Category: Product News

August 2019, Johannesburg: Integrated ICT and Infrastructure provider Vox has entered into an exclusive partnership with Go Rentals to introduce a Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS) offering, which is aimed at providing local small and medium businesses (SMEs) with quick, affordable, and scalable access to a wide variety of IT infrastructure – as well as the management thereof.

“Despite an increasingly competitive business environment where every rand counts, many business owners are still buying technology-based equipment outright rather than renting it. The problem with this is that the modern device arena has grown in variety and complexity, making it more difficult to manage, and to reduce the overheads of controlling these devices,” says Barry Kemp, Head of Managed IT at Vox.

According to Kemp, there is a global trend being observed in businesses moving away from owning and managing IT infrastructure. This started with the move away from servers and toward cloud-based subscription services, and now organisations are looking to do the same with the remaining on-premise hardware – employees’ desktop systems.

The availability of HaaS changes the way in which local businesses consume IT, by allowing them to direct valuable capital expenditure toward the more efficient and competitive operation of their organisation, rather than spending on hardware products.

“The rental costs are up to 50% lower than if they buy these products through traditional asset financing methods. Furthermore, using HaaS gives businesses the ability to scale up and down depending on their infrastructure requirements. Customers on a 12 month contract can return up to 10% of the devices rented, while those customers on 24 and 36 month contracts can return up to 20% of the devices – at any time during the contract,” adds Kemp.

More than just a rental

HaaS gives business access to repurposed Tier 1 hardware from vendors such as Dell, HP and Lenovo, equipped with the required specifications (processor, memory, and storage), and come installed with the latest Microsoft Windows operating system, unless an older version is specifically requested by the customer.

“Where HaaS is different from simply renting IT hardware is that businesses get full asset lifecycle management, such as having all company software pre-installed, flexible refresh cycles and upgrades, support and warranty management and transparent and predictable per user monthly fees,” says Kemp.

The ability to upgrade during the contract period means that businesses can keep pace with the latest in technology without needing to invest on depreciating equipment, while ensuring maximum productivity and efficiency for employees. Returned devices are put through a decommissioning process that ensures anonymity, certified data protection, and environmental compliance.

Businesses further stand to benefit from Vox Care, which incorporates asset management and logistical services for customers. This includes initial delivery and setup in major centres, asset tagging of all rented items, creation, and the repair and/or replacement of faulty machines within three business days – again in the main metropolitan areas.

Vox Care also assists in the design, testing and deployment of custom images, whereby HaaS clients can have the additional programmes they need (security, productivity tools, business software, etc) easily pre-installed along with the Windows operating system, on all their machines.

Kemp adds that HaaS customers can get further peace of mind by outsourcing the day to day management of their desktop environment to Vox Managed Services, as well as leverage the company’s knowledge and expertise to manage and host workstation backups to ensure business continuity.

“Hardware-as-a-Service allows businesses to reduce the total cost of ownership of their hardware and ensure they only pay for what they use. Making the switch to a service model helps them take advantage of the global move in this direction, and to turn their business into a highly functional, flexible, low cost, change your mind whenever you want workplace,” concludes Kemp.

October 2019, Johannesburg: Integrated ICT and infrastructure provider Vox has announced the launch of a double data promotion for contract subscribers of its YahClick satellite services, bringing prices and speed comparable to that of terrestrial wireless alternatives.

“Last year, Vox upgraded thousands of subscribers to plans with much higher throughput at no additional cost, bringing the speeds available through ka-band satellite closer to what is available through terrestrial services. This year, we are rewarding our contract customers with double the data at the same price,” says Jacques Visser, Head of Wireless at Vox.

With the exception of a handful of customers, Visser says that most of the YahClick contract customers will qualify for this promotion. YahClick customers whose existing contracts expired, or will expire, will qualify for double their data at the same price they pay at present, on the condition that they opt into a 12-month agreement.

The loyalty promotion will also be available to YahClick non-contract customers who have used the service for more than 11 months, and are willing to take up the same 12-month promotional plan. No on-site technical support or change in consumer premise equipment (CPE) is required for customers taking advantage of the offer.

Additionally, Vox will give customers of the promotional plan access to their Uncapped Voice Service for R172 per month including VAT, allowing subscribers with a dedicated voice channel the ability to make an unlimited number of voice calls to any number in South Africa.

“Satellite internet subscribers, usually based in underserviced or unserviced areas, have long suffered from a lack of choice. This promotional plan is a quantum leap forward for these customers, by providing them with connectivity at speeds and prices similar to that of alternative services such as wireless,” he says.

