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Issue 80 Thursday, December 14, 2006

Shiny new toys
This season's best tech gifts

Issue 79 Thursday, December 07, 2006

Coasting along
...with a buoyant economy From Acts to acquisitions and competition to consolidation, the local ICT sector has been making good on a buoyant economy this year. But next year may not be all plain sailing.

Issue 78 Saturday, December 30, 1899

Issue 77 Thursday, November 23, 2006

Roll of the dice
Legal or not? Online casinos await a verdict While online gambling awaits a legal all-clear, local gambling sites are thriving

Issue 76 Thursday, November 16, 2006

ICT in a state
The political quest for service delivery

Issue 75 Thursday, November 09, 2006

Dropping the buck
Many South African companies fail to plan for succession The departure of a company's key leader could have a dramatic impact on a business. SA companies particularly SMEs - don't prepare adequately for this possibility

Issue 74 Thursday, November 02, 2006

IT's year of shame
What the industry didn't learn from Enron From illegal access to personal and company information to manipulation of stock options and contract details for gain, iWeek looks at six of the biggest scandals to rock the IT industry this year.

Issue 73 Thursday, October 26, 2006

2010 Vision
The SA viewing revolution has begun TV on the Web, on your phone, in high-definition... How will we be enjoying TV by the time the 2010 soccer World Cup rolls around?

Issue 72 Thursday, October 19, 2006

The tiger has landed
India sets its sights on South Africa India's worldwide reputation as a global IT player precedes it. The South African market will certainly benefit from the expertise and investment India is bringing but also needs to be prepared for some serious competition.

Issue 71 Thursday, October 12, 2006

Facing goliath
Can IT's SMEs put up a good fight? Competition is hotting up in the IT sector. As the big players turn their eyes to the SME and lower-value vertical sectors, IT's SMEs are standing tall and preparing to win the battle.

Issue 70 Thursday, October 05, 2006

Local is lekker
But home-grown software faces challenges South Africa's bespoke software development industry is experiencing rapid growth, thanks to demand for customised solutions and better awareness from local clients. But challenges remain.

Issue 69 Thursday, September 28, 2006

Giving Peanuts
Robbing the poor to feed the BBBEE scorecard A lack of reporting standards paves the way for misrepresentation of community investments

Issue 68 Thursday, September 21, 2006

Little big spenders
How to cash in on SA's mobile youth Remember the first mobile phones? Then you're past it. Today's youngster is all about mobile, with Western 10-year-olds embarking on a $30 000 love affair with mobile tech

Issue 67 Thursday, September 14, 2006

Crystal ball gazing
An imprecise science Sometimes analysts' predictions prove to be way off the mark, but then market forecasting is a tricky business

Issue 66 Thursday, September 07, 2006

Doing IT differently
Africa can be a tough place to do business The African IT market is among the biggest untapped sectors in the world. But doing business in Africa isn't quite the same as anywhere else

Issue 65 Thursday, August 31, 2006

Swiss army knife or blunt tool?
Sentech is well positioned to address much of SA's communications needs. As the custodian of the signal distribution network, it can offer a myriad of services. But government policy malaise means that it could be end up being used more as a hammer rather than a multi-purpose tool

Issue 64 Thursday, August 24, 2006

Too soon to sign
South Africans keen on broadband struggle to compare apples with pears. But it's such a fast-paced industry that whatever you do, don't get sweet-talked into signing a two-year deal, warns a broadband guru

Issue 63 Thursday, August 17, 2006

The supreme lock-in
Telkom's new business offering cuts costs at a price Telkom's new SupremeCall bundles are billed as part of its transformation into a customer service orientated business. However, the strict conditions that come along with this "savings offering" beg some questions

Issue 62 Thursday, August 10, 2006

Balls of steel
Can women compete in a man's game? Despite representing the largest portion of SA's population, women have yet to gain a considerable foothold in the ICT industry, begging the question: Do women have what ICT takes?

Issue 61 Thursday, August 03, 2006

Under pressure
SA channel players in value-add crunch IT vendors and distributors say market conditions are better than ever, but some resellers are feeling the pressure. In an environment where margins remain low despite the upsurge in the market, 'specialise, skill up and partner' is the message coming from players in the channel.

Issue 60 Thursday, July 27, 2006

Let the games begin
The newest entrant to SA's mobile market may not be undercutting other players n the industry, but it could be a catalyst for new packages for consumers.

Issue 59 Thursday, July 20, 2006

Let them go
Do your employees really need to be deskbound? The technology is in place to make the virtual workforce a reality, but companies stubbornly resist the change, despite sound bottom-line reasons to embrace it.

Issue 58 Thursday, July 13, 2006

Smart city
Durban changes gear with R1bn ICT plan by 2010 and beyond Durban is well on its way to becoming a lot less laid-back. It aims to have its smart city infrastructure complete by year-end and start competing with SA IT hubs

Issue 57 Thursday, July 06, 2006

Mass market not ready for Linux, say PC vendors
SA vendors are cautiously starting to offer Linux options on consumer PCs. But offering it across the board isn't viable yet, since there's practically no demand. Sahara says India's Linux success proves otherwise.

