Convergence Partners Investee, Internet Solutions, has announced that the company’s Public Compute-as-a-Service (CaaS) offering can now be purchased on a pay-as-you-go basis using a credit card.

The IS Public CaaS platform, available through a Web-based portal, enables developers, independent software vendors, small-to-medium-sized businesses or large corporations to easily access enterprise-grade cloud services with pro rata pricing, so users only pay for what they use.

“The IS Public CaaS service offers flexible pricing options for access to IS’s highly available, enterprise-grade public server environment, which can now be paid for using a credit card. There is no monthly fee, contract or vendor lock-in with this service,” explains Barry Hatfiled, business development manager: Cloud services at IS. “This self-service cloud solution therefore offers enhanced ease of use, greater flexibility and unrivaled value to finally deliver true on-demand utility computing to the local market.”

Users can set up a virtual server environment with networking ad security rules, and rapidly deploy more servers and processing power on the fly. The system can also be controlled through an API, allowing applications to be developed to right-size automatically, based on load and demand. The servers can then be turned off when they aren’t required, and spun up again at any time.

The environment has a full, integrated security suite and uptime is guaranteed. Users can connect through the firewall from any Internet-enabled device. The system also supports all major operating systems. “Similar environments can also be cloned and applied around the world, enabling users to carry this capacity with them wherever they go,” says Hatfield. “The REST-based API also allows users to easily integrate systems via the back-end to enable disparate environments to ‘talk’ to each other.”

Read IS press release here

Article from ITWeb

Gemalto, the parent company of Convergence Partners investee Gemalto Southern Africa, together with other leading secure eDocuments companies 3M, Morpho (a division of Safran) and Oberthur Technologies, announced the formation of the Secure Identity Alliance, a grouping dedicated to developing the usage of government-issued eDocuments (identity, health cards, driving licenses and ePassports in particular) for increased security, and to encourage deployment of secure convenient online services strengthening the privacy of the end-users.

The Secure Identity Alliance’s major objectives are to accelerate the transition to smart eDocuments and enable an open, interoperable and efficient roll-out of trusted eGovernment online services by:

• Describing and promoting use cases of convenient value-added eGovernment services,
• Sharing experiences and best practices between industry and governments modernizing their services, in particular towards ensuring the privacy of the end-users’ personal information,
• Promoting standardization of relevant and appropriate industry specifications,
• Making recommendations on the most up-to-date means to properly address the governments identity and privacy challenges, including eDocument hardware, software and secure printing technologies, materials and physical security expertise, in order to deliver the level of confidence and assurance needed for the rapid adoption of eServices that can be trusted by citizens,
• Providing consistent reference information on security, identity and privacy challenges in a transparent manner.

Secure Identity Alliance positions itself as a trusted partner for governmental agencies and public entities defining their eDocument approach and implementing associated eGovernment services. Aiming at establishing interoperable systems, and defining and promoting best practices that can be adopted across the world, the Alliance members will be involved in focused workgroups.

Read more here: www.gemalto.com

Article from Khaleej Dailies

Convergence Partners’ investee, SEACOM, has signed an interconnection agreement with Epsilon Telecommunications. With SEACOM preconnected, Epsilon can offer its customers network connectivity to Africa via the SEACOM network as well as carrying African telecommunications traffic globally. Customers of SEACOM in turn have access to Epsilon’s 450+ preconnected network operators around the world.

Epsilon has connected to SEACOM in Telehouse North in London, UK. All network operator traffic arriving on the undersea cable systems in London can connect to Epsilon’s global network exchange seamlessly. Similarly, international network operators buying services from African operators can deliver their traffic via SEACOM’s undersea cable systems.

“Having agreements with SEACOM allows us to serve more African carriers while helping carriers around the world connect to one of the world’s fastest growing telecommunications markets,” says Clint Collins, Regional Director, Carrier Business MEA at Epsilon Telecommunications. “We see growing demand in Africa for our outsourced network model and this agreement with SEACOM reaffirms our commitment to supporting African telecoms development.”

Privately funded and over three quarters African-owned SEACOM’s undersea cable system directly connects South Africa and eastern Africa with Europe and southern Asia, covering a distance of over 17,000 km.

“At SEACOM our goal is to enable the future of the African Internet and this means ensuring that our customers have access to high-quality network services both in Africa and abroad. Connecting with Epsilon further adds to the portfolio of network services available to the African market which is the foundation for growth,” says Claes Segelberg, Chief Technical Officer at SEACOM.

