With the adoption of digital telephony and teleconferencing expanding, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has entered the IT mainstream. This means voice, and perhaps fax, voicemail, and video, now joins data and application traffic in the corporate network.

No matter the size of the organisation, VoIP requires certain changes in the management and protection of the network.

When making the move to VoIP, there are a few key considerations that should be taken into account:

1. Security is more than physical

Before VoIP, a PSTN (public switched telephone network) connection, physical access to the PBX (private branch exchange) or the telephone line itself was required to intercept or disrupt a call. However, because VoIP uses an Internet connection and no ‘physical wire’ is needed, it does not have the same security as telephone lines. Interception and disruption don’t need to be physical to cause damage, and these attacks can come from anywhere on the network.

That’s why VoIP firewalls are important. They provide the same level of protection for VoIP traffic as ordinary firewalls do for applications and data traffic.

2. Priority means clarity

VoIP works by converting analogue voice traffic to digital, sending it over the network in packets.  A single VoIP phone conversation will be divided into thousands of packets that can take different routes to their destination VoIP is susceptible to Quality of Service (QoS) concerns – such as latency, jitter, packet loss and echo. A VoIP Firewall avoids these disturbances by tagging and recognising VoIP traffic tags, and giving them the highest priority when receiving, assembling and accepting content.

3. Managing the bandwidth pipe

Because VoIP makes up only a portion of network traffic, it can’t be prioritised at the expense of other traffic. One solution is to manage the bandwidth of all of the traffic (data, applications and voice). This can be done by restricting the bandwidth given to non-VoIP applications and data – such as limiting bandwidth to sites such as YouTube or blocking access to peer-to-peer sites. This frees up bandwidth for essential traffic.

This strategy is best when the IT department has a good sense of how and who uses the available bandwidth.

4. The bandwidth guarantee

Another strategy is to guarantee a minimum amount of overall bandwidth to VoIP traffic. The remaining bandwidth can either be assigned to other applications, or left unassigned.

This strategy is best in situations when the IT department does not have a clear idea of how bandwidth is being used and who is using it.

5. Keep connections clean

Denial of Service (DoS) attacks are aimed at disrupting the ability of the firewall to receive and process packets in a timely fashion. VoIP traffic can be affected by two types of DoS attacks: VoIP Spoofing Attacks and Service-Level Attacks.

VoIP Spoofing Attacks involve malformed and invalid packets, which masquerade as VoIP traffic and obstruct the processing of all traffic.

Service-Level Attacks such as Syn Flood, Ping of Death and LAND (IP) attacks attempt to use up firewall connections directly affecting VoIP traffic throughput.

A VoIP Firewall prevents these attempts by:

- Validating packet sequence for VoIP packets
- Using randomised TCP sequence numbers to validate TCP session data flow
- Conducting stateful inspection of VoIP signaling and media packets
- Monitoring attempts to open too many TCP/IP connections

6. Connect, protect and disconnect

A VoIP Firewall tracks each VoIP session from call inception to call end, enabling the firewall to control, manage, and protect each VoIP session based on the unique characteristics of that call. It takes the following actions during a VoIP session:

Connect
- Control incoming calls using H.323 or SIP Proxy authorization and authentication methods
- Open media ports only if a valid request if received and the call is fully connected Protect
- Validate headers and inspect all VoIP traffic
- Dynamic set-up and tracking of both signaling and media streams Disconnect
- Close ALL open connections when call is complete
- Make inactivity time-outs configurable by the admin and enforce them
- Change ports for each call, don’t use static mappings

7. The Signature Wall

IPS signatures are used to block application-layer attacks. Regular updates to the IPS Signature list enable a VoIP Firewall to block these attacks and stay ahead of attacks trying to exploit the latest vulnerability.

8. Partial protection is not protection

In the past, VoIP Firewalls were expected to ’stay out of the way’. However, because network attacks have found vulnerabilities to exploit, and are just as varied as those affecting other types of traffic, VoIP traffic demands the same protection services.

9. Know what’s going on

A VoIP Firewall will provide visability into all network traffic – voice, data and applications. This includes logging signaling and media streams.

It allows insight into the past, present and future of your VoIP traffic.
- Past: for each VoIP connection, audit logs were kept for caller and called parties, call duration, total bandwidth used etc.
- Present: dynamic live reporting of active VoIP calls (including caller and calling party, bandwidth used etc) is possible.
- Future: able to get clear and concise reports that allow you to ‘predict’ the future, by examining trends over hours, days, weeks or months.

