2010: 10 key tech moments that are shaping our future | memeburn

Share By Uzair Parker
12.29.10

As 2010 draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on some of the key technologies that have influenced, inspired and dominated the mobile, web and software product markets this year:

1. The Rise of the Tablets

Announced in early January, Apple’s iPad was one of the most significant product launches this year: The world’s first fully functional tablet PC. Described as being revolutionary and magical, many early critics initially dismissed the device as nothing more than a larger version of the iPod Touch. Yet, it was anything but that.

The iPad set the standard for tablet devices with its sleek and glossy design, packing a powerful processor with access to Apple’s famed iTunes marketplace that had business owners scrambling to get their web product onto an iPad-friendly application format.

It is one mean piece of hardware and with Samsung’s Galaxy Tab sparking the Android vs Apple battle plus Rim’s Blackberry Playbook now entering the fray, it’s a clear indication that tablet PCs are here to stay.

2. Augmented Reality takes a bold leap

Augmented reality applications have really hit home this year by extending beyond the mobile sphere and into the console gaming environment with both Playstation and Microsoft taking the lead. Microsoft’s Kinect system for the XBox has redefined the gaming genre with its full body, controller-less motion, making augmented reality gaming a, well, reality within your living room. And the EyePet for the Playstation 3 and PSP provides a showcase of what console cameras and motion sensing are capable of. Of course, augmented reality is not limited only to gaming. Layar, Augmented ID and TwittARound are but a few of the current applications which make good use of this technology. Augmented reality has now began filtering into the business sectors where companies are taking note of its showcase appeal with regards to sales and marketing.

3. Android

Google’s mobile OS, Android, also includes middleware, key applications and an SDK which provides the tools and APIs necessary to begin developing applications on the Android platform using Java. With over two dozen Android powered phones, Google’s answer to the iPhone has an authoritative stamp of approval within the smartphone market. Sleek, customisable and with a modified Linux kernel for an engine, it’s no wonder Android has become the de facto smartphone choice, ranking first amongst all the OS handsets sold this year in the U.S. alone.

4. Mobile Video

The advent of readily available 3G networks worldwide has lead to an increased demand for mobile video services. Application marketplaces such as iTunes and Netflix, which predominantly maintain a purchase-to-download approach, have now also integrated video and TV-on-demand and streaming media onto their platforms. Alongside this, portable, accessible and, as of recently, full HD video cameras which are now a standard component of most smartphones, (such as Nokia’s N8 powerhouse which packs a 12 megapixel camera), allow for easy uploading and streaming of video content. Video blogging or vlogging has since become an accepted medium for feed and content aggregators across the globe.

5. Realtime Search

Search engine giant Google has taken realtime search to an authoritative level in 2010 by providing licensed realtime data streams from mainstream social networks such as Twitter and Facebook into its search results. The initial concerns with realtime search included relevance and also spam control –- filtering the informative live streams from the useless junk, particularly considering that end users would expect the same quality that traditional web searches provided. And this is where Google dominated.

By engaging the legitimacy of a valid tweet on Twitter or Facebook update status, Google’s tight-lipped algorithm delves into the popularity of these pocket-sized information nuggets and delivers.

6. Social Networks

In 2010 giants Facebook and Twitter have continued to dominate the social networking scene, with Twitter releasing its new iPad-like web layout and Facebook redesigning its user profile pages. Public awareness into social media has also increased this year with sites such as LinkedIn bridging the business/ social gap and merging company and user-based profiles together to the point that many company and recruitment entities are now actively engaging LinkedIn for resources.

Also, movies such as the box-office success The Social Network, which chronicles the rise of Facebook founder Marc Zuckerberg, have added to the heightened public appeal. Major events, including the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, added to the euphoria, proving once and for all that social networks are above the misinterpretation of the web paradigm. Simply put, they’re big news. And they’re here to stay.

7. Cloud computing flies high

In the past year, cloud computing has really taken flight with the majority of internet sites’ architecture employing web services to consumers by converting their existing services to run on shared resources or “clouds”. Cloud-based services are low on costs and implementation and can be exploited in a variety of ways to develop an application or a solution that taps into the unlimited processing and storage power of vast data centres run by companies like Google or Amazon.

Isolated, system-specific and device and location-dependent applications are now a thing of the past as cloud computing provides the agility, security and readily available APIs across a scalable spectrum with reduced cost and maintenance leverages. For examples, read Technobuffalo’s great post on cloud computing.

8. HTML 5 sets the standard

Browsers such as Firefox and Chrome are already supporting HTML5, the evolution in web development. The addition of many new syntax features such as

2010: the year bandwidth prices nosedived

It has been a year of falling bandwidth prices in SA. Though it took a little time before it happened, the arrival of the Seacom undersea cable jumpstarted a downward spiral in broadband prices.

With access to lower international bandwidth prices, Internet service providers were given the chance to step up their game this year.

But exactly how much less are you paying for bandwidth this Christmas compared to last year?

Afrihost director Greg Payne says consumers are paying up to two-thirds less than they were a year ago for fixed-line bandwidth on Telkom’s digital subscriber lines.

This time last year, Internet providers were charging about R70/GB for 1GB of bandwidth on average. To put that into perspective, a standard 10GB capped account would have cost the consumer about R8 400 a year.

Now, the average cost is about R29/GB, translating into R3 400 over year for 10GB/month — a R4 920 saving.

Consumers could even buy 50GB of data without spending as much as they did last year for 10GB. A 50GB account from Afrihost, for example, costs R475 per month, or R5 700 a year.

Afrihost was one of the first companies to slash bandwidth prices — as early as September last year. Payne says that at the time it was charging less than cost price for bandwidth. It was confident that input costs would plummet.

At the top end, the cost of bandwidth has dropped to as little as R9,50/GB.

“We believed that prices would come down thanks to the new undersea cables and we were a late entrant to the market and so we needed to hit the market by storm,” says Payne.

Afrihost’s campaign resulted in it signing up more than 25 000 new subscribers in the six months that followed the first cuts.

Prices from rival MWeb have also plummeted, falling from R89 for 1GB of data last year to around R26 now.

But by far the most revolutionary development this year was the introduction of uncapped bandwidth accounts from MWeb. Not worrying about how much bandwidth they consumed changed the way many South Africans used the Internet.

Head of products at MWeb Nathier Kasu says people can now stream video, download video and music, and get stuck into online games without worrying about running over their bandwidth caps and getting cut off.

However, he says by far the most attractive aspect of uncapped broadband has been the fact that customers are able to budget on a fixed monthly amount. Before uncapped products came along, many consumers would top up their bandwidth when they ran out, leading to some months costing more than others.

MWeb’s uncapped service has been widely taken up, and Kasu says the company does have a few users he describes as “power downloaders”.

He says that, theoretically, if a user downloads constantly throughout the month using a 4Mbit/s line they could download more than 1TB of data. “We have had a few users that reached that limit,” Kasu says.

Despite the big drop in prices, Afrihost’s Payne says a lot can still be done to decrease the overall cost. “International bandwidth is now very well priced, but local bandwidth is still expensive,” he says.

In general, Internet providers buy up national bandwidth from Telkom at wholesale rates and on-sell those to consumers. Payne says there is quite a lot of room to reduce these costs.

Also, fixed-line broadband prices are inflated by the fees consumers have to pay to Telkom for line rental. These prices may start to come down when Telkom’s local loop — the “last mile” of copper cables between consumers and Telkom’s exchanges — is unbundled next year.

Fixed lines aren’t the only area where bandwidth prices have come down. Thanks to Cell C and Telkom’s 8ta, there’s been a lot of movement in mobile data, too.

Both 8ta and Cell C have introduced more competitive mobile data pricing and this could prompt their bigger rivals, MTN and Vodacom, to follow suit next year.

Cell C’s new data prices are set at such a level that one analyst, Arthur Goldstuck of World Wide Worx, has even suggested its pricing is aimed at Telkom’s fixed-line offerings.

For bandwidth-starved South Africans, that’s music to the ears. — Candice Jones, TechCentral

US government adopts ‘cloud-first’ policy - SmartPlanet

By Joe McKendrick
Nov 30, 2010

The Washington Post’s Marjorie Censer reports that US federal agencies are now required to adopt a “cloud-first” policy when considering new information technology purchases. The policy is the result of an overhaul of the government’s IT procurement process:

“Jeffrey Zients, the federal government’s first chief performance officer, announced… that the Office of Management and Budget will now require federal agencies to default to cloud-based solutions ‘whenever a secure, reliable, cost-effective cloud option exists.’”

This is a dramatic sea-change in acceptance of the cloud technology approach, which was fairly new and radical just a couple of years ago — and still is fraught with misgivings about information security.

Still, the financial benefits are too compelling to pass up, espcially for an $80-billion-a-year IT operation such as that of the US federal government. The cloud-first initiative may help the government in its efforts to reduce and consolidate its stable of 2,100 data centers. The government is moving to reduce that total by at least 40% by 2015.

There are other “smarter” IT approaches already in place. The General Services Administration maintains a government “app store,” Apps.Gov, which provides agencies with access to various cloud platforms and applications.

Federal CIO Kundra Vivek has vowed to reign in and streamline the government’s IT budget by at least by five percent a year through aggressive and pro-active actions such as cloud computing, virtualization and data center consolidation. And, as a result, enable agencies across the board to better streamline their own programs.

8ta readies BlackBerry offering

By Leigh-Ann Francis
Johannesburg, 26 Nov 2010

Fourth mobile operator 8ta is testing BlackBerry smartphones on its network and will likely be ready with an offering early next year.

