First Distribution on the latest and greatest cloud technologies
The pace of innovation in the cloud space is breathtaking. Gone are the days when the cloud was just about virtual machines and storage; today, it is a dynamic ecosystem, constantly introducing features that are fundamentally transforming how businesses operate, from the smallest start-ups to the largest enterprises.
Preegan Chetty, Azure product manager at First Distribution, returns to TechCentral’s TCS+ to discuss some of the latest and most exciting features available in the Azure cloud environment and how businesses are leveraging those capabilities to facilitate growth.
This is the third in a series of three episodes with Chetty and First Distribution. Episode one covered cloud cost optimisation in Azure and episode two looked at how businesses can manage the complexities of data residency in hybrid cloud environments.
In this episode, Chetty delves into:
• The benefits cloud-based IT environments offer over on-prem installations and how they help companies experiment and adopt new technologies faster;
• How businesses can ensure they are able to keep pace with new technologies so they are not left behind;
• How South African businesses are using the newest AI tools in Azure to build new products and services;
• How to approach responsible AI development in the cloud;
• How cloud AI tools can help with code modernisation;
• How small businesses can take advantage of cloud technology; and
• Emerging cloud technologies to keep an eye on.
This discussion is not to be missed.
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11:08
First Distribution on data governance in hybrid cloud environments
Data is the lifeblood of every organisation, driving innovation, enhancing customer experiences and influencing strategic decisions.
But managing this invaluable asset has never been more challenging. Hybrid IT environments – where some organisational data sits in the cloud other data resides in on-premises infrastructure – only adds to this complexity.
In this second episode in a series of three delving into the ins and outs of Azure cloud deployments, Preegan Chetty, Azure product manager at First Distribution, discusses the data governance procedures that ensure organisational data is stored in the most useful, cost-effective and compliant ways.
The first episode centred on effective cost management techniques for the Azure cloud environment. You can watch that episode here.
In this episode, Chetty delves into:
• Why the complexity of data governance increases when organisations migrate from on-premises to hybrid cloud environments;
• The factors organisations should consider when deciding which data they should keep where;
• What Dora legislation is and how it affects the hybrid data strategies of South African organisations;
• Other legislation impacting data governance in South Africa;
• The tools Azure provides to help data architects structure distributed data in ways that do not have a negative impact on performance;
• Data governance for disaster recovery; and
• The impact data governance decisions have on an organisation’s cloud costs.
Don’t miss an informative discussion!
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12:32
First Distribution on cloud cost management in Microsoft Azure
Organisations are flocking to the cloud for its agility, scalability and innovation potential. But while the cloud promises big things, it also presents a set of financial challenges.
Many businesses find their cloud bills spiralling out of control, eroding the very benefits they sought in the first place.
In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, Preegan Chetty, Microsoft Azure product manager at First Distribution, discusses the tools Azure provides for effective cost management and how businesses can take advantage of them to get the most out their cloud deployments without breaking the bank.
Chetty delves into:
• Some of the common pitfalls or hidden costs that organisations encounter when moving their workloads into the cloud and how to mitigate against these;
• The different pricing models available in Azure and how organisations can leverage them;
• What FinOps is and how businesses can benefit from it;
• How organisational KPIs can be leveraged to manage cloud spending effectively;
• How tagging can aid in cost centre management;
• How to manage costs in more complex hybrid cloud environments; and
• The AI tools Azure offers to aid businesses in managing their costs.
This episode is not to be missed.
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13:17
AfriGIS’s Helen Hulett on how tech can help resolve South Africa’s water crisis
Many municipalities in South Africa are struggling to maintain a reliable supply of clean water to households and industries. Thankfully, technology is here to help.
In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, Helen Hulett, newly appointed chief sustainability officer at geospatial information science specialist AfriGIS, tells Duncan McLeod about the Resolve Water project that she leads and how she and her team are working with businesses and municipalities to try to address a problem that has reached crisis levels in some parts of the country.
AfriGIS’s technology is able to have a real-world impact on this crisis, according to Hulett, who specialises in industrial water risk, water-related governance and social issues, and sustainability.
Hulett, who has consulted with leading companies on the topic – they include the likes of Coca-Cola, Illovo Sugar Africa, Sappi, Aspen Pharmacare and Sasol – said AfriGIS offers advanced mapping and data analytics tools to address water scarcity, improve resource management and support businesses in need.
In this episode of TCS+, Hulett also unpacks:
• Her background and why she took the role of chief sustainability officer at AfriGIS;
• What the field of geospatial information science involves and why it makes sense to apply it to this crisis;
• AfriGIS’s involvement in the Resolve Water project;
• How serious the water crisis really is in South Africa and what it will take to address it;
• The impact of the Resolve Water project so far, and how it’s using GIS technology to achieve its goals – including mapping, real-time data analytics and collaborative partnerships; and
• The role of artificial intelligence.
The interview with Hulett, who is passionate about the topic of water security in South Africa, is not to be missed.
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26:29
The future of mobile money, with MTN’s Kagiso Mothibi
Mobile money has an increasingly vital role to play in South Africa’s economy, despite the fact that the country boasts an advanced financial services sector.
That’s the view of Kagiso Mothibi, CEO of Fintech at MTN South Africa, who was sharing his views in a recent interview with TechCentral’s TCS+ (watch it below) in which he discusses the broader fintech vision for the network operator and its role in driving innovation across the group.
But what is it about mobile money services that is attracting South African consumers to products like MTN’s MoMo, and what role do these platforms fulfil in the broader financial services ecosystem?
Mothibi unpacks this in detail in the interview. He also discusses:
• Why South Africa has proved to be a tougher mobile money market to crack than many other countries in Africa;
• How the South African market differs from others in which MTN operates;
• Who the target market is for MoMo – is it the unbanked and underbanked, or does MTN also have plans to serve well-heeled customers, too?
• What’s driving the growth in MoMo services in South Africa and why;
• What MTN’s fintech portfolio houses today and the company’s plans to expand this in the coming years;
• The recent launched of MoMo Pay, how it works and how MTN is onboarding merchants;
• What pain points MoMo Pay addresses in the payments ecosystem; and
• What the future holds for the fintech business in South Africa – and how product innovation locally is being deployed in other MTN markets across the continent.
Don’t miss an exciting interview!
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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