The Nation Newspaper

Category: e-Business

  • Inlaks gets two ISO certifications

    A technology firm, Inlaks Nigeria Limited has received ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 20000:2011 Certifications.

    The certifications are in recognition of its role in quality service delivery to its clients.

    Speaking during the presentation of the certificates to the firm in Lagos, its Director, Infrastructure Business Division, Mr Tope Dare, said: “Inlaks  has demonstrated its ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements and aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system, including processes  for improvement of the system and the assurance of conformity to customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.” Dare expressed delight that the firm has achieved the ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 20000:20 certification for Quality Management System and Information Technology Services Management System.

    “Quality is much more than a certificate. It is about doing the right things in a consistent, repeatable and efficient manner. Achieving ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 20000:20 certifications is testament to our values of excellence and professionalism,” he added.

    In relation to the development of Information Communication Technology (ICT), Dare explained: “We are not only providers of world-class technology solutions to our numerous clients, but we are huge technology consumers ourselves. We know that to be consistent in our delivery of top-notch IT services, we need to operate like the “best in class” and that is why we have adopted the tools, processes, and procedures that will make us win.”

    He said the ISO Certifications would also promote the development of local content in Nigeria.

    “The certifications will indicate to all our customers that all locally produced solutions and services that Inlaks deliver have gone through a checklist that certifies it to be world class, and they can be accepted in any part of the world as being of high quality,” Dare added.

  • Huawei:Digital economy value to hit $23tr

    By 2025, the number of personal smart devices will reach 40 billion and the total number of connections around the world will reach 100 billion, creating a digital economy worth $23 trillion, technology giant, Huawei has said.

    According to its new report titled: Global Industry Vision (GIV) 2025, all things will be able to sense and all things will be connected, leading to a world where everything is intelligent.

    Essentially, GIV 2025 is anchored on three visions for the future. The first is all things sensing, more and better connections, bringing everything to the intelligent world.

    According to GIV 2025, the intelligent world would truly have arrived once all things can sense and all things are connected. By 2025, there will be 40 billion personal smart devices and 100 billion connections around the world. “The Industrial Internet will be the major source of these 100 billion connections. The massive amounts of data generated by the ability for all things to sense will be extensively integrated in all industries, forming new industries like the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) and Connected Vehicles.

    “With more and better connections, data traffic will grow exponentially, and most of it will be from video. The Cloud VR market will reach $292 billion by 2025,” GIV said.

    GIV 2025 described a future where the role of smart devices and smart robots will evolve from being just a tool to being an assistant. It said the penetration rate of smart assistants will be 90 per cent by 2025, with 12 per cent of homes having smart service robots, adding that with the assistance of guide robots, the world’s 39 million blind people and 246 million people with impaired vision will live normal lives.

    The second vision is +Intelligence which will foster new business species and drive leapfrog development for industries

    According to GIV 2025, with high-speed connections, IoT, and artificial intelligence (AI)-based cloud, +Intelligence platforms will help industries achieve leapfrog development through intelligent analysis, decision-making, and assistance.

    “By 2025, intelligent technology will be applied extensively in the transportation industry, with more than 60 million vehicles connected to 5G networks and 100 per cent of new vehicles connected to the Internet. When intelligence is incorporated into manufacturing, ICT will converge with operational technology (OT) at an accelerated pace. This will generate positive returns for innovation, the industry, the value chain, and the ecosystem as a whole. By adopting intelligence in cities, urban planners will be able to create new paths for sustainable development in security management, transportation planning, and other domains, enabling city residents to enjoy the safety, convenience, and high living standards made possible by a digital life,” the report added.

    The third vision of the report is mass innovation which would tap into the opportunities of a digital economy valued at $23 trillion.

    Huawei predicts that the digital economy will be worth $23 trillion, adding that the value of +Intelligence will be widely accessible to manufacturing, services, transportation, and many other industries.

    “The outcomes of innovation in the intelligent world will be apparent everywhere. The intelligent world will reshape industries and give birth to new intelligent industries. It will also enable industries to go beyond current growth trajectories and achieve leapfrog development while giving a massive boost to innovation,” the report said.

    Huwei Board Director and Chief Strategy Marketing Officer, William Xu said: “This is the first time that Huawei has released the GIV report. Based on data and predictions about the future, we aim to unfold the industry blueprint of an intelligent world driven by information and communications technology (ICT). It is our goal to build the foundations that will enable the diverse ICT industry ecosystem to truly transition into the intelligent world, and team with our global partners to build this fully connected, intelligent world.”

