ITA News Online
Edition Three 2009


INDEX
1. NOTES FROM THE PRESIDENT: ADAM RABIE
2. ITA MEMBER COMPANY NEWS
3. BEE WATCH
4. JCSE REPORT
5. ICT FUNNIES
6 NEWS HOUND
7. WITSA NEWS
8. EVENTS

Our tendency is to think TOO MUCH and to paralyze ourselves with our ruminations. We have a choice: Realize what we're doing to ourselves, get up, find a distraction, and do something interesting (positive).

NOTES FROM THE ITA PRESIDENT: ADAM RABIE

There has been a lot of media coverage recently regarding the growing skills shortage crisis in South Africa.

As recent as last week, the Hon. Deputy Minister, Roy Padayachie at the Department of Communications slammed the South African ICT sector for their apathy with regard to the world economic crisis and as a ripple effect it will have on the ICT Skills deficit in the country.

He emphasized that other sectors have been proactive such as the automotive industry, successfully lobbying government about their needs, and that the ICT sector needs to make its presence felt

ITA has heeded to this call and in a bid to address the economic and skills crisis, ITA in partnership with JCSE and IT Web as a media partner are hosting a Skills Summit on the 19th May at Bytes Technology Group in Midrand.

The aim of this summit is to get all the stakeholders around the table to:

  • Get an understanding of how the world economic crisis will affect the local IT markets.
  • To get an understanding of what the skills crisis is, or are IT practitioners filling the gaps through learning initiatives?
  • To define and identify where the skills shortage is (specific areas) – building a skills capacity for the future especially in light of potential job losses and the drying up of foreign investment in South Africa.
  • Explore the mismatch between what learners are being taught in academic institutes and what the real life requirements of business are.
  • To commit to develop a strategy as a united ICT sector, that will minimize potential job losses and build skills capacity.
  • JCSE and IT Web will launch the 2009 Skills survey.

Skills development is the key to promote employability and economic growth.

I hope to see you all there?

ITA will be moving offices as of the 01 May 2009. We invite all of you to attend our AGM and roof wetting on the 07th of May. Invitations will be sent out by the secretariat.

Adam Rabie
ITA President
 
ITA Member Company news
 
Microsoft launches Internet Explorer 8
Perceptions & Facts

Faster

How we talk about it
"Fast" in the world of browsing isn't all about artificial laboratory micro-benchmarks. Real people measure speed in browsing by how quickly they can get done what they are trying to do--compare products, look up an address, locate a site they had visited a few hours or a few days ago. Internet Explorer 8 offers significant advantages in this kind of real-world speed. Based on the anonymous, opt-in telemetry of more than 50 million users, Microsoft was able to see how people are really using the web, and to build IE8 to respond to these real-world needs, to take "fast" out of the laboratory and into real life.

IE8 brings significant improvements in efficiency in rendering and page/tab load that are measurable in lab settings.

Facts you can use
1.   In side-by-side measures of speed in opening the top 25 websites worldwide, IE8 was as fast or faster than Firefox and Chrome.
2.   For all the talk about performance though users won't be able to tell a difference. In these same side-by-side measures, it takes ultra-slow motion camera captures to show the speed difference between IE8 and FF and Google Chrome. Once again, focus on speed conversation on how IE8 helps users get things done quicker on the web.
3. You hear a lot about measurements and tests like SunSpider. IE8 is faster than IE7 by 80% in those common micro-benchmarks. It is also important to remember that these tests are essentially measures of DOM and JScript, which account for less than 9% of CPU cycles when analyzed against the top sites worldwide. While IE8 may not win in those micro-benchmarks against Chrome or Firefox, it is important to put "speed" in the context of how quickly people can get things done in the real world.
4. So let's talk about the real world. IE8 reduces the amount of time that it takes real people to accomplish everyday tasks on the web: For example, in an non-IE8 browser—Firefox or IE7-- just count the typical number of steps a user would take to map an address: 1) Highlight the address, 2) right-click to copy the address, 3) Click to open a new tab or window, 3) Type in site address of a mapping service 4) click enter to load the map service, 5) click the field to enter the address, 6) right-click to paste the address into the field, 6) click enter, 7) wait for the map to display results: 7 steps in all!
Now with IE8 and the built in Live Maps accelerator, you simply 1) highlight the address, 2) click on the accelerator icon, and 3) select the Map with Live Maps option and you instantly see the preview of the location, without ever leaving the page or site you're on.

Easier

How we talk about it
Internet Explorer 8 was built to be the best browser for the way people really use the web. By blurring the lines between services and the browser, and by making everyday tasks simpler, IE8 is able to deliver a browsing experience that is both richer and much easier.

Facts you can use

  • Smart Address Bar - Internet Explorer 8 helps you find where you want to go as you type the address of your desired website. By using Windows Search for faster performance and a richer return of information, the Smart Address Bar offers useful suggestions from your browsing history, favorites, and feeds. Type single words into the Smart Address Bar, and they will be matched to simple domain names, making web surfing fast and efficient.
  • Visual Search Suggestions - Search smarter with detailed suggestions from your favorite search providers and browsing history. Let the Instant Search Box do the thinking for you as instantaneous image and text suggestions appear as you type. Visual search is included out of the box with IE8. You don't have to find an add-on to make this experience possible.
  • Web Slices - Add a Web Slice and you won't have to go back to the same website again and again for updates on news, stock quotes, online auctions, weather, or even sports scores—now those updates will come to you. The new Web Slice feature provides up-to-the-minute information on the sites (it will alert you of new content by changing color or going bold) you care about most in one convenient place on the new Favorites bar.
  • Accelerators - View driving directions, translate words, email your discoveries on the web to others, and more in just a few mouse clicks. Complete your everyday browsing activities more quickly with the new Accelerator feature. Accelerators are a feature included out of the box in IE8. Firefox add-ons may make similar functions available, but wouldn't you rather focus your time on finding the content that is unique to your browsing experience, rather than the feature itself?
  • Tab Grouping - Tab Grouping makes it easier to stay organized while browsing multiple webpages. Tabs that are related now have the same visual representation and you can save time by closing a set of related tabs as a group instead of one at a time. You also can right-click on a tab to close tab groups, ungroup a single tab, or clone a tab.

