TCS+ | Arctic Wolf on cybersecurity in the age of AI
What does it really take to defend a business in an era of AI-driven attacks?
In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+ ,Clare Loveridge, vice president and GM for Europe, Middle East and Africa (Emea), and Johnny Ellis, senior director of Emea channel sales, both at Arctic Wolf, go beyond the buzzwords to confront the uncomfortable truth: despite billions spent on security tools, cyber losses are still mounting.
Arctic Wolf’s answer is a different model, one that combines its artificial intelligence-powered Aurora Platform with human expertise in a concierge delivery approach. It’s a strategy that tackles the industry’s “effectiveness gap” head-on by integrating people, processes and platforms to deliver outcomes, not just alerts.
The conversation is blunt about the shifting threat landscape: AI has overtaken ransomware as the top emerging risk, and no single tool can fix it. What organisations need is visibility at every layer – from endpoints and cloud to people.
Equally compelling is Arctic Wolf’s commitment to channel-first partnerships in South Africa, ensuring trusted local expertise underpins global innovation.
From the acquisition of Cylance Endpoint to the launch of Incident Response 360, the company is pushing to redefine what operationalised security means. But the biggest takeaway is simple: cyberattacks are no longer an “if” but a “when” – and every organisation needs a plan.
Watch or listen to the full discussion to explore why Arctic Wolf believes security must move beyond tools to become a living, breathing business function – and how leaders can finally start sleeping better at night. TechCentral
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TCS | The story behind Nedbank’s R1.65-billion iKhokha deal
Nedbank announced last week that it was acquiring Durban-based fintech iKhokha in a R1.65-billion deal that could signal the start of further consolidation in the payments industry in South Africa.
Nedbank described the deal as a “significant milestone” in its strategy to target small and medium enterprises.
iKhokha co-founder and CEO Matt Putman is TechCentral’s guest in this episode of the TechCentral Show. He unpacks the deal with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod, explaining how it came about and what it means for the company’s further growth.
Founded in Durban in 2012, iKhokha provides mobile point-of-sale solutions to SMEs. Its products include card machines and a mobile app that allows merchants to accept card payments, with added business management tools.
It was founded by Putman, Ramsay Daly and Putman’s father Clive.
Putman tells the TechCentral Show about:
• How the deal with Nedbank happened;
• The origins of iKhokha and its growth over the past 13 years, leading to the sale to Nedbank – a deal that is still subject to regulatory approval;
• How iKhokha will work with Nedbank (it will remain an independent brand within the banking group), including a possible expansion into new markets in Africa; and
• The exit of iKhokha’s backers, including Crossfin Technology Holdings, Apis Partners and the International Finance Corporation.
Don’t miss a great discussion! TechCentral
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TCS+ | Kinetic Skunk: fintechs risk cloud bill shock without proper planning
Fintechs choose cloud technologies in the hopes that the efficiency and scalability of cloud computing will give them a competitive advantage. But cloud adoption is no silver bullet. If done incorrectly, a migration to the cloud can cause costs to balloon instead of decreasing them, leading to frustration and even lost revenue.
Kinetic Skunk is an Amazon Web Services-certified partner offering cloud solutions with a specialisation in fintech start-ups. In this episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, Donovan Mulder, CEO at Kinetic Skunk, explains the ins and outs of cloud adoption for fintech companies.
Mulder delves into:
• The importance of timing when it comes to cloud adoption and when the best time is to plan for a migration into the cloud.
• Common errors fintechs that have already migrated to the cloud make that can cause costs to balloon out of control.
• Why developers are often not the right people to handle cloud infrastructure architecting and provisioning (hint: it’s a completely different skill set).
• How gaps in cloud infrastructure architecture can lead to security holes.
• The cost optimisation tools available in the AWS cloud environment.
• How tools such as the AWS well-architected framework help fintech’s comply with regulations such as Popia and Fica.
• Advice for South African fintechs before their next cloud bill arrives.
Don’t miss the discussion! TechCentral
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TCS | Alan Knott-Craig unveils Fibertime’s big bet on township fibre
Alan Knott-Craig’s new fibre internet business has been flying below the radar for some time now, but the serial telecommunications entrepreneur has finally unpacked his plans for the business.
Speaking to the TechCentral Show this week, Knott-Craig – who has led a range of well-known tech businesses, including Mxit, World of Avatar, Project Isizwe and iBurst – talks about why he believes there’s money to be made in wiring up townships with fibre and how Fibertime (stylised as “fibertime”) hopes to reach millions of data-poor South Africans who, until now, have had to rely on expensive mobile data for connectivity.
In the interview, with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod, Knott-Craig also chats about:
• What’s been involved in building Fibertime;
• The Fibertime business model and the economics of township fibre;
• The network’s footprint and where the company plans to build next (it is currently deploying infrastructure in Alexandra in Johannesburg);
• Why fibre beats wireless for township internet services;
• The difficulties of working in township settings, including the threat posed by crime;
• Plans to list the business, possibly in 2027; and
• The recently approved Vodacom/Maziv deal, and what that means for the telecoms sector.
Don’t miss a fascinating interview! TechCentral
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TCS | Pick n Pay’s Enrico Ferigolli on building asap! and taking on Shoprite
Although Shoprite Group stole a march on many of South Africa’s retailers in on-demand online grocery delivery during the Covid-19 lockdowns, Pick n Pay has a clear plan to make up lost ground and compete aggressively for market share.
Enrico Ferigolli, who co-founded the liquor delivery app Bottles – which was later acquired by Pick n Pay to form the basis of its online shopping push with asap! – joins the TechCentral Show to unpack the journey Pick n Pay is on, and how the e-commerce market is likely to develop in the coming years.
Ferigolli tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about:
* Why and how technology has become fundamental to modern retail;
* The launch of Bottles and what led to the Pick n Pay acquisition;
* The dynamics of on-demand delivery and what it takes to be a successful player;
* How Pick n Pay is working to convince people to try asap! for their grocery needs;
* The role of AI (and AI agents) in future omnichannel retail environments;
How online shopping is likely to change the way Pick n Pay designs its physical stores;
* Pick n Pay’s relationship with Takealot Group, and where that alliance is headed;
* Pick n Pay’s plans to expand into townships and other underserved markets with on-demand deliveries; and
* The threat posed by international e-commerce companies that don’t have a presence in South Africa but which ship goods to local consumers.
It’s a great interview about the future of e-commerce in South Africa – be sure not to miss it! TechCentral
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