    Relying on Huawei’s own business strengths and insights into industry trends, GIV 2025 has its own unique research methodology-adopting a mix of data and trend analysis to elaborate on global information communication (ICT) trends and lay out the blueprint for the ICT industry. The data used in GIV 2025 spans more than 170 countries and regions. This report covers three dimensions (all things connected, all things sensing, and all things intelligent) and 37 metrics, including the amount of data generated, the percentage of enterprises that adopt AI, and the number of personal smart devices.

     

  • 9mobile crashes U.S roaming rates

    Nigeria’s fourth largest carrier, 9mobile, in a strategic partnership with United States (U.S.) leading telecom firm, AT&T, is offering customers visiting the U.S  the lowest call, text, and data rates while in the states.

    For as low as N50 per minute, 9mobile customers can stay connected with loved ones on the newest ‘9mobile Super 50 Offer’.

    This rate is the lowest offered by any network to customers travelling to the U.S. Calls within the U.S and calls to Nigeria are charged at N50 per minute; incoming calls at N50 per minute; SMS at N50 per page, while pay as you go (PAYG) data is now N50/MB.

    Speaking on the offer, Director, Consumer Segment, 9mobile, Adeolu Dairo, said the roaming package affords 9mobile subscribers the opportunity to stay connected with family, friends and business partners while in the U.S. The package enables customers to enjoy seamless and affordable connectivity on voice, data, and text on the go.

    9mobile Super 50 Offer is for new and existing customers who have hitherto been concerned with exorbitant connectivity bills when visiting the U.S.

    Dairo said: “Many traveling customers believe roaming in the U.S is expensive and can only be afforded by the rich, and this has led to some roaming customers relying solely on WiFi when abroad; thereby limiting their ability to remain connected. This package is also about bringing people together no matter where they are and ensuring that they stay connected to their family, friends, loved ones, and business partners.”

    To enjoy 7.1GB of data in Nigeria or 200MB while roaming in the U.S is to dial the activation code *4184*1# at a cost of N5,000 with 30 days’ validity.

  • Airtel’s books for underprivileged kids coming

    Airtel Nigeria will commemorate the World Book Day with public primary school pupils across various locations in the country with the donation of 5000 books and hosting of book-reading sessions.

    Its Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya, flagged off the initiative with an interactive session with primary four and five students of one of the telco’s adopted schools, Oremeji Primary School 2, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Ajegunle, Lagos.

    During the session, Ogunsanya shared stories to inspire the kids, hold a reading session that will have many of the kids as active participants and donate reading books to the children to instill and encourage a culture of reading.

    Airtel says the book reading sessions and book donation exercises will also hold in different locations across the country.

    The book reading and donation sessions will take place on April 25 in Kaduna; April 27 in Abuja; May 8, in Anambra and May 10 in Kwara State.

    Commenting on the World Book Day Initiative, Airtel’s Director of Corporate Communications & CSR, Emeka Oparah, said the telco is committed to supporting underprivileged children and creating platforms that will inspire young Nigerians to succeed.

    “We believe in investing in young Nigerians as they are our future leaders. The World Book Day provides a fine opportunity for us to support underprivileged children and inspire them to read and do so much more.

    We are confident that with the right support young Nigerians will do well,” he said.

    World Book Day is celebrated to provide the people with many ideas and plans to make them aware about the situation and condition in the World. WBD is celebrated to provide the people to gather knowledge about many types of Books which makes them to get the specific knowledge about their requirements.

     

     

  • ‘Digital technology major challenge for banks’

    Leading global professional services firm that provides a  range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations, Accenture, has identified keeping up with the changes in digital technology as a major challenge for the banking industry.

    It added that consumer expectations and government regulations are other challenges facing the sector.

    Accenture Nigeria’s Managing Director, Financial Services, Toluleke Adenmosun, who spoke in Lagos about the opening of entries for Accenture Innovation Index 2018, said Accenture has received a significant number of requests from banks asking for greater insight and assistance on innovation in the first few months of 2016.

    She said with a rapidly evolving ecosystem, banks must make innovation a part of their culture and rotate to the new.

    She said: “The banking industry is evolving right now requiring banks to navigate through significant challenges to not only maintain their profitability but to also increase their revenue and meet the customers’ dynamic demands.