More Secure (including better Privacy and Reliability)

How we talk about it

"Security" and "privacy" are key concerns for everyone as they use the web. Consumers want to know that they are in control of their personal information, that they are safe from browser and web server exploits, deceptive website, malicious code, and threats of online fraud and identity theft. IE8 is offers the safest online experience--period. It's also more reliable, which many of our customers equate with safety and security. Recent research shows the security and reliability are of particular importance to general internet end users, so be sure to highlight this.

2.   Security by the numbers-- Internet Explorer had the fewest days of risk in 2008.

  • FF2 averaged 6.75 patches per month, FF3 8.5 patches per month, and IE7 only 1.42 patches per month.
  • The vulnerability in IE that required patching in December of 2008 was a severe one, and Microsoft worked around the clock from the time the flaw was discovered to release an out of cycle update for all supported versions of Internet Explorer--Firefox has an extremely limited support policy so in many cases there is no patch, there is only "update to the latest version." That's hardly a story that enterprises can handle when updating a browser without the support of automation, manageability, and Group Policy.

3.   Exploits are changing, and there is significant threat innovation. "Days of risk" doesn't begin to tell the story of security--"ways of risk" is more accurate. Blended attacks, social engineering attacks, and now "shotgun" attacks don't discriminate between browsers. IE8 offers built-in protection that addresses:
· Social Engineering and Malware

  • Microsoft protected over 10M users from downloading malware during the IE8 beta period. That's a malware block for 1 in 40 users every week.
  • At least one in every 200 downloads is malware that we are protecting users from in IE8 with smartscreen (this protection is not there in IE6 or IE7)
  • Domain highlighting helps people clearly see what site they are really on
  • They continue to block millions of phishing site views every month, however, the scale of the malware threat is currently significantly larger than phishing. We are blocking 10 times more attempts to install malware as we are attempts to phish our users every day. IE8 users are at least 10 times more protected than previous versions of IE.
  • Research has shown that Internet Explorer 8 has better protection from socially engineered malware attacks than other browsers on the market today
Privacy
  • Enhanced Delete Browsing History protects privacy
  • InPrivate Browsing offer unparalleled "over the shoulder" privacy protection by letting the user control the data that is retained by the browser
  • InPrivate Filtering protects privacy by preventing information about the web sites users are visiting from automatically being shared with other sites.
  • Users have more choice and more control over their privacy in IE8 than in any other browser

Browser vulnerabilities

  • Per-site and per-user ActiveX controls keep ActiveX controls behaving as developers originally intended
  • Data Execution Prevention (DEP/NX)
  • Safer defaults (DEP/NX on by default, per-site AX, XSS Filter on-by-default) mean that users are better-protected by default.  Group Policy controls (ActiveX management, enforced SmartScreen blocking, etc) allow IT admins to reduce the number of trust decisions users face when using IE8.

Web Server and Applications

  • Cross Site Scripting filter neutralizes XSS exploits and blocks the malicious script from executing. Cross Site Scripting attacks are a growing threat on the internet. Today, the most common attempted attack on Microsoft properties is now a Cross Site Scripting Type-1 Reflection attack.
  • ClickJacking protection--only IE8 offers this
  • IE8 introduces new functions which allow sites to build more-secure mashups (ToStaticHTML(), XDomainRequest) and supports new standards-based mechanisms (Native JSON support, postMessage()).

4.   Reliability--with the amount of time that consumers and information workers alike spend in the browser, they expect nothing less than absolute reliability. But the web is always changing; site aren't static and may introduce new challenges tomorrow that weren't there today. Internet Explorer 8 has many new features that make Internet Explorer 8 the most reliable version of Internet Explorer to date.

  • In Internet Explorer 8, if a tab crashes, the whole browser session doesn't crash--tab isolation means that you won't lose your place on the internet
  • Even if a tab does crash, it is automatically reloaded by Internet Explorer 8
  • One of the most frequent causes of crashes in Internet Explorer are toolbars, plug-ins and add-ons. In Internet Explorer 8 it is easier to close unwanted toolbars and add-ons and see which are performing poorly and driving instability

Standards

How we talk about it

Independent standards bodies such as the W3C publish specifications for technologies like HTML and CSS that are designed to foster interoperability between web browsers. Microsoft participates in the deliberations of these organizations and is fully committed to supporting key web standards. IE8 offers a dramatic improvement in our support for these standards over earlier versions of Internet Explorer, making IE roughly as “standards-compliant” as any of its competitors. That said, there is some looseness in some of the key web standards. It's possible for two browsers that both comply with the written specifications to render a page differently. Moreover, the standards are constantly evolving—with Cascading Style Sheets, for instance, the current specification targeted by IE and many of the other major browsers (CSS 2.1) is still just a recommendation (not yet a ratified standard) and subject to further modification. Generally, it takes many years for a specification to move from concept to recommendation to official ratification. 

For these reasons and others, there's no good way to measure standards compliance. Standards advocates have developed tests like ACID that give some measure of a site's compliance but everyone agrees that the tests don't tell the whole story and many of them showcase particularly tricky conditions that wouldn't be encountered in the “real world” of web development.