The operator is also in discussions with Apple to offer its iPhone smartphone range, but was unable to give any details at this point as it is bound by a strict non-disclosure agreement.

The BlackBerry play will be a significant one for the newcomer, as it has been recognised as a fast-growing cellular brand in SA.

BlackBerry smartphones were rated as the second “most popular cellphone” in the annual Sunday Times Generation Next Survey 2010. In 2009, BlackBerry smartphones were ranked fifth, and in 2008, the brand was ranked seventh.

8ta has already come to market with a strong smartphone play, including an extensive range of Nokia, HTC, Samsung, Motorola and Sony handsets.

The operator has not given any details around how it will structure its BlackBerry deals. However, on 8ta's highest-end contract deal, customers receive 500 free on-net minute calls, 200 free minutes to other networks and 50MB free data.

Vodacom, MTN and Cell C already offer the BlackBerry smartphones. However, only Vodacom and MTN offer Apple's iPhones.

Vox to take on telcos

By Nicola Mawson, ITWeb senior journalist.
Johannesburg, 26 Nov 2010

Vox is transitioning into a fully-fledged telecoms company, says MD Douglas Reed.

Vox Telecom is moving towards becoming a full-fledged telecoms company, taking on the giants in the industry.

The company's move towards providing the entire range of telecoms offerings comes on the back of its migrating of least-cost routing (LCR) customers onto its own network, Cristal Vox.

Cristal Vox allows the listed telco to offer a range of voice communications services instead of only competing on outbound calls, which accounts for a third of all voice traffic. MD Douglas Reed explains that the recent regulated interconnect cuts gives the company clarity and allows it to build its model for the future.

Vox wrote down its LCR business Orion by R809 million during the year to August, on the back of future lower mobile termination rates. The write-down hampered earnings, which came in at a R678 million loss. Adding back impairments, the company reported headline earnings up to R71.7 million.

The Independent Communications Authority of SA last month announced a termination glide path that will see mobile interconnect rates settle at 40c a minute from March 2013. Fixed rates for local calls will end up at 12c, while interconnect for national calls will be 19c a minute.

Reed says the clarity gives the company the opportunity to grow, and Cristal will provide Vox with a network backbone from which it can turn LCR business Orion into a complete telecoms company. Vox spent R48 million on the network during the year.

Vox would have preferred a slower glide path, says Reed, as this would have given the company a year or two more to get its network up to speed. However, being forced to migrate LCR customers will open up the opportunity to grow margins, as it can now offer its own services and not just on sell those of its new competitors, says Reed.

Cell C leapfrogs into fast lane - Times LIVE

Nov 21, 2010 10:58 PM | By Toby Shapshak

Lars Reichelt was a happy man last week. The CEO launched CellC's new data network in Gauteng on the ninth birthday of the cellular network.

A week earlier, Cell C, Internet Solutions and Convergence Partners had agreed to build a 12000km national fibre-optic network that will cost R5-billion. As they like to say in the internet industry, you can never have too much fibre.

From a new cellphone data network to a new fibre company, the last two weeks brought good news for telecoms in South Africa.

Cell C has aggressively built its new data network and offered some aggressive launch prices (though the final prices haven't emerged yet).

Because it previously focused on voice and neglected expensive 3G services, it has been able to leapfrog directly to new, faster technology called HSPA+. Theoretically, this can achieve data speeds of up to 21.6megabytes a second.

"I don't think there is a third operator in the world that has, in 10 or 11 weeks, leaped to the front of the leagues in a very big country," Reichelt said proudly.

"There are not many countries in the world with this kind of population coverage, at that kind of speed. South Africa has become a world leader. There are not many European countries, or [places in] the US, where you get the kind of speeds you are getting here."

Reichelt added: "By the end of 2011 we aim for 97% population coverage with HSPA+. By mid-2011, we want to cover 67%."

Right now, he said, 32% was covered, reaching 34% by the end of the year.

These are bold pronouncements, and Cell C has been able to build its next-generation network for two reasons.

First, you can build anything, and build it quickly, if you throw enough money at it.

Second, because Cell C has previously gone after only voice minutes at the bottom-end, pay-as-you-go market, it had no 3G network. This meant it did not have to sweat its expensive assets, as the other operators have.

Reichelt is a clever CEO who has re-engineered the third network operator as much as its data network. He converted crippling debt to equity. He sold off its cellular towers and refinanced the company.

Along the way, he changed focus from voice minutes to data, the big growth area for networks around the world as data-hungry smartphones become increasingly popular, as do their data-loving apps.

Cleverly, Cell C has gone after the small towns and rolled out its new network in coastal cities such as Port Elizabeth, Durban and Cape Town, before moving inland to Bloemfontein and Gauteng.

Like every geek and tech journo, I have been testing Cell C's network and am impressed with the speeds.

Reichelt showed off connection speeds from the major speed tester to demonstrate how CellC has leapfrogged to the top. In part, this is because it has unfettered access to the 900GHz spectrum, which is better suited to providing data services, requires fewer base stations to provide coverage, and transmits through walls more efficiently, giving a stronger signal indoors.

The test will come when it has more users.

Cell C might be the underdog in the cellphone industry, but, as Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx points out, they are the third-largest customer-carrying company in South Africa, with 7million customers - or 14.5% market share - behind Vodacom (23million, 49.5%) and MTN (17million, 36%).

The good news for consumers is that more competition generally translates into greater choice and better prices.

•Shapshak is editor of Stuff magazine

The fastest, cheapest broadband now in Gauteng

Hilton Tarrant Moneyweb | 19 November, 2010

The launch of Cell C's super-fast network in Gauteng should force prices down.

The past ten weeks have been an anomaly. It's not often that service companies, especially mobile operators, launch a new service outside of the economic hub of South Africa.

Cell C did though. The choice of Port Elizabeth as its launch city for its new 4Gs high-speed 21.6Mbps HSPA+ network was somewhat unexpected, but it gave Cell C a fairly controlled test environment. Rumours of network rollout hurdles in Gauteng meant Bloemfontein, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Cape Town, George, Nelspruit, Polokwane, Richards Bay and Emalahleni (Witbank) followed.

Finally, the operator has gone live in the market where it's really going to make a difference. For one, Vodacom, MTN and newcomer 8ta will notice.

The launch pricing is staggering. Cell C boss Lars P Reichelt won't say how long its launch offer will remain in place, but given its aggressive pricing, we may yet see more aggressive moves in the next 12 months.

You will simply not find pricing even remotely comparable to this in the market, even on DSL services if you calculate the total cost of ownership:

Click on the link above to read the whole article to get the tables and pricing.......

Mobile data: out of bundle rates compared

by Christo van Gemert, ITWeb journalist
Johannesburg, 18 Nov 2010

Cell C has the cheapest, all-inclusive data bundles in SA, available on its new high-speed HSPA+ network. However, consumers looking to use more data than their bundle allows will pay the highest rates in the country.

While its bundled prices are extremely competitive, the out-of-bundle rate – charges for each megabyte transferred outside the stipulated cap – are the highest. Cell C charges a flat rate of 39c per megabyte out of bundle.

Out of bundle rates

Vodacom has a tiered system for its out-of-bundle charges. Customers on the Vodacom Broadband package will be charged R1.20 per megabyte when on the MyGig 2.3GB bundle, and 50c for those on the MyGig 5GB bundle.

Alternatively, Vodacom's Broadband Advanced offers the same in-bundle and out-of-bundle rates. In this case, the MyGig 2 and MyGig 5 bundles have rates of 19c and 18c respectively.

MTN's 2GB bundle boasts the same out-of-bundle rates as Vodacom: 19c per megabyte. It lacks a 5GB product, instead offering an “Uncapped Lite” bundle with a fair use policy of 3GB. This costs R749 a month, and has no out-of-bundle rate.

Telkom's 8ta also boasts lower rates than Cell C. Both its Internet 2 (1.5GB) and Internet 3 (3.2GB) packages have a flat rate of 30c per megabyte, out of bundle.

Brian Neilson, director of telecommunications research at BMI-TechKnowledge, says the importance of an out-of-bundle rate depends on the type of customer and how much they want to use.

“If they're low-end users, it's not going to matter at all because they'll almost never go out of bundle,” he says, citing research that shows most South Africans don't even use up 3GB of data.

For more demanding users, Neilson adds, that they should be fine “as long as they get fair warning before they go out of bundle, and are able to take advantage of larger bundles”.

Cell C does not offer any bolt-on package to top up a data bundle before the end of the month. The same is true for 8ta. Users have no option but to pay the high out-of-bundle rate, or to purchase an additional SIM card with the cheaper data.

MTN and Vodacom allow customers to top up when their data quota has been met or exceeded.

Microsoft OCS update promises to replace PBX

By Denise Dubie, Network World
March 24

Microsoft unveiled its updated unified communications software that the company says will help customers move off PBX systems, but industry watchers wonder if the previewed Communications Server "14" will integrate with more than just Microsoft-approved software and hardware.

"Obviously this release has been much-anticipated. The industry was waiting for the release when OCS became a full PBX replacement," says Zeus Kerravala, an analyst at Yankee Group. "Microsoft has a good vision of where they want to take this industry, and it is similar to other vendors like Cisco, except Microsoft will argue they don't make the hardware. Yet the company does dictate with which hardware the unified communications software will work, and it's only a handful like Polycom."