    ‘’The topic of “Innovation” is a critical discussion among the Banking C-Suites now, as banks are being pushed to think about innovation in new ways that were unimaginable just a decade ago.

    “We believe the biggest challenge banking in Nigeria is facing is keeping up with the changes in digital technology, consumer expectations and government regulations. Accenture has received a significant number of requests from banks asking for greater insight and assistance on innovation in the first few months of 2016. And with a rapidly evolving ecosystem, banks must make innovation a part of their culture and rotate to the new.”

    Accenture said the rapid changes in the world are increasingly rewarding those who are innovating. Adoption of new ways of doing things is driving growth in companies, expanding opportunities in economies and increasing the quality of life in nations that embrace it. The outliers in innovation and those who are improving their position have some things common – they bolster their innovation capacities through positive-sum policies such as investments in Research & Development, education, tax incentives for innovation that contribute positively to the global body of knowledge and stock of innovation.

    In partnership with The Lagos Business School and select C-Suites from tier one companies who are judges in the process, Accenture applies best practice research approaches to provide a confidential customised innovation diagnostic report that identifies each participant’s innovation strengths and weaknesses; benchmarks their innovation within their industries; and presents strategies that may help them gain competitive advantage.

    The Accenture Innovation Index 2018 will survey nearly 100 companies in banking and Fintech space – this will include interactions with these executives. This year’s index will focus on banking and the Fintech industry that is driving an increasing number of solutions to customers in the financial services space. As companies in this space are pressured to innovative and create new products and services, their impact is shaping people’s lives and contributing to the improvement of living standards in the country. In subsequent editions other industries and their impact will be indexed to give an even broader view of the various industries strengths and the nation’s most advantageous attributes.

    “We look forward to sharing the report and its findings with you once the process is completed; we are excited to see how our industry leaders compare with peers in other countries where we have conducted the survey,” Accenture added

  • Truecaller’s daily active users hit 100m

    Truecaller said it has acheived over 100 million active users. In less than a year, the app has leapfrogged from 100 million monthly active users (MAUs) to 100 million daily active users (DAUs).

    With more than 20 per cent of its user base in Africa, Truecaller app service identifies more than half a billion calls a monthly in the region, and 50 per cent of SMS received are spam. In Nigeria, the app blocks and filters more than 13 million calls and 25 million spam text messages per month.

    Trecaller CEO/co-founder, Alan Mamedi, said: “Close to a decade ago, we set out to solve what we thought was a simple problem – how do we figure out who these unknown numbers belong to that keeps calling us? Little did we know how big of a problem that actually was in all corners of the world.”

    “It was so big, in fact, that Truecaller is pleased and excited to announce that we now have more than 100 million daily active users using our app for their daily communication. There are only a handful of mobile-only services that impact as many users each and every day and we are humbled to be able to join this exclusive group.”

    The proliferation of new and advanced technologies that are ever evolving, Truecaller has also come a long way since the day the company was founded. From simple beginnings as a Caller ID and spam blocking app, to a full fledge communications platform with calling, SMS’, Flash Messages and payment services.

    “We could never have predicted that Truecaller would become an indispensable resource for women’s safety in many countries; or that it would be used for e-commerce and courier services around the globe to facilitate the difficult last mile of delivery; or allow more people to experience a data-only product in offline mode,” says Mamedi. “Truecaller is more than just an app on your phone, it has aided in bridging the digital divide between the urban and growing semi urban/rural markets in India; and has even enabled more African businesses to accept online payment.”

    “We’re continuously working to make communications safer and efficient and the fact that we have so many users validates our mission. We’re excited to see what the next decade and 100 million users bring us. So to all millions of users who helped us get here we would like to say thank you,” Mamedi said.

    From people predominantly using Nokia and BlackBerry phones, to a wide array of Androids and Apple’s, technology is constantly evolving. The cost of both mobile phones and data continues to dip promoting connectivity.

    In emerging markets, there is an increased importance placed on smartphones in peoples’ daily lives. It’s their primary gateway to the internet, their connection with family and friends, people abroad, and increasingly their main banking and finance tool.

     

  • SystemSpecs: technology has blocked financial haemorrhage

    SystemSpecs Executive Director/Chief Technology Officer Dr. Emmanuel Eze has said the application of technology to the collection of Federal Government revenue has stopped leakages and further haemorrhaging of the economy.