Facts you can use

1.  Microsoft released more than 3700 test cases to the W3C in an unprecedented effort to help other browser vendors test their standards-compliance and insure interoperability. We believe this rigorous approach of testing many different dimensions of compliance is far superior to simplistic tests that don't reflect real world conditions.
2.   IE8 passes the popular ACID2 test for standards-compliance. The ACID3 test is somewhat controversial; many developers question its relevance, including Mike Shaver, Mozilla's head of engineering. As of February 2008, no release-quality browser passes ACID3. Note: As a result of IE8's move towards “standards compliance”, you may encounter rendering issues with your customers' sites. Please refer to this latest field bulleting for details and guidance on compatibility efforts: http://arsenalcontent/ContentDetail.aspx?ContentID=137859

Focus on Developers

How we talk about it

Developer support and tools in IE8 “out of the box” is unparalleled by other modern browsers.  As IE8 moves towards standard compatibility, it is now easier and cheaper for developers to build sites that run across multiple browsers and operating system.  At the same time, IE8 provides meta-tag options that support backwards compatibility and interoperability, developers can rest assured that all their existing work will continue to work as it should.  Moreover, IE is the only modern browser that comes with extensive developer tools built right in, including visual layout and CSS support, script debuggers, script performance profiler, browser and document type rendering options, and much more.   In addition, new features such as web slices and accelerators in IE8 give developers new ways to reach and maintain contact with their customers like never before.

Facts you can use

  • Because the Developer Tools in IE8 are an integral component of the browser, performance is improved and no memory is used when the tools are not running. Developers can use the Developer Tools to edit and debug CSS and HTML, test and debug script, profile script performance, view or change the document object model (DOM), examine applied rules, and trace the origin of style values—all within a rich, visual environment that exposes the browser's internal representation of a Web page as it runs, instead of just its source code.  This eliminate the need to use multiple applications to tweak source code in one program, save it, publish it and then refresh the browser to view the results – saving developer time and headaches.
  • For developers, they can better personalize the browser experience for users returning what is important, meaningful and relevant to them through IE8's Web Slices, which enables rich, real-time integration of the online services and active content all without navigating away from the current page.   Additionally, developers can also expand their ability to create on-going connections to end-users by regularly updating the Web Slice content. 
  • Through Accelerators, developers can also now deliver 'out-of-the-box' access to their online services, no matter where the end user is on the web, without making any changes to their own site content.  This feature in IE8 provides a significant advantage to developers marketing their services to end-users while providing better convenience and browsing experience for the end-user.
  • Developers who choose to create add-ons to IE now have a marketing vehicle by which to show it off to the world at http://ieaddons.com - enabling a vibrant ecosystem gives partners and developers added exposure. Web Slices and Accelerators not only offer a terrific experience for end users, they also unlock business value for web sites. They can be used to make content and services more "sticky" and to drive traffic back to the home site.

Real Control for Enterprises and IT Professionals

How we talk about it

Internet Explorer 8 continues its strong track record of supporting enterprise deployment and manageability like no other browser. As the browser becomes the primary access point for your users to reach the outside world and the internal LOB applications, its security, manageability and control is mission-critical to the overall corporate technology infrastructure. To meet this need, Internet Explorer 8 provides the features, toolkits and robust security features that make it faster, easier, and more secure for IT pros to configure, deploy, and manage the browser as part of their corporate environment.

Facts you can use

  • With the enhanced version of the Internet Explorer Administration Kit, it's now easier than ever to configure a standard install and deployment package of Internet Explorer 8. With support of over 1300 group policies, IT professionals can drive desktop standardization and ensure the browser is an integral part of the corporate infrastructure without compromising control.
  • Internet Explorer Blocker Toolkit and automatic rendering of intranet and LOB applications in IE7 mode gives enterprises and IT professionals the control to deploy IE8 in the manner and timing that works with their environment.
  • Built with security in mind, Internet Explorer 8 has built-in anti-phishing and anti-malware features – to help minimize the malicious and social engineering attacks coming from unknown external sites thereby helping you secure your corporate infrastructure and protect your users.

  

ITA Member - Prosol launches new Intelligent Integration website


Intelligent Integration means having the ability to leverage your existing infrastructure, integrate it with new market challenges and technologies whilst further aligning IT with your business's goals.

Pro Solutions are proud to announce the launch of the new i-Con website which has its new home at www.i- deal.co.za. The website was created to recognise i-Con and its strengths in the integration market. The resources on the website boast new brochures and white papers that are now available to the public as well as insight to some of the Professional and Value services that i-Con offers. The i-News section gives the viewers direct access to information about the sectors in which i-Con plays an important role.

As much as system integration can be very complex, we wanted a website that would be a contrast to this, something clean and simple” says Juan Paul Araujo, Business Unit Manager at Pro Solutions, and we know that our visitors will see this in our first phase of the website. The slogan 'Intelligent Integration' has truly encapsulated what i-Con is capable of and many of our clients will agree.

Grant Hart, Technical Director at Pro Solutions, adds, “The website offers a distinguished look that accompanies easy navigation, information that is simple to read and understandable to its users.

i-Deal is the name used for the website, which is the title of the division at Prosol. i-Deal encompasses all integration products and i-Con is spearheading this innovative movement.

New features on the website include:

  • i-Products
  • i-Products
  • i-Products
  • i-News
  • i-Partners

Since 1986, Pro Solutions has been a leading custom software development company delivering world-class outsourcing services for both local and international companies. This coupled with profound technical skills and extensive hands-on experience to meet the toughest challenges that our clients face, help them compete successfully in the dynamically changing IT marketplace and achieve the maximum return on investment. When you choose Pro Solutions, you have the freedom to focus on your core business while a dedicated team of qualified experts is committed to deliver a turn-key solution taking on all and every aspect of your IT needs, starting with strategy consulting and concept development, design and architecture, continuing to deployment, training, maintenance and future enhancement.

Our business philosophy is to provide you with high quality personal involvement in everything we do.

Look out for the second phase due to launch in the second quarter of this year. i-Con is Intelligent Integration – proudly presented by Pro Solutions

For more information: www.i-deal.co.za, info@i- deal.co.za

ICT CRIME WATCH

 
Anthony Fitzhenry, CEO of IT infrastructure distributor Axiz, has started an initiative on Facebook called ICT Crime Watch to gather information on any and all ICT crime incidents following an armed robbery at Axiz in February.

He appeals to ICT industry players such as vendors, resellers, distributors and end-users to log all ICT crimes from hijackings and warehouse thefts to office thefts. By logging all such incidents the ICT industry can take action through the relevant authorities to help track stolen items through serial numbers. These incidents are costing the industry literally hundreds of millions of rands annually.