Read Press Release here

Article from ITNews Africa

Dimension Data is set to acquire Kenyan technology supplier and corporate Internet services company AccessKenya Group for more than Ksh3 billion (R326, 4 million).

The open-market offer to purchase all of AccessKenya’s 218 million shares at a purchase price of Ksh14/share, a premium of 42% over the Friday 10 May, 2013 close on the Nairobi Securities Exchange. The transaction is contingent on shareholder acceptance and various regulatory approvals.

AccessKenya founded by brothers David and Jonathan Somen in 1995 under the name Communications Solutions Limited before being rebranded in 2000, has rallied strongly in recent months on market talk of a possible sale.

Dimension Data Middle East & Africa CEO Derek Wilcocks says the proposed deal is in line with the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone-owned technology group’s goal to pursue a strategy of expansion in sub-Saharan Africa.

“The growth opportunities and liberal and progressive ICT regulatory framework within Kenya make this market highly attractive for Dimension Data to establish an even stronger presence,” he says.

“Internet Solutions Kenya and AccessKenya have worked together on mutual clients for some years. In addition, we have good relationships, and there is also a strong strategic fit between the businesses.”

Dimension Data already operates in Kenya through subsidiaries Dimension Data Kenya, Internet Solutions Kenya and Plessey Kenya and intends to merge its Internet Solutions Kenya business with AccessKenya.

The AccessKenya Group includes the Internet service provider business as well as data carrier network operator Broadband Access, OpenView Business Systems, which was acquired in 2007, and its most recent acquisition, Satori Solutions, bought in 2009.

The company has more than 5 400 leased lines in service and operates 400km of fibre-optic infrastructure in Nairobi and Mombasa, complemented by Motorola Canopy and Alvarion WiMax wireless networks.

Dimension Data Press Release

Read article from TechCentral

Convergence Partners released its latest research report on African Innovation in the technology sector.  The report argues that Africa continues to significantly contribute to global innovation in the technology sector.  However, this innovation is impeded by a number of challenges, not least of which are small and fragmented markets, as well as African governments piecemeal and tepid approaches to innovation.  The result thereof is that the wide scale diffusion of innovation into society is curtailed. Notwithstanding these impediments and limitations, the report details successful African case studies where innovators have overcome hurdles and grabbed opportunities presented by the environment in which they operate.

A copy of the report is available on the Convergence Partners website.

Read Convergence Research Report here

Britehouse SSD announced it is a 2013 SAP Pinnacle award finalist in the VAR/Reseller of the Year category. SAP Pinnacle awards are presented annually to leading SAP partners that have excelled in developing and growing their partnership with SAP and driving customer success.

“Being named as a finalist for the 2013 SAP Pinnacle awards in our first year as a value-added reseller for the SAP Business All-in-One application and SAP BusinessObjects BI solutions, is a significant achievement for Britehouse. It certainly sets a high standard that we have every intention of maintaining. Our relationship with SAP through the ecosystem and channels team and our partner account manager were certainly keys to us achieving this success. We look forward to partnering with SAP in the future,” said Bani Kgosana, Director at Britehouse SSD.

Britehouse SSD has been a SAP services partner for more than five years, and in 2012, the organisation took the decision to become a SAP channel partner, reselling the SAP Business All-in-One application and SAP BusinessObjects BI solutions. Having both of these partnerships with SAP has enabled Britehouse to extend its excellent relationship with SAP from one that was limited to influencing customers to purchase and implement SAP’s software applications, to actually selling software licences as a value-added reseller for SAP solutions.

“Britehouse customers have certainly seen the benefits of being able to purchase SAP software from Britehouse and also use the well-established Britehouse implementation services for their implementation projects. With Britehouse having recently achieved Partner Centre of Expertise certification from SAP AG, Britehouse has been verified as offering support to its customers in accordance with SAP’s current technical and organisational standards,” said Kgosana.

The SAP Pinnacle awards recognise leading SAP partners that have excelled in their partnership with SAP. They showcase SAP’s commitment to its partner ecosystem strategy, which delivers unmatched value to customers and enables SAP to reach its business goals.

Britehouse Press Release

Read ITWeb article here

The Seacom cable network, which was damaged last month, has been fully repaired and all circuits have been restored.

The subsea cable was cut in the Mediterranean Sea in March, along with other cable systems. It is suspected the break was caused by a ship dragging its anchor.

“Our partner network has informed us that the assigned cable ship worked in optimal weather conditions for the duration of their repairs,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday. “The cable was quickly lifted, the new cable spliced in, tested and re-laid thanks to close coordination between the ship crew and onshore support.”

