Category: News

Frogfoot Networks, a wholly owned subsidiary of integrated Information & Communication Technology (ICT) and connectivity provider, Vox, has been appointed as the exclusive partner for fibre network and connectivity infrastructure for the property portfolio of Safari Investments RSA Ltd. The company is listed as a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) on the JSE with over R2,4 billion in property assets.

Installation will commence with the retrofitting of the urban retail nodes within the Safari Investments group with high speed, reliable fibre infrastructure. Consumers and tenants alike are demanding access to high speed, reliable connectivity and wi-fi.

“The decision to move away from Telkom was an easy one, and we welcomed the input and partnership approach we received from Vox and Frogfoot. Aside from offering us an infrastructure solution, the team has worked to find cost effective alternatives to ensure a seamless switch over process for us,” says Francois Marais, CEO of Safari.

Safari will own all the passive infrastructure that is installed for its portfolio and this will be maintained and managed by Frogfoot Networks as the exclusive Open Access Provider. The open access approach enables end users to have a choice of the internet service provider with whom they would like to partner.

“There is an increased pressure on landlords and property developers to equip premises with flexible connectivity – and fibre provides the most versatile solution.  Having an open access fibre network differentiates their properties and provides the platform for SMART buildings, offices and cities,” says Jacques du Toit, CEO of Vox.

Vox has to date always endeavored to provide compelling, value driven packages for customers who want to be connected from day one. Vox will offer bundled packages that include uncapped voice, uncapped internet at speeds up to 1Gps, mobile data, patron analytics and an electronic advertising platform that will assist tenants in promoting their products.

“Internet infrastructure is a vital inclusion in our investment in the building of commercial centres and other facilities. There is significant value not only to our tenants who see connectivity as a utility, but also to us.  Our ability to do real time market research directly impacts the services and solutions we can integrate into our offering of future investments,” adds Marais.

 Concludes du Toit, “Access to fibre will change the way retailers do business with their customers.  High speed wi-fi, offered in-mall with access to tenant and retailer information is an increasingly important value add that renders a facility so much more attractive.

For tenants, access to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) services hosted in the cloud, that would otherwise not be accessible over traditional ADSL because of slow speeds and high latency, are not only possible, but increasingly critical in the new arena of an always connected environment.”

 

 

 

 

As a business grows, providing affordable and seamless communication for employees becomes a priority. While on-premise PBX systems have been the mainstay for years, businesses now have the option of turning to hosted or cloud-based solutions.

However, when selecting a solution, it is vital for businesses to critically assess their communications requirements – present and future – and find a solution that matches these.

Hosted PBX solutions

Hosted PBX solutions work for small and medium enterprises (SMEs and although they can support up to 100 users, the ideal usage is between 20 and 30 extensions.

A major benefit is that there is no large initial capital expenditure for on-site equipment. Instead, a monthly subscription is paid based on the number of extensions needed. It is also easily scalable – a business can add and remove extensions as required, and only pay for what they use.

In addition, with a hosted solution, businesses no longer need to worry about managing and maintaining on-site equipment, or even redundancy – everything is in the cloud and can be easily restored in case of a system failure.

Hosted solutions can also help SMEs with multiple sites to simplify their communications by integrating all branches into a single platform, and enable enterprise mobility through easier Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) integration. They can also use softphone applications to forward business calls directly to employees’ mobile devices.

While these benefits are significant, the user experience of hosted PBX systems is highly dependent on the quality of connectivity and local area network (LAN) infrastructure. Businesses need to reserve a portion of bandwidth for voice services and ensure equipment such as switches are capable of handling multiple voice calls concurrently.

Features offered by hosted PBX solutions are however limited when compared to on-site alternatives and might not meet a business’s requirements.

On-site PBX solutions

On-site PBX systems, of which there are proprietary and open-source options available, are ideal for bigger companies that prefer system administration and maintenance to remain within their control. These companies will often require advanced features such as, contact centre, voice logging or recording, and need to provide line extensions to a sizable workforce.

They usually have the budget, and thus opt for a single upfront capital expenditure rather than taking on a recurring cost. In addition, Vox offers such systems as part of a managed service, so businesses don’t incur costs for technology upgrades for the duration of their contract.

