Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 22 | Page 12

NEWS Blockchain protocol Tari Labs unveils free online university T ari Labs, a contributor to Tari, the South African-based Blockchain protocol, has launched a free online university to help incubate open source projects and train Blockchain developers. “Tari Labs University aims to become a go-to destination for easily-accessible learning material for Blockchain, digital currency and digital assets, from beginner to advanced level,” said Cayle Sharrock, Tari Labs’ senior contributor. giving talented people the chance to develop their abilities. The Tari Labs University is a natural next step in sharing knowledge and learning from the community.” “The more Blockchain experts we can help develop, the better it is for the ecosystem. From the start, Tari Labs has been all about Tari Labs was launched by a consortium co-founded by South African Blockchain and cryptocurrency expert Riccardo Spagni, with a specific goal of redefining the way we work with digital assets – like in-game items, digital collectables, concert tickets and loyalty points. “As with any open source project, we see the learning material as living or ever-evolving,” said Spagni. Tari Labs was set up by Riccardo Spagni Tari Labs has launched a free online university “The bigger picture here is to assist in constructing an ecosystem for developers and enable them to leverage the Tari protocol. We’re ultimately part of a network, and the more participants it has, the more successful it will be.” ////////////////// Versa Networks unveil joint SD-WAN deployment with BringCom V ersa Networks – the innovator of a next-generation software platform, Versa Secure Cloud IP – has announced a joint SD-WAN deployment with BringCom Incorporated, a leading telecommunications provider focused on wholesale and retail telecommunications services in Africa. The BringCom-Versa initiative is designed to develop and deliver pan- Africa SD-WAN managed services. BringCom has deployed Pan-African Ethernet and MPLS network services with its own regional hubs (PoPs) in Los Angeles, Washington DC, London, Djibouti, Nairobi, Kampala and Lagos. The Versa Networks secure SD-WAN deployment will be implemented across several Africa locations, including multi-carrier connectivity spanning East and West Africa (in collaboration with SimbaNET, a leading communications service provider in East Africa, and ISOCEL Telecom), with automated functionality, high performance and advanced flexibility. Versa’s FlexVNF software is showcasing SD-WAN connectivity integrated with diverse security services (separate FlexVNFs activated) inclusive of ordering and provisioning via BringCom’s SaaS portal. The Versa headend, monitoring and analytics capabilities are 12 INTELLIGENTCIO deployed in BringCom’s data centre facilities in Virginia initially, and then will move to East and West Africa for production-level traffic. Additionally, the BringCom-Versa project will utilise Versa cloud deployment capabilities and future iterations will instantiate any third party VNF via FlexVNF service chaining. “With the Versa deployment, we’re demonstrating the power of SD-WAN combined with network security and service providers looking to leverage high-performance virtual environments that rely upon totally automated and programmable WANs to deliver reliable communications services,” said Fabrice Langreney, President and CEO, BringCom. www.intelligentcio.com