10. Adding, moving and removing devices

Thankfully, adding, moving and removing devices from the network does not mean more work every time these actions need to be initiated and completed.

The advanced tracking and monitoring technology in a VoIP firewall ensures that devices are automatically protected – as soon as they are plugged into the network.

Before looking for a VoIP Firewall, one should scrutinise the functionality offered by the current firewall – it’s possible your existing firewall is already meeting these requirements. If not, you may have a firewall not suited to your changing network traffic needs, which are likely to include more and more voice traffic along with data and applications.

Says Riaan Leuschner, Managing Director at Nology, “The move to open an office in Cape Town was a strategic one; as our business grew, we realised we needed a presence in Cape Town providing a better geographically suited office to support our rapidly expanding channel partners in the Western Cape. This decision will allow us to expand and support our distributor network by offering localised stock holding and local support whilst providing clients with faster turn around times.”

The new branch will include a warehouse, a return and repair centre as well as sales and merchandising departments. The team will be headed up by Lecinda Olivier as the Nology Cape Town Branch Manager, who has relocated from the Johannesburg office. Olivier’s main responsibilities are to build, service and support the channel in Cape Town.

“Our Cape Town resources have extensive product knowledge and will assist local resellers with the specification and design of networking solutions for their end user clients as well as technical support and maintenance issues too. Another key benefit to resellers is our merchandising expansion strategy which creates ease of distribution of point of sale and other marketing material,” comments Leuschner.

According to Ebrahim Dinat, sales and marketing director at Ocular Technologies, this will give organisations the opportunity to connect with approximately 480 million Skype users worldwide in an efficient and widely available way. “Contact centres can use the new functionalities to set up ‘global toll free’ numbers and provide effective managed support and service to customers making Skype calls,” he explains.

According to the Allot MobileTrends: Global Mobile Broadband Traffic Report, during the second half of 2009, Skype led the VoIP traffic market and accounted for 77 percent of the global VoIP bandwidth, while the use of instant messaging applications increased significantly by almost 47 percent. What’s more, the EMEA region posted 70 percent growth in broadband traffic.

“Contact centres need to be aware of these trends and ensure that they derive business benefit from every opportunity that arises,” Dinat continues. “In a time of virtual ubiquity, with people communicating through both voice channels and the web via chat rooms, blogs and social networking, contact centres must do more to provide customers with open channels to interact 24/7.

“The ease and simplicity of dialling a company centre using a Skype ID, from any Skype client, will surely attract many users, while the ability to intelligently route and manage these calls inside the enterprise will appeal to a number of companies,” he says.

The software solution operates on the Altitude vBox communications platform, a supported SIP server that allows SIP and ISDN connectivity in contact centres, running on top of Asterisk and Digium ISDN boards. Altitude IP Contact Center is a complete contact centre suite, which includes flexible inbound and powerful outbound dialling algorithms, call classification, unified supervising, universal queue and built-in routing, and enables organisations to operate mixed environments.

Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) today announced that PlayStation®Move motion controller for PlayStation3 (PS3) computer entertainment system launches worldwide this fall, offering a motion-based, high-definition gaming experience unlike anything on the market.

Concurrently with its launch, SCE will also release PlayStation®Move sub-controller to be used along with the motion controller for intuitive navigation of in-game characters and objects.  The PlayStation Move platform, including the motion controller, sub-controller, and PlayStation®Eye camera*(1), together with a strong lineup of software titles, will deliver an innovative and highly immersive experience on the PS3 system.

The combination of the PS3 system and PlayStation Eye camera detects the precise movement, angle, and absolute position in 3D space of PlayStation Move motion controller, allowing users to intuitively play the game as if they themselves are within the game.

PlayStation Move motion controller delivers unmatched accuracy through its advanced motion sensors, including a three-axis gyroscope, a three-axis accelerometer, and a terrestrial magnetic field sensor, as well as a color-changing sphere that is tracked by PlayStation Eye camera.  Through PlayStation Move system, both fast and subtle motion can be detected, whether the user is swinging a tennis racket, or painting with a brush.

With PlayStation Move motion controller, users can provide direct input through action buttons and an analog trigger, while receiving physical feedback from rumble functionality and visual feedback from the sphere’s ability to display a variety of different colors.

Furthermore, PlayStation Eye camera can capture the player’s voice or image, enabling augmented reality experiences.

The newly announced PlayStation Move sub-controller is a one-handed controller, developed to further expand the game play options that PlayStation Move games can offer*(2).  PlayStation Move sub-controller features a sleek curved design that pairs with the motion controller and comes with an analog stick and directional buttons that allow users to easily control the game when moving characters or choosing a direction.

