Vox 4 Thought

What the Vox with Gaming?

Posted on 26 May 2022 by Suhail Dinat

It seems like not so long ago; Gaming was transitioning from “pastime for kids” to “the root of all evil”. Apparently overnight, what used to be a harmless way to kill time (and excuse to flock to the arcade) soon became something we blamed for the youth of today. It didn’t register back then, but this shift represented the change in demographic of gamers as a whole – a symbolic transitioning between “child friendly” content and appeal to more mature audiences.

Today, Gaming has become a multitude of things. To some, it’s an excuse not to do homework. To others, it’s a great way to pass your 8am meetings (sorry, boss) while staying connected to Teams. Some people used it as a coping mechanism for lockdowns, others to avoid a very angry wife just around dishwashing time, but to most it’s a harmless, entertaining, and relatively safe (unless you’re throwing controllers at innocent bystanders) way to spend their time.

We already know (seriously, we’ve covered this in detail) that there are millions of gamers worldwide, and that our community is exponentially increasing. The industry brought in $175.8 BILLION in 2021 alone (which should get you about 10 units of electricity from City Power). There are around 3.1 billion active players (so around the line outside Game on Black Friday), with an average age of 34, and comprising on men, women, and children alike.

Still, to a new or unexperienced player, the idea of picking up a console and getting involved can seem as daunting as seeing “Mom” on your incoming calls when you’ve snuck out the house. It’s enough to dissuade anyone, with many prospective players erroneously thinking that being new at it means you’re doomed to a lifetime of respawns, restarts and 12-year old’s screaming “Noob” through your headset.

We’re here to tell you it’s not, and we’re also putting together this handy guide to help you game without feeling lame…

Play the tutorials

You may think you know what you’re doing, but the first spawn peek that takes you down will tell you otherwise. Seriously, the only thing worse than a tutorial level is skipping the tutorial level and spending the next hour getting flattened. Tutorial levels, while painstakingly slow to an experienced player, were created for the sole purpose of ensuring that exactly what you fear will happen doesn’t. Adding an extra ten minutes to your game can save you a few hours of rage quitting and writing angry reviews online – so start with the small stuff and work your way up (yes, that’s what she said).

Everyone sucks.

Seriously. You’re going to suck. Soldier on, it gets better, if not, learn to laugh at yourself – it will significantly improve your mood, experience, and ability to enjoy what you’re doing. Gaming is not something to be taken as seriously as a State of Nation Address (which isn’t taken that seriously at all – but you get the point). It may take a few tries, a few deaths and a few goals conceded before you get to grips with things, but you’ll get there in the end. Keep at it, find what works for you and you’ll be on your feet sooner rather than later – if not, we’re sure you can find the funny side.

Choose your game wisely.

Choose a game that looks fun and compliments your interests. FIFA is one of the most widely played, universally acclaimed titles in the world, but if you hand it to an NBA 2K fan, they’ll have as much fun as a surfer during level five lockdown. You’ll understand the appeal of a title a lot better if it’s a topic you either know about, care about or are passionate about – and there’s no shortage of options in the world of gaming. From sports to fantasy, mindless carnage to saving the world from zombies, there’s something for everyone (and then some).

Pick your console

Make sure your gear can handle the game you’re playing and is compatible with you. If you’re a person who believes in the power of PC, you’re unlikely to get the same enjoyment from console experiences are you are from your normal machine. Gaming is always better once it becomes familiar, and the right gear makes a huge difference. Pick your weapon (or console) of choice wisely – it will likely define your entire perception of how great (or bad) a game truly is. If, however, you are using a PC, make sure that it can handle the load affiliated with playing – it’s unlikely that your i3, entry level laptop can master the rigorous demands of a high-graphic title.

Just have fun.

Look, Gaming may seem daunting, but it’s not that deep. There wouldn’t be more Gamers than there are fans of Man United if it wasn’t fun. Don’t overthink it, don’t get too worked up about it, and, most of all, don’t forget to enjoy it (also what she said).

