The Better Connection. Everywhere You Go. Or simply just Y’ello. Brand identity matter, and MTN South Africa – one of South Africa’s most valued brands – is keenly aware of that fact.
Indeed, when a big consumer brand changes its brand positioning, it’s always a big deal – not only because of the work involved behind the scenes but also because it helps shift the narrative for that brand in small but important ways in the public consciousness.
For a handful of times in its storied, 31-year history, MTN has refreshed its brand image. And it’s just hit the “play” button on the latest overhaul.
In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+ business technology podcast, MTN South Africa GM for residential and post-paid services Bertus van der Vyver unpacks the company’s latest brand identity and why it made the decisions it did.
In the podcast, Van der Vyver chats about:
• Whether brand ends up influencing strategy, or the other way around;
• How the new brand positioning – the payoff line is Together We Make Moves – aligns with MTN’s ongoing efforts around customer experience, network innovation and its service offerings;
• How consumers will experience the brand refresh;
• How the changes tie into MTN’s social and business commitments; and
• How MTN’s new brand identity will allow the company to differentiate itself in the market, including in relation to its competitors.
Don’t miss this fascinating conversation about the value and importance of branding.
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31:11
Snode CEO Nithen Naidoo on the cybersecurity opportunity
Nithen Naidoo, founder and CEO of Snode Technologies, shares valuable insights on Snode and the cybersecurity space with TechCentral’s TCS+.
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Snode Technologies evolved from a consultancy to a product-focused company almost by accident. The product was developed on the ground, which led to the philosophy of customer-led design, emphasising solutions that directly addresses the problems customers are experiencing.
In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, Snode founder and CEO Naidoo unpacks the importance of stepping out of one’s comfort zone and not letting fear dictate decisions.
He believes South Africans are more than capable of building world-class technology and that the cyber landscape offers opportunities to innovate without requiring large investments.
He stresses the importance of adopting technology securely to propel businesses forward. Nithen has learnt the importance of collaboration and acknowledges that there are still many problems in the cybersecurity industry that are yet to be solved.
What Snode does today
Snode has grown to cover over eight million devices and protect systems and companies across six continents with a team of 60 staff. The company’s mission is to “solve cyber”. It has developed a platform that is highly automated and is moving towards autonomous security operations. This platform is designed to address the high costs of managing cybersecurity and the need for better automated solutions.
Snode’s technology uses metadata around packets instead of the data packets themselves for threat detection, which allows for privacy preservation. It leverages advances in machine learning and AI for innovation-driven security solutions. They also use mathematics as a fast and accurate method for threat detection. Furthermore, they use digital twin technology to simulate different types of scenarios, enabling predictive and prescriptive analytics for customers. This technology automatically classifies assets and understands their value to a business by using data from both internal and external sources.
The company’s solutions extend to both IT and OT (operational technology) environments, with a focus on the convergence of the two. Snode’s technology is protocol-independent and can eavesdrop on communications without needing proprietary information, which is beneficial in environments like industrial IoT and medical IoT.
Snode’s focus on continuous threat exposure management (CTEM) moves beyond traditional risk and vulnerability management. It looks at a company’s security through the lens of the asset, enriching available siloed data with the much-needed context to manage a company’s exposure holistically.
What the future holds
Snode aims to be a leader in the cybersecurity industry, acknowledging that the sector still has valuable problems to solve. Its vision is not just for South Africa, but for the whole of the African continent.
Naidoo says he wants to create a secure environment for African entrepreneurs to drive innovation. Snode already has a global reach, with a presence across six continents, and is working with the defence and critical national infrastructure sectors in a number of countries.
Snode plans to expand its approach to cybersecurity, using predictive capabilities for broader applications such as preventative maintenance in the OT environment and improving safety in various industries. It aims to change the traditional view of cyberthreats, moving towards a unified approach across threat management, vulnerability management and penetration testing.
For more, visit techcentral.co.za
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This episode is sponsored.
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37:08
Shifting Microsoft Azure SQL into overdrive
Microsoft Azure SQL is a fully managed and scalable cloud database service – and its myriad benefits mean your company should be considering it if it isn’t already using it.
To unpack this in more detail, Preegan Chetty, Microsoft Azure product manager at First Distribution, and Silicon Overdrive Microsoft business executive Jody Roberts join TechCentral’s business technology show TCS+.
In the episode, they unpack:
• The relationship between First Distribution and Silicon Overdrive;
• Silicon Overdrive’s market focus;
• What Azure SQL is and how it’s helping companies with their digital transformation initiatives;
• Why many South African businesses run SQL Server databases, usually on-premises, and what the advantages are of moving these databases into the Microsoft Azure cloud;
• The cost advantages of shifting, and what’s involved in doing so;
• The security considerations of shifting from on-premises SQL Server to Azure SQL;
• The features that make Azure SQL particularly secure;
• Use cases of businesses leveraging Azure SQL; and
• Azure SQL Database vs SQL Managed Instance vs SQL Service on Azure virtual machines – the differences between these options, and why businesses should choose one over another.
Don’t miss the discussion.
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TCS+ episodes are sponsored.
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24:37
Just how secure is your cloud database?
In the second episode of this series on migrating to Microsoft Azure SQL, the focus turns to what’s involved in moving from SQL Server to Azure SQL, and First Distribution’s Preegan Chetty returns to discuss the key priority of securing databases in the cloud.
If you missed episode 1 in the series, you can find it here – or dive straight into this interview.
Preegan Chetty, who is Microsoft Azure product manager at First Distribution, unpacks:
• What makes Azure SQL a secure choice for companies today, including features such as data encryption (when data is at rest or in transit), threat detection and firewall protection;
• Why companies shouldn’t simply assume that the cloud is secure because it’s being managed by a hyperscale cloud services provider;
• Azure SQL’s performance, and the optimisations that can be done to make the system fly; and
• The role of AI in cloud database management.
Don’t miss any of the episodes in this insightful series.
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12:17
Moving from SQL Server to Azure SQL – what you need to know
Is your company thinking about modernising its IT infrastructure? Is it planning to migrate from an on-premises Microsoft SQL Server database to the cloud-based Azure SQL Solution? Then this podcast is for you.
In this two-part series, we delve into greater detail on what’s involved in a cloud database migration.
First Distribution’s Microsoft Azure product manager Preegan Chetty is our guest in the studio for this episode. He unpacks:
• The risks and opportunities involved in the migration;
• What companies need to be aware of before they even embark on a migration to Azure SQL;
• How Microsoft helps companies with their migration projects; and
• The top motivating factors driving companies to migrate away from an on-premises SQL Server solution to Azure SQL.
Don’t miss this informative discussion – and be sure to catch episode 2 in this series with First Distribution.
TechCentral's TCS+ is a business technology show that brings you interviews with leaders in South Africa's technology industry - and further afield. It showcases the latest products and services available to businesses large and small. In short, it offers in a window into what's possible. Episodes of TCS+ are sponsored.
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