Microsoft Wednesday introduced its updated Office Communications Server – code-named Communications Server "14" -- at VoiceCon Orlando 2010, and company executives demonstrated during a keynote presentation there how the next version of Microsoft Office Communication Server integrates with applications such as SharePoint, Exchange and Office. Gurdeep Singh Pall, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Unified Communications Group said during the keynote address that the company's updated unified communications software, Communications Server "14," will provide IT organizations with the next-generation platform on which to collaborate with voice and video applications as well as a simple, cost-effective alternative to aging PBX systems.

"This system works with the communications systems you have in place, and it will sit next to it and work well with it, because you may not want to throw away the PBX," Pall said. "But this product, when ready to move, will be ready to carry the entire load that your PBX is carrying."

According to Pall, in the next three years more than 75% of new business applications will include embedded unified communications and standard business calls today will become outdated with more than 50% of VoIP calls incorporating more than just voice. Industry watchers agree companies and consumers are moving away from traditional voice systems and embracing collaboration tools that are tied to social media and other technologies. But the transition might not be as quick.

"People are using other forms of communications, that's true, but the move away from voice won't happen as quickly as Microsoft thinks it will, but then Microsoft doesn't make money on phones," Kerravala says.

Microsoft's demonstration at VoiceCon lacked a few things for Kerravala. The company didn't go into great detail about branch office survivability solutions or 911 services, for instance, but Microsoft also didn't explain how it would work with third-party systems. Polycom, HP and NET, and several others, announced earlier in the week that they would separately be expanding relationships with Microsoft to better integrate with OCS and the company's UC products.

Competing with Cisco, Avaya, Siemens and IBM, Microsoft will need to differentiate itself, Kerravala suggests, with customer examples of how the Communications Server "14" changed the way they worked and helped them to cut costs in the process.
"Cisco and Microsoft will compete most directly because they are both trying to do everything, going after the whole suite, they both have e-mail packages, but Microsoft will say it doesn't do hardware, it just dictates the hardware specifications," Kerravala says. "If Microsoft is going to win in this market, it will have to depend on developers, they are what makes the company successful."

SMEs ignorant about IT

Johannesburg, 9 Nov 2010

Although almost all small and medium enterprises (SMEs) consider IT to be crucial to business success, over a quarter admit they do not know enough about IT and how to make it work for their business, according to HP research, writes CIO.

HP commissioned a survey among 1 000 UK companies employing between one and 50 employees to find out how small firms are using technology to grow their business.

The research found that only just over 36% of SMEs are deploying e-commerce strategies.

SMEs to seek corporate mobility

The SME market could experience an increased need for corporate mobility management solutions in the near future as large computing companies predict growth of enterprise mobility use in the market, says Visage Mobile.

Representatives from Cisco and Dell forecast growth for enterprise mobility among SMEs at the recent FasTech conference.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, the biggest roadblock for SMEs when it comes to going mobile has been the lack of capital. But that may change with the worst of the global economic recession passed and companies starting to focus their attention back to revenue growth.

McAfee to focus on SME segment

Security software vendor McAfee plans to put the focus on the SME segment in 2011 with a number of new channel initiatives designed to help partners drive business, reports IT Business.

At its recent Focus 2010 conference, McAfee revealed a number of new channel programmes and resources that will come online in 2011 as part of this SME focus.

Johanna Fry, worldwide channels communications manager for McAfee, said the core announcements include an SME partner acceleration initiative designed to increase partners' sales of McAfee security solutions in conjunction with increased services attach rates.

Making the connection | ITWeb

Andy Robb, Technology specialist at Duxbury Networking.
3 Nov 2010

The market is flooded with Internet connectivity choices. For example, there are many flavours of ADSL available, linked to a variety of speeds with capped or uncapped, shaped or unshaped, network bandwidth alternatives. ADSL services are available over fibre or copper media with prices ranging from around R39 to over R4 000 a month.

The consumer is further confused by the constant evolution of 3G and 4G technologies, delivering ever-increasing speeds via a plethora of service platforms.

What's more, the 'traditional' TDM-based options – Diginet, Frame Relay and ATM – remain in the marketplace, seemingly to add complexity to the WAN 'mix'.

What is the right choice? In days gone by, connecting to the Internet was a simple task. The first choice was a dial-up connection for key people in the organisation. As more personnel needed to be online, so the corporate network evolved to include them.

Growing up

As companies grew, so the options of either Frame Relay or a 64K Diginet line appeared on the horizon. The progression to a 128K Diginet connection was obvious as demands increased. As more services were needed, the upgrade to a 256K Diginet connection became necessary. The progression was natural and seamless.

At the turn of the century, with the increase in sophistication of available services, so businesses opted for MPLS-based networks from a growing band of service providers.

But since then there has been no logical 'next step' forward. Despite a plethora of vastly improved connectivity solutions on offer, featuring new-age technologies, the way forward has been blocked by a minefield of indecision. There is little indication of what option is appropriate for a business of a definite size or an organisation with specific service requirements.


Decisions, decisions

The way forward has been blocked by a minefield of indecision. The marketplace today is characterised by confusion. For example, for most small to medium-sized businesses, the traditional leased line solutions are far too expensive. What about the new technologies? Should they opt for a 4Mb ADSL connection?

The answers are not obvious. There are issues with continuity of service as the copper cabling associated with ADSL services is subject to theft on a regular basis. What's more, no watertight service level agreements are linked to this option.

Educated guessing

In this vein – and no matter what ADSL solution companies choose – it is difficult for them to predict the reliability of the service. Today, bandwidth seems to be throttled at the most inconvenient times. Reasons are seldom given.

The same is true of the 3G solutions on the market. Even though their perceived throughput is significant compared to other technologies – for example, 21Mbps will soon be available from Cell C – the reality is that data rates often vary from hour to hour depending on the number of active subscribers addressing a particular base station, and depending on what kind of data they are pulling from the Internet.

Another drawback with 3G technologies is that they were originally designed for ad hoc use on mobile and smartphones and not as primary connectivity mechanisms capable of meeting the capacity demands of today's corporate customer.

Instead, WiMax was supposed to fill this role and represent the next step in the evolution of the WAN for the corporate market. But the technology has failed to achieve general acceptance, perhaps because networks weren't deployed fast enough, and the speeds and throughputs on offer from WiMax service providers have proven to be lower and less competitively priced.

The question on most financial directors' lips today is: “Am I getting the best bang for my buck?”

Other often-asked questions include: “Are Internet service providers giving me the best advice? Are they analysing my business requirements correctly? Are they proposing the correct solutions to my board?”

Encouraged by the service providers who seem able to conveniently side-step these key questions, companies often simply install as much connectivity as they can afford and hope for the best.

As a result, corporates tend to gain very little visibility of the services they are paying for. They need to know about the difficulties facing ADSL service providers who can't guarantee service levels because they're most likely making use of a Telkom infrastructure. They need to be aware of the challenges facing 3G service providers who are equally hamstrung by inexplicable network congestion issues.

If there is no clear best fit, it's most likely because there isn't one. Business is in the unfortunate position of having to install multiple connectivity solutions – an ADSL primary service with a 3G backup, for instance. Or a leased line with ADSL backup... or fixed point-to-point wireless backup. Or multiple ADSL services addressing various departments and remote sites...

Against this backdrop, it behoves all consumers to make the effort to come to terms with SA's connectivity vagaries – to ford the treacherous waters of WAN connectivity and try to emerge more knowledgeable and 'street-wise' as a result.

Gartner identifies 2011 tech trends | ITWeb

Johannesburg, 29 Oct 2010
By Nikita Ramkissoon

The analysts presented their findings during Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2010 where they defined a 'strategic technology' as “one with the potential for significant impact on the organisation in the next three years”.

Factors that denote significant impact include a high potential for disruption to IT or the business, the need for a major dollar investment, or the risk of being late to adopt, Gartner says.

The top 10 strategic technologies for 2011 include cloud computing, mobile applications and media tablets, and social communications and collaboration.

Also included are; video, next-generation analytics, social analytics, fabric-based infrastructure and computers, ubiquitous computing, storage class memory, and context-aware computing.

A strategic technology may be an existing technology that has matured and/or become suitable for a wider range of uses, the research firm says. “It may also be an emerging technology that offers an opportunity for strategic business advantage for early adopters or with potential for significant market disruption in the next five years.”

“Companies should factor these top 10 technologies in their strategic planning process by asking key questions and making deliberate decisions about them during the next two years,” David Cearley, vice-president and analyst at Gartner said at the Symposium.

Cloud to social

According to Gartner, the next three years will see the delivery of a range of cloud service approaches that fall between these two extremes.

“Vendors will offer packaged private cloud implementations that deliver the vendor's public cloud service technologies (software and/or hardware) and methodologies (ie, best practices to build and run the service) in a form that can be implemented inside the consumer's organisation.”

In terms of mobile applications and media tablets, Gartner estimates that by the end of 2010, 1.2 billion people will carry handsets capable of rich, mobile commerce providing an ideal environment for the convergence of mobility and the Web.

“Mobile devices are becoming computers in their own right, with an astounding amount of processing ability and bandwidth,” says Gartner. “There are already hundreds of thousands of applications for platforms like the Apple iPhone, in spite of the limited market (only for the one platform) and need for unique coding.”

Social communications and collaboration also has a role to play, according to Gartner analysts.

The umbrella of social communications consists of social networking, social networking analysis technologies – which employ algorithms to understand and utilise human relationships for the discovery of people and expertise, social collaboration such as wikis, blogs, instant messaging, collaborative office, and crowdsourcing, social publishing and social feedback.

