The Nation Newspaper

Tag: IT

  • Govt loses N10b yearly to fraud, says Minister

    Govt loses N10b yearly to fraud, says Minister

    Over N10 billion is lost yearly to proliferation of illegal survey documents and violation of the information technology (IT) systems by fraudulent persons at the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS), Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Bala Muhammed said yesterday.

    He, however, said President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration has approved a new system to enhance revenue generation and block the leakages in AGIS.

    Reviewing this year in Abuja, Muhammed said the activities “have led to cases of double allocations, land racketeering and forgery with estimated racketeering business at over N10 billion”.

    According to him, Jonathan  commissioned 10 projects in the Federal Capital Territory this year.

    A statement endorsed by the Asst. Director/Chief Press Secretary to the FCT Minister, Muhammad Sule, said the government upgraded engineering infrastructure to Apo/Garki Resettlement Village, Abuja (Lot II-Water supply) as well as to Apo/Garki Resettlement Village, Abuja (Lot I-Road Works).

    The minister added that the construction of primary infrastructure to National Assembly Owner Occupier Housing Scheme at Dape District, Abuja as well as supply and installation of Laser Automated Burglary Alarm System at Gudu District, Abuja have also been completed.

    He said: “The idea was muted due to the incessant reports of proliferation of illegal survey documents, violation of the IT systems by fraudulent persons making the government to lose over N10 billion annually. The FCT Administration has launched new AGIS Systems Infrastructure to block the menace.”

    The minister added that the upgrade now provides AGIS Back-up data centre and state-of-the art 2013/2014 Models Geo-Media Satellite Imagery equipment that covers the entire FCT and some neighboring states.

    He said during the year, the FCT Executive Committee reorganised the Abuja Central Medical Stores to enhance the procurement, storage and distribution of drugs, laboratory reagents, medical gases and other specialised medical items to all FCT Administration Hospitals.

    “The approval is to further ensure regular supply of quality and cost-effective medical supplies to the residents of the Federal Capital Territory in consonance with the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan,” he added.

    During the year, the FCT Administration carried out Needs Assessment of people living with HIV in the FCT with the aim of identifying indigent members, economic status, current level of care and additional services and support requirements.

    The minister said the FCT Administration within this year formulated and came out with FCT Waste Management Policy to holistically manage both solid and liquid waste within the 8,000 square kilometers of the FCT.

    Mohammed also said this policy enabled the FCT Administration to manage various forms of waste not only in the Federal Capital City but also in the six Area Councils including the Satellite Towns in consonance with the vision of the Transformation Agenda of President  Jonathan.

    “This is in addition to official launch of the eight brand new mechanical sweepers, four mechanical litter pickers as well as two new roll-on roll-off trucks to improve the sanitary standard of Abuja metropolis,” he said.

  • Global dearth of IT security personnel rises, says Cisco

    Global dearth of IT security personnel rises, says Cisco

    Globally, the skilled gap in the information communication technology (ICT) security sector continues to widen. This year alone, it reached more than one million, the United States (U.S) tech giants, Cisco has said.

    In the Cisco Annual Security Report presented in Lagos, the firm lamented that malicious traffic continues to grow at an unprecedented levels, adding that threats designed to take advantage of users’ trust in systems, applications and personal networks have now reached startling levels.

    The sophistication of the technology and tactics used by online criminals—and their non-stop attempts to breach networks and steal data—have outpaced the ability of information technology (IT) and security professionals to address these threats, it added, lamenting that many organisations do not have the people or the systems to continuously monitor extended networks and detect infiltrations, and then apply protections, in a timely and effective manner.

    General Manager, Cisco Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra-Leone, Dare Ogunlade, who unveiled the report with the firm’s System Engineer, Security, Adeola Kukoyi said the report’s findings offer a vivid picture of rapidly evolving security challenges facing businesses, IT departments and individuals.

    Ogunlade said attack methods include socially engineered theft of passwords and credentials, hide-in-plain-sight infiltrations, and exploitation of the trust required for economic transactions, government services and social interactions.

    He said: “Organisations across Africa must realise that it is no longer if they will be targeted by cyber-attacks, but rather when Chief Information Security Officers face growing pressure to protect terabytes of data on an increasingly porous network, manage information safely especially on the cloud, and evaluate the risks of working with third-party vendors for specialised solutions – all in the wake of shrinking budgets and leaner IT teams.”