Like all other Wireless Controllers for the PS3 system, it comes with a built in lithium-ion rechargeable battery as well as Bluetooth® technology, enabling the controller to transfer the input information wirelessly to the PS3 system without a cable.  PlayStation Move motion controller and sub-controller will further broaden the gaming experience on the PS3 system for all genres, from games that use one motion controller to games that use both controllers.

The introduction of PlayStation Move controllers has been well received within the industry and now 36 third party developers and publishers*(3) have decided to support PlayStation Move platform.  In fiscal year 2010, SCE Worldwide Studios will also release more than 20 games that are either dedicated to or supported with the PlayStation Move platform.

SCE, with strong support from software developers and publishers, will deploy various measures to enhance the PlayStation Move software title line-up and vigorously promote the PS3 platform.

*(1) Users will need to use the PlayStation Eye camera to enjoy PlayStation Move motion controller on PS3.

*(2) DUALSHOCK® or SIXAXIS® Wireless Controller can also be used in place of the sub controller.

*(3) Please refer to the attached list below for detail.

PlayStation Move controller

Research commissioned by Digital Realty Trust shows that in 2010, companies will increase their data centre floor space and expand into new locations as the European economy stabilises

Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: DLR), the world’s largest wholesale data centre provider, announced the results of a new study which shows that the majority of European companies are placing data centre expansion firmly on the corporate agenda in 2010.

The research addressed large enterprises from France, Germany, Spain, the UK and Ireland, and reveals that data centres have remained a priority for organisations despite the challenging economy.

Key findings of the new study include:

* Four out of five companies (80 percent) surveyed are planning data centre expansions within the next year.

* Almost two thirds (62 percent) of companies have built a new data centre in the past 24 months.

* French companies have shown the broadest commitment to expansion, with nine out of ten (90 percent) planning to grow their data centres in 2010. In terms of immediate and definite expansion, German and UK/Irish companies showed the greatest commitment, with definite plans for 2010 growth reported by 30 percent and 29 percent of respondents, respectively.

* The largest enterprises (those with annual revenues of euro 20B+) showed the greatest commitment to expansion plans. 43 percent of companies in this category will definitely grow their data centres in 2010.

“After a turbulent year for many European businesses, a remarkably high proportion of them are planning data centre expansion projects in 2010. Even with the challenge posed by limited capital expenditure budgets, companies are treating data centre expansion as a necessity,” said Bernard Geoghegan, Senior Vice President at Digital Realty Trust who oversees International Operations.

“Our customers are reporting a pressing need to enlarge their data centres, which are recognised as business-critical assets which support plans for both recovery and future growth.”

Other findings of note in the new study include:

* Four in five (79 percent) respondents who plan to expand in 2010 say they will use a partner to implement their expansion plans.

* Nearly half (49 percent) of European companies plan to expand their data centres in two or more locations, and 43 percent are looking to establish a data centre in a new location.

* The most popular cities in which to site a new data centre are London (29 percent), Paris (21 percent) and Frankfurt (19 percent), consistent with the results of last year’s survey.

* On average, companies are seeking 1,400 square metres (15,100 square feet) of raised floor for their expanded data centres. Respondents from UK/Ireland are seeking the largest data centres, with ambitions for 1,580 square metres (17,000 square feet), while space requirements are lower in France (1,230 square metres (13,200 square feet)) and Spain (1,240 square metres (13,400 square feet)).

“As we see in the 2010 survey data, London and Paris in particular continue to see high demand for data centres. Each hosts European headquarters for multinational corporations, both are well positioned to address Western European markets, and consequently they are hubs for broader economic investment. It is also clear that companies are seeking to expand in multiple locations and establish facilities in new regions, suggesting that the European data centre market will see new growth areas during the coming years,” Geoghegan added.

The service has caught on because it’s a fast and efficient way to transmit data without having to walk to a fax machine. And because the email goes directly to a recipient’s in-box, the sender is confident the document is not languishing in a pile of unread faxes.

But there is a growing concern that the technology is less secure than it initially appeared, and companies could fall foul of tougher data protection rules, warns Craig Freer, MD of faxing experts Vox Amvia.

“Regulatory requirements such as the Protection of Personal Information Bill, Basel II and King III put the onus on companies to guarantee the integrity of information and data, and the authorities are going to come down hard on companies that don’t comply,” he says. “One of the biggest concerns is fax to email because it takes private data like bond applications and credit applications and puts it in an environment that is fundamentally not secure. So a bank using fax to email is putting confidential information at risk.”