Visser adds that this is the first phase of the satellite strategy from Vox and their Abu Dhabi based partner, YahSat, to position satellite as a competitive data and voice solution for both individuals and businesses in underserviced areas.

“High throughput satellite services will continue to redefine their role in terms of broadband connectivity in the telecoms market, and we are already seeing a growing trend of combining these services with SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Networking) product offerings to ensure high uptime availability for mission-critical services,” says Visser.

6 August 2019, Johannesburg: With the Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) market expected to exceed $76 billion by 2022, local companies are investigating how best to embrace this shift as they migrate to the cloud. To this end, integrated ICT and infrastructure provider, Vox has unveiled its IaaS Monitoring solution to help simplify the transition.

“Traditionally, IaaS offerings provide customers with the platform to run their services. However, when it came to taking care of their servers and systems, they had to do it themselves. And while this provided them with complete control over their own implementations, inevitably the ongoing maintenance became problematic,” says Barry Kemp, head of managed IT at Vox.

Given the growth of the cloud in recent years and the arrival of multi-national data centres in the country, more businesses started moving services to an online environment. Unfortunately, many decision-makers incorrectly assumed that because their data is hosted in the cloud, it would be safe.

“Even though the cloud environment is secure, a shared responsibility approach has to be applied. Depending on the cloud service model used, the client still needs to take responsibility for the security of its own servers. It is in this space where our offering comes into its own,” says Kemp.

The Vox IaaS Monitoring solution comes in two versions – monitoring, and monitoring with patch management.
The former sees Vox monitoring things such as CPU, memory usage, and patch status of client servers. It then sends a notification to the customer if an alert is triggered or when a new patch becomes available for installation. And as the name suggests, the latter sees Vox install the patch on behalf of the customer.

“Even though many customers have their own internal IT resources, they are often focused on other strategic activities with patch management falling by the wayside. With the Vox solution, they can continue delivering on their business objectives with us taking care of the onerous patching work and other server monitoring functions as it impacts their IaaS solutions,” he concludes.

November 2019, Johannesburg: Integrated ICT and infrastructure provider, Vox has launched highly attractive uncapped data and voice satellite service plans at a price point that competes with LTE-A. As part of its YahClick satellite service, these plans aim to provide cost-effective connectivity to under-serviced regions in South Africa.

“Satellite is still a viable solution in South Africa, even though an often forgotten form of broadband services. Rural communities, and the agricultural sector specifically, rely on satellite services where reliable and high speed fixed or wireless internet is not always available.The new plans will provide these regions and customers with high throughput, at more affordable pricing that competes directly with LTE-A prices,” says Jacques Visser, head of wireless at Vox.

The newly launched unlimited plans sees Ka-band satellite going uncapped for data and voice with prices that not only benefit individuals, but also enables businesses to use satellite for their software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN). These plans are available in 5Mbps, 10Mbps and 20Mbps options and include a data-only and a premium data and voice service.

“We want to reward our customers and with the YahClick satellite service we can offer improved frequency in regions that require better service. We are excited to launch these plans to our customers, pushing data pricing down to as low as R5 per GB,” says Visser.

The premium voice and data service is optimised for voice purposes while the uncapped voice-only plan bolts onto the satellite broadband plan and includes unlimited voice calls to all South African numbers.

YahClick uses Ka-band satellites to provide a wide range of users across the country with reliable, high-speed internet connectivity. Using multi-spot beams as opposed to broadcasting over the continent, allows for far more efficient use of the available bandwidth and at lower costs than traditional satellite technology. The new plans are provisioned over the AY3 High Throughput Satellite (HTS).

“Satellite is a reliable temporary service until fixed or wireless coverage is extended into the area,” says Visser.

Uncapped data only plans through YahClick start from R1 099 per month for 5Mbps, R1 449 per month for 10Mbps and R1 999 per month for 20Mbps as part of a 12 month contract. Premium data and voice plans start from R1 150 per month for 5Mbps with one voice channel, R1 549 per month for 10Mbps with two voice channels and R2 249 per month for 20Mbps with four voice channels as part of a 12 month contract. The uncapped voice channel is R172 per month. Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) starts at R4 800 or on rental from R240 per month. Installation of 24 months contracts as well as installation of the 20Mbps in all configurations are free.

November 2019, Johannesburg: Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa now have access to a cost effective business email solution, that delivers email and collaboration, with the introduction of Vox Cloud Email.

“Whilst there are many business email platforms on the market that offer enhanced functionality such as chat and collaboration, these are priced out of the reach of most SME’s,” says Mayleen Bywater, Senior Product Manager for Email at Vox.