Gartner predicts that by 2016, social technologies will be integrated with most business applications. Companies should bring together their social customer relationship management, internal communications and collaboration, and public social site initiatives into a coordinated strategy.

Viral video and analytics

Video is not a new media form, but Gartner reckons its use as a standard media type used in non-media companies is expanding rapidly, says the firm.

“Technology trends in digital photography, consumer electronics, the Web, social software, unified communications, digital and Internet-based television, and mobile computing are all reaching critical tipping points that bring video into the mainstream.”

Over the next three years, Gartner says, video will become a commonplace content type and interaction model for most users, and by 2013, more than 25% of the content that workers see in a day will be dominated by pictures, video or audio.

Companies must embrace next-generation analytics, Gartner says, which has the potential to increase compute capabilities of computers including mobile devices along with improving connectivity are enabling a shift in how businesses support operational decisions.

“It is becoming possible to run simulations or models to predict the future outcome, rather than to simply provide backward looking data about past interactions, and to do these predictions in real-time to support each individual business action,” Gartner says.

However, the analysts also point out that while this may require significant changes to existing operational and business intelligence infrastructure, the potential exists to unlock significant improvements in business results and other success rates.

Gartner says social network analysis tools are useful for examining social structure and interdependencies as well as the work patterns of individuals, groups or organisations, and involves collecting data from multiple sources, identifying relationships, and evaluating the impact, quality or effectiveness of a relationship.

Smart computing

Context-aware computing features in the to 10, based on the concept of using information about an end user or object's environment, activities connections and preferences to improve the quality of interaction with that end user.

“A contextually aware system anticipates the user's needs and proactively serves up the most appropriate and customised content, product or service,” the firm says.

Gartner predicts that by 2013, more than half of Fortune 500 companies will have context-aware computing initiatives and by 2016, one-third of worldwide mobile consumer marketing will be context-awareness-based.

Also featuring is storage class memory, in which Gartner sees huge use of flash memory in consumer devices, entertainment equipment and other embedded IT systems.

It also offers a new layer of the storage hierarchy in servers and client computers that has key advantages — space, heat, performance and ruggedness among them.”

Gartner stresses the need for ubiquitous computing, which requires imbuing computing systems into operational technology, whether done as calming technology or explicitly managed and integrated with IT.

Rounding up the top 10, the firm notes fabric-based infrastructure and computers; a modular form of computing where a system can be aggregated from separate building-block modules connected over a fabric or switched backplane.

Cellphone rates to come down: ICASA - Times LIVE

Oct 29, 2010 11:09 AM | By Sapa

Mobile phone companies will have to cut charges for handling calls from other providers, the Independent Communications Authority of SA said on Friday.

Termination to a mobile location from March 1, 2011 to 28 February, 2012 will be 73 cents at peak and 65 cents at off-peak times.

The rates are currently 89 cents and 77 cents respectively.

MWEB cuts local transit links: The peering war begins

Staff Writer MyBroadband | 28 October, 2010

MWEB will today sever their local transit to MTN and Vodacom, with Telkom to follow early next week. Expect a few fireworks in the SA Internet space!

MWEB stunned the local ADSL market in March 2010 when they launched their affordable uncapped services, but at the time MWEB CEO Rudi Jansen said that this was only the beginning of their quest to ‘free the web’ in South Africa.

Jansen explained at the time that free and open peering was essential to help increase competition in the telecoms market which would then drive down the price of bandwidth in the country.

Since March MWEB has launched many new services, including uncapped wireless broadband connections and an uncapped bonded ADSL offering, and has started to push the envelope on free and open peering.

Last week Jansen said that they made a conscious decision that as from next month they will not pay for transit traffic. “So if you don’t want to peer with us, that is it! We will not pay you one single cent anymore,” said Jansen.

Actions speak louder than words

MWEB is making good on their promise a little earlier than expected. The company will sever its local transit with all telecoms operators and ISPs which do not peer with them directly this morning, with Telkom/SAIX to follow early next week.

This move has sent shockwaves through the local ISP market, prompting companies like Hetzner to pro-actively warn their clients that they may experience slow speeds to Hetzner’s hosted servers in SA when sitting on an MWEB connection.

These severed transit routes mean that MWEB will have no local links to or from big players like Vodacom and MTN, necessitating international routing to share traffic.

MWEB ISP CEO Derek Hershaw explained that MWEB will not ‘black hole’ any local ISP’s traffic. “We will simply be rerouting traffic away from congested and very expensive local transit links to our international bandwidth, which is significantly cheaper and not congested,” said Hershaw.

The severed transit routes and links will however not only affect outgoing MWEB traffic – hence from MWEB subscribers trying to access content on MTN or Vodacom’s networks – but also traffic from Vodacom and MTN subscribers trying to get onto the MWEB network.

This means that MTN and Vodacom subscribers who want to read News24, visit DStv Online or read the latest financial news on Fin24 will most likely be routed internationally by Vodacom and MTN.

This in turn will force providers to increase their international capacity to ensure good service levels – an exercise which can become very costly.

Peer for free, says MWEB

There is however another simpler and cheaper solution than routing traffic internationally: Peering with MWEB for free.

Hershaw reiterated that MWEB is very keen to peer with all ISPs free of charge at the Johannesburg Internet Exchange (JINX) and/or the Cape Town Internet Exchange (CINX), and this is what he hopes will happen.

“Hopefully we establish a principal where all ISPs peer on an open basis using the ‘hot potato’ principal - i.e. where you hand the traffic over at the closest point to where it is hosted,” said Hershaw.

Many ISPs are already peering with MWEB at JINX/CINX, including Vox Telecom, Neology and Cybersmart, and there will hence be no impact on them when MWEB cuts their transit links.

It is also understood that Internet Solutions is currently peering with MWEB in a proof-of-concept agreement, significantly limiting the impact of MWEB’s ‘no transit payment’ decision for both companies.

It's give and take with 8ta | ITWeb

Paul Vecchiatto, ITWeb Cape Town correspondent

According to analysis, mobile newcomer 8ta's per-minute billing makes its offerings more expensive.
While Telkom's mobile service, 8ta, is cheaper for landline rates, its prepaid offering is billed per-minute and not per-second, making its more expensive.

This is according to independent telecommunications expense management company DataRoom.

DataRoom, which helps clients manage their telecommunications expenses by examining their itemised billing, used random samples of typical call detail records (CDRs), or itemised bills.

The rates used were as published on the various mobile operators' Web sites last week and do not take into account changes announced by Vodacom this morning.

The research was done in three exercises. The first related to overall call patterns and was an analysis of 1 400 090 minutes from GSM voice contracts, reflecting the following split: 40.16% of talk time minutes terminating to MTN, 40.34% of talk time minutes terminating to Vodacom, 7.15% of talk time minutes terminating to Cell C, and 12.35% of talk time minutes terminating to a fixed-line.

DataRoom found it was not an effective comparison to calculate the ultimate rand difference overlaid on various prepaid contracts. It also points out that individual call patterns vary greatly and must be contextualised for individuals.

The second exercise was for a sample of 210 CDRs, with the 8ta call rates of per minute increments compared to a per-second rate to mobile and fixed-line of R1.75 per minute, that was billed per second. This exercise excluded incoming rebates offered on 8ta on a promotional basis and SMS costs.

Of the 210 CDRs, 25 were to Telkom landlines, and DataRoom found the R1.75 rate that was billed per-second by the other network operators was 25% more cost-effective than the 8ta rates.

The final exercise was a random sample of 375 CDRs with the 8ta per-minute billing increment, compared to a per-second rate to mobile and fixed-line of R1.75 per-minute, that was billed per-second. Again, the incoming rebates offered by 8ta were not considered and neither were SMS costs.

DataRoom found 8ta was 18% more cost-effective than the R1.75 flat rate comparative.

Call management

Observations by DataRoom were that peak and off-peak times are not transparently displayed on the various mobile operators' Web sites, which makes it difficult for consumers to manage their own call patterns where rates for peak and off-peak differ.

DataRoom says Vodacom, MTN and Cell C reflect the billing increments in their respective rate sheets.

Thirdly, DataRoom says 8ta does not reflect its offering as billed per-minute. “This means that for a 10-second call, you will pay for one minute. This is important to know, as it impacts heavily on the resulting effective rate the consumer pays. This is contradictory to costs being fully transparent to the consumer,” says the DataRoom analysis.

The analysis states 8ta's base cost (without value-adds) is the same as the Cell C Easychat AllDay offering.

DataRoom says 8ta's offering of one free second per call for every three seconds of incoming calls received is only valid for a limited promotional period, but that 8ta has not disclosed the duration of this period.

It says the free SMSes offering by 8ta, whereby 50 free SMSes are granted for every five paid ones, is a new offering to the market and is a significant differentiator for the consumer who uses text a lot.

Commenting on the DataRoom analysis, World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck says: “It seems that Cell C do have a point in that 8ta have effectively copied their rates. However, the analysis shows some interesting points, like just how cheap an SMS is for a telecoms utility.”

Goldstuck says his own research has shown that cellular calls billed per-minute are at least 40% more expensive than those billed per second.

Trillion Dollar mobile voice and data business

Gartner says mobility will be a trillion dollar business by 2014
Worldwide mobile voice and data revenue will exceed one trillion dollars a year by 2014, according to Gartner.

Mobile will generate revenue from a wide range of additional services such as context, advertising, application and service sales, and so on. Each of these will be a significant business worth several tens of billions of dollars per year.