ADSL is dead, long live fibre

Posted on 10 May 2022 by Navisha Naidoo

By Navisha Naidoo, Product Manager: ADSL and FTTH at Vox

Having served its purpose in ushering in high-speed internet access in South Africa, ADSL has now reached the end of its life. The technology is outdated and, typical of copper-based commodities, is susceptible to the vagaries of copper theft. In fact, the infrastructure provider of the country’s copper network has completely stopped the replacement of copper cables if they are stolen. Fear not though, for fibre is here to save the day.

It is understandable that those who have come to rely on ADSL may fear the unknown. After all, the ADSL model has become part of the furniture in many households throughout the country. And, just as people have moved on from relying on those Nokia handsets that were as sturdy as bricks, they also need to embrace fibre as the next iteration in the evolution of terrestrial broadband connectivity. Within three years, ADSL will simply not be available at all and, as such, it is best to move to fibre now – before it is too late.

Apart from what has already been mentioned about the downsides of remaining on the deteriorating copper network, the quality of service attainable from fibre-based connectivity must be considered. Comparatively, ADSL is unreliable in terms of speed and performance. It is highly probable though that, on a fibre connection, a minimum of 90% of the advertised product speed is achieved.

It is often perceived that fibre is more expensive or is difficult to use when compared to the familiarity of ADSL, but this is not the case. There is this handy table that examines the pricing of ADSL and fibre on a per megabyte basis. Roughly translated, this means you can get much faster fibre access at the price you are paying for your current ADSL connection. In addition, existing landline numbers can still be used when making or receiving voice calls on a fibre connection.

The idea of moving over to fibre may seem daunting, but rest assured that help is at hand if you need information and assistance with migrating your service. There is a range of speeds to choose from at affordable prices and a team of experienced salespeople are available to explain how everything works. We are even available around the clock should you have any questions or concerns around fibre access, or simply require technical support.

So, beyond the cost, user-friendliness, faster speeds, and always-on availability, there is another thing to consider- fibre is future proof. This means that it will be around for many years to come. Modern appliances like televisions, CCTV cameras, washing machines, refrigerators, and the like can all simultaneously access the internet seamlessly through high-speed fibre connectivity.

You can also stream everything from movies, music, videos, and TV series in high-definition quality in the way it was meant to be done. Fibre has many uncapped data bundle options to choose from too, negating the need for data top-ups and expensive out-of-bundle rates. Pay just once a month and enjoy hassle-free internet connectivity.

So, what are you waiting for? Become part of the digital generation and upgrade to high-speed fibre access today.

LTE – Connectivity that checks all the right boxes

Posted on 6 May 2022 by Duo Marketing

By Theolin Moodley, Senior Product Manager at Vox

Just over 2 years ago, when the South African workforce was hastily adopting a new way of working – from home – one connectivity medium stood out above all others. Realising the possibility of high-speed broadband and meeting the specific requirements of the people, homes and businesses across SA, was Fixed LTE.

Long Term Evolution, which we commonly refer to as 4G first became available in the country about 7 years prior to the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Back then, it was considered to be the next evolution of high-speed wireless connectivity that will be an integral part of high-speed broadband strategies of all Mobile Network Operators (MNO). MNOs believed at the time that LTE (and later, LTE-A) will become the mobile data standard.

Comparable to broadband speeds available over a fibre network but without the need for a wired connection that goes into your home or business premises and completely ‘Plug and Play’, Fixed LTE offers a compelling alternative to fixed-line solutions for high-speed connectivity. It can quickly turn a home or business into a fully connected Wi-Fi hotspot allowing multiple devices to be connected simultaneously to the internet.

Fixed LTE is possibly the most prevalent connectivity option that was purchased by the masses that were compelled to set up a home office during the pandemic. Perhaps this is visible in the sterling financial results that were produced by MNOs during this time. Government and ICASA too were aware that this technology, with capacity built out years before, had the potential to save the day for the many communities that have no access to Fibre connectivity. Hence, the allocation of temporary spectrum that enabled even further reach by the mobile operators in the last 2 years.