Fax has traditionally been a secure delivery method because it is point-to-point, and because an audit trail shows where and when it was sent from, when it was received, and whether anyone tried to tamper with the content.

Most fax to email systems divert the outgoing document to a third party service provider that operates a fax to email server. The service provider wraps the document in an email and forwards it to the recipient. Yet neither the customer nor the recipient has any control over the data as it travels, putting themselves at risk. Fax to email can also be altered for fraudulent purposes.

That is a clear breach of legal requirements to prevent unauthorised access to private data and to document its history of access and usage. “Fax to email is a regulatory concern because companies don’t have any audit trail to see if the information has been interfered with,” says Freer.

The solution is to have the fax to email capability on the customer’s premises so no third parties are involved. Companies should also make sure employees do not sign up for a free, private fax to email service and use it for corporate data.

Price has been a drawback, however, since Telkom will only allow a company to run up to 300 direct inward dial numbers on their PRI line at a cost of about R35 a month per user. That makes it financially prohibitive to give each employee their own fax number.

Through Vox Amvia’s Xtenda solution companies have access to an affordable offering that allows them to be legally compliant. Xtenda allows any customer using the popular RightFax fax server software from Vox Telecom to route up to 15,000 fax numbers on a single PRI into their existing infrastructure. So they can afford to bring fax to email systems in-house and ditch risky third-party versions.

“Good corporate governance requires you to have the server on site, but it’s been expensive,” Freer says. “We can route 15,000 numbers onto a PRI with Xtenda compared to the previous 300. So the server sits inside the company and has enough numbers without a capacity upgrade. Xtenda allows companies to roll out fax to email to the whole organisation and meet compliancy requirements for zero extra cost.”

Rightfax users can experience all the benefits of free fax to email, whilst still ensuring they do not breach regulatory requirements.

The Enterprise Mobility Solutions business of Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) has announced the latest additions to its award-winning Total Enterprise Access and Mobility (TEAM) portfolio, the TEAM Radio Link Solution (TEAM RLS) module and TEAM Radio Link Solution Express (TEAM RLS Express).

Building on Motorola’s expertise in reliable push-to-talk (PTT) technologies, these easy-to-deploy, reliable solutions enable enterprises with business-critical two-way radio systems to enhance their communications capabilities with PTT interoperability. With TEAM RLS and TEAM RLS Express, customers can provide the right device for each associate while maintaining reliable communications between different groups of users, resulting in seamless integrated voice communications that can help reduce associate response times, streamline operational processes and improve worker safety.

“As new mobile voice and data devices are introduced into the enterprise, organizations face communication silos that prevent groups of workers from being able to quickly and reliably connect with each other,” said Rob Arnold, senior enterprise communications analyst, Current Analysis. “With its expertise in mobile device design, wireless LAN and two-way radio systems, Motorola is uniquely positioned to break down these silos, making it integral to an enterprise’s unified communications solution.”

Providing access to the right information at the right time is a key way of enhancing workforce productivity. As organizations continue to embrace enterprise mobility, they are equipping workers with a broad range of new capabilities and devices that provide on-the-move connectivity. However, mobility solutions have been deployed as stand-alone systems, creating islands of connectivity, where interoperability is limited to similar devices.

Motorola’s rich heritage in designing and deploying two-way radio systems, coupled with the industry’s broadest range of voice-enabled mobile computers and award-winning TEAM Voice-over-WLAN (TEAM VoWLAN) solutions, has enabled it to address this issue and offer customers a set of innovative solutions that break down the interoperability barriers.

Motorola’s TEAM RLS takes interoperability to the next level by equipping organizations with an optional module to the TEAM VoWLAN solution that delivers unmatched interoperability, with integrated PTT group communications between TEAM VoWLAN smartphones, TEAM badges or mobile computers equipped with TEAM Express and two-way radios.

The TEAM RLS module leverages the TEAM VoWLAN appliance, reducing hardware costs and accelerating the return on investment. Two-way radio interoperability is facilitated by two-way donor units connected to the RLS module through a Radio Interface Unit.

The result is interoperability with reliable, PTT group communications that help decrease worker response times, improve operational efficiencies and increase worker productivity and safety.

The TEAM RLS Express is a standalone version of TEAM RLS, ideal for organizations that don’t require full VoWLAN and telephony integration, providing basic group PTT between TEAM Express-enabled devices and two-way radios. TEAM RLS Express offers customers the ability to quickly establish reliable voice interoperability, so workers can begin communicating between work groups for improved operational efficiencies and increased productivity. TEAM VoWLAN capabilities can be added as needed to TEAM RLS Express with a software upgrade (and PBX integration).