According to Bywater, the product is similar to leading email products on the market, but is based on open source technology, making it far more affordable. While it can be used by businesses of all sizes, the key target market is companies in the SME segment with between 1 and 100 employees.

“Customers are charged per user, based on the highest number of active mailboxes over the period of a month, giving them the flexibility to scale up or down. This gives them a cost saving without having to compromise on the quality of their email environment,” says Bywater.

Vox Cloud Email provides customers with several familiar features including being able to create global address lists, set tasks, share calendar invites, tag others in conversations, and even includes a feature which allows users to store documents and files in the cloud, and share them with friends, colleagues, suppliers etc. The service is available through a full-featured web client, and is easily accessible through smartphones and tablets.

Vox also offers complementary products for companies that require enhanced functionality. Customers that require advanced security have access to an additional plug in, whilst those concerned about data loss can subscribe to an unlimited email archiving solution. Subscription costs are based on the mailbox sizes, with between 10GB , 20GB and 50GB per user options available. In addition, customers can easily upgrade and downgrade between packages.

Craig Freer, executive head of cloud and managed services at Vox

In July, City Power was hit by ransomware resulting in customers unable to purchase prepaid electricity or access its website. This has again put the spotlight on cyber security and highlight how few organisations, irrespective of their size, are safe from an attack.
Security is no longer a luxury. It is something that must take top priority not just amongst large corporates, but small to medium enterprises (SMEs) as well. With more than 350 000 new global threats emerging daily, this is an ongoing concern that must be addressed at a board level and not left being ‘relegated’ to an IT decision-maker.
The statistics make for grim reading.
70% of SME’s that pay after a ransomware attack will close their doors within six months of the breach. those that don’t close still suffer reputational damage, loss of data, and exposed customer information that can potentially be distributed in the public domain.
For too long, companies have simply not invested properly in getting the right cyber security infrastructure in place. Those that do, ensure their systems are updated to factor in emerging threats. They also continually assess their ability to effectively deal with attacks.

Fluid state
Managing IT is a complex undertaking. This policy-led environment usually sees many changes occurring over time. It then reaches a point where someone could potentially make an adjustment that renders the entire organisation vulnerable. Cyber security at an organisation is therefore not a snapshot in time but evolves as the threat landscape changes. And it is in this evolution where systems must be monitored and protected.
The first phase of safeguarding the business entails getting the right tools in place. A company must ensure that employees understand the security policy and that it is tested regularly. Building from there, the next phase revolves around planning for the event of a breach.
If there is one thing those organisations that lead the way when it comes to cyber security have in common, it is the knowledge that no system is fail safe. This means having a backup environment that mitigates the risk of losing data when ransomware or other malicious attacks occur. Sadly, most organisations do not have this in place. Best practice dictates that there needs to be three copies of data, two copies being on different storage media, with one copy located off site.
Frighteningly, some of those organisations who perform backups keep them on the same server their other information is stored on. This means that when they get hit by ransomware, they lose their data and their contingency plan to restore it.

Understand the environment
Companies must go with a reputable cyber security brand in the market. While it might be tempting to opt for a more cost-effective solution, the long-term impact could be dire. Also, a business must ensure it has the right security skills in place, whether those are in-house or outsourced. Finally, they must have a proactive approach to security and evaluate their readiness on at least a quarterly basis.
Having proper backups in place means the business can restore mission-critical information with immediate effect. No company is immune to an attack. Whether it is a multinational like LinkedIn or Facebook, or local such as Liberty or City Power, these attacks occur and will continue to take place even more frequently.
A company must therefore conduct an extensive audit of its entire IT environment. In our experience, most companies are not geared to repel any type of attack, much less recover effectively from one. It has become a case of businesses being sitting ducks.
Very few SMEs understand how best to do this assessment and how to really understand vulnerabilities. It is quite complex for them to secure themselves as best as possible. It really is a case of they do not know what they do not know.
Looking towards the future, SMEs (and larger organisations as well) must do more to educate themselves about the threats they face and take the necessary steps to protect themselves.

October 2019, Johannesburg: Integrated ICT and infrastructure provider Vox has added Managed Mimecast to its suit of managed service offerings to provide customers with a more effective way of safeguarding their emails against spam and malicious attacks.

Given that 63% of South African organisations have reported an increase in impersonation fraud and 84% saw email-based spoofing of business partners and vendors, according to Mimecast’s The State of Email Security Report 2019, decision-makers have no choice but to protect one of the most vital forms of communication in the digital age.

