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EMEA PC Market Contracts By 18.2% In Line With IDC Forecast

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PC shipments in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) reached 20.8 million units in the fourth quarter of 2015 — an 18.2% decrease year on year, according to International Data Corporation (IDC).

After a strong shipment push of devices under Microsoft’s Bing promotion from summer 2014 to January 2015, the focus for hardware manufacturers and their channel partners has been to deplete stock, leading to an 18% contraction for 2015 with 76.3 million PCs shipped in EMEA.

In 2014 PC shipments were driven in commercial by the end of Windows XP support as well as the need to renew the first Windows 7 portables four years after their deployment, while in the consumer segment Bing successfully targeted the needs of price sensitive users.

The strengthening of the U.S. dollar also led partners to gamble on cheap products in the fourth quarter of 2014. But 2015 turned into a very costly year for all of them as inventory clearing not only took eleven months but also strong promotions and price reductions.

Year on year comparisons were therefore unfavorable during 2015 and the introduction of new technologies such as Windows 10 or new CPUs failed to reverse the trend. But it is not all bad news— as there are some signs of stabilization and 2015 results will support a more positive comparison in 2016.

“The market contraction was to be expected,” said Chrystelle Labesque, associate director, IDC EMEA Personal Computing. “However, if you take Bing out of the comparison, the consumer market would end the year flat, which is an encouraging sign of stabilization.”

The combination of various economic and political factors led all three sub-regions to contract in 2015Q4. Western Europe (WE) declined by 13.1%, while in line with expectations, Central and Eastern Europe CEE) contracted 24.7%.

The Middle East and Africa (MEA) had the weakest performance, as shipments were down by 28.9%.

In Western Europe, the U.K. consumer market reported the best result, while in the commercial segment some public spending in particular in Austria and Italy supported shipment volumes.

A sharp decline in oil prices together with currency and political instabilities affected the CEMA region in particular, while the slowdown in the Chinese economy is worsening the business outlook in export-oriented Western European countries.

Looking at the full 2015 performance, WE was down by 13.8% over 2014, and CEMA by 24.6%. At the same time, market consolidation becomes more obvious as the top 3 players (HP, Lenovo, Dell) accounted for 54% of the market in 2015 vs 50% in 2014.

“2015 was clearly a very difficult year for the PC market. Demand remained weak across all four quarters with double-digit contractions in CEE and MEA,” said Stefania Lorenz, associate VP, IDC CEMA. “The CEE region contracted by 26.4% year-on-year in 2015. The region was negatively affected by the devaluations of local currencies and high PC inventory levels left from 2014. The worst impact on purchasing power was felt in the Eastern part of the region: Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan as well as the Rest of CEE subregion. Other factors that prevented the market from rebounding in the commercial space included government budget freezes.”

“In Q4 2015 the PC market in the CEE region was in line with the forecast at -24.7% year-on-year,” said Nikolina Jurisic, product manager, IDC CEMA. “Viewing the country mix, the “star” was Hungary, with a positive result of 11.5% growth year-on-year thanks to last minute deals in the public sector. The other countries in the CEE region reported PC market declines.

“In many cases the unfavorable comparison with Q414 (and the Bing push) resulted in a sharper decline for Poland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, and Croatia. In 2015, the MEA region declined by 22.8% year-on-year affected by the continual political instability and economic uncertainties, in addition to currency fluctuations, low oil prices and a lack of projects and IT spending. In Q4 2015 the MEA region contracted by 28.9%. The biggest markets — Turkey and the Rest of Middle East (ROME) sub-region — reported the worst results, with an annual decline of 43% and 51%, respectively. The security concerns in ROME continue to impact PC demand negatively.”

Vendor Highlights
While there were some changes in the ranking, consolidation continued with the top 5 vendors now representing more than 72% of the market.

HP performed slightly better than the market and gained further share at 23.7% in EMEA. The vendor results in desktop were above average and contributed to the positive difference.

Lenovo maintained second position. The vendor was focusing on inventory depletion and suffered in the difficult MEA context.

ASUS reached 3rd place and showed strong growth, in particular in Western Europe. Overall the vendor posted good results after a weaker 2014.

Dell grew faster than the market and consequently gained share in EMEA. The vendor continued to gain share thanks to a strong execution in the commercial area and an attractive product portfolio.

• Acer posted a softer performance, in part due to an unfavorable year-on-year comparison. The vendor focused further on inventory reduction while gaining traction on its Windows 10 consumer products.

 


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E-Business

Microsoft Server Hack Likely Solo Actor, Thousands at Risk

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A widespread cyberattack targeting Microsoft’s (MSFT.O) server software used by thousands of government agencies and businesses for internal document sharing was likely orchestrated by a single actor, a cybersecurity researcher said on Monday.

Microsoft Server Hack Likely Solo Actor, Thousands at Risk

Microsoft issued an alert on Saturday warning of “active attacks” on on-premise SharePoint servers.

The company clarified that SharePoint Online, part of the Microsoft 365 cloud suite, was not affected by the exploit, which is considered a “zero-day” vulnerability due to its previously undiscovered nature.

“Based on the consistency of the tradecraft seen across observed attacks, the campaign launched on Friday appears to be a single actor. However, it’s possible that this will quickly change,” Rafe Pilling, director of Threat Intelligence at Sophos, a British cybersecurity firm.

