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Spending on Smart City Technologies in MEA to Reach $1.26 Billion in 2018

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Spending on the technologies that enable Smart City initiatives is forecast to reach $1.26 billion for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region in 2018, according to the latest insights from International Data Corporation (IDC).

In the first release of its Worldwide Semiannual Smart Cities Spending Guide , the global technology research and consulting firm provides a detailed look at the technology investments associated with a range of Smart Cities priorities and use cases. As these initiatives gain traction, IDC expects spending in MEA to accelerate over the 2016-2021 forecast period, reaching $2.30 billion in 2021.

To view the accompanying Smart Cities spending snapshot, please visit: https://images.idc-cema.com/mail-image/1199525/mea_smart_cities_snapshot_2018.jpg.

Cities across the region are implementing digital transformation initiatives within urban ecosystems in order to facilitate a broad range of environmental, financial, and social outcomes.

In IDC’s view, a Smart City begins to be developed when multiple smart initiatives are coordinated to leverage technology investments across an entire city, use common platforms to decrease service time/maintenance costs, share data across systems, and tie IT investments clearly to smart missions.

Smart City programs are enabled by 3rd Platform technologies, and emerging technologies are accelerated in the city ecosystem to deliver innovative solutions in very specific areas.

The strategic priorities in MEA that IDC believes will see the most spending in 2018 are sustainable planning and administration and intelligent transportation. Intelligent traffic and transit, digital permitting, licensing and inspections, and Smart Cities platforms will be the region’s largest use cases in terms of spending in 2018, followed by in-car camera systems, smart kiosks, and fixed visual surveillance.

“IDC employs a truly innovative approach to sizing the global Smart City market by identifying 41 key use cases that will have the most impact on local government over the next three years, and sizing and forecasting their growth,” says Ruthbea Yesner, vice president of IDC Government Insights and Smart Cities programs.

“This approach provides technology suppliers with a detailed look at the opportunity that exists within cities and offers a view into niche areas as well as broad market solutions.”

The worldwide market for technologies enabling Smart Cities is expected to grow at a five-year compound annual growth rate of 18.6% over the 2016-2021 period, and MEA is one of the regions that will see the fastest spending growth, with a CAGR of 21.2%.

“The year 2017 could be considered as the coming-of-age year for Smart Cities in the region,” says Jebin George, program manager, IDC MEA. “The concept is being widely discussed and adopted in the region, early success stories are starting to emerge, almost all greenfield developments are incorporating smart technologies by default, and nations are developing a common vision around the Smart City concept.

The region is now getting into an exciting phase of the Smart City journey, characterized by wider adoption and faster growth.”

IDC’s Worldwide Semiannual Smart Cities Spending Guide quantifies the expected technology opportunity around Smart City initiatives from a region and worldwide level. Spending data is available for nine regions with a focus on 15 use cases across five strategic priorities, as well as the overall Smart Cities market size.

The spending guide is designed to provide IT vendors with insights into this rapidly growing market and how the market will develop over the five-year forecast period.


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E-Business

TD Africa Dangles Discounts on Mercury Inverters

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In response to Nigeria’s epileptic power supply and the need for a cost-effective back-up, TD Africa, the authorised distributor of Mercury Inverters on the continent, is encouraging Nigerians to take control of their power needs with a discounted offer on all Mercury inverters.

This offer will not only reduce overdependence on the exorbitant fuel-powered generating option widely used, but also offer a seamless and uninterrupted power supply while cutting operational cost by more than 50%.

“Mercury Inverters are a game-changer for Nigerians seeking to overcome the challenges of frequent power outages,” said Toyin Adeniji, TD Africa’s Business Manager for Mercury Inverters.

According to her, the inverters exceptional performance, durability, and affordability, makes it a reliable and sustainable solution that can enhance both personal and business productivity.

TD Africa’s move to discount these Inverters will make the product accessible to more  Nigerians, providing an affordable and reliable power backup option that promises to improve the overall quality of life for individuals and businesses.

The inverters which come in 10KVA and 7.5KVA with a 120V, also contribute to environmental sustainability by minimizing carbon emissions.

While this discounted offer is for a limited time, how to take advantage of this offer can be obtained at  [email protected].

 


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FG to Train 5, 000 Data Protection Officers

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Federal government has granted the Institute of Information Management permission to conduct examinations and certify data protection specialists on a local level.

FG to Train 5, 000 Data Protection Officers

As the demand for data management grows throughout Africa, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Youth Development has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) to train 5,000 Nigerian youths to become data protection specialists.

The agreement is part of the NDPC’s ambition to create 10,123 data management related jobs in Nigeria.

Dr. Vincent Olatunji, CEO of the NDPC, stressed the growing demand for data protection officers in Nigeria during the signing event.

He stated that there are a large number of data controllers in the country, each of which must have at least one data protection officer.

According to the government, young people can now pursue data management careers and fill expected new roles in the ecosystem.

Olatunji also stated that the NDPC has granted the Institute of Information Management permission to conduct examinations and certify data protection specialists on a local level.

He stated that the goal of this move is to improve local knowledge while also reducing the foreign exchange expenses connected with international training.

“In addition, the certification provided by our in-country body will carry global recognition, ensuring our professionals are competitive on the international stage,” he explained.


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Kaspersky Warns that Scammers Hide Phishing Links behind Images

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At the end of August, Kaspersky experts discovered a phishing campaign with an unusual attack vector – through an image. This scam targeted organisations in the fields of online retail, distribution, transportation, and logistics. The cyber attackers aimed to steal corporate email credentials from potential victims.

Within the phishing scheme, the cyber attackers send emails in English, allegedly on behalf of a South Korean company. Pretending to be employees of this organisation, the cybercriminals email about sending instructions to their bank for transferring a payment.

They ask potential victims to check the details in the scanned document, which is added to the body of the letter. According to the legend, this must be done quickly in order to receive payment as soon as possible.

“The image in these phishing emails is poorly visible – this is what the attackers are counting on. Even if a person does not expect an email, he may be interested in looking at the details. However, in reality, the image hides a phishing link.

If the users click on the scan, they will be redirected to a fake resource that mimics a file sharing service from Adobe. There, they will be asked to enter the credentials for a corporate email account to gain access to the document.

However, this should never be done, otherwise this information will go to the cybercriminals,” comments Roman Dedenok, a cybersecurity expert at Kaspersky.

To avoid becoming a victim of such phishing attacks, Kaspersky recommends that users do not trust emails from unknown mailboxes, especially when it comes to confidential data, financial transactions and suspicious attachments, even if it visually looks like the email came from an organisation with a good reputation.

Kaspersky also recommends that companies install a reliable security solution that will automatically send such emails to spam, such as Kaspersky Secure Mail Gateway, and also regularly conduct cybersecurity training for employees, teaching them how to recognise social engineering techniques, for example, using the Kaspersky Automated Security Awareness Platform.

 


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