Gartner analysts outlined the future of the mobile industry at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2010, being held here through today and on 8-11 November in Cannes.

“We see three major eras of mobility,” said Nick Jones, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner.

“The device era was characterised by iconic devices such as the Motorola RAZR and was dominated by device manufacturers. This was followed by the application era which arrived with the iPhone, popularising application and media stores. Going forward, the service and social era will build on the application era, but it will be characterised by cloud services and streaming media. Applications will survive, but often as a component of a more complex end-to-end experience involving the cloud.”

In mature markets, smartphones will dominate device sales for the foreseeable future. However, the dominant mobile device type shipped globally will be feature phones without an identifiable operating system (OS) because emerging markets dominate handset demand.

Organisations operating in emerging markets should assume smartphones will be a niche device beyond 2014.

Many new device types such as tablets and e-book readers will emerge through 2012 and some will find a role in corporations.

However, none will achieve a market share comparable to smartphones or laptops, which will remain the dominant corporate mobile devices. Mobile knowledge workers will require both a PC and a smartphone through 2014.

The smartphone platform space is very competitive, and the leaders will change through 2014 with Symbian is losing share to Android and iPhone OS (iOS). Android is gaining ground fast and will appear on consumer electronics and non-handset devices such as tablets.

“As the platform wars rage, a variety of new tools are becoming ‘platforms’ in the sense that they provide a user experience and framework for delivering applications,” Mr Jones said.

“These include the mobile Web, where HTML5 will be very influential, OS independent ‘platforms’ such as Flash, and scriptable tools such as augmented reality browsers and mapping systems. In the long term, some will be absorbed into the OS or browser.”

Gartner said that context will be a defining principle of mobile business for the next decade. It will play a key role in many areas of mobile business, especially advertising and marketing.

“In 2010, we are seeing the beginning of simple context using location to suggest interests and to guide searching,” Mr Jones said.

“Context will also be a key criteria for the selection of partners. Many mobile business systems will exploit contextual cloud services hosted by others. It will also be a major commercial battleground with powerful vendors such as Nokia, Google, and Apple striving to own the consumer’s context. Context will also be bound up with social relationships and social networks, illustrated today by services such as location-tagged posts to Facebook and Twitter.”

Mr Jones advised organisations to develop a high-level mobile strategy based on technology-independent management goals and styles, rather than detailed device, platform or application policies.

Traditional mobile strategies were designed to support well-defined requirements with devices, applications and services provided and managed by IT professionals. Requirements of this type will persist, but it will not form the majority of corporate mobility by 2015 because of changes in user requirements, technology, and the nature of work itself.

- compliments of My Broadband

Cloud computing still risky / ITWEB

By Nicola Mawson, ITWeb senior journalist.
Johannesburg, 31 Aug 2010

A move to cloud computing is seen as an inevitable shift in the future, but many large organisations are reluctant to take the plunge, says Gartner.

Cloud computing is expected to grow from being a $58.6 billion industry last year to one that will be worth more than $148.8 billion in 2014, according to Gartner research. Companies will invest $112 billion in the cloud in the next five years.

Daryl Plummer, managing VP and Gartner Fellow, says the move to cloud computing is inevitable. However, there are still concerns around the safety of outsourcing key functions to a cloud provider, he adds.

Among the benefits of moving to computing in the cloud is the fact that companies do not need to invest in infrastructure or software, says Plummer. He says this allows firms to retire IT equipment, which typically depreciates rapidly. “It's not an investment opportunity to buy technology.”

Plummer explains that, although moving to cloud computing may require the same expenditure as owning equipment, there is a clear line of sight as to where this spend is going. Software as a service, for example, is often a pay-per-use purchase.

Risky business

Despite the apparent benefits of moving into a virtual environment, 70% of the companies Gartner surveyed, with 1 000 or more staff, have not developed a cloud initiative yet, says Plummer.

The reasons cited by these companies include security concerns over having information stored somewhere that is out of their control. In addition, firms are worried that there is no compliance reporting or audit trails once information is stored in the cloud.

Plummer adds that companies are also concerned about the quality and predictability of services provided in the cloud. In addition, if the company hosting the information folds, then that data will be lost, he says.

“Whose responsibility is it for your business when the failure happened three steps down the chain?”

Plummer points out, however, that CIOs cannot ignore the move to cloud computing. He explains that staff at companies are already making use of cloud computing, without CIOs even being aware of the shift.

“People are in the cloud for real, they aren't going back, it's not a fad,” says Plummer.

As a result, he says CIOs need to put a plan in place to manage the risks of moving into the cloud environment.

* Nicola Mawson was being hosted courtesy of Gartner.

Interconnect regulations ready to go | ITWeb

By Leigh-Ann Francis

Johannesburg, 22 Oct 2010

The telecommunications industry is set for another big shake-up as the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) commits to publishing the final version of call termination regulations on Friday, 5 November.

The highly contested regulations have been in the pipeline for some time now, as the authority sought to cover all procedural bases. This included opening the draft regulations up to public comment, holding public hearings, and most recently, conducting private meetings with specific players within the industry.

With all these milestones completed, ICASA spokesperson Jubie Matlou says the authority will publish the regulations ahead of its regular meetings with Parliament, which is scheduled for 9 November.

Matlou would not, however, comment on the degree to which the interconnect rates will be cut or over what timeline.

However, regardless of the interconnect rate levels contained in the new regulations, consumers should not get too excited, as it was earlier revealed that a reduced termination rate has no direct impact on retail pricing.

WWW Strategy MD Steven Ambrose explains that there was never any correlation between the interconnect and the cost of cellular calls, and the Department of Communications was simply being populist in its advocacy of having these cuts in the name of lower telecommunication costs.

The only real impact of rate cuts would be on off-net costs, which will, in turn create competition, eventually resulting in consumer savings, but this is still years away.

The proposed regulations have been met with mixed reaction from industry, as smaller players advocate for increased competition, while bigger players argue that the proposed cuts are too drastic.

Possible cuts

Mobile operators will have the most to lose if the proposed regulations are passed, as they are, into final format, since they will be forced to drop the interconnect rate by 50% this year alone, including a voluntary rate cut from R1.25 a minute to 89 cents, in March.

Further to the voluntary cuts, the draft regulations proposed that the rate again be cut to 65c, in July, with a glide path leading to 40c by July 2012.

However, the July reduction was delayed after mobile operators voiced their concerns at public hearings, arguing that the proposed glide path was far too drastic and would likely shock existing business models.

It is not yet known whether the authority will heed these concerns or if it will still enforce the rate cut to 65c a minute this year. The latter option, however, has been met with much resistance from industry.

Strong resistance

During its last interim results presentation, Vodacom reported close to R400 million in lost revenue, due to lower mobile termination rates, which is why the operator has been opposed to yet another cut this year.

At the time of the hearings, Vodacom MD Shameel Joosub noted: “The proposed glide path is steep and unprecedented, to such a striking degree that, if not modified, the shock to existing business models will be devastating.”

Joosub explained that an eco-system exists around the current mobile termination rates, noting that further cuts this year do not create space for business plans or planned capital expenditure programmes to be revisited.

MTN echoed these concerns and pointed to the effects of the voluntary rate cut in March, which resulted in a 30% reduction in the company's 2010 capex, resulting in MTN cutting jobs and seeing an impact on its channel.

ICASA hit back at the time, arguing that a regulator is not compelled to offer a glide period; however, this structured approach is to offer the industry time to adjust and compete in the new environment.

The regulator pointed out that mobile operators are suggesting that the regulator, in effect, delay the proposed consumer benefit for four years.

Avaya and Skype Sign Strategic Agreement for Business Communications and Collaboration Solutions

Agreement includes plans for industry-first federation between Avaya and Skype communication platforms

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. and LUXEMBOURG – Avaya, a global leader in enterprise communications systems, software and services, and Skype today announced a strategic agreement to deliver innovative, real-time communications and collaboration solutions to businesses of all sizes. The multi-phase deal includes both go-to-market and an industry-first, joint technology integration that seeks to enable businesses to lower costs and expand how employees, customers, partners and suppliers communicate and collaborate with greater convenience and efficiency.

In the first phase of the agreement, Avaya customers in the U.S. market will have access to Skype Connect™, a product which adds Skype calling to IP-based enterprise communications systems, providing a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) communications channel between Avaya communications systems and Skype. Customers with Avaya Aura™ Session Manager or Avaya Aura SIP Enablement Server, CS1000, Avaya IP Office, or BCM systems can use Skype Connect to place calls globally for increased reach, while aiming to save on international calling. Enterprise-level security and features such as tracking, recording, regulatory compliance, and more are provided by the Avaya system.

Skype reported 124 million average monthly connected users during the second quarter of 2010. Now, Skype users can make inbound calls to Avaya customers in the U.S. market for free or at a low cost. Calls will be treated with Avaya's routing, conferencing, messaging, mobility and contact center capabilities, as well as other collaboration services. For example, businesses can:
Establish Skype Click & Call buttons for inbound calling from Web sites
Establish Skype Online Numbers for inbound calling from landline and mobile phones

Route inbound calls from a Skype user to an enterprise extension

Avaya customers in the U.S. market who are interested in Skype Connect can speak with their Avaya sales representative or an Avaya Connect channel partner contacts beginning in October.