“Only Motorola has the breadth of portfolio and depth of expertise in mobility to effectively create a truly integrated voice solution for seamless voice between work groups using different devices,” said Imran Akbar, vice president and general manager for Converged Enterprise Communications, Motorola Enterprise Mobility Solutions. “The new TEAM Radio Link Solutions enable organizations to maximize the benefits of their existing infrastructure and devices for faster response, better decisions and higher productivity, putting them ahead of the curve and positioning their operations for growth.”

Motorola relies on a worldwide network of best-in-class partners to deliver enterprise mobility solutions that provide real-time information for better decisions and better results. With a level of industry experience and business acumen that can only be garnered through in-the-field experience, our partners add significant value to enterprise mobility solutions. The TEAM RLS and TEAM RLS Express solutions are expected to be available in select countries worldwide through Motorola channel partners and Motorola sales in the second quarter of 2010.

“We are only but delighted to help out such a great cause in South Africa,” says Sergey Grishchenko, Head of Regional Corporate Sales at Kaspersky Lab. “Kaspersky Lab fully understands the need for 24/7 antivirus protection of workstations and as part of our Corporate Social Investment, we are grateful to haven been given the opportunity to assist loveLife.”

As a non-profit organisation, loveLife is not in the position to install the latest in anti-virus protection, as the organisation’s priorities lie in their expert training and development of programmes for young South Africans (aged 12 – 19). These licenses will assist loveLife in the necessary protection of the organisation’s workstations and main server, used to run 44 of the 860 offices situated around South Africa, each with approximately five to ten staff, as well as the 18 youth centres that the organisation has set up in the most deprived areas of the country. Each license will provide the protection of a full Internet protection suite.

“These 320 free Kaspersky Work Space Security licenses will provide great relief to our organisation, and we are very thankful to Kaspersky Lab for their assistance and quick turn around in this regard,” says Jack De Wet, IT Manager at loveLife.

As viruses continue to increase at a pace of over 30 000 new threats per day, the need for such IT protection has grown significantly over the years and as such, cannot be ignored. Kaspersky Work Space Security provides centralised protection from all types of contemporary computer threats for workstations, whether on the corporate network or used remotely. The solution protects Windows and Linux work stations, and offers benefits such as full proactive protection, personal firewall with intrusion-detection systems (IDS) and intrusion-prevention systems (IPS) roll back of any malicious changes made to the system, as well as protection from phishing and spam attacks.

“We were proud to donate these licenses and wish this organisation all the best in their future endeavours,” concludes Grishchenko.

It would seem that solid-state drive (SSD) technology is finally making its predicted inroads.

According to research group, Gartner, the storage technology is expected to grow to 5.1 million units by 2013 which is a significant jump from the estimated 59 000 units sold in 2008.

Key to this growth is the commitment by storage vendors to make SSD part of their product offerings.  Companies such as Western Digital have gone as far as acquiring SSD specialist companies to strengthen their value proposition and subsequent solution offering in this potentially lucrative marketplace.

In South Africa, SSDs are at the beginning of the adoption curve; however, as the technology becomes more commoditised it will undoubtedly enjoy some significant success in the near future.

But why SSDs and more particularly what does the SA consumer have to gain from it?  The growth of the mobile generation directly impacts the success of SSDs.  The proliferation of Netbooks – smaller, less resource hungry machines – offers significant opportunities to SSD players in the market as these devices still require storage irrespective of their form factor.

In turn, consumers benefit from a lightweight, extremely reliable storage solution – SSDs have no mechanical parts – that offers an impressive amount of storage capacity despite its size.  Indeed, it is expected that by 2011 SSDs will offer up to 350GB of storage which is significant as it could effectively replace the hard drives in mobile devices making them even more lightweight and portable.

The above also underscores what SSDs have been designed to do: work in a similar way as a USB or memory card but as a standalone hard drive.

Furthermore, and this is a major benefit, SSDs are swappable which means you can simply remove it from your notebook or Netbook, insert it into your SSD slot on your PC and retrieve all the necessary information.

On top of the swappable nature of SSDs, it also offer impressive read and write speeds of up to 654MB/s write and 712MB/s read. Also, SSDs are not limited to express cards or large enterprise storage infrastructures but can also function in a USB format.

Indeed, the technology is not restricted by physical barriers and can be adapted to play the same role as our current flash storage options.

