While views on 2010 are generally cautiously optimistic, there are serious issues South African businesses will have to face during the year, issues that have nothing to do with soccer or economics, writes ALLEN SMITH, CEO of ContinuitySA.

Whether it’s crumbling infrastructure, lack of skills, social unrest, failing health standards, a larger tax bill or any combination of these events, 2010 in South Africa will be a good year to be sure your business continuity plans are in good shape.

There are, of course, always issues that force organisations to implement their business continuity plans, but with reduced budgets, less certainty in all spheres and the continuing brain drain, we expect a busy year for business continuity professionals.

With that in mind, I believe the following make up the top 10 issues businesses will face in 2010 that will cause them to invoke their business continuity plans:



Keep reading →

Popularity: 5% [?]

Posted in the category: Economy, Insight, Strategy, Trends

The new magazine of digital business, Mark, is about the changing nature of both people and the business environment. Its blog, Marklives.com, extends the content into the social media space. Founder and editor of the magazine and Internet veteran HERMAN MANSON reveals the thinking behind the venture.

People are changing. Business environments are changing. Building business organisations (and profits) are no longer simply about building brand equity and loyalty – it’s about building customer equity. This is the premise for the launch of new digital business magazine Mark and its associated blog MarkLives.com.

Mark magazine and MarkLives.com covers a world-wide trend towards the re-engagement between real people as opposed to people and technology. Technology is simply a facilitator in this process. People are looking for real engagement, a real interest in their causes and needs. They are no longer sold on traditional advertising. The way business engages with people, both customers and staff, is being redefined, and we all need to be aware of how this trend affects us if we are going to manage this process.



Keep reading →

Popularity: 36% [?]

Posted in the category: Insight, Strategy, Trends

Just how much connectivity is being put in the ground in South African cities? There is much speculation, but little information. One of the key players in the physical roll-out of fibre-optic networks used by major telcos, Dark Fibre Africa, lifts the veil, courtesy of director RiICHARD CAME.

South Africa is experiencing major changes in its telecommunications market, following Altech’s court victory and the landing of the Seacom cable, two concrete signs that market liberalisation is becoming a reality.

Richard Came

Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) is keeping pace with these changes, and has already made rapid progress in creating a carrier-neutral dark fibre network in major metropolitan areas, with 350km of fibre cable laid in Johannesburg. Progress has been made with infrastructure in Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town. DFA owns, builds, maintains, secures and monitors the dark fibre network infrastructure, which is then leased to telecommunications operators.

The company is working with a number of network operators, large and small, who recognise the value in shared network infrastructure, and is looking to conclude agreements with more users following the Altech ruling.



Keep reading →

Popularity: 26% [?]

Posted in the category: Strategy, Technology, Trends

Field data experts are the modern day pioneers of Africa, and the means they use to provide real world verification of maps and collect road names and points of interest holds key messages for understanding your working environment, writes ETIENNE JONKER, Field Data Capture Manager for TeleAtlas Africa

When you switch on your navigation device to help get yourself from point A to point B and you reach your destination with ease, take a minute to think about how the mapping information was gathered before being displayed on your device.

With the road network changing by up to 40% annually of its coverage in terms of both new names and changed roads, one of the key challenges facing map builders is keeping data accurate and up to date. The first step in building and maintaining an accurate map involves collecting geographic information. Field teams play an essential role in providing real world verification of maps being built and in collecting attribute information such as road names, land use and points of interest.



Keep reading →

Popularity: 20% [?]

Posted in the category: Insight, Strategy, Technology

Part of the solution to South Africa’s skills shortage is for companies to retain key staff. Or, as Kumba Iron Ore’s HR head puts it, “You don’t want to get into a situation where skills recycling is constantly taking place, with companies poaching each other’s skilled staff”

There is a great need to move Human Resources into a position where practitioners are in a position to add value to business.

This was the key message delivered by Kumba Iron Ore general manager of HR, Fergus Marupen, at last month’s 28th Annual Assessment Centre Study Group Conference held in Stellenbosch.

Speaking at the opening session, he said : “Too often in the past HR has been relegated to a department that reports to the financial manager and not to the head of the organisation, and this has hindered its ability to attract talented people and keep them.”



Keep reading →

Popularity: 100% [?]

Posted in the category: Economy, Insight, Strategy