In the second half of 2011, Avaya and Skype plan to deliver integrated unified communications and collaboration solutions for enterprises within the U.S. The integration is intended to establish federation between Avaya Aura and Skype communications platforms and both user communities, so that an Avaya end-user and Skype user can engage and interact via presence, instant messaging, voice and video. A business, for example, could use Skype to access an Avaya-based contact center in a simple and highly integrated way to quickly and efficiently resolve customer service issues. The integrated solutions will also allow enterprise IT managers to manage and control the inter-connectivity between end users to meet their corporate IT policies.

"Avaya and Skype have been working along parallel paths to offer, innovative, scalable, low cost, SIP-based communications to our respective markets," said Alan Baratz, senior vice president, Avaya and president, Avaya Global Communications Solutions. "Now, the two companies will work together, striving to improve collaboration and customer service by federating Avaya and Skype solutions for a common user experience that delivers unique benefits for businesses and their customers who are Skype users."

"Our relationship with Avaya is expected to expand the footprint for Skype Connect into more enterprises in the U.S. market, while allowing us to help Avaya's customers benefit from Skype's cost savings and access to Skype's global user base,” said David Gurlé, vice president and general manager of Skype for Business. "We believe our integrated solution in the second half of 2011 is expected to offer the benefits of Skype to a growing number of businesses and open up new ways for people to communicate and collaborate."

Mitel Mobility for BlackBerry Mobile - Voice over Wi-Fi

Mitel(R) (Nasdaq:MITL), a leading provider of unified communications software solutions, today announced the availability of Mitel Mobility for BlackBerry(R) Mobile Voice System 5 (BlackBerry MVS) with voice over Wi-Fi calling, extending Mitel's unified business communications features securely to BlackBerry(R) smartphone workers over cellular and Wi-Fi networks.

The solution is designed to increase employee responsiveness and productivity and allow users to maintain a single corporate identity.

With Mitel Mobility for BlackBerry MVS 5, companies can make their staff more accessible through their work phone number and keep cellular calling costs under control. Calls made through BlackBerry MVS are routed through Mitel Communications Director (MCD) which helps with adherence to company policies and enables savings on long-distance and international roaming charges. Employees also benefit from the convenience of a single work phone number shared between their desk phone and BlackBerry smartphone. Employees can be more reachable through their work phone number and can even enjoy the convenience of extension dialing from their BlackBerry smartphone.

The combined Mitel and BlackBerry solution offers seamless handoff between devices within the user's personal ring group, moving calls without restrictions to and from their desk phone, BlackBerry smartphone, home phone, or soft phone. It is also easy to use since incoming calls ring all devices simultaneously and employees can access BlackBerry MVS and Mitel's business communications features using a familiar interface.

"Through membership in the BlackBerry Alliance Program and the use of the new PBX interoperability platform that is now available with BlackBerry Mobile Voice System 5, Mitel has developed and certified interoperability between BlackBerry MVS and Mitel Communications Director for their customers," said Jeff McDowell, senior vice president at Research In Motion.

"Organizations running a Mitel communications system can now use BlackBerry smartphones as wireless extensions of their deskphones to make employees more accessible while away from their desks and take advantage of potential savings on long distance and international calling charges."

Mobile workers can take advantage of voice over Wi-Fi calling available through BlackBerry MVS 5 to extend their reachability where cellular networks are not available, and reduce overall roaming and wireless charges. The Mitel solution enables BlackBerry smartphone users to take full advantage of Mitel business communications features without the need for a desk phone.

"Making and taking desk phone calls on a BlackBerry smartphone is a simple yet powerful concept and we see great opportunity for our customers to leverage the native BlackBerry experience and Wi-Fi capabilities with BlackBerry Mobile Voice System 5 integrated with Mitel Communications Director. This can lead to greater gains in responsiveness, productivity, and cost savings across their organizations," said Stephen Beamish, vice-president of marketing and business development at Mitel.

"The BlackBerry platform made it easy for us to extend the Mitel unified communications experience in a secure and intuitive way on BlackBerry smartphones."

One of the advantages of Mitel's voice virtualization strategy is the ability for IT managers to consolidate and combine Mitel and BlackBerry applications into a single virtual environment, bridging the gap between fixed and wireless telephony applications. MCD, BlackBerry MVS, and other business applications can be run simultaneously on the same server, enabling customers to better leverage their existing investment and use Mitel to connect to third-party telephony systems.

Rabobank, N.A., a California community bank that provides personalized service and a full array of quality products to individuals, businesses, and agricultural clients, is deploying Mitel Communications Director with BlackBerry MVS 5. Rabobank is fortunate to be selected to participate in the trial proposed by Mitel Communications Director and BlackBerry MVS, says Neil McSweeney, SVP/chief technology officer for Rabobank, N.A.

"The concept brought by Mitel and RIM extends the features and functionality our employees enjoy in the office securely to their BlackBerry devices. This 'follow me service' should offer a technologically secure way of providing seamless availability to our customers and potential cost savings to the bank that could help our overall profitability."

Earlier this year Mitel announced it is an Elite member of the BlackBerry(R) Alliance Program and last month announced the availability of Mitel Unified Communicator(R) (UC) Advanced Mobile for BlackBerry smartphones. This provides mobile workers access to all their corporate contact information, presence status, call history, and visual voicemail. The application uses location-based services natively present on BlackBerry smartphones to automatically update a user's status information and call routing preferences. Mitel UC Advanced Mobile is available for download on BlackBerry App World(TM) http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/12679

Mitel Mobility for BlackBerry MVS 5 is based on MCD 4.2. BlackBerry MVS 5 is available today in North America from value-added resellers (VARs).

This news release was distributed by GlobeNewswire, www.globenewswire.com

SOURCE: Mitel Networks Corporation

Gijima on the prowl for telecoms deal | TechCentral

by Candice Jones.

JSE-listed technology group Gijima has its sights on the local telecommunications market. It says it will either acquire or partner with a company that has its own network.

CEO Jonas Bogoshi says Gijima has decided to play a more direct role in cloud computing, including hosted services and voice and data technologies.

However, he says the company lacks the network infrastructure to make the new focus work properly for the business.

“It is the last requirement to make a consolidated go of the market. If we don’t do it, we will lose out,” he says.

Over the next 18 months, Gijima will actively look for a telecoms business that has its own infrastructure. It will then acquire or partner with that company.

Bogoshi says Gijima does not plan to seek its own telecoms network licence or to roll out its own infrastructure, mainly because that would prove too expensive. “It is a costly exercise, and it will cost more to train the skills we need to run a telecoms network,” he says.

However, he says the group is willing to pay for another business that already has the skills and infrastructure in place.

There are several market players Gijima could go after. At the beginning of 2009, around 300 communications providers were licensed by the Independent Communications Authority of SA to build their own networks, independent of larger players such as Telkom, MTN and Vodacom.

Though Bogoshi won’t say which companies Gijima is eyeing, analysts say unlisted ECN Telecommunications is a possibility. Another is AltX-listed Vox Telecom, which has a market value of nearly R500m.

Gijima already serves PABX — or traditional business telephony — solutions to approximately 2 000 customers and has plans to provide voice-over-IP services to at least some of those.

Bogoshi says managed voice services will boom in the next few years, especially given cuts in interconnection rates — the fees operators charge each other to carry calls on their networks.

Gijima has already started work on the first phase of its cloud computing plans and will have an integrated service centre up and running by October.

It’s building a data centre to provide remote hardware support and monitor systems that Gijima has put in place at its customers.

The company put together a task team at the beginning of the year to investigate cloud services and create a roadmap for the group to bring cloud computing to its customers.

“We can’t ignore the fact that cloud computing is becoming more popular in SA. Customers may still be a little reluctant, but they will eventually take up some cloud services,” says Bogoshi.

Interconnect cuts slow telecoms growth // ITWeb

By Leigh-Ann Francis
Johannesburg, 23 Sep 2010

Increased competition in the local telecoms market, coupled with the impact of falling mobile termination rates (MTRs), will restrict market growth in an already slowly recovering economic climate.

BMI-TechKnowledge senior analyst Tertia Smit, who wrote a recent report on the corporate and SME telecoms market in SA, predicts a market growth of only 5% over the next five years, with most of the growth coming form Internet and data services.

“Growth in the telecommunications sector has generally slowed down in the past year and this will continue until the end of the year, due to the slow recovery of the economy. The next few years will continue to be difficult due to ongoing regulatory uncertainty, and increased competitiveness, as well as the impact of falling MTRs on the LCR [least cost routing] market,” she says.

Vodacom's latest quarterly results showed the operator had taken a heavy knock from lower interconnect rates, reporting a loss of close to R400 million.

Earlier this year, pressure from the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) resulted in Vodacom, MTN and Cell C dropping interconnect rates to 89c per minute, from R1.25.

With operators still reeling from the effects of the first cut, ICASA had hoped to implement draft regulations for a further rate reduction this year, to 65c per minute, with the objective of reaching an interconnect rate of 40c, by July 2012.

However, mobile operators have been up in arms over the proposed glide path, and ICASA's regulations have not yet been finalised.

Despite the impact of MTRs on market growth, BMI-T suggests the situation presents an opportunity for fixed-line operators.

Flat fixed-line growth

BMI-T forecasts that, despite an expected 4% fall in fixed-line connections, mainly on the residential side where fixed-mobile substitution continues unabated, fixed-line voice revenues will record relatively flat growth over the next two years.

Neotel is partly responsible for this, as it continues to grow its share of the PSTN (public switched telephone network) voice market.

Growth in the fixed voice market could be somewhat improved, BMI-T believes, if Telkom and Neotel introduce offerings that take advantage of the falling MTRs by picking up traffic along fixed-to-mobile routings that was previously routed by means of 'traditional LCR' (using cell routers).