"After the armed robbery at our premises, we started gathering intelligence both internally and externally and that is when we heard that almost every company in the industry has experienced some form of crime ranging from truck hijackings to warehouse robberies," says Fitzhenry. "We realised that it is an industry problem that we, as people that sell ICT face a major threat and that our customers face a major threat.

But the industry itself was not getting together to address this problem at an industry level, doing things like tracking serial numbers and scanning IP addresses as stolen machines hit the Internet," he says. The industry needs to take a consolidated approach and utilizing the internet and technology enables it to formulate a speedy, coordinated and appropriate response.

"It is the first repository for information around ICT crime and we have put a forensic team together behind it - we are building support around it," he says. "We want to make it an industry-driven initiative with a view to not only lobby law and order and government, but also to support and help law and order agencies to clear some of these cases."

BEE WATCH

We can do BEE better: Zuma  

Source: SouthAfrica.info

South Africa needs to review the way in which black economic empowerment (BEE) is put into effect, says African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma.

Addressing the Confederation of Black Business Organisations in Johannesburg mid March, Zuma said that while affirmative action and BEE had substantially increased the country's black middle class, "we are not convinced that it has succeeded in addressing the structural economic and social inequalities in our society".

Zuma was accompanied by ANC treasurer-general Mathews Phosa and ANC head of policy Jeff Hadebe.

ANC NEC member Tony Yengeni was also at the event, along with the presidents of black professional organisations such as the Black Lawyers Association.

The ANC had long been saying that BEE should benefit broader sections of society, Zuma said.

"When we talk about a review of BEE, such a review should concern itself about how effective we are in applying this policy, how we can strengthen it so that it can better deliver for our the majority and thus become broad-based."

Zuma said putting into effect the policy, which was meant to restore imbalances from apartheid, was always a "challenge" with "many obstacles".

However, he reiterated the ANC's commitment to affirmative action as a policy, saying it was "unthinkable" for the ANC to abandon it. "We wish to emphasise that the ANC is committed to ensuring the continued implementation of our affirmative action as well as the BEE programmes," he said.

The ruling party's presidential pick said "more and better communication" about the elements of BEE was needed, and "bottlenecks" in the policy's implementation had to be identified.

"We need to identify where the current bottlenecks are in implementation, and implement BEE in such a manner that it becomes genuinely broad-based and promotes the ownership and control of productive assets by black people, women and youth."

Harmonising government procurement policies to ensure that they complied with the BEE Act and the codes of good practice was a priority, he said, adding that the ANC government should not issue tenders to companies who did not "qualify and comply with BEE codes of good practice".

"It is not acceptable that government officials who are empowered to deal with such matters only concern themselves with price only at the expense of equity," he said.

It was necessary to beef up communication between black business and government to "resolve issues" where government departments slipped up.

Zuma was aware that government had failed to pay small and medium enterprises (SMMEs) timeously, resulting in their demise.

"It is unacceptable for our government to be seen to be contributing to the demise of black businesses through not timeously paying for services rendered. This has to stop," he said.

The ANC government intended beefing up its oversight capabilities through a planning commission in the Presidency for it to intervene when the implementation of policies were "frustrated by government departments".

Zuma called on black professionals to return to the public service to help improve the lives of the people, telling them they could "make money in the private sector later".

"National service also includes being part of the public discourse on transformation issues," he said.

The Confederation of Black Business Organisations comprises over eight black business and professional organisations.

JCSE REPORT

The Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE) is a three way partnership between government, academia and industry. Based at Wits University, the JCSE is multifaceted with various programmes and facilities positioning it as a focal point of a software development industry for South Africa and the rest of the continent.      

The JCSE strongly supports the City's “Joburg 2030 Vision”, which sees Johannesburg becoming a World Class city with service delivery and efficiencies that meet global best practice. It supports this goal by promoting best practice in software development within an African context; growing the country's capacity to deliver world class software; and developing research and training initiatives to strengthen the local software development industry.

This is done practically by offering various courses to industry, hosting laboratories, housing start-up companies in its pre-incubator, hosting the Gauteng SPIN (Software Process Improvement Network) and Extreme Programming (XP) forum meetings, conducting research and promoting the adoption of the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI®) process improvement model in South Africa.

JCSE goals:  

  • Improving processes: Promoting international best practice in Software Engineering within an African context.
  • Promoting investment: Establishing a business friendly environment that attracts investment in the local ICT industry.
  • Supporting transformation: Aligning with the objectives of the ICT Charter, to create new leaders and to encourage the growth of SMME's in the sector.
  • Encouraging innovation: Applied research, technology incubation and IP development.
  • Building capacity and skills: Educating experts to lead Africa's software development sector.

To keep in touch with the JCSE please register for our e-newsletter by sending an e-mail to marketing@jcse.org.za What's new:

Professional Certificate in CIO Practice (June - October 2009)
Presented by The Graduate School of Public and Development Management

In conjunction with:

  • The Joburg Centre for Software Engineering
  • The School of Economics and Business Sciences (Information Systems)
  • The LINK Centre
PROGRAMME SUMMARY
The Professional Certificate in CIO Practice programme content is described within this brochure. The programme will consist of four one-week fulltime sessions. Each fulltime week will cover two course modules. Each module will have an individual take-home examination and a syndicate assignment. Feedback on the prior fulltime week's modules will be also be covered in each subsequent fulltime session. The programme will run over approximately sixteen weeks, and during the periods between fulltime sessions, the syndicates will be encouraged to meet regularly at a venue of each syndicate's own choice. Note that in order to earn a Certificate of Competence for the programme, students must have passed all course modules.