One of the biggest drawbacks to an on-site system is that businesses need the appropriate resources to manage and maintain the PBX system, and to ensure the company is adequately equipped for disaster recovery.

Furthermore, proprietary systems need to be installed by engineers who are certified by the equipment manufacturer and given that we have a national footprint, Vox is able to easily and efficiently install and support systems for customers with nationwide branches.

As local businesses come to accept the benefits of the cloud, they are becoming more open to using hosted PBX – usually the most cost-effective option for SMEs. However, as a business scales and requires more extensions and features, switching to an on-site PBX could be more economically feasible. As such, they need to carefully monitor costs and identify where this tipping point lies.

For larger enterprises requiring a feature-rich solution that can cater for hundreds – or even thousands – of employees, on-site PBX still has a place. These customers have both the budget and internal skills to manage and maintain on-site equipment, which makes it the best fit for their business.

South African businesses that are feeling the pinch from rising telecommunications costs could realise substantial savings by switching to Voice over IP (VoIP) for their offices and SIP softphone applications for employees’ mobile devices.

Traditional fixed line calls are primarily charged on a per minute basis, with a breakage rate where the customer pays a flat rate per 60 or 30 second chunks of time. This means that even if your call lasts for only 40 seconds, you could still be billed for an entire minute.

In a business with multiple extensions, this all adds up to wasteful spending on services not used. VoIP services, on the other hand, are usually charged on a per second basis, meaning that companies only pay for the call time used. Geographic number porting further lets businesses keep their number, while consolidating services into a single central IP network.

Service providers such as Vox also offer uncapped local calling, further increasing the cost savings for local business.

Businesses that don’t use uncapped voice products still stand to benefit from low outbound call rates, as well as earn rebates on inbound calls. Under this method, customers receive a share of revenue from inbound voice traffic, as interconnect savings are passed on, further reducing the businesses’ overall telecommunications costs.

Reducing cellular voice bills

Local companies can also cut down on cellular allowances needed for employees by turning to softphone applications that use data – whether through the company’s WiFi network or cellular connectivity – to make voice calls.

While such calls can be made through popular consumer applications such as WhatsApp, there are limitations – in this case, both the caller and the receiver of the call need to be registered on the platform.

With applications such as Vobi, individuals and business users can tap into the Vox network to make and receive calls to local numbers across all networks, as well as to international destinations.

The service is billed on a month-to-month basis so users are not locked into lengthy contracts, while call charges are highly competitive, even when taking into account both the cost of the call and data used. There is even an uncapped option available at a fixed monthly cost for heavy users.

In addition to helping businesses cut costs, SIP softphone applications are also an enabler of mobility – depending on their PBX system in use, companies can easily forward office extensions to respective employees’ mobile devices, making them available regardless of their physical location.

In all, making the switch could help save up to 40% in telecommunications costs, and local businesses should critically re-evaluate their use of more traditional technologies such as landlines and cellular networks for voice calls.

By Abraham van der Merwe, co-founder and Managing Director, Frogfoot Networks (Pty) a wholly owned subsidiary of integrated Information & Communication Technology (ICT) and connectivity provider, Vox. 

Creating competition in the buoyant Internet service provider (ISP) space plays a crucial role in driving customer choice. Consumers can go anywhere to get their home or business connected, but the costs are still very much dependent on whether their service provider uses an open or closed access business model.

Competition is the main defence for open access: by not competing, you become the de facto service provider for the area. This approach lowers the cost of the infrastructure build to such an extent that it does not make financial sense for another business to build over an existing network.

In Sweden, the City of Stockholm municipality has built the entire infrastructure for the city, which is leased by the service providers. The network is over 14 years old – it was one of the first open access networks ever built – and because it is the only network available in the city, competition is fierce. So much so that the average revenue a service provider receives per customer is a mere US$1. The ecosystem has become so intensely competitive that it has driven the cost down.

An open access business model works particularly well for infrastructure. It dictates that an infrastructure provider can build a fibre network accessible to all wholesale service providers. A key aspect to this model, however, is to specialise in one area – network infrastructure – without being drawn into providing bolt-on services. The more services you provide, the more you compete with other businesses and the less inclusive you become.

