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Innovation and insight combine in Vox, a market leading end-to-end integrated ICT and infrastructure provider and telecommunications company.

It’s a statement we’ve read (and written) a thousand times, yet no words could encapsulate the spirit of our green brand quite like the above. We are Vox, one of South Africa’s industry leading ICT/Infrastructure providers, and we combine our desire to push the boundaries of technological innovation with the expertise and knowledge required to make it possible.

Our philosophy is simple: we pride ourselves on technical expertise, relentless innovation, and an unwavering commitment towards providing superior product and service quality. From concept to installation, we’re capable of handling all implemented technologies and systems – which is why we’re considered one of SA’s leading industry titans.

But first, let’s go back to our humble beginnings, the seeds of which were planted way back in 1988…

Our company was launched the same year that Satellite Handheld Phones were introduced, making us older than Wikipedia and USB Flash drives. It was at these very beginning stages that we cemented ourselves as frontrunners in our respective sector, becoming the first business to launch a Company Email Service utilitsing a Single Dial Up.

Fast forward 20 plus years, and you have one of the largest black-owned telecommunications companies in South Africa. Along the way, we’ve acquired a few key strategic partners which have proven invaluable assets in our ever-expanding brand portfolio. While many brands talk about innovation, we’ve lived it from day one. This is evident by the fact that we pioneered the introduction of Uncapped ADSL in South Africa (launching a full year before any other ISP). We also launched the first Voice Service over ADSL, have been at the forefront of Fibre Implementation across the country and, when disaster hit, championed the Work from Home revolution across South Africa. Today, we’ve made strides within the sectors of Renewable Energy, Cloud, Prepaid Fibre, IoT in South Africa, and many other guaranteed pinnacles of our local technological future.

Through our desire to facilitate efficient, reliable Internet in all forms throughout cities, suburbs and ‘dorpies’ across the country, we’ve made it our mission to make technology attainable, affordable and feasible. And, whilst we’re mostly known as leaders in the Fibre industry, the reality is that our brand offers more than just connectivity – we’re enhancing lives and enriching homes while growing businesses across the board.

A fundamental component of our organisational philosophy is our specialised team of product managers. Each respective industry expert is reliable for the management and growth of their portfolio through continuous research, development, and adherence to our high-quality standards. By deploying this extensive team throughout our various regional offices, we can ensure local, timeous implementation of solutions and a well-established, fully functioning network throughout South Africa.

Looking at the present, our Network, Portfolio and Product Stack have all grown to encompass a variety of home, business, and lifestyle solution – offering a complete spectrum of future-forward technological products and services.

Don’t believe us? Here are some of the ways our brand is pioneering the lives of South Africans across the board:

• Our Carrier and Connectivity solutions feature a plethora of Internet based solutions for both home and business use. These include FTTH, FTTB, Satellite, LTE and DSL. We also offer numerous enhancements to take these experiences to the next level and accelerate business growth, such as PBX, Home Mesh, SD-WAN, and a 24/7/365 Service Centre.
• Our Communications Solutions include a range of tools designed to make collaboration and connection easier, such as Voice, Web Hosting, Premium WordPress Hosting, Email (for both Home and Business use) and Hardware Rentals.

Whether you’re looking for enhanced connectivity or simply a means of making daily life easier, we’ve made it our mission to bring technological ease into the homes (and hearts) of our entire country, one user at a time.

Each product and service are part of a bigger strategic picture geared at transforming our brand into an all-encompassing, important part of our local infrastructure. Said products aspire to offer value, innovation, and cutting-edge advancements to 100% of the country, 100% of the time. However, said products are a result of our ability to analyse our unique local landscape and determine real problems before generating viable solutions. We’re in the business of making our customer lives better – from ordinary home users to a business in need.

Our brand has helped small start-ups reach new heights with equipment and software designed with progress in mind. Despite financial and economic restrictions, our Vox brand is immensely proud of the fact that we were never forced to retrench an employee. We persevered, we adapted, we adopted (and advocated for) the concept of Working from Home in its infancy and this, to us, indicates unparalleled brand strength and adaptability. We may have shut our physical doors, but our wheels keep spinning.

