Category: Product

With more than four billion email users globally, there is no arguing the fact that this is still the most pervasive form of electronic communication out there. Whether you are an SME or a large corporate, having email is the cornerstone to engaging with your customers. But as technology has evolved, the way this platform can be leveraged to build a brand has also changed.

Branding lost

One of the mistakes many organisations make is to view email in isolation. Yes, it is a communication tool, but it is also responsible for setting your professional and corporate identity. Given how tight budgets have become, many businesses are tempted to select one of the many free email services available as their primary means of customer contact. And yet, this is probably one of the biggest mistakes they can make.

A generic email domain not only takes away from the brand name of the company but also conveys less of a professional image.

With people becoming increasingly security conscious around scams, fly-by-nights, and even malicious attacks, sending a business email from a free account will not attract significant interest. And when your competitors have a personalised domain, chances are you will lose out to them especially when it comes to people’s perceptions of your brand.

The devil is in the details

In fact, with email, branding is essential as it enables the business to optimise how it works with its target audiences. After all, sending an email means the company knows who it is engaging with. This means email signatures and banners can be used to put specials in place that are relevant to those individual customers.

By including such a banner, a company does not have to reinvent the wheel but simply create awareness of a product or campaign that will likely attract interest from that specific user. It is such a small detail but one that many companies neglect.

Security-focused

Given the changing regulatory environment and the arrival of the Protection of Personal Information Act (PoPIA), companies would do well to ensure the security and integrity of their data. This is more so the case when it comes to email and how it uses customer data to provide tailored communication.

This is where working with a trusted and experienced partner can make all the difference. Using a free service means the organisation has no control over the policies and security measures that are put in place. It is this lack of control that can become the biggest challenge at an organisation. However, an environment managed by a local partner means the organisation can put the necessary policies in place to protect data from leaking.

For instance, a policy can be put in place to make it impossible for an employee to email credit card information and other sensitive customer data. This can even extend to controlling the language contained in emails. Things like swear words, emoticons, and even slang can negatively impact on the professional image the organisation wants to maintain.

And from a security perspective, being able to manage the defensive measures in place can address how email has become one of the main entry points into an organisation. As attacks become more sophisticated, the security mechanisms of freely available email platforms might not be able to adequately protect users from receiving suspicious messages.

Keeping it safe

Of course, no environment is completely hacker-proof. This is where your local partner must provide the necessary disaster recovery and business continuity features that keep your emails safe and quickly recoverable from compromise.

After all, you want to remain focused on your core business priorities and not spend time managing all the complexities around email. Having access to locally-developed solutions that are priced at the correct value proposition for the market makes a massive difference in this regard.

With email becoming the first line of engagement your business has to the outside world, can you really afford not to have it convey a professional image while delivering you the security and business continuity features you need.

Raise your controller if your console is so old, it emits sawdust on startup.

Raise your controller if your console is so old. the last time you played a new release a little Italian was still in plumbing school.

Raise your controller if you’ve struggled with lag due to poor connection, a jammy “X” button, frayed wires or graphics so bad, the human shapes are still stick figures.

Any gamer, seasoned or casual, can tell you how important it is to keep your console up to date.

Like phones or cars, but definitely not life partners, the newest model in gaming is always the best option. In some cases, it’s a step up in terms of graphics. In others it’s better performance and the latest releases. In all cases, however, few things frustrate like a console that just doesn’t cut it.

You can’t deny that the newest model has the best benefits, but you’re probably wondering, “my old jalopy works just fine- why tamper with something that’s not broken?”

Well, you may not know what you’re missing out on just yet, but here are some of the reasons you should kick your relic to the curb.

1. New Games and Exclusives.

If your hardened soldiers are still hitting each other with sticks, chances are your RPG may be outdated.

Seriously, we know some guys playing FIFA with Pele breaking through the ranks- the ball is solid leather and everything. The whole point of gaming is, well, the actual game. Newer consoles have the advantage of having access to the latest releases and exclusive downloadable content, meaning your oldie is as “with it” as those aunties on the Golden Girls.

We’ve also noticed that developers tend to focus more on what’s new than what’s already out there. DLC’s in particular regularly get pushed out for the latest releases, meaning if you’re not up to date with what’s hot, chances are you’re getting left behind. In fact, many of said DLC’s completely enhance your experience by adding gameplay time, new characters, missions, stories- whole days and upgrades on games that were already great to start with.

By sticking with what you know, you inadvertently miss out on a whole world of possibilities. The old days were cool, we’ll admit it, but unless you’re a Jonas Brother, the early 2000’s weren’t as good as it gets.

2. The Best Gaming Experience.

With a newer console comes better speeds and, of course, more amazing specs. Why wouldn’t you want to enjoy better visuals, enhanced graphics and bask in the glory of an overall visual experience? It seems like each release of something new has us thinking “wow, that’s realistic” until the next one comes around, promptly making their predecessor look like as real as a Fast and Furious Movie.