    Eze, who spoke on the sideline of the president’s dinner of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) in Lagos, said the software, Remitta, on which the Treasury Single Account (TSA) of the Federal Government has engendered transparency within the government space.

    He said: “Definitely, it’s been widely acclaimed that TSA has really helped the country in terms of managing leakages and all the things that happen when you don’t have that kind of software; it has equally helped to engender transparency within the government space especially with regard to payments and what goes on with payment generally within government. And in recognition of that, a number of other countries within Africa are trying to do something similar; so they are trying to learn from Nigeria so we’ve really done great here in Nigeria by implementing TSA.”

    Speaking on how the youth could be encouraged early in life to embrace coding and software writing, Eze said education is key, adding that the youths must be exposed to coding early enough.

    He said: “Education is key; they need to learn how to code and I’m happy with what Lagos State government is doing with CODELagos and we equally support that as a company as well. The whole idea these days is to catch them young and get the ones to start learning early enough and the moment they learn, software is what rules the world. You talk about technology, but without software which is the real thing that powers these devices, you don’t have anything so if you have the young ones learning early enough, starting off young by the time they get to their teenage or in their early 20s, they will begin to do wonders and that’s my wish for most of the young ones.”

  • Hutchlam: Digitally-ready network key to survive disruption

    A digitally ready network and cost effective solutions would drive the bottom line for the businesses of the stakeholders as the industry increasingly gets disrupted, an information communication technology (ICT) solutions firm, Hutchlam Services Limited, has said.

    Its Managing Partner, Mr. Mesahidu Elamah, who spoke on the sideline of a seminar the firm organised in partnership with Cisco at Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, Lagos, he said the forum was designed keep tech firms abreast with how to deliver cost effectiveness in digitally ready network solutions.

    Elamah said: “Network is the cornerstones to digital success and failure. Unprecedented demands on the network and digital disruptions can lead to slow and error prone operations, our goal as an information communication technology (ICT) support services provider, is to proffer cost effectiveness in driving digitally ready networks for business.”

    He said the seminar was to give more insight to business owners and industry players on the benefits of its digital business software solutions for more cost effective ways to drive business operations.

    According to him, Hutchlam Services Limited is committed to providing world class service solutions through its partnership with Cisco to its clients, adding that the firm continues to invest heavily in technology to improve business operations. He said Cisco, one of the biggest players that drives interconnectivity around the world is moving to Software Defined Network (SDN) which is the future in networking.

    Mr. Elamah commended the partners and distributors for their patronage and loyalty to Hutchlam Services and assured the partners of the company’s commitment to supporting them through ICT solutions that deliver cost effectiveness and increase business turn over.

    Responding on behalf of the ICT stakeholders, IT Manager at Eroton, Mr. Kanu Ijere,   commended Hutchlam Services Limited for deeming it fit to organise the seminar. He said it will further endear the company to its clients. Another participant, Mr. Adetayo Adeyemi, who is Head, Network Core Management and Design at UBA, said it was a welcome development to the ICT industry, adding that participants look forward to seeing more of such seminars.

  • Facebook: How we manage our users’ data

    Facebook has provided responses to some of the frequently asked questions regarding how the company manages user data.

    Facebook’s Vice President, Ads, Rob Goldman, in the latest edition of Hard Questions, a series from Facebook that addresses the impact of its products on the society, explained that in order to build a product that connects people across continents and cultures, there is need to make sure everyone can afford it.

    “Advertising lets us keep Facebook free. But we aren’t blind to the challenges this model poses. It requires a steadfast commitment to privacy.

    “So our promise is this: we do not tell advertisers who you are or sell your information to anyone. That has always been true. We think relevant advertising and privacy aren’t in conflict, and we’re committed to doing both well.

    “We know that many of you have questions about how we use your information in advertising – and what control you have over it. I’ll address some of the most frequent questions we get, but first I’ll lay out the basic mechanics of Facebook advertising,” Goldman said.

    He listed ways that advertisers can reach users on Facebook with ads to include information from users’ use of Facebook. “When you use Facebook, you can choose to share things about yourself like your age, gender, hometown, or friends. You can also click or like posts, Pages, or articles. We use this information to understand what you might be interested in and hopefully show you ads that are relevant. If a bike shop comes to Facebook wanting to reach female cyclists in Atlanta, we can show their ad to women in Atlanta who liked a Page about bikes.

