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Companies are therefore faced with a surge
in remote devices generating data further
from the ‘central’ cloud data centre. These
devices must be secured as any compromise
could have significant consequences for the
data integrity of the organisation.
Furthermore, the reliable connectivity of
these IoT-enabled devices must also be
taken care of. Whether this is through 3G,
4G, or even 5G technologies, companies
must continually review and assess how the
information is getting back to the central
hub. In many respects this will result in the
growth of Edge Computing in South Africa.
Essentially, the Edge will create better ways
to maximise the efficiency of IoT devices. It
will deliver data processing capabilities at the
source (i.e. the Edge) where these devices
operate reducing the latency and cost
involved in getting that information back to
the organisation. Identifying problem areas
quickly (think mining) can often mean the
difference between life and death.
Inevitably, AI will start playing more of
a role to introduce Machine Learning
capabilities to these edge devices. IoT will
start becoming increasingly autonomous
thanks to the availability of more powerful
computing capabilities at the edge.
The Blockchain
It is anticipated that the Blockchain will
return to prominence next year, especially
in developing markets. It will become less
about the technology and more about the
potential of cryptocurrencies in volatile
countries where exchange control, difficult
economic conditions, political instability, and
other contributing factors make traditional
payments a challenge.
In Africa, it is especially cross-border
payments of vendors and partners
where the Blockchain will start coming
into its own. The simplicity (and lack of
middle-man) means transactions can be
processed in near real-time with security
“
IN AFRICA, IT
IS ESPECIALLY
CROSS-BORDER
PAYMENTS OF
VENDORS AND
PARTNERS WHERE
THE BLOCKCHAIN
WILL START
COMING INTO
ITS OWN.
www.intelligentcio.com
Ian Jansen van Rensburg, Lead Technologist
for Sub-Saharan Africa at VMware
being inherently stronger thanks to how
the Blockchain is designed. Additionally,
verifying everything from identity to
transactions will become increasingly
important in a high cybersecurity risk
environment. As malware continues to
increase in its sophistication, so too will
companies opt for Blockchain technology as
a reliable delivery mechanism.
Hybrid cloud
Finally, the hybrid cloud will become an
essential building block of the digital
organisation in 2020. While many local
companies rushed to move to the public
cloud a few years ago, they are now
realising that fundamental aspects around
the transition were not put in place. From
security to backup and recovery, it was more
a case of being first to market than looking
at the practical realities of the cloud.
Next year will see a ‘correction’ in the
sense that these companies will take
their learnings and move into a hybrid
environment. Furthermore, the arrival of
multinational data centres will see most
new migrations focus on going the hybrid
route instead of being completely public.
Certain workloads will always remain on-site
while the high-performance computing
capabilities of the cloud will deliver
the potential of AI, Machine Learning,
automation to organisations of all sizes. n
INTELLIGENTCIO
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