    Ogunlade also noted increased sophistication and proliferation of the threat landscape, lamenting that simple attacks that caused containable damage have now given way to organised cybercrime operations that are sophisticated, well-funded, and capable of significant economic and reputational damage to public and private sector victims.

    Cisco also highlighted increased complexity of threats and solutions due to rapid growth in intelligent mobile devices’ adoption and cloud computing providing a greater attack surface than ever before, adding that new classes of devices and new infrastructure architectures offer attackers opportunities to exploit unanticipated weaknesses and inadequately defended assets.

    The tech firm said cybercriminals have learned that harnessing the power of internet infrastructure yields far more benefits than simply gaining access to individual computers or devices. These infrastructure-scale attacks seek to gain access to strategically positioned web hosting servers, name servers and data centers—with the goal of proliferating attacks across legions of individual assets served by these resources. By targeting Internet infrastructure, attackers undermine trust in everything connected to or enabled by it.

  • Workshop on rural IT Centres in Enugu

    A one-day workshop on rural information Technology centres for the Southeast states was held in Enugu with participants from all the five states of the zone endorsing the Rural Information Technology centres (RITC) sensitisation and sustainability training.

    The workshop was put together by National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Foundation for Public Private Partnerships Nigeria (FPPPN) as a major instrument to drive the IT Centres and achieve the purpose of empowering underserved communities and bridging the digital divide would be realised.

    Participants also praised the focus of the papers presented at the workshop which captured the reason behind the RITC project: value addition to Communities; sustaining RITC infrastructure and focus; advocating the use of the PPP option to sustain the RITCs, and how to leverage FPPPN expertise to create partnership for RITC sustainability between NITDA and the private sector.

    The presentation of the chairman of the programme, Engr. Wilson Agu who is also a member of the board of NITDA, representing the South-East, added value to the training by expounding on personal testimonials and that of others on the importance of ICT in growing businesses in all sectors of the economy.

    Agu encouraged participants to make use of the RITCs situated around them to access benefits derivable from ICT.

    At the end, a communique was issued which recommenmded that there be provision of adequate security for the RITCs infrastructure (computers/accessories, alternative power supply facilities, tables and chairs, etc).

    That a manpower development programme for efficient functionality, management of the RITCs be put in place as well as development of a business plan  for the financial sustainability of the RITCs.

    It was also recommended that a multi-stakeholders partnership be formed for the effective management of RITCs a deliberate courting of decision makers to ensure the needed political backing for government funding and patronage.

    Also, demographics that favour youth population should serve as a criteria for selecting locations for siting RITCs and viability assessment and needs assessments should be carried out to determine sustainability of RITC and whether the community of choice understands the need for it.

    It was further recommended that a token sum should be imposed on users of RITCs for maintenance purposes and to ensure community people value them, just as libraries, RITCs should issue registration cards for paid membership.

    The participants unanimously agreed with the leacture paper that the public-private partnership (PPP) option is the best and most viable option for sustaining and maintaining the functionality and performance of the RITCs. Through the PPP arrangement there will be: an infusion of additional capital into the RITCs; improved customer service orientation as a result of performance-driven management; and significant cost savings in the delivery of RITC and its objectives.

  • Omatek chief emerges vice chair of global IT body

    Omatek chief emerges vice chair of global IT body

    Chief Executive Officer, Omatek Ventures, Mrs. Florence Seriki has emerged new vice chairman, African region, for the World Information Technology and Services Advisory Board (WITSA).

    Seriki who is also the president, Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN) was elected to the office during ongoing World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) in Guadalajara, Mexico. WCIT is a consortium of associations from the information and communications technology (ICT) industry around the world.

    Founded in 1978, the group represents over 90 per cent of the world ICT market through its global membership, and has a goal of advancing the growth and development of the ICT industry. It participates in advocacy in international public policy that affects the global information infrastructure.

    With her election, Seriki will join other elected members including Nizar Zakka who will represent theMiddle East and North Africa, Yannis Sirrors for Europe, Boris Komrakov for Europe, Silvia Bidart for Latin America, Takashi Igarashi for Asia Pacific and John Kyle for the Carribean to steer the ship of the global IT body for the next two years.