COURSE STRUCTURE
The Professional Certificate in CIO Practice With the rapid growth of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), organisations in both the government and private sectors are faced with a range of new and difficult challenges. These include on-going business re-engineering, issues around security and risk management, the growth of the Internet and its effects on the supply chain and work organisation, an increasingly mobile work force, and many more. At the same time the rapid availability of detailed and accurate information is growing in importance. To manage these challenges many organisations are appointing people at the senior executive level. Often called the "Chief Information Officer" (CIO), these people carry enormous responsibility in this new knowledge-based economy.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
The CIO should be a person with a combination of strong technical, business and leadership skills. This Multi-disciplinary Certificate in CIO Practice is aimed at people aspiring to fill the CIO role, and covers a mix of topics dealing with issues relating to technology, strategic (C-level) management, business and human capital management processes and ICT policy in regulation. The focus is to provide an integrated overview of issues and trends in all of these areas.

COURSE CONTENT
The CIO Development programme has the following modules presented by academics and speakers who are currently practising CIOs.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Senior/Middle-level managers from either the ICT, or a business operations area of an organisation, who see their career path lead towards a CIO or equivalent senior position.

PREREQUISITES
Students eligible to enrol should possess a Graduate qualification with honours; or suitable equivalent. However those wishing to enrol, but do not have a relevant qualification, will be considered on the basis of that person's IT management experience.

COURSE WORK/CLASS SCHEDULE

Lectures will be held in Four Blocks of approximately one week each
Block 1 June 2009
Block 2 July 2009
Block 3 August / September 2009
Block 4 September / October 2009
Modules 1-5 consist of lectures, a take home exam and a group assignment. Module 6 requires the submission of a syndicate Group Case Study.

CERTIFICATION
Successful completion of the course will ensure you are equipped with:

  • Tools and theory on the role of a CIO, balanced with relevant case studies
  • Useful insights derived from exposure to currently practising CIOs
  • Knowledge of helpful sources of information on all aspects of a CIO's role and responsibilities.
  • An extensive network of contacts and relationships with like-minded peers and resource providers

COST
The fee of R30,000 includes tuition, a copy of prescribed text book "Managing Information Technology", a study guide and instruction material, lunches and refreshments during the 'Block Release Weeks' of the course. Please make cheques payable to University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.

For more information:
Contact Prof Rex van Olst
011-717-7220
Rex.Vanolst@Wits.ac.za

To request more information, please email: info@jcse.org.za

ICT FUNNIES

 
VISIT OUR WEB SITE

www.ita.org.za 

CONTACT US

As a valued member of the ITA, your input is appreciated. Please send us your comments and suggestions.

 

Send an e-mail to the Secretariat
info@ita.org.za 		 Gabrielle Erasmus
gabi@ita.org.za 

Proudly South African is an exciting campaign to promote South African companies, products and services which are helping to create jobs and economic growth in our country

  • When choosing products and services bearing the Proudly South African logo, you have an assurance of quality. You also make a meaningful and personal contribution to building South Africa's economy and alleviating unemployment, as well as keep jobs and money in the country. Indirectly you are fighting against poverty, crime and disease, and helping the country
  • Being a member of the Proudly South African campaign also brings important benefits that boost your marketing efforts, promote your products and services in the market place, present new business opportunities, keep you in touch with other members and provide support with procurement and tendering.
  • ITA is a Proudly South African Association.
 

The World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) is a consortium of over 60 information technology (IT) industry associations from economies around the world. ITA is the South African representative. WITSA members represent over 90 percent of the world IT market. As the global voice of the IT industry, WITSA is dedicated to:

  • advocating policies that advance the industry's growth and development;
  • facilitating international trade and investment in IT products and services;
  • strengthening WITSA's national industry associations through the sharing of knowledge,
  • experience, and critical information;
  • providing members with a vast network of contacts in nearly every geographic region of the world;
  • hosting the World Congress on IT, the premier industry sponsored global IT event;
  • hosting the Global Public Policy Conference; and

Founded in 1978 and originally known as the World Computing Services Industry Association, WITSA has increasingly assumed an active advocacy role in international public policy issues affecting the creation of a robust global information infrastructure, including:

  • increasing competition through open markets and regulatory reform;
  • protecting intellectual property;
  • encouraging cross-industry and government cooperation to enhance information security;
  • bridging the education and skills gap
  • reducing tariff and non-tariff trade barriers to IT goods and services; and
  • safeguarding the viability and continued growth of the Internet and electronic commerce.

WITSA has a real impact on the global IT environment. It strengthens the industry at large by promoting a level playing field and by voicing the concerns of the international IT community in multilateral organizations, including the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the G-8 and other international fora where policies affecting industry interests are developed

News Hound

Company bailouts unwise: Manuel

http://www.southafrica.info/news/business/485203.htm

Company bailouts are unnecessary and unwise, South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel said in an opinion piece in the Business Day newspaper.

"Bail-outs and subsidies impose real costs on taxpayers, either directly through increased taxes or indirectly through the risks and costs of future public sector or state enterprise debt, and higher consumer prices," Manuel said.

South Africa had a vast majority of companies adjusting to the global economic downturn without special government assistance ... and then it had a minority of firms asking loudly for help.

Most of these companies, Manuel said, "already benefit from major special public assistance in the form of tariff protection, tax incentives, delayed implementation of royalties, subsidised electricity and other industrial support measures."

He said that increasing the dependence of some sectors on subsidies was certainly not fair, and neither was it helpful in improving South Africa's long-term development prospects.

"We should not have a two-class private sector, with the majority of firms and workers using their efforts and entrepreneurial skills to improve their competitiveness in the market, while others rely primarily on lobbying efforts to increase their private profits at public expense."

He said the goal in providing assistance to firms, whether short-term or long-term, should be to improve the long-run competitiveness of South Africa's economy.

"This is how we can ensure the growth that is necessary to meet our economic aspirations."

Manuel said there was a critical role for the state in supporting South Africa's economic development and its adjustment to economic shocks and stresses.

"But doing so by singling out select firms for special support creates the wrong kinds of signals about how to improve competitiveness, and in the process undermines our capacity to provide broader countercyclical fiscal support to the economy as a whole."