On the topic of flash, why not incorporate both flash and SSD in one device?

Just imagine the storage capacity; a small Netbook that features hundreds of gigabytes of storage without compromising its size and usability.

The African School Technology Innovation Centre (STIC) is the result of a partnership between Microsoft and the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, a science and technology centre backed by the Department of Education, and 30-odd corporate partners who will be presenting their solutions at the centre.

Where Sci-Bono’s aim is to foster interest in science and technology among learners, the STIC’s focus is on developing and researching ways to use technology in the classroom, and giving teachers a better understanding of how to use digital tools in education.

STIC manager Victor Ngobeni – himself a qualified teacher, and recent convert to the use of technology in schools – says the goal of the new centre is to open the door to more engaged, interactive and personalised learning.

“The promise of technology is wide-ranging: it can help schools streamline and improve their administration, give teachers new tools to engage the connected youth of today and add richness and content to the learning process,” said Ngobeni.

“This centre is not going to be an academic place. It’s here to give teachers a living, breathing example of how to use technology to improve the quality of education across Africa.”

First opened by then Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor in the Johannesburg city centre in 2007, the STIC presents solutions by 30 partners collaborating in the education space.

“To date, the STIC has trained more than 3500 teachers, principals and learners through workshops and seminars on using technology in education,” says Enver Surty, Deputy Minister of Basic Education in South Africa at the inaugural event.

In a keynote address at the opening of the centre, Mr Surty talked about his vision for how information and communications technologies can help transform African education.

“There’s no doubt that educating our youth is the cornerstone of sustainable economic growth. It is important that we support continued teacher professional development and use the most modern and effective learning tools and pedagogy to help our youth learn key skills, which will pave the way for future success and employability,” he said.

Microsoft South Africa MD Mteto Nyati sees one of the centre’s key functions as pooling the efforts of various technology companies, and providing a single platform for educational stakeholders to show off new approaches to technology and provide ongoing training to teachers.

One of the new technologies on show at the STIC is Microsoft’s newly-launched Windows MultiPoint Server 2010. In simple terms, it allows multiple students to share one computer using multiple screens, providing a low-cost alternative for schools that cannot afford to buy an individual computer for every student.

“New teaching aids and technologies can give educators a new lease on life,” said Nyati. “Suddenly, they can have access to content that they could not have dreamed of. Having a computer with learning material on it can be like having a science laboratory where you can perform any experiment you can think of, and explain calculations more vividly than ever before. Students are not repeating something they learned by rote, but making if-then judgments. The more of that you can do, the more real learning takes place.”

For all its promise to improve education, says centre manager Ngobeni, technology is no substitute for one person tutoring another. But it certainly smoothes the process when educating large numbers of students with limited resources.

That’s why STIC is part of a broader programme designed to effect change in education across Africa. Ngobeni hopes to emulate the successes of the Lesotho STIC, based at the Lesotho College of Education in Maseru, where manager Dr Kasongo Kalanda has trained more than 915 teachers – and 900 student teachers – from 75 schools have been trained in digital literacy in little more than a year using Microsoft’s Partners in Learning (PiL) programme.

By his own admission, Ngobeni is a passionate evangelist for the PiL network, which provides information, content, tools and resources for teachers wanting to use technology more effectively.

“Four years ago, I simply didn’t know how to use technology well enough to prepare our learners for the modern world,” said Ngobeni. “By finding ways to use technology in my teaching, the possibilities become endless. Learners use technology for research, problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, editing work and communicating. These tools are important to everything that happens in the classroom.”

Ericsson has successfully trialled UMTS 900 MHz for the first time on the African continent with operator MTN Ghana. UMTS 900 MHz further extends mobile broadband coverage especially into suburban, rural and offshore areas, offering coverage up to 200 km. In urban areas it compliments UMTS 2100 MHz in offering more network capacity and better in-building coverage.

Lars Lindén, President, Ericsson sub-Saharan Africa, says; “By leveraging off their existing installed Ericsson 3G Radio Access Network and enabling UMTS in 900 MHz, not only can voice, video and high speed data calls be carried over the network, but operators benefit from having one network delivering all services with the lowest total cost of ownership.”

According to a GSMA report1, UMTS 900 provides between 44% (in urban areas) and 119% (rural areas) increased coverage per Node-B compared with UMTS 2100. This is primarily due to the propagation characteristics of the lower frequency band and leads directly to lower CAPEX and increased mobility benefits, providing a new option, with greater service capability, for operators who may wish to replace their GSM networks.