Now, as the country is slowly released from the grips of the pandemic and things start to normalise workwise, Fixed LTE, as a technology, remains geared to continue its relevance and hold its own in the high-speed broadband connectivity space. When it comes to availability, accessibility and affordability and ease of installing and using, Fixed LTE connectivity checks all the right boxes.

The commercial model for Fixed LTE connectivity is largely bandwidth or data-allocation based instead of through-put speed based. This effectively means that customers need only budget for their anticipated data usage and enjoy the higher connectivity broadband speeds as a bonus.

For homes requiring always-on internet access and businesses concerned with redundancy for Business Continuity Management purposes, Fixed LTE is the most viable option to complement existing fibre connectivity. The cost of data has undergone significant reductions over time and this too contributes to the attractiveness of Fixed LTE as the most viable option for those who find themselves in areas awaiting fibre installations, customers looking for a temporary connectivity option and for those in areas in which fibre will never become a reality in the near future.

The APN is still alive and kicking

Posted on 5 May 20225 August 2024 by Duo Marketing

Theolin Moodley: Senior Product Manager at Vox

The architecture and topology of an Access Point Name (APN), once developed, had gained traction when CIOs and IT managers were seeking a mobile data solution for a distributed or dispersed workforce. Primarily, sales personnel or consultants that spent a substantial amount of time away from company campuses or offices, were the internal clients that most needed remote connectivity to the company’s network – especially while travelling for business.

A mobile APN is a gateway between a 3G/LTE mobile network and the business’s own computer network, accessing the public internet or private Virtual Private Network (VPN). It is a unique identifier that allows a connection to the company’s network via a Mobile Network Operator’s (MNO) 3G/LTE/5G network.

Since its introduction to the market, corporate mobile APNs proved to be most effective for the highly mobile teams within organisations, it fast became the tried and tested go-to solution for businesses that sought a quick enabler for all employees to work from home/anywhere when the need arose.

APNs deliver a secure connection that creates a private network on a mobile device, protecting information and linking multiple devices together. It enables companies to manage multiple SIM cards each delivering data connectivity through a private APN to remote workers. Furthermore, companies can set usage caps for employees, and view bandwidth on an application level – making it easy to discern whether the user is accessing social networks or streaming content for pure entertainment value or accessing work-related sites that lend itself to actual productivity. Features are option dependent, however.

Ultimately, a mobile APN can significantly reduce data spend in the organisation as management has an integrated reporting environment with a universal view of how employees use their mobile data. The ability to allocate and re-allocate data comes pretty standard too. These attributes of corporate APN solutions provide complete budgetary control that makes sense, especially in the current tough economic climate when businesses are looking to reduce connectivity costs. In addition, businesses are also trying to use recent lessons learned to better equip their organisations for purposes of hybrid working and to provide sustained stability should another disaster or crisis disrupts normal operations in future.

In the absence of the control that APN solutions offer, many businesses had to deal with mobile data costs that skyrocketed while staff worked remotely. The extent of the bill shock related to data purchases may have easily doubled, or even trebled or more in some cases. It was a necessary evil though, as keeping employees connected meant keeping them working and it goes without saying that business continuity is a business imperative.

Halting business operations under any circumstance could lead to substantial losses for any business with a far-reaching impact on suppliers, partners, employees and customers/clients alike. Stable, secure and controlled access to an organisation’s network is crucial and an APN is a formidable choice of the solution both as a primary or complementary remote connectivity option. Within the APN architecture and topology, there is room for customisation allowing businesses a range of product types and features that may be best suited for their needs.

There a two main types of APN solutions, Shared and Private or Corporate APNs. As the name suggests, the Shared APN makes use of Shared Infrastructure. One massive data pipe where all the traffic flows into.

