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E-Business

IDC Identifies Sign PC Market Improved in CY 2014

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Calendar year 2014 proved to be an interesting phase for the India PC business. The results for the consumer business turned out to be unexpected both in the beginning and towards the end of the year (i.e. Q1 and Q4 2014).

While the first quarter recorded a new low, fourth quarter results turned out to be very positive, beating forecasts substantially.

Overall India PC shipments for CY 2014 stood at 9.6 million units, down -16.5% year on year from CY 2013. Outside special deals, the overall market witnessed a marginal year-on-year revenue decline of -0.4% in CY 2014.

The overall market declined initially in the run-up to the 16th general elections held in the first half of 2014.

However, PC sales recovered starting in June owing to innovative pricing actions by vendors mixed with festive buying and pent-up demand boosting the overall sales.

The consumer PC market stood at 4.9 million units in CY 2014, with year-on-year growth of 1.7% over CY 2013.

“Continuing from CY 2013, consumer sentiments remained frail until the elections.

However, stable government in the center aided hopes on reforms and economic progress boosting overall end-user confidence. Also, subsiding inflation and rapid growth of online trade coupled with the introduction of sub-$400 devices created just the right buzz for the PC business in CY 2014,” said Kiran Kumar, Research Manager, IDC.

The overall commercial PC market clocked 4.7 million units in CY 2014, with a year-on-year decline of -29.6% over CY 2013.

“The primary reason for the plunge was that barring fulfilments for ELCOT Phase III, the contribution of large education projects was not exciting in CY2014 as compared to CY2013. Also, enterprise users have been cautiously optimistic by pinning their hopes on the direction of reforms, which are still quite ambiguous. This is with the exception of BFSI, where IT spending returned to a rapid surge in CY 2014 for both capacity expansion and hardware refresh,” commented Manish Yadav, Market Analyst, IDC.‎
                                                                                            
Top 3 PC Vendor Highlights:

HP
HP recorded a market share of 25.6% in the India PC market and took the first spot yet again.

The vendor remains dominant in the consumer PC business for the third year in a row. Introduction of sub-$400 notebooks proved to be a shot in the arm as they continued to thrive in the consumer PC business, in both the desktop and notebook categories.

They have equally led the commercial segment in the last two years by clinching major volumes in special projects such as ELCOT/UP.

Dell
Post privatization, Dell’s focus on growing their business in emerging markets has been made evident and they have recorded substantial year-on-year gains in the India PC business.

They have outstripped the industry average as they gained around 9% year-on-year to record a 22.1% market share in CY 2014 in the overall PC business.

Their investments towards expanding channel strength continue to swell, supported by both distribution and partner led GTMs.

In addition, their growth in the tier 2 and 3 cities is  a welcome sign for increasing overall PC penetration.

Lenovo
Lenovo holds on to the third spot, with sizeable volume growth in both consumer and commercial segments.

They have gained 3.5 % year-on-year to record a market share of 15.8% in CY 2014 in the India PC business. Similar to their competitors, they have grown primarily through market consolidation supported by their strong marketing and channel engines.

In the short term, inventory issues and constrained buying from end users is likely to impact Q1 2015 sales.

However, IDC anticipates the overall PC market to witness growth in CY 2015 over CY 2014.

Special education projects and improved business sentiments in the enterprise business will continue to drive commercial PC volumes in CY 2015. Government and government aided education buying will hold the key to growth in the commercial PC business.

“On the consumer business, opportunity is ripe for vendors to drive penetration and improve overall business. We expect new entry level price points to be created for full-blown PCs with innovative form factors and that will continue to drive excitement in this category,” added Kumar


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E-Business

Galaxy Backbone, Rural Electrification Agency Commit to Deepening Digital and Energy Access Across Nigeria

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In a major step towards deepening Nigeria’s digital and energy infrastructure, Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at a brief but impactful ceremony held in Abuja.

The MoU signals a collaborative effort between both agencies to enhance Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda by integrating reliable energy solutions with cutting-edge ICT infrastructure, especially in higher institutions, Government institutions, underserved and rural communities across the country.

Speaking at the event, the Managing Director/CEO of Galaxy Backbone, Professor Ibrahim A. Adeyanju, described the partnership as “a landmark moment in Nigeria’s journey towards a digitally empowered, sustainably powered, and inclusively connected nation.”

“This partnership exemplifies what is possible when two visionary government institutions come together, united by shared goals and driven by the desire to improve the lives of Nigerians everywhere,” he said.

Professor Adeyanju emphasized that while Galaxy Backbone’s core mandate is to provide secure digital infrastructure that powers government operations, reliable and sustainable energy particularly in rural areas is essential to fully actualize digital transformation.