Incoming Telkom Mobile has previously stated that the primary purpose of its mobile offering would be to offer converged bundle options.

“Although there is good growth in the mobile data market, the Internet market in general, and particularly the revenues derived from business customers, will continue to be negatively impacted in the next couple of years by the general level of competitive behavior,” says Smit.

“This includes a heightened level of competition between the mobile operators within the corporate sector, where more vigorous discounting may apply in future,” she states.

Peter Walsh Consulting - telecoms consulting and optimisation

For a long time now I have wanted to focus on my skills and knowledge without the travel requirement and the stress of working in a high pressure environs. Whilst my position at DataRoom taught me more than I could have hoped for, everyone has a time limit and a tolerance level and I had reached my limits on both. My time to move on had clearly come. I wanted less travel time, a balanced working lifestyle and a lot less stress.

So I took a long hard look at what I wanted to do, who I wanted to do it with and how I wanted to be in my life. Where does my passion lie and what skills and knowledge can I share with my target market; businesses requiring insight into voice telecoms were some of the questions I asked myself.

It all starts with the age old problem businesses face with voice telecoms. Making and receiving phone calls is fundamental to just about every aspect of economic activity and the associated costs account for a substantial part of the operating expenses in any business.

Whilst these costs are unavoidable, they can be reduced. History and experience tells us that most businesses are spending too much time and money in the following key areas;

• making phone calls
• connecting to the back office when on the road
• renting infrastructure from service providers
• managing the costs associated with calls, connectivity and infrastructure

Managing these aspects of telecoms in business requires unique skills and knowledge specific to voice telecoms. Management teams often find it challenging to do so 100% effectively.

So I decided to start a consulting business, Peter Walsh Consulting, offering cost effective solutions for the management of voice telecoms. Our target market is businesses wishing to reduce telephone costs and sustain the savings into the future.

“Peter Walsh Consulting” is focused solely on voice telecommunications.

We get to understand your business need intimately. We have a deep understanding of how the service providers and vendors operate and we know how to build solutions that cater to your unique business requirements.

Our vision is to bridge the gap between the vendors / service providers and a business’s management team. Our strategy is ensuring your management team is able to deliver on a cost effective voice telecoms strategy.

Benefits of a partnership with Peter Walsh Consulting include;

• optimising voice traffic and infrastructure
• maximising savings
• ensuring continuity for the business
• increasing skills and knowledge
• improving business processes around telecoms
• documenting strateg
• sustaining cost reductions through up skilling and educating all the role player

What is the business need?

Procurement initiatives are typically contractual term and volume agreements, discounts on offer and least cost routing focussed. However this “service provider” or “vendor” facing approach is not ideal and leaves significant savings opportunities untouched.

9 out of 10 South African businesses become reliant on their vendors and service providers for knowledge and information. The manner in which this information is presented does not necessarily highlight areas of concern and is by definition not supplier independent and often not in the best interests of the business.

Using vendors and suppliers to “mark their own homework” can not only result in lost savings opportunities but there will also be no increase in the business’s knowledge and skills required to manage costs and sustain savings.

Even with traditional initiatives such as least cost routing [premicells], VoIP and supplier term and volume agreements in place; we find there to be anything from an additional 15% - 30% in savings left on the table when a service provider or vendor facing approach is used.

Managing voice telecoms is both time consuming and can be costly to sustain.

What can we offer your business?

• Optimisation of voice telecoms – call costs and infrastructure rentals
• Telecoms Auditing
• Telecoms Expense Management
• Supplier / Vendor Requests for Proposals
• Reduction in human resource requirements
• Increased in-house skills and knowledge

To learn more about our offerings, or read references from other businesses and service providers;

• phone - 083 441 6093
• email - peter.walsh@telkomsa.net
• web - http://www.linkedin.com/in/peterwalshzar
• blog - http://peterwalshconsulting.blogspot.com

Why Peter Walsh Consulting?

About Peter Walsh

Peter Walsh has 13 years experience consulting to large businesses in South Africa. 10 years of this was spent as founding shareholder and Sales Director for DataRoom; a Telecoms Expense Management [TEM] focused company in South Africa.

Businesses large and small have benefited from his experience; both in the South African marketplace and in his role developing the DataRoom solution offering.

Apart from extensive experience in consulting and TEM; he has sold and or consulted on PBX / IPT, LCR, Cell Phones, 3G cards, Wide Area Networks, Cell Phones and Telephone Management Systems. He has planned and implemented multiple points of failover for voice telecoms [redundancy] for businesses with up to 5000 employees on a single site.

Vendors such as Dimension Data and service providers such as Neotel, Nashua Mobile and Vox Orion have made use of his skills and knowledge to deliver better solutions and offerings into their clients or manage their own infrastructure.

References on: http://www.linkedin.com/in/peterwalshzar

His skill set in understanding and managing voice and voice infrastructure was honed whilst working with both the service providers and their customers; to ensure that the solutions we developed at DataRoom added value to all the roles players involved in managing voice telecoms.

About Peter Walsh Consulting

All consulting is done on a supplier independent basis. We work with the top telecoms consultants in the country and have the ability to support your business nationwide. We have strong relationships at all the main networks and service providers for fixed line and mobile in South Africa.

Understanding both the service providers and clients business need makes for a solid knowledge base and skill set when it comes to managing a business’s voice telecoms requirements.

We can optimise your voice traffic and voice infrastructure, assist you in negotiations with your suppliers, embed skills and knowledge into your business, help you formulate and document process and ensure you drive down costs and sustain the savings into the future.

Ends

Peter Walsh
Cape Town
Sept. 2010

Telco charges threaten preselect regulations

By Paul Vecchiatto, ITWeb Cape Town correspondent

MWeb has expressed concerns that the Carrier Preselect Regulations (CPRs) could be undermined by Telkom and the cellular network operators, making it financially unviable for alternative telecommunications providers to carry calls that originate on those networks.

The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) had the final CPRs promulgated on 20 August. This gives fixed-line operators Telkom and Neotel and mobile operators MTN, Vodacom, and Cell C, two and four months, respectively, to get ready to support alternative telecoms operators wanting to carry calls across their networks that originated on the incumbents' networks.

According to ICASA, CPRs are to afford consumers, who may have a limited choice of access, a greater selection in the provisioning of outgoing calls. ICASA adds that increased choice should lead to lower prices and a better quality of service.

Your call

Eugene van der Westhuizen, MWeb's GM of strategic programmes, says the point of these regulations is that they will allow a consumer to select, irrespective of which carrier they have a contract with, a different operator to carry and then terminate their calls.

Once the regulations are in place, a subscriber can choose which carrier will terminate the call by first entering a four-digit code, which links him or her to the relevant carrier, and then the number of the person being dialled.

“The carrier preselect code can be permanently stored in phone address books or can be entered on a call-by-call basis at the subscribers discretion,” explains Van der Westhuizen.

He says the problem is that the carrier's costs for carrying and terminating a call includes the termination rate that is normally payable, which is well known, plus this new unregulated and unknown call origination charge, which the access operator is entitled to charge the alternative carrier.

The interconnection rate for mobile operators is 89c a minute for peak hour calls and 77c for off-peak hour calls. Telkom charges 33c and 19c for national peak and off-peak calls, respectively. Local calls are charged at 23c and 12c for the peak and off-peak times, respectively.

Risk cost

Van der Westhuizen says the risk is the last charge, because it is unknown and unregulated, and could be set by the incumbent operators at such a high rate that, despite the good intentions of the regulations, it could become financially unviable and so revert to the status quo.

Carrier preselect introduces a new charge that is similar in concept to the interconnection rate – the price of the calls between all operators and which Parliament attempted to drive down in a series of acrimonious hearings last year.

“In terms of the carrier pre-selection regulation, the originating carrier (Telkom, Neotel or the mobile networks) will be entitled to charge the alternative operator (the one carrying the call) a call origination charge,” notes Van der Westhuizen.

This means the cost structure for an alternative telecommunications operator would be the interconnection rate for terminating the call, plus the new call origination charge to the originating carrier.

“The success of the whole venture depends on what charge is levied by the incumbents in the call origination charge. But, because this charge is not regulated by ICASA, it means that the incumbent operators can decide on the commercial viability of the regulations and they may not want to broaden competition in the sector,” Van der Westhuizen says.

None of the incumbent telecommunications operators had replied to ITWeb's queries at the time of publication.

Pandor prioritises telco funding | ITWeb

Pandor prioritises telco funding
By Leigh-Ann Francis

Johannesburg, 6 Sep 2010

Closer partnerships between the Department of Science and Technology and the private sector need to be created, says science and technology minister, Naledi Pandor.
Public investment in the telecommunications industry is a priority for the Department of Science and Technology (DST), as the network industry promises to provide the backbone of all the country's economic, industrial and innovative advances.

This is according to science and technology minister, Naledi Pandor, speaking today at the Southern Africa Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference, being hosted at the Spier Wine Estate, in the Western Cape.

However, Pandor argued that partnerships between the public and private sector are still inadequate.

She pointed to the SA innovation survey of 2005, which revealed the proportion of local companies engaging in innovative technologies compared favourably with the EU. Therefore, SA is a very innovative country, stated Pandor. However, the report indicated that not much of the research going into innovation is publicly funded.

Private companies do not always seek out public funding for innovation research, because the innovation is based on competition rather than a development imperative, she explained.

Government's role

An Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development survey suggests current public funding for programmes in innovation must be intensified in SA.