With a standard Shared APN solution, users get access to the world wide web without any restrictions meaning that businesses cannot prevent their employees from accessing social media and content streaming platforms without deliberately installing additional firewalls. A key feature of the Shared APN is the ability to aggregate or pool together data from more than one Mobile Network Operator under one data bundle. The clear benefit is ubiquitous coverage to ensure end users can work from virtually anywhere wherever the signal strength is strongest.

And then there is the Private APN solution to consider. This is more expensive when compared to a Shared APN as the traffic is inherently more secure as the data traffic does not transverse across the public internet unless otherwise requested. In addition, your service provider in conjunction with the MNO should carve out a dedicated pipe or NNI (network-to-network interface) that only carries data traffic specific to a corporate APN client. The primary use case for this type of solution would be access to a client’s corporate intranet.

Another key benefit of this solution is that organisations can set up policies on the firewall level to ensure that, for example, employees only access certain URLs or websites such as business-based applications such as Outlook, Office 365 or Microsoft Teams while other users could have access to other additional sites.

In addition to APNs delivering advantages to a hybrid workforce, it is in Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine to Machine (M2M) rooted applications where its true potential can be harnessed. These edge devices use SIM cards and generate a small amount of data. But it is in the volume where APN comes into its own and provides organisations with an effective way of managing the thousands of IoT and M2M solutions on its network. A perfect example of this is the M2M SIMs that are inserted in Point of Sale (PoS) devices that enable millions of people to conduct their payment transactions, purchase airtime or electricity even in the remotest of areas in our country.

The modern workforce has undoubtedly adopted new ways of working over the past 2 years or so and arguably many of the changes experienced have been positive for individuals and businesses, productivity, time management and, in some ways, for the planet. Clearly, APN solutions played a significant enablement role in ensuring business continuity in a time of crisis. There is still significant value to be gained by organisations who use APN solutions as a connectivity offering for their distributed workforce, to closely manage data allocations, to manage increasingly complex real estate of IoT devices or are looking to be better prepared for whatever disruption may come next.

How NOT to get Hacked: A Survival Word to the ‘not so wise’.

Posted on 26 April 20221 August 2024 by Suhail Dinat

We’d like to think we’ve come a long way from the days of chain mails, ‘forward this to ten people or suffer from bad luck for eternity’, and Nigerian Prince scams. Circa 2007, it seemed like you could barely open Hotmail (yes, we’re that old) without encountering some transparent (yet surprisingly effective) means of tricking early internet users into parting with their hard-earned money.

Like we said earlier, we like to think society has progressed since then (or at least become substantially less gullible). However, as anyone who has an elderly aunt in a family WhatsApp group can testify, the rise of social media and online communicative platforms has, sadly, done precious little to deter the spread of incorrect and, more often than not, harmful content (as well as created a plethora of “Good Morning, Have A Blessed Day” motivational memes – seriously, who is making those and sending them to our elders???).

The truth is, for every tech-savvy,’ Mr. Robot in training’ privy to the latest pseudo FNB text message asking you to click and verify, there’s a gullible old grand aunt in search of the next great weight loss miracle pill (or, let’s be honest, a middle-aged uncle trying to add one inch to his… hair). And, in the world of Cyber Security, nothing is more dangerous than unknowing internet users clicking things guaranteed to land them in trouble. Identity theft, malware, phishing scams and the like are more prevalent than ever (we are, after all the third most targeted country in the world for Cyber Crimes – what a time to be the best at something!).

A little education goes a long way, which is why we’ve put together this nifty survival guide to ensure your browsing time isn’t someone else’s payday…

Bill Gates (or anyone, for that matter) is NOT going to send you money.

