Author: Chris Anu

Simeon Tassev, Managing Director and QSA at Galix. (Image: Galix) Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance has often been viewed as something to focus on only when required, such as when a breach makes headlines or a bank requests proof of compliance. This reactive approach exposes organisations to avoidable risk. PCI DSS sets the minimum baseline for protecting payment data and supports the ability to operate in the payments ecosystem. Non-compliance can lead to fines routed through acquiring banks on behalf of payment brands, and in certain industries it can prevent organisations from securing the licences they…

Google, Meta Platforms, Netflix, Microsoft and Amazon will not face heavy-handed regulations in Europe’s digital rule overhaul despite calls from telecommunications companies, people with direct knowledge of the matter said on Thursday. A slew of new tech rules adopted in recent years by the European Commission sparked criticism from the US, which says it targets US tech giants. The EU has categorically rejected such claims. EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen will present the rule revamp known as the Digital Networks Act, which aims to boost Europe’s competitiveness and investments in telecoms infrastructure, on 20 January. The commission declined to comment.…

Muzi Langa, MD of ManTK IT Solutions. (Image: Supplied) Approaching data protection as a universal, one-size-fits-all exercise can prove overly costly, or worse, fail to adequately protect the organisation’s most critical data.The key to properly securing sensitive and critical data is proper data classification, says Muzi Langa, MD of ManTK IT Solutions, a specialist IT security and services provider.Langa says: “In our experience, many organisations have not properly classified their data before considering the appropriate measures to secure it. In many cases, data is not even considered as an asset or listed in the asset register. These oversights can impact…

Think about the last time you got hooked on a Netflix series. That instant connection wasn’t random; it was the result of years of data analysis. Netflix understands what you watch, why you watch, how long you stay engaged and when you stop. It then uses those insights to create content that feels tailor-made. In the artificial intelligence space, the companies with the best, most relevant data win for the exact same reason: algorithms can be bought, but the right data is irreplaceable. For voice and chat AI agents, conversation intelligence is the game changer. It goes beyond transcribing calls.…

Building in-house software comes with costs and risks. Is it better to build or buy software? The prevailing wisdom is that building software has more advantages. If the project can justify development resources, such as for infrastructure and expert skills, the value far outweighs the risks.But this belief doesn’t translate into reality. A new report: Build vs. buy: The true cost of DIY IT solutions, from e-mail signature management solution provider Exclaimer, reveals that building in-house software comes with far more costs and risks, with 71% of such projects being abandoned. “IT and business teams often consider in-house software and…

An LG Cloid robot stands on stage during an LG Electronics news conference at CES 2026. Steve Marcus/Reuters Just four years after the launch of ChatGPT, the chatbot that brought artificial intelligence into the mainstream, and it seemed like almost every exhibitor at the CES show in Las Vegas this week was touting an AI-powered gadget. The annual event draws the biggest companies from the global tech and auto industries, who this year underscored the shift from AI software to “physical AI” with robotics, humanoids and autonomous driving technology. Interest in humanoid robots has boomed as companies see human-form machines…

Lloyd Matthew, Founder and CEO. Untapped.AI, a South African AI consultancy, is rapidly gaining national attention after becoming the first local provider to deploy an AI voice agent that routes calls entirely through a South African call exchange. This breakthrough enables businesses to reduce call costs by up to 50% compared to AI voice solutions that rely on international calling infrastructure. The company recently went viral on social media for its AI voice technology, which includes cloning the founders’ own voice; creating AI agents that sound natural, familiar and distinctly local. However, it is the localisation of the underlying call technology…

Oppo’s new Find X9 Pro has a 7 500mAh silicon-carbon battery Silicon is the second most abundant element in Earth’s crust after oxygen and its uses in the technology sector are expanding. In 2026, its use in battery and charging technology is set to go mainstream, especially in mobile devices. In 2025, several Chinese smartphone manufacturers made leaps in cellphone battery capacity using silicon-carbon technology. Honor led the charge with the Magic 6 Pro, expanding capacity in the second-generation device by about 15% to 5 600mAh while reducing the phone’s thickness. Honor’s Magic V2 and Magic V3 foldables, which are thinner…

2025 saw global tech sector layoffs reach 244 851. In 2025, 244 851 people were laid off in the global technology industry.This, as companies like Intel, Amazon and Microsoft, among others, continued to intensify investments in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.This is according to data released by RationalFX, which tallied figures based on layoff announcements, WARN notices, and independent layoff reports between 1 January and 31 December 2025.The US has been highlighted as the country with the largest number of layoffs, with 170 630 (69.7%) people working in 220 companies fired last year. Asian nation India lands in second place with 19…

Google is rolling out a new wave of artificial intelligence features in Gmail, aiming to turn the e-mail service into what it has described as a more proactive “inbox assistant” as e-mail volumes continue to grow. The updates form part of Google’s broader push to embed Gemini across its consumer products, following similar integrations in Search, Docs and other Workspace tools. Gmail, which Google says is used by more than three billion people, has already relied heavily on AI for years through spam filtering and features such as Smart Reply. The most significant addition is a new feature called AI…