E-Business
IDC Sets Digital Transformation Agenda @ GITEX Technology Week

Global ICT research and consultancy services firm International Data Corporation (IDC) is teaming up with GITEX Technology Week 2017 all this week to provide expert guidance on the strategies that public and private sector organizations should be pursuing as they look to drive a new era of digital transformation. Based at Stand A5-8 in Hall 5 of the Dubai World Trade Centre, IDC’s respected industry analysts will be on hand throughout the event, which runs until October 12.
“IDC is delighted to once again be participating as Supporting Partner at GITEX Technology Week,” says Jyoti Lalchandani, IDC’s group vice president and regional managing director for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META). “Now in its 37th year, the event has long served as a platform for tech pioneers, business leaders, and IT professionals to gather and share ideas about leveraging the world’s most advanced technology solutions for a more competitive future. To this end, senior IDC analysts will feature prominently throughout the event, presenting their insights as part of the GITEX Vertical Days program.”
Serving up in-depth analysis and real-life success stories, this program is aimed at demystifying the use of emerging digital tech to overcome the unique challenges encountered across different industry sectors. On Monday, October 9th, Megha Kumar, IDC’s research director for software in the META region, will be participating in a special healthcare-focused panel discussion at 2.30pm that will focus on identifying vulnerabilities and keeping patients safe in an industry where cybersecurity breaches can potentially kill.
At 3pm on Tuesday, October 10th, Paul Black, IDC’s director of telecoms and IoT in META, will lead discussions during an executive roundtable session that will address the challenges and opportunities presented by ongoing digital transformation efforts in the finance sector. And at 3.10pm on the same day, IDC’s associate vice president for research in META, Ranjit Rajan, will present his perspectives on the very latest developments within the region’s rapidly emerging Smart City landscape.
IDC’s participation at GITEX Technology Week 2017 extends beyond these sessions, with the firm also exclusively giving away a series of industry-focused reports that examine ongoing developments within the worldwide manufacturing, financial services, smart cities, and connected vehicles markets. Visit IDC and its team of analysts at Stand A5-8 in Hall 5 to learn more.
E-Business
Visa to Establish Data Centre in Nigeria to ‘Boost Digital Economy’

Visa, global payment services giant, has announced plans to establish a data centre infrastructure in Nigeria.

Andrew Torre, Visa’s regional president for central and eastern Europe and Vice-President Kashim Shettima
According to a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, senior special assistant to the president on media and communications (office of the vice-president) on Friday, Andrew Torre, Visa’s regional president for central and eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, spoke during a courtesy visit to Vice-President Kashim Shettima at the presidential villa in Abuja.
“This is in addition to its investments of over $1 billion in the country, including a substantial technological partnership with @moniepoint to foster digital payment solutions, a $200 million investment in Interswitch, and a partnership with @thriveagric to empower smallholder farmers and enhance food security in Nigeria,” the statement reads.
During the meeting, Torre said the plan to establish the data centre infrastructure aims to bring new technologies into the Nigerian market that would bolster the nation’s growing digital economy.
“Visa has been making investments and will continue to make these investments in Nigeria,” he said.
Responding, Shettima welcomed Visa’s expansion efforts, assuring the delegation that the partnership between Visa and the Nigerian government would continue to flourish.
The vice-president commended the company for investing in ThriveAgric, noting that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is deeply committed to repositioning the agriculture sector, which remains a top priority in its 8-point agenda.
“Nigeria is where the action is. Of the 10 fintechs in Africa, about eight are in Nigeria, with moniepoint as the newest addition,” Shettima said.
“Agriculture is key to the 8-point agenda of the present administration. President @officialABAT is really keen on repositioning the agriculture industry here, and we have to invest in technology, we have to invest in modernisation.”
On January 23, Moniepoint, a Nigerian fintech company, announced it secured investment from Visa to support the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Andrew Torre, Visa’s regional president for central and eastern Europe and Vice-President Kashim Shettima
E-Business
FCTA Approves N242.8m for Microsoft 365 Licence to Digitise FCT-IRS

Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has approved N242.8m for the procurement of a Microsoft 365 licence for its Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) as part of efforts to digitise the service’s operations.
Mr Michael Ango, acting executive chairman of FCT-IRS, disclosed this after the FCT Executive Committee meeting chaired by Mr Nyesom Wike, the minister of FCTA, in Abuja on Wednesday.
Ango said that the FCTA was making significant investments in technology to enhance revenue generation and collection.
“So, this is also one of those investments in technology that the FCT is undertaking.
“The licence, if procured, will enhance our ability to move most of our manual processes into automated processes.
“It will enhance our ability to communicate within our offices,” he said.
The executive chairman added that the move would also reduce the use of paper and ensure better record-keeping through the storage of information and documents in the cloud.
According to him, “The licence will essentially enhance our operations and assist us in generating revenue for the development of the FCT under Wike’s leadership.”
E-Business
Rack Centre Hosts Olla Systems’ Private Cloud Infrastructure

Rack Centre, West Africa’s Tier III Carrier and Cloud neutral data centre, has welcomed Olla Cloud Service, a new private cloud service by Olla Systems Limited, a leading provider of innovative technology solutions, to its facility.
Hosting at Rack Centre, Olla Cloud Service runs on a state-of-the-art, cloud-enabled infrastructure for enterprise applications across diverse platforms, including mission critical application, web applications as well as containerised applications using Kubernetes.
Lars Johannisson, CEO, Rack Centre, welcoming Olla Systems, noted that the partnership with Olla Systems Limited would reflect the company’s commitment to providing African businesses with high- quality cloud computing services.
He noted that Olla Systems would enjoy Rack Centre’s 13.5MW data centre campus facility, designed to meet the highest international standards and offering scalable solutions to Hyperscalers, Enterprises, and Cloud service providers.
As part of its commitment to sustainability, the facility is equipped with energy-efficient systems, advanced cooling technologies to mitigate environmental impact and an optimally-designed feature to handle high-density workloads with precision.
According to Johannisson, “With Olla Cloud Service hosting at Rack Centre, clients will experience fast performance and low latency, enabling businesses in Africa to access world-class cloud computing services within a secure and compliant local infrastructure.”
Also speaking, Olusola Adenuga, chief executive officer, Olla Systems Limited, expressed enthusiasm about hosting at Rack Centre, noting that Olla Cloud remains a groundbreaking private cloud solution for businesses.
While highlighting the benefits of the partnership between Rack Centre and Olla Systems, Adenuga disclosed that “subscribing to Olla Cloud Service is cost-effective to customers because of its local currency payment advantage.”
She also noted that the partnership between the duo, provides businesses the opportunity to meet regulatory requirements of data residency, while enjoying world-class infrastructure as a service (IaaS) locally.
“Other benefits of hosting with Olla Cloud include: 24/7 support, unparalleled performance, scalability and agility.” she added.
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