    The ITAN president also led Nigerian IT industry operators to the Gitex Technology Show in Dubai, where Nigeria is a country partner in this year’s edition.

  • Cloud computing IT game changer, says Vodacom

    Cloud computing IT game changer, says Vodacom

    Vodacom Business Nigeria has said the adoption of cloud computing by business organisations will ultimately lead to significant reduction in the costs of doing business by both small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) and big units.

    It however lamented that businesses in the country are still lagging behind with only a third of them currently using cloud technology.

    Its Executive Head, Cloud and Hosting Services, Nkosi Kumalo said: “Cloud is the ultimate place to do Business. Most chief information officers (CIOs) spend their time managing complex IT delivery however, by adopting cloud technology; corporates have reduced their total cost of operation (TCO) and increased productivity. Cloud technology transforms the way we do business.”

    Speaking on Utilising Cloud As Key Business Tool, at the CIO forum sponsored by Vodacom Business Nigeria in Lagos, he urged firms still doing business in the usual way to start thinking about looking inwards by embracing cloud technology.

    Kumalo stated that factors driving cloud adoption include improved connectivity, reduction in IT costs and the retention of key skills. “Companies can no longer afford to invest too much of their capital expenditure (CAPEX) into IT infrastructure as this is an expensive, long-term investment,” he added.

    According to him, despite this increased interest in cloud technology across Africa, it is evident that the major adaption inhibitor is the security of cloud computing.

    Kumalo who responded to questions raised around cloud security at the forum said: “We have taken care of the fears around security; our solutions are designed to incorporate the very latest in security technology. Our cloud security solution ensures that your business critical applications are safe. We also have cloud backup and Archiving Solutions offering customers full redundancy for business continuity and disaster recovery.”

    As companies establish confidence in cloud solutions, they will move more of their solutions into the cloud, however, to achieve this, it is important that enterprises partner with a company that has a robust network and relevant skills to deliver the value that the Cloud promises.

  • Media houses reject IT students

    National Diploma students of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) in Ogba, Lagos are bitter over their inability to secure placement for their compulsory Industrial Training (IT). The students were rejected by media houses.

    The students, who should start their internship penultimate Monday, returned to the campus unhappy.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that some firms rejected students due to lateness, while others said they were not taking students for industrial attachment.

    A student who, did not give his name, said the school should be blamed for the development.

    “I believe the management should be blamed for this mess because they ought to have known those media houses that are in need of interns and those who don’t,” he said.

    An affected student, Israel Adeneye , said: “The media houses should not reject students because of stipdent, since students are sent there to gather practical experience”.

    The Students’ Affairs Officer of the institute, Patricia Kalesanwo, could not be reached for comments, as she was said to be on leave.

  • Sharing IT platform to survive

    Sharing IT platform to survive

    For information and technology (IT) experts, it is a concept that best suits a workplace and they are not shy to introduce it. Their belief is that a shared platform will boost a company’s growth. Under the concept, firms allow their IT infrastructure to be shared by various departments/workers to reduce operational costs. The method will improve work and foster growth, writes AKINOLA AJIBADE.

    Shared platform is a concept that is gaining acceptance among companies globally. The idea ensures that an information and technology (IT) platform is shared by various departments and workers in a company. The aim is to reduce the cost of operations, engender competition and promote efficiency.

    Developed in Europe and the United States in the 90s, it has become the most sought- after concept. It has assisted companies in keeping and managing the flow of information or data among various departments and workers.

    Also, it enables organisations to co-ordinate the activities of various units  through the use of IT infrastructure, such as computers and servers.

    In bigger corporations, heads of department are linked electronically to speed up operations. There, they store information or data in a server, from where they are picked and distributed when the need arises, with minimal stress.

    The concept has helped companies in increasing the work-rate of certain categories of workers to stimulate growth.

    Before this period, companies adopted measures to improve the performance of their workers, and bring about the much-needed growth. They organised human development workshops, exposed their workers to latest information and technology communication (ICT) facilities, and provided offshore training to enhance their workers skills.

    Though the measures have succeeded in boosting performance, they have not been able to address the cost of operation. No wonder companies are eager to adopt the idea of a ‘shared platform’ to speed up activities and further engender growth. They include banks, insurance firms, maritime agencies, manufacturing companies, and oil and gas firms.