A quick Google search for the world’s richest man should bring up articles about Mr. Gates believing he’s the Coronavirus Messiah – but none, strangely, of him promising to send $1000 to everyone who forwards his test mailer. If you haven’t interacted with Microsoft, it’s highly unlikely they’ll contact you out of the blue (and if you are a customer, it’s even less likely that good ol’ Bill has decided to feel generous). As such, any Email or communication which promises you gold, diamonds and all the treasures in the land if you click a link, pass on a message, or download a file is 99.99% guaranteed to be a scam – so be wise and economise, because no small fortune ever came via a Gmail link.

Do not click that link in your DM’s

Some common messages which have led to hacked Social Media Accounts begin with “I made this for you” and “this looks just like you”. We can safely say that nobody, especially your high-school rugby captain who you haven’t spoken to since 2012, has not made anything for you – nor will a link lead you to your doppelganger. Be wary of social media DM’s, especially those coming out the blue. More importantly, be careful of any message, be it via a social network or SMS, which directs you to click, follow or download something – often a simple button is all it takes.

Nobody is going to help you earn $2000 a day working from home.

Sure, it’s technically possible, but only through many years of hard work, expertise, and knowledge. If getting rich were as easy as trusting an internet pop up, great aunt Gertrude would be a millionaire and this author wouldn’t be writing this piece at 10pm on a Friday (sorry, boss). These ads and offers (which usually make some outlandish promise that seems too good to be true) usually are, and can be found either in the comments, stories or web pop ups designed to catch desperate users off guard.

That Bitcoin expert in the comments with 1000 testimonials is probably a bot.

These ones get us right in the feels, because sometimes said scammers go so far as to directly WhatsApp innocent, unsuspecting parties privately. You often don’t know where they got your details from or how they’re contacting you, but between their promises of unforetold riches and ‘guaranteed profit’, a gullible party can quickly become a victim. Our favourite pastime is to pretend we work for Interpol until they block our number, but this isn’t for everyone, so be wary of any unknown number even saying ‘hello’ to you, and don’t be fooled into thinking that 1am private message with 16 typos is a representative of a legitimate entity.

The Government does not send out official Data (especially around Covid-19) via WhatsApp

In truth, we naturally distrust anything governmental. If they say it’s Level 3 loadshedding, we immediately assume we’re on Level 5 (which we normally get to anyway). But this one is specifically for those of you in the family chat who insist on passing on “official” Government memos – don’t do it. Official communications come from the predetermined channels (or a very slow speaking President talking in circles for thirty minutes) – but they most certainly don’t come from your local community watch group.

Sadly, we live in a society where it’s easier to get scammed than it is to get electricity. But, like we said earlier, a little education goes a long, long way. These are just the basics of navigating the digital world without being sucked in to a long, dark rabbit hole, but for a more comprehensive range of Cyber Security solutions, check out Armata.co.za. Oh, and lastly, this blog post is one link we don’t mind you circulating – in fact, we encourage it, so let’s get Aunty Gertrude back for a change 😛

It’s fun to be in the… PoPIA?

Posted on 25 April 2022 by Suhail Dinat

Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it…

Truth be told, the Protection of Personal Information Act (and the feelings it evokes) can, at surface level, seem as interesting as a TED Talk by a member of congress (any member. It doesn’t matter). In truth, at first it seems like a lot of legal jargon and law speak, a mess of convoluted acts, policies and regulations that are seemingly for the benefit and protection of consumers, yet somehow doesn’t prevent Telkom from bombarding us with calls asking if we’d like to upgrade (we don’t).

A quick Google search of the term is, in fact, the greatest insomnia remedy known to man (just don’t tell our boss we fell asleep on the clock. Again). However, with a bit of deep diving (by this, we mean asking our lawyer friend to explain it to us in simple English), we’ve managed to distill it down into simple, easy to understand language – which may explain why it’s a bigger deal than you think.

You see, recent years have seen a lot of theft and misuse of people’s personal information (and no, we’re not talking about the content that made the Kardashian’s famous). Identity theft and cyber crimes are at an all-time high, which led to the need to set up regulations designed to protect your right to privacy (if only someone could explain this to the DA at election time). The PoPIA Act clearly defines the minimum standards required to access or process any individual’s personal information – this includes collecting, receiving, recording, organising, distributing, sharing, storing, or erasing said content (so goodbye to those annoying Mr. Delivery Emails – in theory, at least).