Newer consoles also present higher framerates, offering a glimpse into the pinnacle of innovation while making sure your gaming experience is less playing games, more making memories.

3. Spec Savers.

Like a car, a TV or even a fridge (we’ve seen some crazy fridges), sometimes it’s the features that count. Now, we’re not talking cosmetic things that nobody uses like photo storage and Internet capabilities. No, we’re talking the stuff that matters, which is often the difference between Old Yeller and Beethoven.

Aside from better aesthetics, most consoles are purpose driven and designed to eradicate previous errors. Controllers are more ergonomic, the basic functions are smoother and the actual device is easier on the ears.

Then there are advanced components such as your RAM, Storage and GPU- all the things you don’t see which play a big part in your experience. Remember the days of blowing into your memory card and hoping it works? There’s a reason kids today don’t have to do that- and it’s all hidden in the device.

4. It’s Just Better.

At the end of the day, no gamer wants to feel isolated. To us, gaming is a means of escapism, of all-conquering, swashbuckling fun that cuts through the monotony of everyday life to allow us, just for a few hours at a time, to feel like we can conquer the world.

And let’s face it, that’s a bit hard to do when you’re riddled with lag induced errors and graphics like a restored painting in Borja.

That’s why we advocate for the latest consoles and the best releases. We know the power of gaming and we want our family to experience it in full force. But we also understand that sometimes consoles can be unaffordable- which is why our rental model exists. Now you, your kid at Christmas or your loved one with an adventurous inner-child can experience gaming to the full extent without having to save up or putting yourself in difficulty.

Just be sure to dust your fingers off before you touch the new one- we don’t want your old consoles Smallpox germs damaging our Start button.

Estimated Reading Time: 2 Minutes 38 Seconds

Often taken for granted, email remains one of the most important communications tools in the world today and, really, that’s just scratching the surface.

Be it ever so humble, it’s hard to imagine how we ever lived without email. Fast, convenient and adaptable, for almost 40 years, email has remained the go-to communications medium for the modern world.

There might have been a brief moment when it looked like social media and direct messaging apps would steal email’s crown, but with a reported four billion users globally in 2020 sending an average of 309 billion mails daily throughout the year, it’s pretty clear this solution isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

The medium is the message

Like all great origin stories, no one can really agree as to who actually sent the first email, but seeing as how this guy’s name pops up the most, it’s safe to assume US computer programmer Ray Tomlinson deserves the honour. Even though, back in the 70s, you had to print a mail before you could read it.

Post late 90s and You’ve Got Mail, it seemed as though email itself would stay exactly the same as the rest of technology evolved around it. Thankfully, while email remains as user-friendly as ever, now it also incorporates a range of tools to increase efficiency, add value and keep everything in check. Email offers a convenient way to not only send and receive important messages, but also store and search valuable data like your bank statements, receipts and crucial documents.

Unlike other communications tools, email still offers users the opportunity to maintain boundaries by opening and responding to messages in their own time, no blue ticks in sight.

Basically, when it comes to email, we should all be thinking BIGGER.

Email as an ecosystem

*David Attenborough voice* Welcome to the email ecosystem. We like to think of it as a thriving environment where every element works together to create a harmonious balance. We can’t promise you’ll achieve the frustratingly elusive inbox zero, but we can offer the tools to help you get there.

At the centre is Cloud Mail. More than just an email solution, Vox Cloud Mail offers SMEs the opportunity to cut down on their email costs by only paying for the storage their employees use. It also includes time-saving features like Chat, Calendar and Tasks, to help you manage your schedule and collaborate with colleagues with ease, from wherever you happen to be working from.

When you add in Email Archiving, you’ll be able to rest easy knowing you’ll have access to 10 years’ worth of digital correspondence at your fingertips in an easy-to-search and secure cloud environment no matter what disasters befall your inbox.

Email Branding allows you to get the most out of your multiple daily correspondences with the addition of customisable email signatures and clickable banners to turn an ordinary mail into something far more interactive and memorable.

Last, but definitely not least, our Email Security offering provides a necessary defence against increasingly hostile malware, ransomware, spam and spear-phishing attacks. With over 90% of ransomware attacks reportedly originating from email, you really can’t be too careful here.

It’s a lot more than just a message, really.

By Theolin Moodley, Senior Product Manager: Carrier & Connectivity

In recent years, Fibre has taken preference over traditional fixed connectivity mediums in many South African homes due to reliable download and upload speeds with uncapped offerings. However, LTE and LTE-Advanced technologies are becoming more widely available and can potentially cater for virtually any budget, this has started to change.

According to ICASA’s ICT Sector Report, almost nine out of every 10 households in South Africa are now relying on cell phones as their means of communication. Following the hard lockdown of last year and the resultant financial pressures it placed on people, Fixed LTE has become an alternative to Fibre, especially in the R100 to R500 per month price bracket. The variety of packages on offer mean households have a broad selection of connectivity options open to them.