It’s this ability to think on our feet and share this knowledge with the world that, to us, is the best indicator of our brand dexterity. We’ve taken the idea of progress made simple and dialed it to 100, in doing so allowing students, employees, businesses and beyond to live easier, work smarter and do better.

Our brand ethos is rooted in an understanding of the unique, diverse nature of our wonderful country – and our mix of staff from all walks of life reflects exactly this. No other organisation in South Africa offers the amalgamation of specialist solutions in a one-stop, easy-to-find shop the way we do. To this day we continue to push out new solutions. Vox is at the forefront of expansion, product development, digital excellence and redefining our local working landscape.

We believe that our brand, our team, our products, and our services are bringing world-class digital solutions to the whole of South Africa – and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Last week saw everyone’s favourite green mascot, none other than the increasingly famous Voxie himself, make a red-carpet appearance at the South African premier of the new Uncharted movie, starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg.

Yup, our VIP Guest was given an all-access pass by none other than our just as famous (but a lot less green and furry) Vox Gaming Ambassador, Sam Wight (Tech Girl, to you and me). So, off he went, purple Vox Gaming T-shirt and gift bags in hand, ready to explore the cinematised version of one of our childhood staples, as we finally see Nathan Drake hit the big screen.

From the very start, it was a night to remember. Vox Gaming joined the Team Red Bull, Tech Girl herself (naturally), and her entire awesome audience – who we suspect were as thrilled to see Voxie as he was to see them. Naturally, our green ambassador couldn’t help but have a bit of fun, providing hugs, laughs, stealing the occasional packet of sweets and taking plenty of photos along the way. Hosted at Mall of Africa, everything was catered for and well-organised, promising a fun evening full of laughs, good times and, of course, a full-on cinema experience – something many of us have been missing since the onset of the Pandemic-which-shall-not-be-named.

After posing for his mandatory photos and making his way to the cinema, Voxie prepared to enjoy the film version of one of his favourite video game franchises, Uncharted. To those not in the know, the franchise is a much beloved series of action-adventure games beginning all the way in 2007 (which doesn’t sound that long ago at first, until you realise it’s over 15 years and counting). Yep, back when PS3’s were still a thing, we were gearing up to explore, discover and conquer – and it’s testament to the longevity of the franchise that in 2022, it’s still as relevant now as it was back then.

Universally acclaimed and extremely commercially successful, it’s one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time, widely accredited for raising the standards of single-player video games and introducing mechanics such as high production, quality storytelling, superior character design, graphics, musical score and just delivering an overall enjoyable experience.

Much like the game itself, the movie was in equal parts comedy, action, adventure, and an overall masterclass in both visual and cinematic storytelling. We don’t want to spoil too much, but even non gamer fans can certainly enjoy this action-packed thriller (then again, Marky Mark Wahlberg never disappoints. Except in Ted 2, perhaps).

All in all, it was definitely an evening to remember (especially for Voxie). Being on hand to represent Vox Gaming and interact with the awesome Tech Girl community was certainly an experience he won’t forget. For those of you keen to get in on the fun, we 100% recommend checking out the new Uncharted Movie (in cinemas now). Or, for those of you keen to get in on the action, we suggest following Vox Gaming, checking out our Facebook or Instagram pages, and always being in the loop!

While there are plenty of topics to talk about at any given moment, from politics to sports to “did you see what Eskom is up to?”; one discussion trumps them all – and it’s the weather.

Sure, sometimes, “let’s talk about Weather” leads to rolled eyes or an attempt to fill an awkward silence, but for the most part, bringing it up is a surefire way to stimulate conversation (or, if you’re like us, a viable excuse to rant about how every time you wash your car it starts to rain). There’s so much to talk about when we talk Weather that we wouldn’t even know where to begin – but that might just be because it’s our industry and we’re in the know. For the most part, people comment purely on what they’re experiencing (or fearing, if there’s a wedding coming up), without truly understanding the complexity behind the concept.

However, what many don’t realise is that the Weather is actually a vital part of our entire world, way of living and existence at large.