For a customer, this is great, as it means your chances of being spammed with unwanted content are vastly reduced. As a business owner, however, things get a bit tricky. You see, organisations (of any size) in a position to obtain, handle and store the info of a customer or individual must now adhere to the requirements and implement the mandatory steps required to safeguard them accordingly. This includes suppliers, customers, staff, service providers and databases – with non-compliance resulting in fines up to R10 million, 10 years in prison, or a combination of the two (insert joke about crime in South Africa here).

That last line is more sobering than a 2am phone call from your parents when you’ve snuck out to the club. In actuality, although the Act doesn’t exactly inspire feelings of unbridled excitement in society, it is a big deal – and one being taken very, very seriously by organisations and government alike.

So, let’s talk about where we come in…

Our PoPIA Advisory Services aim to help you understand what exactly you’re dealing with (you see, “I didn’t know” doesn’t hold up in court – just ask Oscar). The service does exactly what its name entails, allowing you and your business to operate at full efficiency without the ever-looming threat of breaching the Act, ending up in jail, or having to pay a fine the size of a medium meal at Nandos. Here’s how…

We aim to identify areas within your business which can and will be impacted by the new requirements and obligations under PoPIA. Unless you have the legal team of Shabir Sheik or are really, really clued up in Privacy Law (no, five seasons of Suits doesn’t count), chances are you’ll need to evaluate your organisation and establish where this Act affects you. That’s where we come in, only we simplify it to make compliance that much easier.
We then obtain a full analysis of the business Data Processing methods and Databases, which allows us to better understand where you could be going wrong with your vital information.
We can also identify how high your chances of processing incorrect or inaccurate personal Data may be, and in doing so allow you to take preventative measures so as to avoid incurring any breach or penalties.
Furthermore, we’re able to assess the methods in which you collect, use, store, transfer and discard personal information – anything non-kosher (or should we say non-compliant?) will be immediately identified and rectified.
Next up, we’re able to assist your business in evaluating the handling of Data subjects’ access and erasure requests (in simple terms, we can navigate who has opted in or out to your databases).
And, lastly, our team is ready, willing, and able to form a remediation plan, which in turn can help develop and implement a roadmap towards a PoPIA compliant journey.

We may not be Gerrie Nel (or, despite our best wishes, Harvey Spector), but we do know our way around all things PoPIA – which many organisations sadly don’t. It can be daunting, and there are many regulations and mandatory policies which your brand may not even know exist yet.

Our advice? Don’t overlook or underestimate the Act. The reputational damage alone is enough to cripple the biggest industry titan – then there’s also fines or possible (by which we mean probable) jail time. True, many of us would pay to see our boss in prison for a bit, but it’s no laughing matter when it’s the future of an entire business on the line.

The Future of Cloud in South Africa

Posted on 25 April 2022 by Sean Rose

Spoiler alert: it’s multi-faceted and customisable. It’s also the key to digital transformation and a comprehensive business strategy.

Digitalisation allows businesses to speed up normal day-to-day operations for maximum efficiency. Physical documents are saved and categorised in databases. Invoices are sent and received via email. At any time. From anywhere. In seconds!

Unlike digitalisation – doing the same, but faster – digital transformation gives us all new ways of working. It opens up a world of endless possibilities – one free of, ‘That’s just how we’ve always done it’ thinking. Digitalisation offers the kind of agility and adaptability needed in a world where anything can (and does) happen.

Digitalisation allowed Netflix to pivot from supplying weekly mail-order DVDs in the US to streaming movies and series globally, 24/7. Digital transformation gave the streaming giant the ability to produce the critically-acclaimed original content we know and love today. They did it by leveraging the masses of data and insight Netflix subscribers provide with their viewing habits and preferences.