A good analogy is a property developer who builds an office complex and leases out the office space to individual businesses. What he typically doesn’t do is become a one-stop-shop for office supplies and equipment. Instead, he provides only the space, because if he were to offer furniture – as an example – it would limit the businesses that choose to rent office space from him: a competing furniture supplier would not want to be co-located with a competitor.

When building a fibre network in a suburb, it does not matter if there is one or a thousand customers: the build cost remains the same. However, it is in the business’s best interest to increase penetration: the higher the penetration, the lower the subscription rate.

Another element to the open access business model is to provide products and services on an equitable basis. A fair price book – applicable to all customers – will increase customer retention and lead to greater market penetration. It also attracts wholesalers who are now no longer regarded as the competition, but have instead been given the foundation to deliver their services to customers.

A closed access business model is the opposite side of the spectrum: the service provider leases access to its infrastructure to the customer, who is then also required to purchase any bolt-on products and services directly from service providers.

One of the biggest pitfalls of this model is that the moment the customer is told that they have to deal with a particular provider – without choice – problems start to occur. This in turn becomes more of a hazard when the customer becomes dissatisfied with the level of service.

A business is also operating under a closed access model when the customer is given the option to deal with a host of businesses, including the service provider. This means that the service provider is now competing with its customers for their business, which will ultimately lead to lower penetration and a price hike is passed on to the customer.

For us it’s clear to see why the closed access model doesn’t work and you have to question why anyone would follow this route. However, in the telecoms industry of the past – as with most service providers today too – they never actually defined a business model. The “model” was very much about trying to connect customers who wanted connectivity and making the assumption of the overall penetration. This plays a huge role in the costing model, which is why the incumbent – is regarded as the inefficient giant of the telcos market: spend billions before fully understanding the customer reach.

A more efficient way to do business – in support of open access – would be to first determine what the underlying costs will be to build a network with 100 per cent penetration. Thereafter, use a downward scale to calculate the costs should only a percentage of customers sign up: increasing penetration to lower the price point

Now that is where we want to end up: choice and lower costs for the end user is what we need in South Africa!

The recent Reignite GP 2017 conference hosted by Braintree, a subsidiary of Vox, revealed a platform that is neither dated nor dying. Instead, the relevance and agility of Microsoft Dynamics GP (Formerly Great Plains) was showcased across partner, platform and industry. While GP may be an industry stalwart, it continues to deliver what organisations need as they face shifting trends and mercurial markets.

“There is a myth that has been circulating – GP is dead – and it is a myth that can be easily debunked,” says Heath Huxtable, Executive Head of Braintree at Vox. “Microsoft has continued to invest significant research and development into GP, ensuring that it remains relevant, that its technology is up to date and that its customers receive exceptional value. GP is alive and well with more than 47,000 global customers and a thriving international community.”

Microsoft Dynamics GP is currently being used by organisations in South Africa, Australia, Middle East, UAE, Canada, the United States, and Mexico, to name a few. It is one of the most feature-rich and capable systems on the market, allowing for users to harness its agility and flexibility to maintain their own market relevance in the face of disruption and digital evolution.

“Not only has GP received significant R&D, but it is also capable of integration into incredibly successful cloud platforms such as Azure and PowerBI, allowing for even richer functionality and capability,” adds Huxtable. “In a cloud-first, mobile- driven world, it provides the adaptability that the organisation needs to meet these challenges head first.”

For most organisations, the customer has become the focal point across all forms of investment, communication and development. This focus is no different for those invested in the development of Microsoft Dynamics GP. The community that has grown up alongside the solution is motivated by customer passion and collaboration.

“Our community is a testament to the popularity of GP and the loyalty it inspires in its users,” says Huxtable. “It provides immeasurable support as customers share insights that drive business success and greater understanding of GP as a whole.”

In addition to its ubiquity as a resource, GP is designed to ensure adoption and integration is as seamless as possible. The interface uses familiar design elements to break down the barrier to entry, and allows for employees to instantly engage with the benefits it provides. In addition, GP boasts a new web client that is fast and incredibly easy to use.