Don’t believe us? Consider for a second the impacts of climate change and the way it’s radically affecting the world we live in. Below, we’ll look at exploring why one of the most fundamental, global hot topics (which we’ve all heard about thanks to Greta Thunberg) is so important and understand who it affects most:

1. Humans

Let’s start with the ones who feel it the most (because we talk about it the most) – human beings. Ever noticed winter is more biting and summer is longer, hotter, and seemingly never ending? In Jhb alone, it’s been a heatwave since August – and we used to be considered cold. We feel the effects of climate change both physically and in the damage caused to our surroundings – even if it doesn’t directly impact everyone individually. For example, while most of the country could enjoy a steady stream of water throughout the year, there were many parts of Cape Town suffering through their worst drought in recent memory. Climate change affects all of us, whether we realise it or not – and we humans are the ones who can fully understand it’s impact.

2. Animals

That being said, we aren’t the only inhabitants of mother earth. Animals across the globe are dealing with drastic changes to their natural habitats – environments which thousands of years of evolution have suited them for, making escape a very unfeasible possibility. From polar bears to whales to lions in the Sahara, drought, flooding, and fluctuating temperatures are proving devastating. By wreaking havoc on the natural order of their environments, climate change is drastically (and negatively) impacting the lives of innocent creatures everywhere.

3. Plants

It goes without saying, but changes to the environment have a knock-on effect on their surrounding landscapes. From previously thriving ecosystems being starved of rain to the rapid melting of glaciers in both the North and South Poles (as well as the damage this flooding causes), our environment at large is radically impacted by fluctuating temperatures and its resultant effects.

From trees dying to glaciers melting, fluctuating temperatures are wreaking havoc on once stable, thriving ecosystems.

4. People with scant resources

For us in SA, accessing fresh (or, at least sort of fresh) produce is as simple as visiting a grocery store (or ordering a delivery, if you’re that way inclined). However, there are many areas (such as Sub-Saharan Africa and the jungles of South America) where entire villages and towns rely only on what they can slaughter, grow, and harvest. The damage incurred by ever changing temperatures and its impact on numerous ecosystems can provide a challenge to many in terms of sourcing and enjoying food which may have previously been abundant.

5. Farmers

As a farmer, you know the importance of healthy crops, good weather and regular rain. With things changing from year to year, it becomes both difficult to predict and challenging to maintain regular or healthy growth of produce, which in turn has a knock-on effect on your income, output, and supply to those who need it.

6. Tomorrow’s generation

We may be starting to feel some effects today, but by far those who are most affected will be tomorrow’s generation, as the impacts of climate change worsen and more radically alter the world they live in. They say the wisest man is he who plants a tree knowing full well he’ll never be able to sit in its shade, which is why it’s more important now than ever to do our part to reduce our carbon footprint and, if not reverse, at least stabilise the impact we’re having on our climate to the best of our ability – if not for our sake, than for those of our children.

So, even though you may not realise it at first, we can probably agree that the weather involves far more than rain forecasts or cloudy with a chance of snooze. It’s a good thing, then, that we have esteemed industry experts leading the revolution and at the forefront of the fight to educate, empower and usher in a generation which cares about something as seemingly trivial, yet vitally important, as the weather.

Wanna know about all things Vox Weather related? Check out our social channels for daily updates here, here, here or here

As part of efforts to highlight Cyber Security Awareness Month, Vox is providing more value for its business customers by bundling a fibre-to-the-business (FTTB) internet connection with the Vox Cyber Security Bundle, which provides small and medium businesses with a cost-effective set of security solutions.

“South Africa is the 3rd most targeted country in the world as far as cyber attacks are concerned, with the cost of the average cyber attack rising from R3 million last year to R4 million in 2021. It goes without saying that preventative measures are significantly more important now than ever before,” says Richard Frost, Product Head: Endpoint and Network Security at Vox.

Frost points out the frightening fact that many South African organisations do not have the right cyber security tools in places or the skills to manage them. Unprepared workforces are further compounding the problem by providing an additional avenue for cyber criminals to capitalise on, with 95% of breaches starting with a phishing email and 24% of attacks being attributed to human error.

Furthermore, the full enactment of the Protection of Personal Information Act (PoPIA) in June 2021 has placed more responsibility on organisations to safeguard customer data, with those found guilty of negligence being liable to hefty fines and even jail time. All of this means that as far as security is concerned, organisations can no longer afford to take chances.