Here’s the good news: digital transformation is possible for every company, in every industry.

And it all begins – and never ends – with the cloud.

Why Cloud is Here to Stay

Every company needs to access their data safely and securely, from anywhere. It’s a harsh lesson most businesses learnt over the last two years. Honestly, given our erratic power-supply issues, a cloud migration strategy is always going to be a good idea here.

On-site servers are expensive to buy, maintain and update. South African companies also need to factor in the costs of generators to keep them running when load shedding strikes. That’s before you consider the current eye-watering cost of petrol. Not to mention what it’s going to cost in a few years…

To have any kind of future, businesses need to be able to connect at all times. Customers and employees thrive in environments where information is easily accessible and always at hand.

Hosting all, or at least some, of your data in the cloud means you’ll always have access to it, in real time. Because all of the above – the server upgrades, maintenance, and constant power-supply – is already taken care of for you by experts in the field.

So, now you know why you need the cloud. Let’s unpack the importance of having a cloud strategy.

Sadly, there’s no cookie-cutter solution when it comes to cloud integration. Each company is unique, with their own sets of challenges and business goals. Choosing who to partner with to guide you on your cloud journey is what makes all the difference.

Where Cloud is Going Next

Migrating to the cloud to optimise day-to-day operations is just scratching the surface. Why not use this opportunity to leverage your data and gain new ways of working too?

Better still, what about customising your cloud strategy to suit your business needs? Or getting the most from your strategy by partnering with multiple cloud vendors? It’s called multi-cloud. And it means you can have it all – safe, secure hosting and insightful data analytics from the best in the business. But with a single partner to guide and manage the process.

That’s the beauty of Vox Cloud. As a South African cloud solutions provider, Vox is passionate about tailoring a cloud journey to suit each company, regardless of size. Enabling them to reach their business goals both now and in the future.

Not only can our Cloud team guide you on your journey to the cloud, but we also offer the choice of multi-region ISO-compliant data centres along with hybrid and multi-cloud strategies. Vox leverages the latest cloud innovations without losing sight of your unique business needs.

It all comes back to a deep understanding that a human touch is what makes these tech-driven solutions infinitely better.

MSP evolution needed to address increased cloud adoption, remote working

Posted on 24 April 2022 by Craig Freer

By Craig Freer, Division Head: Managed Services

With businesses having to tackle a multitude of changes, including a growing preference for the cloud, a trend toward remote working, and the increased requirement to provide these employees with reliable and secure access, and managed service providers (MSPs) will have to evolve from being tech support to holistic IT advisors and providers if they are to provide true value that can take their customers into the future.

Traditionally, the job of the MSP has been rather straightforward: your customer had one site, one data centre and one network, with all users in the office sitting behind a firewall, which gave you full visibility. In many instances, the MSP just took care of the servers and desktops, while other different providers were responsible for taking care of the company firewall.

Things have been shaken up, however, with the rapid adoption of cloud services and applications (such as Azure or O365), as well as the pandemic-enforced shift toward remote or hybrid working, which brings with it a host of new challenges. This includes being able to effectively and efficiently manage remote users, regardless of how or where they are accessing the network from – and consistently maintaining a robust security posture.

Unlike the old days, simply ensuring that machines were patched and anti-virus definitions were updated simply don’t cut it anymore, and security now has to permeate across all levels of the organisation, while also encompassing identity and monitoring so that you can give remote employees the same level of security and support as available to those in the office.

To get this right, MSPs are increasingly involved in cloud storage, backups, continuity planning, security, systems, monitoring, hardware procurement, change management and continuous improvement. The added responsibilities see them involved in roles as varied as the helpdesk, ticket management, operations, billing and even HR. IT should even be taking the lead in areas such as ensuring compliance with the Protection of Personal Information (PoPI) Act.

This means that MSPs increasingly move away from being simple ‘break and fix’ organisations to ones that have a holistic knowledge of the IT ecosystem and can advise customers on best practice across the board – giving rise to the managed services professional provider (MSPP).