Given the recent establishment of a comprehensive end-to-end communication solution providing 3.5G mobile communications and Internet access to rural clusters in Ghana, Ericsson is able to continue its focus of bringing mobile voice and Internet data services to the community which impacts the end-user directly, enabling access to health, education and small businesses.

MTN Ghana CTO, Eben Albertyn says; “Ericsson’s solid position as an established infrastructural provider in the local and international market and the diverse connectivity services they are able to offer MTN Ghana, allows us to continue to grow our network coverage locally as well as into many rural and remote sites – bringing voice and data services to our growing subscribers.”

GSM in 900 and 1800 MHz have proven an immense success story in Africa in providing basic telephony and data services. Under the terms of the agreement, Ericsson will be responsible for the access, transport and transmission of 3G UMTS 900 MHz, where roll-out will begin in Q2 2010. Additionally, Ericsson developed advanced special features and assisted with the spectrum optimisation of GSM to free up just 3.8MHz required for UMTS 900 MHz. A fast and efficient migration to UMTS 900 MHz enables superior coverage and capacity.

The trial was completed with legacy 3G RBS 3418 main-remote equipment, previously installed by MTN Ghana. This further showcases the longer equipment life-cycle and better total cost of ownership of the Ericsson solutions provided at the beginning of the 3G rollout. The use of 900 MHz also allows operators to reuse existing GSM 900 antenna systems for UMTS 900.

Lindén concludes; “African operators should be seen as meeting the challenges that their markets uniquely present and vendors should be seen as being proactive in supporting these operators in their diverse challenges – enabling communication irrespective of the boundaries that exist. Ericsson is doing just that – pioneering the use of 3G in different frequency bands and demonstrating that it is possible to build nation-wide mobile broadband networks now.”

“The primary objective of this project was to design and implement Microsoft System Center in order to empower IDT to proactively manage its Windows server infrastructure,” says Agnat Makgoale, Business Unit manager at Datacentrix. He further explains that IDT was experiencing problems around its ability to report accurately on software and hardware assets.

“In addition, IDT had identified high travel expenditure for its IT team, which provides support to its remote sites, as well as primarily being reactive in providing support for its IT environment and problems with software distribution.”

System Center provides end-to-end service management that is easy to customise and extend for improved service levels across the IT environment.

This enables operations and IT management teams to identify and resolve issues affecting the health of distributed IT services.

In addition, System Center automates routine, redundant tasks and provides intelligent reporting and monitoring to help increase efficiency and enable greater control of the IT environment. Role-based security, Active Directory integration and new infrastructure elements make it easier to monitor, configure and deploy in complex environments. Support for high-availability features such as clustering and failover ensure the IT environment is always monitored.

Makgoale continues to say: “IDT has already seen an improvement in the speed of rolling out new software and is also experiencing better reporting on IT assets.”

The organisation opted to partner with Datacentrix due to its proven track record of delivery, its cost effectiveness and deep understanding of IDT’s problem areas as well as coming up with effective solutions for System Center.

“Datacentrix has built significant expertise in the Microsoft arena,” explains Makgoale. “This pertains to both the implementation of Microsoft enterprise infrastructure solutions as well as development and integration capabilities on the Microsoft-based platform.”

Datacentrix’ Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Competencies include Advanced Infrastructure Solutions, Custom Development Solutions, Data Management Solutions, Information Worker Solutions, Licensing Solutions such as LAR and ESA, Microsoft Business Solutions and OEM Hardware Solutions. Its Specialisations include: Active Directory and Identity Management, Business Intelligence, License Delivery, Messaging and Collaboration, Microsoft Business Solutions – Great Plains, Software Asset Management, System Building and Web Development.

“Memorex is about creating products that encourage families to have fun together–what we like to call WeTime,” said Jess Walton, global brand manager. “As video game consoles such as Nintendo Wii become an increasingly popular at-home entertainment activity for families, it was a natural fit for us to create gaming accessories that help enhance the experience.”

Playing video games together is a favorite family activity, according to the WeTime Parent Survey recently conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Memorex. Nearly half of parents selected “playing a video game we can all enjoy” as one of their favorite at-home family WeTime activities. It’s an especially popular WeTime choice for families with “tween” children (ages 8-12), as 51 percent of those parents cited it as a favorite activity and also named the video game console as the number three consumer electronic product their children use most often (third only to the television and laptop).

Regardless of your family’s gaming style, the new line of Memorex accessories offers thoughtful features and bright colors to help inspire fun moments and memories. Further, all products have undergone extensive product testing and meet multiple third-party quality standards to protect against failure.