Sapa

Sars scraps stamp duty

http://www.southafrica.info/business/economy/policies/sars-020409.htm


The South African Revenue Service (Sars) has abolished the Stamp Duty Act (77 of 1968) with effect from midnight on 31 March 2009. The abolition forms part of ongoing efforts to reduce the administrative burden on taxpayers and simplify South Africa's tax system. "The scrapping of the Act follows the whittling down of the scope of stamp duties over the past few years until only property leases of over five years required stamp duties to be paid," Sars said in a statement this week. "This is now done away with from 1 April 2009."

Outstanding duties

The scrapping of the Act is not retrospective, however, and taxpayers remain liable for stamp duties due up to 31 march 2009, and any outstanding stamp duties must still be paid. "Adhesive revenue stamps will only be demonetorised from 1 November 2009, to allow time for other government departments which utilise these to introduce alternative measures," Sars said. "After that date they may not be used for any purpose."

Claiming refunds

Holders of existing stocks of revenue stamps have until 31 October 2010 to claim a refund for the stamps from their nearest Sars branch. Revenue franking machines will also be finally scrapped on 1 November 2009, and any value remaining on these machines can be refunded at any Sars branch until 31 October 2010. Procedures for the claiming of refunds were published on 27 March 2009 in the Government Gazette.

SAinfo reporter

Public investment 'sustaining growth'

Michael Appel

http://www.southafrica.info/business/economy/growth-110309.htm11 March 2009

A high level of public investment in South Africa's infrastructure has helped sustain the country's economy in the midst of the global economic recession. Speaking in Pretoria this week, Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa said that while South Africa's economic growth between 2004 and 2007 was initially driven by high commodity prices and increased consumer spending, the global recession had seen both commodity prices and consumer demand fall.

The government's decision to invest in infrastructure on a grand scale was now driving investment and sustaining the country's economy, Mpahlwa said.

Finance Minster Trevor Manuel said in his Budget speech in February that the government would spend an estimated R787-billion on public infrastructure over the next three years. This investment would not only boost the economy in the short, medium and long term, but also provide hundreds of thousands of people with employment during a period of expected economic hardship. "The emergence of the global economic crisis has begun to impact on the real economy, which does pose challenges for the government's economic plan of action," Mpahlwa said. "However, the crisis does re-emphasise the need to continue implementing interventions identified, as these address the long-term structural constraints to the economy and seek to promote a fast-growing, dynamic and resilient economy."

Infrastructure investment

The work of the capital expenditure programme was vital in driving industrial development in the economy, Mpahlwa said, with undertakings such as Eskom's build programme spurring mass investment. Eskom's R150-billion investment in electricity infrastructure for the five years leading to 2011/12 has begun, he added, with the return to service of power stations Camden, Grootvlei and Komati. And in January, the Cabinet approved the broad policy framework that will guide the country's Water for Growth and Development initiative, aimed at ensuring a safe, secure supply of water. "Progress has also been made in the construction and maintenance of water infrastructure, as well as gaining a better understanding of the water challenges that face us," he said. South Africa has also been investing heavily in its infrastructure in the lead-up to the 2010 Fifa World Cup, with billions being spent on transport infrastructure, stadiums and surrounding areas.

Source: BuaNews

'No black-outs this winter'

http://www.southafrica.info/news/business/520024.htm

The global economic slowdown, coupled with South Africans' commitment to conserving energy, has saved the country 645 megawatts in the past year, the Energy Advisory Committee announced.

"There is evidence that demand went down by eight percent due to the economic slowdown, particularly in the manufacturing sector," said committee member Nelly Magubane, following a meeting with President Kgalema Motlanthe at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

This was good news for South Africans as they would not experience the same power failures this winter as they did last year. "Most of the equipment... has now been taken for repairs to ensure that come winter, we do not experience power shortages," Magubane said.

However, the committee warned that it would be unwise to start wasting energy on the basis of what has been saved. "We are not in any way suggesting that the public should now be reckless because we have saved... We have not arrived.

"The saving that came about because of the slowdown cannot be celebrated," said Herbert Mkhize, a committee member representing the National Economic Development and Labour Council.

Some of the slowdown in demand could be attributed to the public's use of compact fluorescent light, as well as businesses using less electricity by cutting down on air conditioning and heating, Magubane added.

Sapa

Possible TV channel for 2010 WC

http://www.southafrica.info/about/media/sabc-140409.htm

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) says it has acquired the sophisticated infrastructure needed to bring the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup and the subsequent 2010 Fifa World Cup to billions of fans worldwide.

The SABC is the official broadcast partner to both tournaments.

Acting SABC CEO Gab Mampone told the media last week that the national broadcaster was ready to broadcast the 16 Confederations Cup and 64 World Cup matches live. "We've got our broadcasting strategy that will help us to modernise and enhance our infrastructure and I can readily say that we are ready for that and I can assure you that all the games will be live.

"We are getting two digital outside broadcasting vans they are arriving next month from Germany so that people who are outside the country they will be having a digital signal that will ensure that they receive a Direct-to-Home content during these games starting with the Confederations Cup," he said.

2010 TV

Mampone said the SABC was also in discussions with the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) on the probability of an additional channel for the 2010 World Cup programming.

"We are actually involved with Icasa to probably get a channel geared only for the 2010 through an interim license," he said. Mampone said two additional outside broadcasting vans would be delivered in 2010 for the world cup. "We are happy to announce that also next year we'll be having other two vans that will ensure that those [2010] games are broadcast digitally," he said. The SABC is also involved in various corporate social investment initiatives in an effort to boost morale in the build up to the World Cup by distributing some 20 000 low-cost radio sets to various rural communities before hosting the event.

Source: BuaNews

Community Builder: Uzendt Peters


Principal: Ithemba Institute of Technology

http://www.southafrica.info/community/alive/uzendt-peters.htm

Why is Uzendt a Community Builder?

For the most part, industry and education are two separate entities which never gather round a partnership table. As a teacher in a state school, Uzendt Peters knew that if skills-dependent industries wanted skilled labour, and his pupils wanted jobs, that industry had to be brought into the education field. Which is exactly what he did. He took a run-down old school in Soweto and converted it into the Ithemba Institute of Technology â€" a place where big business can have a hand in enabling skills development in their particular field.