The outage affected a number of South African Internet service providers that rely on Seacom for international connectivity. At the time, Seacom CEO Mark Simpson said multiple cable systems had been affected by the incident that took a place a few kilometres north of the coast of Egypt.

“We suspect, based on our experience with subsea systems and the nature of the sea area where the cut occurred, that the most likely cause was external aggression to the cable most probably caused by a larger vessel dragging its anchor across the sea bed,” Simpson said.

“Unfortunately, this remains a common cause of damage to cable systems globally, despite our continued efforts to protect the cable with armour, burying, notifications to ships of cable location and exclusion zones.”

A week after the incident, Egyptian authorities arrested three divers suspected of trying to sever the Sea-Me-We 4 cable system. Simpson said it was very unlikely the incidents were connected.

Article from TechCentral

Dimension Data’s E-learning Management System has increased from 52 schools in eight provinces in 2012 to over 71 schools in all nine provinces in 2013. The aim of the initiative is to give students access to premium technology applications to support the school curriculum for Grades 10, 11 and 12 and is designed to dramatically improve the quality and depth of secondary education output.

The Dimension Data E-learning programme was established in 2006 as an extension of the Saturday School initiative, and provides multimedia learning to learners throughout South Africa. It consists of a curriculum, which covers English First Additional Language and English Home Language, Mathematics, Life Science, Physical Science and Accounting.

The learning content is updated individually on a trolley system to keep in line with the national school curriculum. The programme aims to accelerate the pass rate in these subjects in all participating schools throughout SA, giving the learners the opportunity to further their education at universities.

“Thousands of learners who have had access to our E-learning Management System have seen tremendous benefits from our supplemental educational programmes. The programme has dramatically improved the matric pass rate in all partnering schools, particularly in maths and science,” says Sibusiso Buthelezi, General Manager: BEE Compliance, Dimension Data Middle East and Africa.

Read more here: Article from ITWeb

Read Dimension Data Press Release here

Dimension Data, a Convergence Partners’ investee, was awarded the responsibility of running a sophisticated data-capturing technology to improve ambulance response times in the Western Cape for the next four years. The project initiated by the Western Cape Government is scheduled to be operational by November of 2013.

Launching the R250 million system last week, Health MEC Theuns Botha said not only would the new information and communication technology system improve data capturing at EMS call centres, but it would “get ambulance response to emergencies in the shortest time possible”.

This project will be implemented over the next four years, with it being phased in from November 2013. The new system would result in the existing 10177 communication-aided dispatch technology being upgraded to provide “fast and efficient data capturing and quick dispatching of emergency resources to incidents”.

Dr Shaheem de Vries, medical services manager at EMS, said once the implementation of the technology was complete in the next few years, it would allow EMS call centres to locate where the call was made.

“One of the problems we have in informal settlements is locating addresses. If your cellphone technology knows where you are, it would send that information to our system…” he said.

Once ambulance staff arrives on scene, the new technology would also allow them to capture patient details electronically, which can then be sent to the hospital prior to the ambulance’s arrival.

Read article from IOL news

Internet Solutions’ subsidiary, Always On, in partnership with Samsung Electronics, will provide all new and existing Samsung smart device users with 1GB of free Wi-Fi access per month for 12 months, at more than 1200 AlwaysOn hotspots around South Africa.

“As a leading player in the mobile market, Samsung presented the ideal partner for AlwaysOn,” says Nico Pretorius, Managing Director at AlwaysOn. “This affiliation provides AlwaysOn with a broader customer base, while in turn, we can offer Samsung users the most substantial Wi-Fi coverage in the country.

“The partnership with AlwaysOn is a natural extension of our value proposition to our customers. We live in the connected age and it makes sense for Samsung to incorporate a service offering that combines innovative mobile devices with national wireless connectivity,” says Craige Fleischer, Director of Mobile Communications at Samsung Electronics South Africa.

Samsung is enabling users to enjoy a connected experience across all their mobile products. Users will be able to access the hotspots through the AlwaysOn application available on the local App marketplace (for smartphones and tablets) or via a Web browser (for feature phones). The service will be offered retrospectively to Wi-Fi enabled devices sold in the past 3 years.

“These new offerings to our extensive stable of media and value added services provide our customers with a more integrated lifestyle experience without the need to carry additional devices. It is also a natural extension of the partnership with AlwaysOn to give people more solutions that meet their business and lifestyle needs,” concludes Fleischer.

Article from TechCentral

Article from Internet Solutions