“GP delivers tangible efficiencies around business insights and intelligence while ensuring a superb user experience,” says Huxtable. “We have worked with organisations that have adopted GP with only five users and today they have more than 400, all on the back of using a good ERP solution. GP gives users the answers they need whether they are dealing with a customer, handling payments, managing inventory and so much more. It completely streamlines life and business.”

Braintree, a wholly owned subsidiary of Vox, has been working with GP for more than 20 years. The company is as passionate about its capability today as it was when it first engaged with it. As the largest Microsoft Dynamics GP partner in Africa, the company is committed to providing African organisations with a solution that is not only globally recognised and supported, but that taps into the expertise and excellence of Microsoft and its extensive R&D.

“Our objective is to make people’s lives and businesses more efficient, supporting them in working better through technology,” concludes Huxtable. “We have been Microsoft partners since 1996, and our consultants have worked with the Dynamics range for more than 20 years. If nothing else shows our belief in GP, that does.”

Vox has launched Eyeris Lite which is aimed at providing an affordable, easy-to-use, business-grade video conferencing solution for local, small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Companies with multiple branches are increasingly taking advantage of improved broadband connectivity and advancements in hardware and software technology by turning to video conferencing (VC) to enable communication and collaboration, rather than having employees physically travel around.

“A small business with branches across the country can end up spending a lot of money for business executives to travel to their headquarters for meetings – costs that they can save by rather using Eyeris Lite,” says Mauritz van Wyk, senior product manager for visual communications at Vox.

Eyeris Lite – which can connect to any existing VC device – includes features such as an embedded dual-band WiFi module, auto bandwidth detection, audio echo cancellation, and advanced error correction for crystal clear HD communication at just 600Kbps.

It is also backed by a service level agreement and therefore small business can finally say goodbye to pixelated video and garbled voices during video calls.

Van Wyk adds that despite its affordability and compact form factor, the solution offers an unparalleled immersive experience for up to eight participants in small meetings. As such, it can also be used by bigger companies who are looking for a cost-effective VC solution for linking their huddle rooms.

Call participants can connect to meetings easily with a simplified remote and user interface, while seamless sharing of documents and presentations enables them to focus on knowledge sharing and achieving the objectives of their meetings – rather than have to worry about technical issues.

The Vox Eyeris Lite solution is available in two options: the Basic bundle which includes the PTZ camera , codec, configuration and installation; and the Complete bundle which adds on a 48” screen and Vox Air cloud video conferencing for four participants. The devices are configured ahead of time with IP information sourced from the customer, while on premise installation can be done in less than an hour.

The Basic bundle is available for R999 per month on a two-year contract and the complete bundle is available for R2199 per month over a two-year contract.

“Eyeris Lite is for the business that wants something better than having to make use of consumer VC applications, but doesn’t have the budget or the technical requirement for sophisticated products that are expensive and primarily aimed at enterprise users,” concludes Van Wyk.

If your eCommerce store accepts payments online, your website and customers face inherent security threats on a daily basis. Among these, credit card fraud and identity theft are trends that continue to create the most challenging risks for online brands. Regardless of whether you have a nice looking site design or the most amazing products in your inventory, a customer won’t hesitate to leave your site if they don’t feel comfortable sharing their credit card information online.

According to Mayleen Bywater, senior product manager for security solutions at Vox Telecom, the most vulnerable actions during the shopping process occur during the login and checkout process. “On login, customers provide key personal information to create an account and on checkout, they provide their financial details. Together, these two online processes give the perpetrator enough information to damage both the business and consumer’s reputation,” says Mayleen.

When developing a risk management strategy, it’s important that eCommerce business owners prioritise secure payment processing and the protection of customers’ sensitive data. This article, written in collaboration with PayU, provides effective tips that will help online retailers ensure a safe online payment environment is applied to their business.

Use a PCI compliant payment gateway

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) compliance requires that all businesses accepting online payments follow a set of industry standards created to safeguard consumers from fraudulent online activities during and after a payment process. Committing to the best online safety practices includes the use of firewalls, the protection of cardholder data, installing and updating anti-virus software and anti-spyware, among others. Online brands can enforce these industry safety standards when they choose a payment gateway that is already in compliance with PCI standards. When signing up with a well-respected payment gateway service, the business will benefit from across-the-board guidance in PCI compliance such as security checks, educational resources, and customer support.