    For instance, banks in 2005 acquired a Flexcube software to ensure seamless integration of their activities. Through this, they have been coordinating their programmes to ensure good profitability. One major benefit is that the software allows banks to manage their branches, as well as provide workers with the opportunity to distribute data among themselves.

    Recently, the National Association of Microfinance Banks (NAMB), Lagos Chapter, embraced the shared platform to stimulate growth. The association partnered with Encore International Limited to provide a single platform for the over 200 microfinance banks operating in Lagos. Encore International is an IT firm based in India. The firm produces software that integrates the activities of companies for growth.

    Former NAMB Chairman, the late Olufemi Babajide, said the adoption of a shared platform for the banks was meant to stimulate the growth of the workers and the banks. He said the banks would be able to reduce the cost of production, when they share a single IT platform together.

    He said the banks spent a lot of money to install IT facilities for their operations, adding that the idea of a shared platform would improve the performance of the workers.

    He said: “What we do is to install IT equipment individually. On the average, it costs each microfinance bank a minimum of N5 million to put in place robust information and technology software for operations. By robust software, I’ m talking about a software that would help the banks to render returns, and reduce the mental and physical stress that accompanied manual rendition of accounts. Before now, each of the banks spent N15 million to install robust software for operations. What we are saying now is that we want all the banks to share a single platform and improve efficiency.”

    He said Encore International would, henceforth, provide a single platform to coordinate the activities of the banks.

    He said with a single platform in place, the banks would be able to concentrate on their core businesses, and further stimulate growth.

    “There is no economic sense in a bank installing software for as much as N10 million, in addition to annual subscription of N2  million. But with the adoption of a shared platform concept, it would be easier for the banks to have a centralised and improved method of coordinating their activities. Also, the banks will no longer pay heavily for such facilities. May be each bank will now be paying N100,000 per annum to the IT firm. This will bring about uniformity in our reporting patterns,” he added.

    According to him, the idea will bring about an efficient workforce and subsequently reduce the cost of operations to rock -bottom level.

    The concept, he said, is market driven, arguing that it would create jobs for marketers in the long run.

    Chairman, Gold Microfinance Bank Limited, Mr Lanre Abiola, said the banks are bearing the huge cost of installing and maintaining the IT facilities together. He said poor power supply has affected the operations of the facilities, adding that the banks sometimes battle with network problems. He said it is either the servers are down or the facilities are not working well.

    The development, he said, has affected the performance of the workers, and the banks in particular.

    The Chief Executive Officer, New Horizons Computer Training Centre, Mr Tim Akano, said shared platform is gaining prominence in the country. Akano said the need to maximise profits made companies to embrace the idea.

    “An average employer is interested in cutting cost as much as possible. He is interested in service delivery. He wants the best from his workers. It is a case of the fewer the merrier. Many companies have been able to increase their work process, by embracing the concept of a shared platform,” he said.

    He said companies achieve a lot by training their workers on how to exchange data through electronic means.

    Akano urged companies to acquaint themselves with IT facilities to get the best from them, adding that the idea of a shared platform is crucial to the growth of an organisation.

    “Remember, we are in an IT age. The world has gone digital. Individuals and companies are not ready to waste time. I think this informed the decision of many organisations to embrace the idea of a shared platform. Through this, they are carrying out a lot of activities together at a reduced cost,” he said.

     

     

  • IT skills’ll slow down development, says Oracle chief

    Current Information technology (IT) skills in Nigeria could slow down the growth and development of the country if the youths are not equipped with modern and requisite skills, Oracle Corporation has warned.

    The Federal Government is aiming at increasing foreign direct investment (FDI) from the information communications (ICT) sector from its current over $25billion to $50 billion, according to the Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson but Oracle says if steps are not taken to empower the youths with the relevant ICT skills, government’s ambition will remain a wishful thinking.

    Its Africa Operations Nigeria Managing Director, Adebayo Sanni said the youthful segment of the entire population constitutes about 70 per cent of the population, adding that such population demographics could be both a challenge and an opportunity.

    He spoke on the sideline when the new partnership between Oracle Corporation and Lagos State government was unveiled at the Digital Village, Alausa, Ikeja. He added that the youth, with their energy could make the difference if they are equipped with the relevant ICT skills.