“The good news, though, is that with Vox, organisations can access both international-standard business security solutions, as well as our training and awareness programmes that ensure your staff will be equipped with the knowledge required to circumnavigate today’s cyber threats,” says Frost.

Managed security solutions for SMBs

According to Frost, many businesses make the mistake of thinking that they are too small to be a target. With large organisations adopting international-standard firewalls and malware protection, cyber criminals are instead choosing to prey on easier targets such as small and medium sized businesses. The recent trend of international governmental breaches are an example of this trend, with smaller entities being used to gather information about the larger organisations involved.

To help small and medium sized businesses mitigate against these risks, Vox has introduced a bundled offering that combines a fibre-to-the-business internet connection with the Vox Cyber Security Bundle, which combines several security products with a managed services offering.

This includes Network Security using Fortinet-based solutions including firewall and optional FortiClient for VPN access; Endpoint Security through antivirus and remote patch management for 20/40 users’ laptops and one server; Email Security using Synaq SecureMail standard with Identity Threat Protection (ITP) and branding; and Backup based on Veeam for one server. Furthermore, the bundle includes managed services, where Vox manages the customers network, endpoint and email security. The services will be offered with SLAs, process flows, ticketing and reporting.

“Customers taking advantage of the bundled offering will also get access to the Vox Cybersecurity Portal that helps with user awareness training and attack simulations. Your employees can either be your greatest asset or your biggest liability when it comes to Cyber Crimes, and our User Awareness Training programmes are designed to circumvent this risk, by empowering and enabling your staff in the fight against cyber crimes,” says Frost.

Frost adds that it’s well documented that fibre on its own presents a distinct security advantage over its predecessors – primarily copper cables in SA – and for good reason: faster connections mean quicker access to the vital elements of your operation and, in the event of a breach, also allow for easier preventative action to address these threats.

“A fibre network essentially allows you to stay ahead of potential threats, giving you access to the latest tools, the best cloud resources and, naturally, the highest-grade security platforms. With Vox, your business is never left wanting, and we’re in your corner from both a fibre and security side,” says Frost.

Vox has introduced an affordably priced, consumer-focused monthly managed IT (MIT) support service that combines cybersecurity with IT maintenance.

“Up to now, consumers requiring home IT support generally had two options. They could phone a service provider who would send an engineer and charge anything from R800 to R1,200 per hour. Or they could pay a monthly fee of upward of R400 to have IT support on standby but may never even use it,” says Dominique Yeates, product manager for MIT at Vox.

The Vox Home IT Support offering disrupts these traditional options by delivering a subscription model that includes anti-virus, anti-malware, general protection for devices, and the patching of the operating system.

“You would not keep a plumber on retainer every month, so why should you do so for IT support? With us, consumers can repurpose what they would typically spend on their monthly anti-virus subscription and get a significantly enhanced offering that delivers not only anti-virus but gives our expert IT consultants access to their devices for remote remediation, ideal for the new normal we are living in,” adds Yeates.

The Vox Home IT Support service is available at R29 per month per device, R69 for three devices, or R99 for five devices while giving the consumer access to engineers from 08:00 to 21:00 daily, Monday to Friday excluding public holidays. It is as easy as logging a support ticket and have the experienced Vox engineer respond within an hour to ensure the consumer can get up and running as quickly as possible. Furthermore, the user will only be billed for time spent on the problem at R350 per hour, incl. VAT

Whether it is email or Zoom issues, problems getting the printer set up correctly, or just performing routine maintenance, the Vox Home IT Support offering can meet every consumer IT requirement. And if the issue cannot be resolved remotely, a qualified engineer will be dispatched at R799 per hour to help with IT issues typically associated with on-site support such as cabling, physically connecting devices, and other hardware troubleshooting.

Vox records all remote support remediation and stores the information in the cloud to adhere to compliance requirements, and because its remote, customers can view what is being done the whole time. No more risk of somebody looking through your personal files.

“Essentially, the home user can offset the monthly subscription fee against their current anti-virus solution and still get access to the innovative Bitdefender solution that includes anti-virus and anti-malware. And as a trusted ICT solutions provider, Vox has a proud tradition of delivering effective enterprise-level support. Extending this to the consumer market will only strengthen remote working environments and alleviate many of the headaches IT departments are facing,” she adds.