“The challenge is that an optimal setup of Mimecast is difficult to do for most business users. And even when it is completed, the evolving threat landscape means organisational resources must be allocated on a frequent basis to keep the system running effectively. This is where our managed service approach comes in. We implement, customise, and support Mimecast for companies to remain focused on their strategic priorities,” says Barry Kemp, head of managed IT at Vox.

As part of this offering, Vox conducts a quarterly assessment of the Mimecast implementation at a customer and identifies the areas that must be adapted to be reflective of current threat conditions.

“Mimecast focuses on anti-spam and anti-virus protection. However, sending spoof emails have become incredibly easy with malicious users trying to find more innovative ways of beating spam filters. Furthermore, while estimates vary, most security specialists agree that at least 250 000 new malicious programmes are registered daily. This means that any cyber security solution must be continually monitored with companies not having the luxury of just installing and forgetting about it.”

Furthermore, the modular approach of the Vox managed services means companies can select the components they want from an extensive solutions list. Therefore, Mimecast can be taken on its own or integrated into a broader Vox managed services offering.

“And as this is a cloud-based service, we can easily manage and update the service as the needs of the organisation change. We conduct an initial assessment for the customer, suggest the changes that must be made, and implement them if the client is happy with that.”
The Mimecast managed service is available at R449 for under 100 users and R949 for anything above that.

Vox enhances cloud assessment service

November 2019, Johannesburg: Integrated ICT and infrastructure provider Vox has automated its cloud assessment service to provide clients with a more cost-effective and transparent way of transitioning to a cloud environment.

“Through this enhanced offering, Vox ensures businesses can run as lean and efficiently as possible when it comes to the cloud. The process was previously manual-driven and by automating it Vox is delivering a best practice solution at a world-class level. We are harnessing the capabilities of multiple sophisticated probing tools,” says Daniel Jacobs, senior product manager of cloud computing at Vox.

The assessment is done across the entire ICT infrastructure of a business environment. It examines all the physical devices connected on-site, the size of the resources, how much of those are used, and what the network looks like. It also examines the application, user, LAN, and WAN dependencies to give complete insight into what will be required to migrate to the cloud.

“By automating the report, Vox can deliver an accurate assessment of not only the ideal cloud environment for the business’s needs, but also exactly what the migration will cost. With Vox, there is no thumb-sucking involved.”

Furthermore, Vox follows a cloud-agnostic approach to ensure clients have the choice of any cloud platform that meets their budget and business requirements.

“Vox conducts the assessment and provides clients with options on which cloud platforms will be ideal for them. Our calculated costing models see customers benefitting from up to 30% less than their current cost structure depending on their choice of applications and/or cloud platform. This leaves budget for innovation and the expansion of IT services to further assist their business. It is about delivering a total cost of ownership value proposition competitive with anything that is currently available in the market today.”

He says that some of the pitfalls in public cloud services, like pay-per-use models, are sometimes cleverly disguised in pre-sales pitches. If not managed correctly, these can result in needless additional expenses to the organisation.

But besides the upfront cost saving predicted with the Vox cloud assessment, clients will benefit from monthly total cost of ownership (TCO) reports.

“For us, it is not about selling just a product. Rather, it is empowering our clients to better manage their initial cloud migration and thereafter their continuous cloud processes and management. The cloud is about a journey from analysis and assessment through to implementation and ongoing management.”

According to Jacobs, it is about developing a path for a client that is not only affordable but effective as well.

“For example, just by switching off certain cloud features at night, a business can already save 20% of its monthly bill. The Vox assessment tool determines exactly what is needed and how best to make it happen,” he concludes.

Commentary

“The cyber attack on the City of Joburg’s network once again puts the spotlight on cyber security and highlights how few organisations, irrespective of their size, are safe from an attack.

“Security is no longer a luxury. It is something that must take top priority not just amongst large corporates, but small to medium enterprises (SMEs) as well. Cyber security must be addressed at a board level and not left being ‘relegated’ to an IT decision-maker.

“Companies need to conduct an extensive audit of their entire IT environment, invest in getting the right cyber security infrastructure in place and ensure their systems are updated to factor in emerging threats. They also need to continually assess their ability to effectively deal with attacks.

“In our experience, most companies are not geared to repel any type of attack, much less recover effectively from one. It has become a case of businesses being sitting ducks.

“Very few SMEs really understand their vulnerabilities and it can be quite complex for them to secure themselves as best as possible. It really is a case of they do not know what they do not know.

“Cyber security at an organisation is not a snapshot in time but evolves as the threat landscape changes. Businesses must do more to educate themselves about the threats they face and take the necessary steps to protect themselves,” says Craig Freer, executive head of cloud and managed services at Vox.