Issue 56 Thursday, June 29, 2006

Hang in there
Big IT dreams but even bigger hurdles for South Africa's neighbours Zimbabwe's ICT industry is barely managing to hold its own in a battle against hyper-inflation, instability and a 'skills diaspora' that is robbing the country of promising young professionals. Those still operating in the Zim ICT sector say there is vast potential for growth - if the economy stabilises.

Issue 55 Thursday, June 22, 2006

War of the PC giants
Is HP killing Dell? Dell's market share slippage and latest results have investors turning up their noses at its stock. Meanwhile, HP is the new darling of Wall Street and the markets, and some say Dell's direct model is its biggest problem. Will we see tectonic shifts in this industry and two of its biggest players?

Issue 54 Thursday, June 15, 2006

PCs to the people
Africa's race to make technology pervasive If SA is to compete in tomorrow's global economy, it must broaden access to computers. This means building low-cost PCs; establishing community computer systems; and, critically, taking computer access to South Africa's schools

Issue 53 Thursday, June 08, 2006

Spoilt by choice?
As SA's broadcasting industry gets set for a major digital shake-up, a local player aims to push for the transformation of the entire African broadcasting industry. ut he and others feel that pay-TV giant MultiChoice stands in the way

Issue 52 Thursday, June 01, 2006

Legislation puts cats among BPO pigeons
Is the UK trying to outlaw outsourcing? Following an EU directive, the UK has amended its TUPE law, ostensibly to offer protection to UK employees. However, in light of trade agreement in place between SA and the EU, could these changes damage the local BPO industry?

Issue 51 Thursday, May 25, 2006

Comms for all
The path to universal access is fraught with challenges, but there is opportunity for innovation too

Issue 50 Thursday, May 18, 2006

The industry that cried wolf
Is ransomware a reality? The IT industry has a history of spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt in order to sell more products. The anti-virus sector is particularly adept at using this technique. So when it warns of a chilling new threat in malware that infiltrates our data and holds it hostage, do we believe it?

Issue 49 Thursday, May 11, 2006

Pick us! Pick us!
SNO Telecoms battles to get through The SNO's urgency to get cracking is understandable, if it is to hit a slippery operational target date. But after a hugely handicapped start, obstacles are still mounting.

Issue 48 Thursday, May 04, 2006

Out of reach
RFID stands to revolutionise the logistics, supply chain, retail, asset-tracking and even fleet management spaces, by reducing costs and increasing visibility. However it faces three major stumbling blocks before it can change our lives forever.

Issue 47 Thursday, April 27, 2006

Catch them while you can
Spotting fraud before it's too late Recent high-profile cases of corporate wrongdoing demonstrate just how easily white collar crime can go undetected for extended periods if the checks aren't in place. Good corporate governance, individual risk mitigation and technology all contribute to businesses taking a proactive approach to identifying and preventing fraud.

Issue 46 Saturday, December 30, 1899

Issue 45 Thursday, April 13, 2006

Broadband power surge
Can you imagine a world where every power socket in your home or office is a broadband communications point without the need for separate cabling? Even as powerline communication still struggles to gain credibility, it is now commercially viable. iWeek speaks to the experts.

Issue 44 Thursday, April 06, 2006

Need skills, will travel
The SA government has come under fire for recruiting abroad to fill 23 000 positions, some in IT. But strangely, foreign skills may be just what the doctor ordered.

Issue 43 Thursday, March 30, 2006

Blacker than thou
IT outshines other sectors in BEE

Issue 42 Thursday, March 23, 2006

The end of the page
Vendors are at odds with BMI-T over its reasons for the quarterly unit decline in single-function printers. Are multi-function printers to blame? Or is it a growing appetite for colour lasers?

Issue 40 Thursday, March 09, 2006

Not so smart
SA banks lag in smartcard rollout

Issue 39 Thursday, March 02, 2006

Government, Icasa, Telkom in finger-pointing fest
A stand-off between the most powerful figures in SA telecoms over the regulation of Sat-3 is just the beginning. The stalling tactics we are likely to see after that could make South Africa's walk to telecoms liberation among the longest of all

Issue 38 Saturday, December 30, 1899

Issue 37 Thursday, February 16, 2006

The year of the tender
We haven't seen the IT industry quite so buoyed since the ill-fated boom of the nineties. Are these the tender mercies we've been waiting for all this time?

Issue 36 Thursday, February 09, 2006

The billion rand question
How big a cheque is government going to hand ICT under the banner of its Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative? We don't know yet, but it can't hurt to add our voice to the lobby

Issue 35 Thursday, February 02, 2006

Healthcare's dilemma
Local healthcare industry spending trends mirror international ones, as local leaders relate stories of cost optimisation. But there's a challenge in it for IT suppliers

Issue 34 Thursday, January 26, 2006

CIOs go shopping
Where the smart money is
While analysts predict a worldwide upturn, whether or not 2006 will in fact show an increase or decrease remains to be seen. iWeek speaks to CIOs and analysts about the shopping lists that will shape the year's buying

Issue 33 Thursday, January 19, 2006

Gimme more!
MOBILE EMPIRES SEEK GROWTH While MTN is land-grabbing all over Africa, Vodacom is betting on growing subscriber numbers and mobile data ventures and Cell C enlists the help of Sir Richard Branson. We weigh the growth strategies and tech moves of the local mobile giants to ward off competition and speculate how it will all play out this year.