    “The IT skills we currently have in Nigeria is a potential slow down to achieving the increase in the investment level from $25billion to $50billion,” he said, adding that there is urgent need to take action.

    According to Sanni, over the last 14 months, Oracle has invested massively in the country, opening an office and engaging more indigenous capacities to drive the African operations of the technology firm.

    He said the firm has also institutionalised a strong leadership structure that has effectively positioned the country as the hub of its activities on the continent.

    Speaking with The Nation, Commissioner, Science and Technology, Mr Adebiyi Mabadeje said the state government took the initiative to develop human capacity in the state.

    He said: “With the assurance from the governor, we will ensure continuity; we are working closely with our technology partners to ensure that we can have ready-market people who already understand their technology as soon as they come out from school. So what we are doing is to work with them to give us their curriculum, we are also working with them to train in Oracle language to train in Java database so that by the time they are out of school, they already know what they need to know and ready to be employed into the market and not . we are also working with the school as well, the tertiary institutions as well as selected secondary schools to build Oracle into their curriculum.”

     

  • Nigeria’ll be Africa’s devt hub, says Oracle chief

    United States (US) multinational computer technology giant, Oracle Corporation, has said Nigeria will be the cornerstone of its developmental focus on Africa, assuring that it will continue to help grow the human capital element of the country.

    Speaking on the sideline of an event organised by The Economist in Lagos, its Sales Consulting Senior Director, Europe Middle East and Africa, Presales Centre, Martin Peck, said the firm is committed to using technology to develop the requisite manpower skill that will help move the economy to the next level through its internship programme.

    He said: “We are determined to partner with the relevant organisations, government agencies to help develop the human capacity requirements. Now we are focusing so much on Africa and Nigeria will become a hub for all the activities that we are doing. We are going to do more on our internship programme through which we try to bring graduates on board, take them through some technical trainings and make them ready for jobs in Oracle. So, this is a very good opportunity for us to hire young people but of course in some cases, they complete the training and get fixed up in other companies. We are doing this not just for us as an organisation but to also give back to the society.”

    According to the firm, more businesses and governments today see information technology (IT) as a key component of growth, stressing that IT skills development is vital if they are to take advantage of the new IT new trends, such as big data, cloud computing, mobile and social media. Organisations that can do these successfully will be more competitive and more productive, it added.

    Oracle works with established educational institutions to help young people develop the vital skills needed in their local marketplace and provide them with a competitive edge.

    Through the Oracle Academy, which supports 268,000 students in 1,800 education institutions across Africa. The software, curriculum and other resources provided about two years ago to education institutions in Africa were valued at $557million.

     

    “We are partnering with some universities through the Oracle Academy programme. We work together with the universities and schools, provide them with the tools and provide the software. We also provide the infrastructure,” Peck said.

  • Gunmen abduct Ekiti businessman

    Gunmen abduct Ekiti businessman

    Give gunmen yesterday abducted a businessman, Chief Femi Fadeyi, in Ido, Ekiti State.

    Fadeyi, who is said to be into Information Technology (IT), was fuelling his Honda Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) at the Total Filling Station opposite Ekiti Parapo College, Ido, around 8am, when the gunmen struck.

    A source said Fadeyi, who is in his 60s, was driven away in the gunmen’s Honda Baby Boy car. His vehicle was left at the filling station.

    The Nation learnt that the hoodlums’ car was involved in an accident around Ijero, a neighbouring community, and the kidnappers snatched another vehicle.

    It was gathered that Fadeyi was injured while his abductors were trying to escape in Ijero.

    The kidnappers are demanding N10 million ransom from his family.

    Fadeyi’s brother, Femi Osanyindolu, told The Nation around 1:44pm yesterday that: “When the family was alerted after the shocking incident, we were confused. All we could do was try Fadeyi’s phone number. One of the kidnappers responded and demanded N10 million. He threatened to kill my brother, if the family did not act fast and cooperate with them.

    “Since we do not have that amount of money, we reported the matter at the Ido Police Station, where policemen went to move Fadeyi’s abandoned vehicle to the station. All we are doing now is praying for his safety. We urge the police to rescue him alive.”

    Osanyindolu said subsequent attempts to speak withthe kidnappers and Fadeyi failed, as the victim’s phone was switched off.