From helping with the curriculum to equipping the workshops with industry-relevant equipment, big business is making sure that skilled labour is coming out of Soweto. The remarkable thing about this project is that companies that are usually competitors in the marketplace are now working together for the development of skills in their particular sector. Uzendt has created an institute that teaches South Africa a very important lesson â€" that a private-public partnership can be used to solve the serious problem of skills in our country. In his own words :"The youth is the most important asset in this country. We need to invest in our youth, and that is what I hope my contribution can be."

Fast Facts

Big business gets involved in school governance, upgrading workshops, developing the curriculum, and placing learners in the workplace. Ithemba is divided into three educational institutions: an FET school (Grade 10 â€" 12); an FET college teaching technical skills to graduates of the school; and a place which offers adult education in the evenings.

Ithemba offers skills in welding, diesel mechanics, electrical engineering, fitting and turning, and hydraulics. The Sowetan has adopted Ithemba as part of the Aggrey Klaaste Nation Building Foundation's youth and community development programmes portfolio. The institute is currently establishing an IT centre.

How can I find out more?

For more information, e-mail info@ithembainstitute.org.za

Business mood remains grim

http://www.southafrica.info/news/business/485206.htm

Business confidence declined in March, the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) said.

"The Business Confidence Index (BCI) dipped to a level last seen in March 2002, when the index stood at 78.1," the organisation said. Any positive movements in the sub-indices of the BCI in March were "not convincing", as these changes were either shallow or brought about by deliberate policy decisions, Sacci added. It said the sub-indices on merchandise import and export volumes had notably negative impacts on the BCI's movement in the first months of 2009.

"Low levels of consumer and business confidence and a relatively tight domestic monetary environment remain a feature of the South African business environment," Sacci said. After four consecutive years in which annual growth had hovered around five percent, real growth in gross domestic product decelerated and measured only 3.1 percent in 2008.

"This trend is likely to continue, and the real GDP (gross domestic product) is likely to further contract in the first quarter of 2009," Sacci said.

Following the meeting of the G20 countries in London, it was clear that an economic recovery would occur not solely because a business cycle trough has been reached, but because a number of measures were implemented to address structural economic weaknesses. SACCI said it supported the view that developing countries would have to find their own measures to brace against the repercussions of the global financial crisis, despite radical proposals by G20 countries.

"Business confidence may only recover once the actions by governments are regarded as consistent and sustainable," Sacci added. The Business Confidence Index is generated monthly by SACCI as a measure of the level of business confidence within the South African economy. It is a market-related index that reflects not what business is saying, but what it is doing and experiencing. It is therefore not an opinion/perception-based index.

Sapa


WITSA: WITSA GLOBAL TRADE COMMITTEE REPORT 2008

1.0 Establishment of Committee

During the September 4, 2008 Board of Directors meeting, a number of new WITSA committees were established including the Global Trade Committee. Mr. Looi Kien Leong representing PIKOM Malaysia volunteered to chair this committee.

2.0 Objectives
Below are the objectives outlined in the committee framework:
2.1   To promote global trade on information and communication technology (ICT) leveraging on WITSA's global network and members
2.2   To offer a platform for members to engage in business matching and multilateral meetings
2.3   To draw up program to attract 'buyers' and 'sellers' into a global network of contacts database of WITSA
2.4   To organize and facilitate Multilateral Trade Visits for its members
2.5   To represent WITSA in global trade related meetings/events

3.0 Committee Structure

Committee members will be represented by each of the seven (7) major regions, i.e., Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Africa, Middle East & North Africa, North America and Latin America. As a committee member, the main role is to assist GTC in identifying potential areas of increasing the global ICT trade and in due course benefit all WITSA members.

A secretariat team is formed to assist in the operation and implementation of the GTC goals and objectives.

WITSA GLOBAL TRADE COMMITTEE REPORT

3.1 Members

As of 19 December 2008, the appointed Chairman from PIKOM has recruited the following officials becoming members of the Global Trade Committee:
No Name Position Economy

1. Looi Kien Leong Chairman Malaysia
2. Bill Munson Member Canada
3. Nizar Zakka Member Lebanon
4. Moses Waigwa Member Kenya
5. Bernd Taselaar Member Netherlands
6. Jorge Cassino Member Argentina
7. Vasile Baltac (To nominate) Member Romania
8. Richard Yin Member Taiwan
9. Ki-Chul Kim Member Korea

4.0 Structure

Term : 2008-2010

Report To : WITSA Board

Secretariat : Head – Soo Pei Ling
Member – Ong Kian Yew, Mickey Tan
Funding : 1. Secretariat WITSA/PIKOM
2. Committee Voluntary/Self-sponsored
3. Online B2B
Application/System
Hardware/Hosting

WITSA GLOBAL TRADE COMMITTEE REPORT

  • 3 Apr 2009 Skype/Concall (Off-site) or in-conjunction with BOD Mtg (Amsterdam@Spring '09)
  • 4 June 2009 Skype/Concall (Off-site)
  • 5 Aug 2009 Skype/Concall (Off-site)
  • 6 30 Oct 2009 In-conjunction with GPPC 2009 (Onsite)
  • 7 Dec 2009 Skype/Concall (Off-site)

6.0 Proposed Goals and Targets

  • To create WITSA global facilities for members:
  • leveraging on WITSA members' offices as business centers
  • WITSA members' members can utilize these offices for business matching or business meetings at no cost or minimal cost
  • 5 facilities in the global region
  • To create an online portal for the WITSA members or event delegates. Provide a virtual space for business matching (subject to funding and sponsorship)
  • To organize Multilateral Trade Visits for WITSA members, especially matching between emerging markets with developed markets.
  • multilateral trade visits May 2010

THE SAVANT STORY
SAVANT: Taking South African ICT innovation to the world

An initiative of the South African government's Department of Trade and Industry, SAVANT is a marketing and communications programme which is geared to provide a window into the capabilities of the information and telecommunications (ICT) and electronics industries of the country. These industries have demonstrated through many successes their ability to innovate and find unique solutions to the challenges faced by business and society today – in South Africa or across the world.