And, as providers evolve to being MSPPs, so too must the skills available within them: whereas previously technicians tended to stick to a particular area of expertise, they now need to be multiskilled and be able to understand how the IT ecosystem works together. They also need to have the adaptability to work with services – such as cloud – from multiple providers, so that customers have flexibility and aren’t restricted to just the solution that their MSP is familiar with.

Beyond just technical skills, and a focus on the IT infrastructure, they also need to be able to look at the end result – the experience for the end-user. This includes having the right set of skills – or teams of skills – to manage the expectations of frustrated end-users (who are often just looking for a similar level of service as they would get when in the office), just as much as managing the resolution of issues.

It also means that the customer engagement model for MSPPs is changing, by moving beyond an SLA that focuses on response times, repair times and mean uptime, and rather focuses on a continuous engagement in order to analyse the customers’ business and design and implement the required IT infrastructure.

Ultimately, it’s not about going into a customer environment and proposing a new product or solution to be implemented. It’s about gaining a deep insight into how their business operates and looking at what their requirements and challenges are, instead of simply looking at their technology needs.

Rather, the MSPP looks past the obvious problem, understands the core need, and proposes a continuous service that will help the business meet its needs while adhering to best practice.

Smart homes need even smarter WiFi

Posted on 24 April 2022 by Craig Blignaut

By Craig Blignaut, Product Manager: WiFi at Vox

Today’s households feature a growing number of connected devices, turning to actively managing home WiFi will help users optimise their network for the best smart home experience, enable profile-based filtering controls, and help detect network security threats before they become a problem – with the added benefit of access to specialist help should it be needed.

Apart from smartphones, laptops and desktops, we are now seeing more connected devices making their way into the home, including TVs, fridges, switches and even Internet of Things devices. Not only are all of these reliant on a good internet connection to work, but they could all also make your home network more vulnerable to threats.

Using software installed on compatible fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) routers, service providers, such as Vox, are able to use deep smart home insights and tools to proactively identify, test and resolve network and router issues, as well as to effectively and efficiently support customers who call in for assistance – and providing them with peace of mind as their concerns are addressed.

The provider can monitor connected devices, device bandwidth consumption and signal strength over time, uploads and downloads per device and on the network and much more, allowing for proactive remediation without the user even realising it. An example could be identifying that a certain smart device has poor connectivity due to congestion, and automatically moving it to a different WiFi channel to improve its performance.

More importantly, it means that your network and all the devices connected to it are being constantly monitored for threats and other critical vulnerabilities. When a device on the network is identified as being compromised, the provider will act based on the severity of the issue.

If a software or firmware update is all that’s needed, an alert will be sent to the user for them to take action; in extreme cases, however, a compromised device can be quarantined from the local network and the internet, and the user can request for support in resolving the issue.

Home users for their part have access to an AI-driven platform that provides them with WiFi traffic behaviour analysis, as well as more advanced network management, parental control, network threat detection and device management features and functionality than what is commonly found on consumer routers or mesh WiFi products.

Using an Android or iOS app, home users are turned into WiFi professionals with insights that guide them around improving security and better controlling and protecting their network, with features such as admission control preventing unknown devices from joining the home network, and the option to admit or deny connectivity access to those devices.

With internet research forming an important part of today’s learning process, parents need to look beyond basic steps such as limiting bandwidth or the time devices have access to connectivity, and rather filter sites (such as social media and gaming) and enable features such as safe search and safe YouTube, ensuring children are able to do their online research. By setting up profiles, they can dictate the permissions that are given to each user, ultimately transparently protecting their network without interfering with privacy.

When thinking of smart homes, the thought is often on a higher speed connection, but what good is speed without control? It is clear that the smart home era needs smarter WiFi too – without the user having to become an IT expert first – and managed home WiFi offers a unique, comprehensive approach to giving users full control of their home and guest WiFi network.