Major highlights of the MoU include:

  • Solar electrification of some of GBB’s Metro Fibre sites in Abuja by the REA.
  • Powering Hostels of Higher Institutions across the country through the Fibre to Hostel Project being driven by the Federal Ministry of Communications Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE).
  • Support for the rollout of the 774 Local Government Digitization Initiative, beginning with six pilot Local Government Areas.
  • Provision of LANs, access points, cloud services, colocation infrastructure, and temporary connectivity to enhance REA’s operational facilities nationwide.

The Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency Mr Abba Aliyu, in his remarks, expressed optimism that this collaboration will further bridge the digital and energy divide across Nigeria. He noted that by combining REA’s achievements in expanding energy access with GBB’s robust ICT backbone, both agencies are poised to create lasting impact across governance, education, healthcare, and entrepreneurship.

This partnership is also in direct alignment with the Renewed Hope Digital Transformation Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, which envisions an inclusive digital economy powered by innovation and sustainable energy.

The ceremony was attended by top management from both organizations as well as members of the media.

With today’s signing, Galaxy Backbone and the Rural Electrification Agency have set the tone for stronger, smarter, and more inclusive public service delivery powered by strategic inter-agency collaboration.


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NIMC Says NIN Services Back Online

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National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced the restoration of its National Identification Number (NIN) verification services nationwide.

NIMC Says NIN Services Back Online

This, according to the commission, follows the completion of a system maintenance exercise.

In a statement issued on Friday, the NIMC confirmed that all previously disrupted services have resumed.

“NIMC wishes to inform the general public that the recent technical maintenance has been completed and all services have been restored,” the statement read.

The NIMC urged Nigerians seeking to enroll for NIN to visit the its official website to locate the nearest enrollment centers.

The agency also encouraged individuals to make use of its self-service portal for tasks such as data modification, including name changes.

To further ease the verification process, the Commission recommended downloading the NIMC NameAuth app (oath.app) from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store for quick and secure NIN authentication.

NIMC expressed appreciation for the public’s patience during the service disruption, which had impacted banks, telecom providers, and government agencies that rely on NIN verification for their operations.

 


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Report Reveals African Organizations Dangerously Overestimating Cyber defences

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Many businesses are overestimating their defence against cyber attacks, which creates a significant human risk blind spot. A new KnowBe4 report exposes a worrying disconnect between what leaders think about their cyber security readiness and what employees experience.

According to the KnowBe4 Africa Human Risk Management Report 2025, based on insights from cyber security decision-makers across 30 African countries, despite high awareness, a critical gap exists in turning that awareness into actual readiness and resilient behaviour.

Key findings from the KnowBe4 Africa Human Risk Management Report 2025:

Confidence vs awareness: While cyber security awareness is high, leaders express uncertainty about their workforce’s ability to act on that awareness. Many feel employees may overestimate their capabilities in recognising, reporting and mitigating threats.

The need for adaptive and personalised security awareness training: Many companies fail to personalise security awareness training to specific roles or risk exposures.

Widespread BYOD usage: A large percentage of employees (between 41% and 80%) use their personal devices for work.

AI policy development is lagging: Many companies (46%) are still in the process of developing policies for using AI tools in the workplace.

Regional variation: Southern Africa trains more, East Africa governs AI better and West/Central Africa sees the most human-related security incidents.

This gap is significant because Africa has become an attractive target to cyber criminals, especially those that launch AI-powered attacks. A LexisNexis Risk Solutions study found 60% of South African organisations have seen an increase in AI-facilitated financial crime – above the 56% global average.

Kehinde Popoola, regional manager and key representative for West and East Africa at Rubrik, said digital transformation is gaining momentum in Africa and companies are more exposed to cyber risk. The Rubrik executive adds that amid an increase in threats, it is crucial that organisations adopt an assumed breach mindset.

The KnowBe4 research shows that cyber security preparedness and the actual structures required to support secure behaviour seem misaligned.

The report highlights that just 10% of cyber security leaders are fully confident that staff would report a phishing attack or other cyber threat, despite rating employee security awareness of cyber threats at four out of five or higher.

There is also a significant perception gap between decision-makers and general employees in Africa regarding security awareness training, with 68% of leaders believing that training is tailored to roles, compared to only a third of employees feeling adequately trained.

KnowBe4 asserts that many organisations only conduct annual or biannual training that is too generic to effectively change behaviour, contributing to uncertainty about its effectiveness.

According to another report, the KnowBe4 African Cybersecurity and Awareness Report 2025, which focuses on end-user based responses, only 43% of African respondents felt confident in their ability to recognise a cyber threat, and just one in three believed their security awareness training was adequately tailored to their role. This comparison suggests the development of a dangerous perception gap in many organisations.

“There’s a disconnect here – between what leaders think is happening and what employees are actually experiencing,” says Anna Collard, SVP content strategy and evangelist at KnowBe4 Africa. “The data shows that without procedural and cultural follow-through, awareness simply doesn’t translate into readiness.”

“The continent’s cyber security posture may be more confident than it is truly resilient,” Collard adds.

 


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