That tradecraft included the sending of the same digital payload to multiple targets, Pilling added.

Microsoft said it had “provided security updates and encourages customers to install them,” a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

It was not clear who was behind the ongoing hack. The FBI said on Sunday it was aware of the attacks and was working closely with its federal and private-sector partners, but offered no other details.

Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Washington Post said unidentified actors in the past few days had exploited a flaw to launch an attack that targeted U.S. and international agencies and businesses.

According to data from Shodan, a search engine that helps to identify internet-linked equipment, over 8,000 servers online could theoretically have already been compromised by hackers.

Those servers include major industrial firms, banks, auditors, healthcare companies, and several U.S. state-level and international government entities.

“The SharePoint incident appears to have created a broad level of compromise across a range of servers globally,” said Daniel Card of British cybersecurity consultancy, PwnDefend.

“Taking an assumed breach approach is wise, and it’s also important to understand that just applying the patch isn’t all that is required here.”


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Flaw in Microsoft SharePoint Sparks Global Cybersecurity Concern

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A Microsoft SharePoint server software flaw is causing widespread concern across the global cybersecurity landscape, exposing thousands of organisations to hackers exploiting a new vulnerability.

This critical vulnerability exposes government agencies, universities, and energy firms who are at risk of cyberattacks. The flaw, now being actively exploited by unidentified hackers, allows attackers to gain deep, remote access to on-premise SharePoint servers.

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has confirmed that the vulnerability can enable malicious actors to access internal files, change configurations, and even execute remote code, effectively giving them high-level control over compromised systems.

Microsoft has also acknowledged the breach and released a security patch aimed at stopping the ongoing attacks. The firm urged users to apply the patch immediately, saying it is working to roll out additional protections, according to a statement reported by Bloomberg.

Despite these efforts, cybersecurity researchers warn that systems may remain vulnerable if attackers have already infiltrated networks, stolen authentication keys, or implanted persistent backdoors before patches were applied.

The United States hosts the highest number of these vulnerable systems, followed by the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

The Washington Post reported that the breach has already impacted a range of institutions, including U.S. federal and state agencies, academic institutions, energy companies, and a telecommunications firm in Asia.

This latest incident adds to a growing list of cybersecurity challenges facing Microsoft. In March, the company revealed that Chinese state-backed hackers had targeted its cloud-based services to infiltrate both U.S. and international organisations.

Last year, the U.S. Cyber Safety Review Board sharply criticised Microsoft’s internal security culture as ‘inadequate’ after a separate breach compromised its Exchange Online mail systems and exposed communications of high-level officials.


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NIMC Enrolls 122m for NIN, Cuts Extortion by 40 Percent

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National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has said that it has reduced incidents of extortion and unofficial charges in the identity enrolment process by over 40 per cent.

NIMC Enrolls 122m for NIN, Cuts Extortion by 40 Percent

Abisoye Coker-Odusote, director general of NIMC,

Abisoye Coker-Odusote, director general of NIMC, who disclosed this  at an event in Lagos at the weekend, attributed the drop to improved transparency in fee structure at the commission.

The CEO was represented by Lanre Yusuf, director, Information Technology and Identity Database, NINC.

The workshop, organised by the identity regulator in partnership with the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers, focused on repositioning Nigeria’s digital identity landscape and combating misinformation.

According to Coker-Odusote, the sharp reduction in illicit charges is a direct result of reforms introduced by NIMC to curb racketeering and unauthorised payments, which have for years plagued the national identity registration process..

“Enrolment for the National Identification Number remains free. We have standardised modification and authentication fees, and these are publicly disclosed. Our enforcement of a transparent fee structure has resulted in a 40 per cent drop in extortion and unofficial charges,” the regulator said.

She explained that prior to her assumption of office, complaints about exploitative fees at enrolment centres were widespread, fuelling public distrust in the system.

However, she noted that the commission had since prioritised transparency and stakeholder accountability, ensuring that Nigerians no longer have to pay above the legally mandated fees. “We are addressing deep-rooted issues that once undermined public confidence in the enrolment process,” she said.

The NIMC chief added that the commission had introduced digital tools to reduce human interference in the registration process.

These include the NINAuth mobile app, the Self-Service NIN Enrolment and Modification app, and Contactless Biometric Solutions, all designed to make the system more efficient, secure, and user-friendly.

Coker-Odusote also reiterated the commission’s commitment to inclusion, stressing that no Nigerian should be left behind in the country’s digital identity transformation.

According to her, over 7,167 front-end enrolment agents and partners have been revalidated and retrained to serve the public professionally, with strict monitoring mechanisms now in place.

In addition, NIMC has deployed grievance redress officers across all 36 states to handle complaints from Nigerians about enrolment centres and agents, with a 24/7 toll-free line available to report any misconduct.

The reforms are part of broader efforts by the Commission to build a unified, secure, and people-centred digital identity system that facilitates access to government services, financial inclusion, social protection, and national planning.

Coker-Odusote called on media partners to support the Commission in disseminating accurate information, countering misinformation, and raising awareness about the benefits of digital identity.

“We are asking our partners in the media to help us combat fake news and promote transparency in the identity ecosystem. We need to ensure every Nigerian understands their rights and knows that their identity is key to accessing opportunities and services,” she said.


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