And while Fibre is still being rolled out in many communities, Fixed LTE coverage throughout South Africa is rapidly growing.

Unlike Fibre, which requires trenches to be dug and CPE units to be installed at homes, a person can get a SIM and Fixed LTE router within a week of placing an order. Its plug-and-play functionality ensures families can get up and running quickly.

Many South Africans have been impacted negatively due to the COVID-19 pandemic from an income perspective and, therefore, tightening their budget to spend on essential items has become a reality. Basic connectivity is now seen as an essential item as part of our daily lives, and giving consumers choices based on affordability coupled with flexible monthly options will be a key factor in the consumer buying process. We are expecting the next wave of infections to hit in the months to come, making access to reliable connectivity crucial to productivity, especially while working from home.

Of course, LTE is not limited to an either/or approach. Consumers can still use both LTE and Fibre. Fixed LTE can be a viable backup option should the Fibre line go down. This ensures households can remain connected even in the event of loadshedding if they have a mini-UPS to power their router.

Providing value-adds

While many service providers are using price as a differentiator on their LTE offerings, this should not be the only focus. Attention must also turn to creating a superior customer experience by providing complementary services to create a one-stop-shop. This simplifies the process for the consumer and starts building brand loyalty.

For instance, a service provider that delivers a one-stop-shop will be more compelling than one that only offers connectivity. This can include Internet security, cloud-based applications, UPS devices, laptops, and other hardware rentals to turn your home into the ultimate workplace.

The normalisation of remote work means reliable and fast Internet access must be in place at home. For those South Africans looking to remain connected despite the economic uncertainty of recent months, Fixed LTE proves a viable alternative to Fibre, from both an affordability and an availability perspective.

 

First things first: we love ourselves some Fibre.

In fact, as far as we’re concerned, Fibre will always be our golden child, and why not? It’s the Ferrari of connectivity but, sadly, not everyone can drive a Ferrari. To some, it’s too costly, to others it’s inaccessible. Some just want to get from A to B without expensive overheads, and others just want to drive, full stop.

Whatever your reasoning, everyone deserves the thrill of amazing speed and best-in-class technology. Everyone should have a solution for their specific needs and, if you’re not a Ferrari person, why not try a Porsche?

If Fibre is a Ferrari, then a Porsche is exactly what LTE-A is.

Similar speeds, equal innovation, but a lot more affordable than the crème-de-la-crème. At least, that’s what they claim, which is why we decided to put a router to the test.

Our experience with LTE-A:

Within three days of ordering, our delivery guy was outside. Best. Feeling. Ever.

Truth be told though, we weren’t sure what to expect, as our only previous Router experience came from Modems and Fibre. To us, LTE was a bit WTF. Besides, what’s the deal with that SIM card thing? However, we barely had time to scratch our heads before noticing a distinct green Vox logo on a concise setup guide.

Four steps, each clearly outlined – watch out IKEA, you’ve got some serious competition.

Jokes aside, each box contains:

• The router itself. Naturally.
• A cable to connect to your PC.
• A power cable.
• SIM Card.
• A more comprehensive guide- sort of like a service book.

You know the feeling- you open a new box, it smells like fresh plastic mixed with hope, and suddenly you’re a kid on Christmas morning. The router itself is big enough to say “I’m here” but not obtrusive in any way. The design is sleek and streamlined, with only a single wire connecting it to a power source and no antenna or randomly protruding limbs threatening to poke our cat’s eye.

All we had to do was insert SIM, power up, wait a few hours to connect and “bazinga”, we were online.

But what about the actual Internet?

Within the first three hours, we set a new track record on our Wi-Fi speed test and downloaded the box set of Game of Thrones. At least, that’s what most service providers would have you believe, but while our Internet is fast, we still had reasonable expectations.

For comparisons sake, we put it to the test next to a Fibre router and experienced absolutely no difference in speed. Over the course of a week, the LTE-A router seamlessly handled our work, streaming and even gaming needs with no interruption or delay. We tested it during odd hours of the day (and night) and are pleased to say it passed with flying colours- not bad for a Porsche!

Although our time together was short, and we handed back our Router with a heavy heart, we eventually ended up placing an order for a device of our own as a backup to our Fibre line. We’ve noticed that when the whole family is online, our connectivity can delay a bit, and a Fixed LTE-A Router is that perfect stopgap for pushing one last Email over the finish line or just getting through a peak hour meeting.

Ultimately, Fibre remains king of the Internet track (at least until the conspiracy theorists stop destroying 5G towers). However, there are times when you need a backup, or when the overheads of connecting to the very top just aren’t feasible.

If you’re after a failsafe or a viable alternative that compromises on nothing at all, you’re good to go with Fixed LTE-A.

And what more could you want from your Internet, really? It’s not a car after all.