-art physical NFT gallery in South Africa, the Usurpa Gallery has taken a bold new step by opening The New Medium group exhibition featuring 12 local artists. The organisers say the exhibition - running at the gallery until 1 June - adds a "new...
US agencies take down Russian malware network
The US Justice Department has announced the completion of a court-authorised operation, code-named Medusa, to disrupt a global peer-to-peer network of computers compromised by sophisticated malware, called "Snake". The US Government attributes the malware to a unit...
Spike in demand for deepfakes on the darkweb
Kaspersky has discovered that deepfake creation tools and services are available on darknet marketplaces and, depending on the complexity of the project and the quality of the final product, prices for one minute of deepfake video range from $300 to $20 000. The...
Digital workers struggle to find info to do their jobs
A recent survey by Gartner found that 47% of digital workers struggle to find information or data needed to effectively perform their jobs. "Employees struggle to stay afloat as information and applications flood their digital workplace. Although digital workers are...
Digital workers want to help create their hybrid work model
A recent survey by Gartner found that 77% of digital workers want to participate in creating their hybrid work model, while just 14% prefer to have their hybrid work environment mandated. "One of the biggest challenges to hybrid work is the lack of alignment between...
Accelerating sustainability spend will fuel digital growth
European spending on digital transformation (DX) is forecast to exceed $550-billion in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 15,9% from 2022. According to International Data Corporation's (IDC) latest Worldwide Digital Transformation Spending Guide, DX spending in Europe...
Consumers want brands to offer local language support
When it comes to buying from brands online, over four in five consumers won't buy from a brand that doesn't offer local language support, according to a new report released by RWS. The provider of technology-enabled language, content and IP services, asked 6,500...
SAFPS platform aims to combat fraud
Traditionally, South Africa has been a popular country among fraudsters looking for every opportunity to try and find their next victim. Statistics from the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) point out that there was a 600% increase in incidents...
New watsonx platform to power next-generation foundation models
IBM, at its annual Think conference, has announced IBM watsonx, a new AI and data platform to be released that will enable enterprises to scale and accelerate the impact of the most advanced AI with trusted data. Enterprises turning to AI today need access to a full...
Tourism on track for a full recovery
International tourism is well on its way to returning to pre-pandemic levels, with twice as many people travelling during the first quarter of 2023 than in the same period of 2022. The second UNWTO World Tourism Barometer of the year shows that the sector's swift...
What do data centres and home plumbing have in common?
It might sound prosaic but a solid, well-planned IT infrastructure is a bit like having good plumbing. If the pipes don't work, there's little point in installing a state-of-the-art bathroom with marble tiles, jacuzzi bath and power shower. By Dermot O'Connell, senior...