“We should publicise our achievement and we should do more at establishing trusting relationships between funders and performers of innovation,” offered Pandor.

“I have just received a report around investment in technology innovation in SA, which suggests that we could accelerate our innovative ability if we had better partnerships between the Department of Science and Technology and the private sector.”

She argued that government plays a key role in funding the building blocks of innovation, basic research in universities' further training, and provides necessary infrastructure for laboratories and cyber networks.

“Government is also responsible for creating the best regulatory environment for the private sector – we must have a regulatory environment to invest and maintain a competitive market and nurture entrepreneurs,” maintains Pandor.

She stated that government funding must be a catalyst for innovative breakthroughs in national priorities, as these priorities cannot just be left to the market.

Funding targets

Pandor reiterated that public funding for innovation in the ICT sector would be integral.

“We have developed a plan to encourage greater interest in public funding,” she said, pointing to the DST's 10-year innovation plan, developed in 2008.

“One target was to raise the share of research and development spending to 2% of GDP by 2018. Another target is to expand the number of science and engineering graduates to 450 by 2018.

“Innovation and investment in new knowledge have been a strong foundation for economic growth and social change in all countries. The affluence of high interest countries is largely the outcome of ICT technologies.”

Pandor urged leaders in the ICT sector to work closer with the DST in driving ICT and innovation in the country. “I urge the industry's accomplished leaders to use your collective wisdom to come with innovative solutions to ensure that Africa is a continent of the future,” she concluded.

Cheaper telecommunications costs do not result in long-term savings | ITWeb

Cheaper telecommunications costs do not result in long-term savings
Unison

Press release issued by Unison

Johannesburg, 8 Jun 2010

Companies continue to spend billions of rands on voice and data communications; however, they are under a common misconception: that they are getting a reduction in cost from service providers who promise cheaper prices.

This is according to Craig Young, Group MD of Unison Communications, who sites a BMI-T SA IT Market Overview Sizing and Forecast report, which states that corporate and Top 350 Market Telecoms service types spend for 2008 for fixed voice, mobile, LCR (leased cost routing) and bulk SMS was believed to reach R34.8 billion.1

"While cost reduction is certainly on the agenda of decision-makers, what companies don't realise is that short-term communications price reductions don't necessarily reflect long-term," says Young. "In fact, costs actually escalate because communications infrastructure is complex with a myriad of technologies, service providers, data services and interoperability required."

"While we would like communications infrastructure to be easier, cheaper and seamless, it's not. A smorgasbord of incompatible technologies and a number of service providers within their communications environment comes at a high administrative cost," explains Young.

On top of this, Young says costly outsourced specialist skills are required to improve, integrate and extend their infrastructure to service and meet customer demands. "The reality is that this expertise costs," he says.

Young recommends companies take control of their communication infrastructure and acknowledge that their existing environment is complex.

He recommends the following:

1. Analysis: Enterprises don't do enough to get the information they need to make decisions. They need the business intelligence which shows them what kind and how much communication is flowing across their network. Unpacking traffic generated and understanding the impact of how users communicate and interact is critical. It is essential that this information is based on the company's own interpretation and not on the value proposition given by service providers. In addition, they must be able to incorporate information from communications into the financial plan; from there empowered decisions based on business/ financial factors can be made.

2. Longevity through interoperability: By knowing the future requirements for further convergence within their networks business can make decisions based on solutions that would yield the best ROI over the long term rather than cheap fixes that produce immediate results but end up costing more in the long run.

3. Planning: Bring in more information to the plan including true financial modeling of infrastructure and scenario planning. Identify key communication priorities based on business outcomes requirements and not technology requirements can be made though accurate planning.

According to Young, key for any corporate communications environment is to remember that interfacing between the users and client communication on an external and internal level needs to be at a standard where the course of business is fully supported and not hampered. Even if companies avoid an expensive upgrade system, integration still has to take place as seamlessly as possible.

By unpacking the traffic flowing across their network enterprises need to interpret this data. There is great potential for cost resolution, however businesses have to take charge of their environment and not simply purchase technology for technology's sake or because it is cheaper.

Use of mobile communications in government needs to be managed to curb unnecessary expenditure

Press release issued by Unison

Johannesburg, 25 Aug 2010

The latest research by Unison Communications reveals that between 47%-63% of government communication budgets are spent on cellphone communication. On average, mobile rates are 50% more expensive than fixed-line rates, which leaves the South African taxpayer footing the bill for expensive mobile calls.

"When taxpayers are footing the bill, government needs to be aware that there are high levels of mobile communications within their departments that cater for staff's personal use only," says Craig Young, Group Managing Director of Unison Communications.

"Our research reveals that as much as 63% of all mobile communications budgets go to private calls. Mobile communication is more popular and many government departments are forced to spend more on mobile contracts for employees, because they are issued by the departments themselves. Without established standards and policy on the correct use of mobile communications, departments could see usage go completely unmanaged and mobile usage in government is on average 20% higher than the private sector," he explains.

Young adds: "The complication is that proper usage of these phones is not effectively managed or monitored. Mobile billings are in many instances regarded as an HR expense and are removed from regular financial or technical costs. The fault here is that true amounts spent on private usage cannot be accurately determined."

According to Young, the challenges facing government are:

* Service providers are not going to willingly limit their services.
* Cap restrictions are ineffective and often lead to complicated HR challenges where the legwork involved to recover the money from employees is too time-consuming. In extreme instances, Unison's research has revealed that employees may owe as much as 80% of their annual salary in outstanding amounts.
* Mobile communications has increased communications costs as much as 60% despite departments adopting convergence strategies.
* There is a clear lack of accountability among government employees regarding their behaviour.

Without access to clearly presented and informative reporting solutions, department heads will not be able to effectively manage their mobile communication expenditure. By giving managers the right information and reallocating mobile communication costs and an IT or financial cost to the department, tighter controls can be established.

Y-generation demands mobile freedom | ITWeb

Remote users are on the increase worldwide but companies are not fully investing on security, says Sean Wainer Country Manager at Check Point Software Technologies.
There is a worldwide increase in remote workers and SA is no exception as the new Y-generation gets into the workforce demanding flexibility

This is according to Sean Wainer, country manager of Check Point Software Technologies Southern Africa, commenting on the findings of the ITWeb/Check Point Mobile Office Survey.

The survey asked respondents to reveal the number of remote workers in their organisations and discovered 21% have more than half of their employees working away from the office.

Of the respondents, 19% said mobile workers constitute 25 to 50% of their workforce; while 38% revealed that such employees make up 10%. Only 1% said remote workers are non-existent in their organisations.

Furthermore, the research determined that 79% of the respondents expect the number of network users in their organisations to increase. 17% said they will remain static while 4% foresee a decline.

Constant growth

Says Wainer: “Clearly, we are seeing a constant growth in IT users worldwide though remote users are growing substantially.”

This is a worldwide phenomenon, he says: “We are seeing not only a user demand for more flexibility, but a realisation from organisations that remote workers cost less in overheads”.

Another factor, says Wainer, is the growing understanding that remote workers are more efficient and generally more productive. He argues that there is no office space, power and consumables required for remote users.

On a scale of one to five, the survey also asked the respondents to rate their software application preferences. E-mail and collaboration, proved to be the most popular with 62% of the respondents saying it is very important for the mobile office.

Second on the list was productivity, eg word processing, garnering 39%, while PDF viewers came third with 23%.

De-facto standard for business communication

“Many people live and die by e-mail these days. It is the de-facto standard for business communication. It is a lightweight application, prevalent and demanded. It is also the single app that improves productivity the most,” says Wainer.

However, he says e-mail's popularity is also most open to abuse or attack.

The survey also found out that 27% of the remote employees have e-mail on the smarthones or PDAs.

“I think that this is the nature of the modern workforce. With mobile technology improving, being low cost and relatively efficient, this makes sense. However, this is also the weakest link in the security chain.

“The more advanced these units are becoming, the more data they store – not only mail, but attachments. Millions of mobile phones are lost around the world. Not many of them are password protected or encrypted. A lost or stolen phone often contains a wealth of private or proprietary information,” notes Wainer.

Prioritising security

On the security note, the survey also asked the respondents to rate, on a scale of one to five, how they view security. Generally, it was found many of the organisations prioritise security issues.

A high of 59% said they view securing remote employees access to corporate network as very important while 21% asserted that it's not important at all.

On the ability to securely access corporate from anywhere, 57% of the respondents said they regard it as very important while 19% think otherwise.

Interesting figures popped up regarding laptop data protection, with 43% of respondents saying it is very vital; 19% said it's not important at all while the remaining 40% were in-between.

Securing mobile data on USB drives had 53% of respondents rating it very important to important. 15% rate this averagely, giving it three out of five, while the remaining 32% gave it either four or five.

Data loss

On the other hand, Wainer believes that organisations are not investing enough on security. “There is a lot of education that is required. Both on the end-user side and within organisations.

“The primary security concern is the loss of data. One survey puts an average middle manager in the US's laptop at a value of over $50 000. This is not the hardware, or licensed software, but the value of the data contained therein.

“First, is the data that resides on the device – ensure the data on the machine is encrypted, ensure that users cannot easily remove information.

“Since these units are being used in 'rogue' environments like open WiFi networks, strong anti virus and network access control should be on the unit too. Further, a personal firewall on the units is always a smart move,” says Wainer.

He adds that the other concern is contact with the office while “out in the wild”. “You need to utilise a VPN solution that is secure, efficient and easy to use. Generally, the simpler the security, the better the end-user buy-in is and this is critical”.