Initiated in 2001, SAVANT initially set out to showcase the products and solutions that the ICT and Electronics industries in the country are capable of producing, the initiative has subsequently grown to provide a full range of resources to anyone around the world who may be interested in the sector. It is therefore also an ideal platform for these sectors to promote their products and services both to the domestic as well as international markets. SAVANT has also served to improve information sharing and dissemination between government departments. Strong links have been formed between the various government agencies, associations and academic institutions. As a result, access to current developments and available expertise within the sector is greatly accelerated.

The objective of the SAVANT programme are driven by a commitment from the DTI to support the growth of the South African ICT and Electronics sectors by providing these industries with a global voice. In so doing, it seeks to promote export opportunities and foster international trade, promote investment opportunity and establish an information portal which spans the private and public sector.

As a result, in addition to the publication of a regular newsletter which is distributed around the globe, SAVANT offers a website www.savant.co.za which serves as a complete resource for any interested person. On this site, visitors can access

  • Sub-sector research
  • Business directory
  • Tender notification
  • Newsletters
  • B@B matchmaking
  • Trade related events
  • Specialised sub-sector information

Information exchange the lifeblood of trade

It is perhaps appropriate that the ICT and electronics industries have as a core goal the more effective exchange of information. Recognising the essential role of communication to create and identify opportunities and subsequently to foster trade, the DTI leverages its Foreign Economic Representative Network which spans 36 strategic markets worldwide to achieve significant impact with SAVANT. The programme therefore serves as the mechanism through which potential partners and customers are alerted to the capability of these key South African industries. SAVANT provides a complete window into the latest on capability, innovation and development coming out of South Africa. As a result, the DTI invites you to visit the site regularly to keep abreast of all these essential industries have to offer. Access is free, while all industry sector players are encouraged to make use of this valuable marketing platform. Companies seeking to showcase their offerings can register their details and offerings on the SAVANT website, at no charge.

For further information please contact:
Nadia Nortje
Assistant Director - Electrotechnical Unit, Enterprise & Industry Development Division
Tel +27 12 394 1114
nnortje@thedti.gov.za

 


EVENTS


Contact Nisha Pillay at +27 11 312 3040 or by mail: nisha@ita.org.za for further information or to register

Introducing IP'Africa 09

 

 Your one opportunity to show, talk about and demonstrate your IP skills

Welcome to IP Africa '09, the most comprehensive event covering the four key areas of Mobility & Wireless, Unified Communications, Virtualisation, and the underlying Network Infrastructure. This is the must-attend event designed for CIO's and decision makers investing in technology and solutions that deliver true Enterprise flexibility. The show features over 60 education sessions presented by industry experts providing education and information on all of the latest trends and developments around convergence.

  This event delivers

  • High quality enterprise sales leads
  • Fantastic speaking opportunities in one of the four Unified Communications, Wireless & Mobile, Virtualisation and Network Infrastructure theatres
  • Brand positioning in the most exciting enterprise technology sector
  • A unique audience of active buyers
  • Hassle-free exhibiting through our turnkey exhibition packages
  • We do everything – you just just turn up and demo!

  IP Africa '09 will be attended by professionals with the following job titles and areas of interest working in organisations of all sizes and in all sectors:

  Job Titles:

  • CIOs
  • Line of Business Managers
  • Network Managers
  • Commercial Directors
  • IT Directors
  • Communications Managers

Areas of Interest:

  • Business Continuity & Compliance
  • Data Centres and Hosted Services
  • Enterprise fixed-mobile convergence
  • Enterprise Wi-Fi and Wireless LANs
  • IP Comms/Applications
  • IP Security • Managed Services
  • Next Generation Services/Applications
  • Security and Networking Management
  • Virtualising the Enterprise
  • WAN Optimisation
  • Customer Communications Management
  • Enterprise Converged Networks
  • Enterprise IP Networks
  • Hosted VoIP
  • IP Network Administration
  • IP Storage Networks
  • Mobility Solutions
  • Network Architecture Sourcing and Optimisation
  • Optimising internal communications
  • Teleworking
  • VOIP Applications
  • Wireless Mobility and Devices

  Regards
   Linda Kruger
   Exhibition Manager
   Specialised Exhibitions
   Tel: +27 11 835-1565
   e-mail: lindak@specialised.com

Topco Media has always been at the forefront of the next major development in technology, and a touch point for how it might impact on, and uplift, the business community. The Corporate Social Networking Conference – the first of its kind in Southern Africa – taking place on 4, 5 & 6 August 2009 at The Forum, Johannesburg - will bring together the most progressive minds in IT, business and sociology to learn about, debate and ultimately harness the power of online social networking.

South Africa has more than 5 million internet users – more than countries such as Austria and the Czech Republic. The Seacon cable is on track for completion in June 2009, bringing affordable broadband connectivity to all South Africans. Things are even more exciting in the mobile sphere – 80% of South Africans have a cellphone (that's 39 million users). There are currently 10 million unique South African users on the mobile web. By 2012, two thirds of all new phones will come with browsers, suggesting that unique users will grow by at least 15 million people in the next three years.

Join 300 delegates for three full days of intensive talks, panels and workshops led by experts in social networking. Speakers include Matthew Buckland, Dave Duarte, Charl Norman, Matthew Bull, Andy Hadfield and Richard Mullins. Topics range from case studies of revenue-producing online media strategies to discussions on measuring social media marketing campaigns to advice on building online communities. Social networking is a low cost, high value way of serving and growing your customers in tough economic conditions. Can you afford not to engage with the phenomenon?

To participate or attend the conference contact Tercia Calitz on 021 791 7100 or tercia.calitz@topco.co.za

ITA members will receive a 10% discounted rate. ITA Companies registering will receive a 1 year free subscription to The Journal