    “But here’s what’s key: these businesses don’t know who you are. We provide advertisers with reports about the kinds of people seeing their ads and how their ads are performing, but we don’t share information that personally identifies you. You can always see the ‘interests’ assigned to you in your ad preferences, and if you want, remove them,” Goldman said.

    Another is the information that an advertiser shares with Facebook. He said in this case, advertisers bring the customer information so they can reach those people on Facebook. These advertisers might have your email address from a purchase you made, or from some other data source. We find Facebook accounts that match that data, but we don’t tell the advertiser who matched. In ad preferences you can see which advertisers with your contact information are currently running campaigns – and you can click the top right corner of any ad to hide all ads from that business.

     He said advertisers reach users through information that websites and apps send to Facebook. Some of the websites and apps users visit may use Facebook tools to make their content and ads more relevant and better understand the results of their ad campaigns. “For example, if an online retailer is using Facebook Pixel, they can ask Facebook to show ads to people who looked at a certain style of shoe or put a pair of shoes into their shopping cart. If you don’t want this data used to show you ads, you can turn it off in ad preferences. My colleague David Baser shared more detail about how we, and others in the industry, use this information in a post earlier this week,” he said.

    Goldman also answered questions frequently asked around Facebook’s advertising practices:

    If I’m not paying for Facebook, am I the product?

    No. Our product is social media – the ability to connect with the people that matter to you, wherever they are in the world. It’s the same with a free search engine, website or newspaper. The core product is reading the news or finding information – and the ads exist to fund that experience.

    If you’re not selling advertisers my data, what are you giving them?

    We sell advertisers space on Facebook – much like TV or radio or newspapers do. We don’t sell your information. When an advertiser runs a campaign on Facebook, we share reports about the performance of their ad campaign. We could, for example, tell an advertiser that more men than women responded to their ad, and that most people clicked on the ad from their phone.

    Why does Facebook need all this data?

    As people use Facebook, they share information and content – whether it’s liking a post, sharing a photo or updating their profile. We use this information to give you a better service. For example, we can show you photos from your closest friends at the top of your News Feed, or show you articles about issues that matter most to you, or suggest groups that you might want to join.

    Data also helps us show you better and more relevant ads. And it lets advertisers reach the right people, including millions of small businesses and non-profits who rely on Facebook every day to reach people that might be interested in their product or cause. Data lets a local coffee shop survive and grow amid larger competitors by showing ads to customers in its area. And it lets a non-profit promote a diabetes fundraiser to those interested in the cause.

    What if I don’t want my data used to show me ads?

    You can’t opt out of ads altogether because ads are what keep Facebook free, but you do have different options to control how your data can and can’t be used to show you ads. They’re all found in ad preferences.You can decide which of your profile fields you want used for ad targeting in the Information section under “About You.” You can remove yourself from interests under “Interests” and categories under “Your Categories.” You can turn off ads that use data from apps or websites that you visit in the Ads Settings section under “Ads based on use of websites and apps.”

    Digital advertising is relatively new and has radically changed since the early days of banner ads on the top of a website. But the promise of digital advertising is that it can show you ads for products, services, and causes that may actually be of interest to you. And for small businesses, it levels the playing field and lets them reach an audience that they never could have before. You get better ads, advertisers get a tailored audience and everyone on Facebook gets our firm commitment to privacy.

  • Taxify improves app safety for drivers

    A ride hailing platform that launched in Nigeria in 2016 Taxify has added a new security feature to its driver application (app). Known as the SOS button, it sends a distress call to the Lagos State Emergency Response Agency.

    The enhanced security platform, according to the firm, has improved patronage of the platform. “I got this car on hire -purchase. Driving for a living comes with a lot of risks and as a matter of fact, I was skeptical about driving on any e-hailing platforms, but now, I can now drive easy knowing that I can send out a signal to the authorities.

     “I know a lot of potential drivers would join the platform, knowing that Taxify is looking into more ways to ensure safety of the drivers on their platform,” a new driver on the platform, Hameed, said.

    According to Taxify, the introduction of this safety feature comes at a critical time for Taxify, where the competition in the ride-hailing space is stiff and players are heavily competing for both drivers Its Operations Manager, Uche Okafor, said: “Over the last few years we’ve led the way with technology-based safety features such GPS tracking of every trip and our two-way rating system.

    “We recognise that we can utilise our technology even further and now that we have integrated the SOS button into the Taxify driver app, we look forward to applying this additional layer of safety to further strengthen driver safety while on the platform.”