The Racing Wheel for Wii is the only one in the industry to feature rubberised grips for better traction along with a spring-loaded trigger for a true gaming advantage. Additionally, a hidden compartment provides MotionPlus compatibility while still allowing easy access to all controls. The Expanded Range Wireless Sensor Barfor Wii has an innovative curved design that allows for a more expansive playing area with fewer dropped signals, making it perfect for group games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero. An eight-foot charging cable is included and connects to the Wii console, allowing play to continue while charging.

Others products include:
•MotionPlus Remote and Nunchuk Sleevefor Wii – Extra-thick padding, horisontal grooves and molded posts protect equipment and enhance grip.
•Dual Controller Charging Kit for Wii – Get a true charge indication while leaving the controller sleeves in place with this dual controller charging kit. Also offers a long-lasting Ni-MH rechargeable battery and dual compatibility with MotionPlus.
•Starter Kit for Wii – Includes a wireless sensor bar, two Ni-MH rechargeable batteries, gold-plated component cable and dual control charger.
•Protective Cover for Wii Fit – The wraparound design provides one of the firmest fits in the industry for increased balance while molded posts and a smooth surface offer better grip and comfort.
•Fitness Mat for Wii Fit- A must-have for Wii Fit exercisers, this fitness mat offers a thick 3-millimeter cushion and non-slip surface for increased comfort and grip.
•Rechargeable Battery Pack for Wii Fit – Features a long-lasting Ni-MH rechargeable battery and extra-long six-foot cable for added versatility.
•Fitness Starter Kitfor Wii Fit – Includes balance board cover, fitness mat and rechargeable battery.
•Protective Case for DSi – Protects your portable DSi console while still providing easy access to all ports and controls, including both digital cameras. An integrated storage compartment holds up to three games and a stylus to make on-the-go gaming easy.
•Car Charging Kit for DS Lite, DSi and DSi XL – This unique 3 -in-1 design works with all DS consoles, including the soon-to-be released DSi XL.

In addition, screen protectors, stylus replacement kits and starter kits featuring high-quality Memorex CB 25 Earbuds for the Nintendo DSi will also be available. All Memorex gaming accessories will be available in mid-2010.

“The SAMA’s recognise the top South African artists and we are proud to be a sponsor of this event for the second year,” says Jake Larsen, Nokia’s head of music for Middle East and Africa. “Through our sponsorship of the SAMA’s we are demonstrating how important local South African talent is to Nokia.  In fact, supporting local talent is not only one of our objectives, but also the key to our success since launching in 2009,” Larsen says.

Nokia’s recent move into digital music led by the launch of the Nokia Music Store last year as well as their Comes with Music offering has provided a channel for South Africans to digitally access a variety of South African, African and International artists ranging from Zebra & Giraffe to Kurt Darren and many others.

The sponsorship of the prestigious music awards includes the ‘all-you-can-eat’ music powerhouse Nokia X6 32GB Comes with Music phones for all 2010 nominees.   Nokia will also have a presence at related events to be held at Sun City during the SAMA weekend, which will include product demonstrations and interactive zones.

“There is a wealth of talent in South Africa and we are committed to supporting local acts by continuing to make their tracks available legally and at affordable rates for all fans via the Nokia Music Store and services such as Comes with Music,” Larsen concludes.

The donation falls in line with Nashua Mobile’s commitment to education in South Africa. The company has supported many educational projects with its corporate social investment (CSI) funds over the years – for example, it has a long-standing relationship Reagile Primary in Winnie Mandela Park, where it has built additional classrooms and helps to feed orphans and vulnerable children and the recently launched Streetwise Solution.

IkamvaYouth aims to prepare secondary school pupils for tertiary education or employment. The project stretches across the Western Cape, Kwa-Zulu Natal and Gauteng. It is driven by enthusiastic volunteers – some of them were once pupils who received tutoring from the same programme.

Nashua Mobile encourages employee participation in the community projects it supports and was excited by the possibilities of a partnership with IkamvaYouth when an employee nominated the programme for sponsorship.

The company encourages employees to become involved in its CSI initiatives – and is open to work with employee’s community projects when these are in line with its goals. It was especially pleased when one employee offered to become a regular volunteer for IkamvaYouth.

Says Jessie Makhudu, Head of Transformation at Nashua Mobile: “Sustainability is a big deciding factor in selecting community development projects we support. We are delighted to support a project such as IkamvaYouth that was recognised by the International Youth Foundation as worthy of special mention and that was finalist of the change makers “Champions of Quality Education in Africa” Award in 2009.”