Use token encryption where you need to collect client sensitive data

When a customer enters their debit or credit card information online the data should, by default, be collected through a process of tokenisation. Through 128-bit encryption, the credit card information is transformed into a custom token when it reaches the payment gateway, meaning that payment data is never revealed and is stored safely. As the customer completes the transaction, the system only saves the token and a symbolic representation of the credit card number, which appears as ************1111.

Update your systems regularly

Continuous checks should be performed to ensure that the website security is up to standard. These checks should be performed on every page and system software that collect data. The biggest risk comes from links that pull information from other systems; therefore it’s important to have frequent security updates on these programmes. Operating system patches normally address the security bugs in the website and most business owners delay this essential process until there is a breach. While updates normally occur automatically, it’s best to manually check for and install the latest version of any software that is running on your website.

Create an online security policy for your business

Draw up policies and processes to manage and enforce compliance related to storing and using consumer information. These guidelines will help the business establish well-defined lines of responsibilities when it comes to online security. They are usually achieved by displaying a privacy policy and terms of use page on your website. The privacy policy discloses how your business handles users’ personal data and can help give your customers the assurance that their information is protected. The terms of service can be applied to limit the liability of your eCommerce site when customers agree to the security provisions for making an online purchase.

Conclusion

The ability to collect and store sensitive data is the lifeblood of eCommerce websites. Without active data protection solutions to curb security breaches, retailers and their customers become attractive targets for cyber criminals. As online shopping continues to grow in popularity in South Africa, a secure payment environment has become imperative to ensure customers feel confident when making purchases online.

Vox has today announced that its shareholders have approved a R550m investment earmarked to enable the company to prioritise three key areas of the business. This investment is indicative of the level of trust that the shareholders have in Vox´s ability to execute on its business plan and priorities.

According to Jacques du Toit, CEO of Vox, the investment will be directed into extending the Vox fibre rollout through their wholly owned subsidiary Frogfoot Networks, bolster job creation and improve efficiencies through enhanced automation.

“The capital injection into our operations endorses our conversion strategy.  We are moving away from being just an Internet service provider (ISP) into a Telco that provides connectivity and integrated services. We are laying the foundation to secure market share and growth in key geographic precincts around South Africa.”

Vox will deploy the bulk of the investment to fast-track its fibre-to-the-home and fibre-to-the-business programme. In the past 18 months, the company has secured 86,000 fibre-to-the-home and just over 10,000 fibre-to-the-business opportunities.

Adds du Toit, “We now have more than 300 coverage areas where we are able to provide fibre related services.”

Vox will also invest in growing its sales force across the country from 280 to 450 people in the next 18 months. Over the last 24 months Vox has invested R50m into the first phase of its sales expansion programme.

“This programme has proven to be extremely successful and we will continue with this approach.  We have broadened our horizons and don’t necessarily focus on individuals from the ICT industry, but passion for technology, ambition and personal commitment to success are amongst the key attributes we are looking for,” says du Toit

“This means we will have the largest direct sales force in the South African telecommunications sector and will continue to take market share from the incumbents.  To further bolster our sales strategy, we have embarked on an extremely aggressive drive to recruit channel partners, which includes, agents, resellers and wholesale partners.”

Du Toit adds that the company is acutely aware of the massive ICT skills shortage locally and has seen the sector grow faster than people can be developed and upskilled.

“With the planned increase in the sales force, we know that a large amount of money needs to be allocated to train field engineers so that from a technical perspective they are able to deal with everything from a copper installation all the way through to fibre installation and maintenance.”

To demonstrate its commitment to transformation, Vox has identified 24 previously disadvantaged individuals who will be invited to participate in its 14 month executive management development programme.

“We believe these building blocks will go a long way to not only guaranteeing growth for the business, but in showing our commitment to the future of the industry and South Africa,” adds Du Toit.

Vox will continue to focus on the automation of its internal processes.  This includes the migration to a new OSS/BSS platform that has been developed over the last two years.

“This investment comes at a critical time for us, especially when you consider the current South African economy and as such, it demonstrates that our shareholders believe in what we are doing and how we are doing it and it also shows that investing in fibre is the right thing to do,” concludes Du Toit.