Server revenue hits new record high
The worldwide server market reached a record $166,3-billion in vendor revenue in the second quarter of 2026 - the highest quarterly total in the history of IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker, surpassing the previous high of $125,3-billion set in the fourth...
IBM and NASA debut open source AI model for lunar exploration
IBM and NASA have announced the open-source release of the NASA‑IBM Lunar Foundation Model, one of the first publicly available foundation models for scientific exploration of the Moon, now available. Trained on an extensive lunar observation dataset curated by IBM...
Record soil moisture, dam levels could soften El Niño impact
While the return of El Niño conditions is expected to increase climate risks for South African agriculture during the 2026/27 summer production season, the sector is entering the cycle from one of its strongest starting positions in recent years. “El Niño is typically...
Memory shortage drives external enterprise revenue up
The worldwide external OEM enterprise storage systems (ESS) market continued its sharp acceleration in the second quarter of 2026, reaching $10,3-billion in vendor revenue, a 33,6% year-over-year increase, according to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Enterprise Storage...
Research unlocks new insights into the hidden health of Africa’s giraffes
With their long necks, distinctive limbs and ornamented heads, giraffes are among Africa’s most iconic megafauna. Yet, despite being reasonably well studied in terms of their biology and ecology, remarkably little is known about pathologies and developmental...
Audit functions use AI, but many lack a formal strategy
Artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in audit functions is nearly universal, with 93% of audit leaders reporting some level of AI use, according to a webinar poll by Gartner. The survey of 161 chief audit executives (CAEs), conducted in May 2026, also highlighted a...
Pan-African payment system enters next phase
The Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) is preparing to accelerate adoption and transaction growth across Africa as it enters the next phase of its strategy, following significant expansion of its network and strong growth in payment volumes and values....
So your NPS improved: but are your services easier to access and use?
The conversation around customer experience (CX) has changed. What was once largely about making interactions easier or resolving problems quickly is increasingly about what those interactions enable customers, and the business, to do. By Richard Eberlein, executive...
Escalating risk demands a broader reinsurance leadership pipeline
The demands of the reinsurance sector provide a timely opportunity to consider how specialist industries can benefit from more inclusive pathways to leadership, writes Izabela Stofberg, chief underwriting officer at Santam Re. Attracting, developing and retaining the...
Why your cloud journey must start with a ‘gearlock’ mindset
Recently, I was involved in a discussion with an acquaintance about a home-security upgrade, writes Allan Juma, lead cyber security engineer at ESET. The additional investment was not necessarily on the radar, except that the person told me that he had suspected...
True customer enablement starts on the inside
The telecommunications industry is renowned for being slow and transactional, where larger players set the terms in a cold, utility-driven relationship. By Graeme Thomson, chief operating officer at Backspace Technologies However, as organisations of all sizes will...
SA SMEs use AI but many still don’t know where it fits
More than half of South African small businesses are now using AI tools daily or weekly, but many are still struggling to understand where the technology fits into their operations. Xero's 2026 State of South African Small Business report found that 52% are using AI...