Are You Up to Date with the Latest Tech Buzzwords?

If you’re a business owner wearing many hats and with a lot on your mind, you’re possibly not entirely up to date with the lingo in your IT department. The problem is that risks and threats are on the rise in the business landscape, and it doesn’t really matter if you’re a medium or small business; cybercriminals see you as a prime target. You can probably rattle off  a list of the most recent cyberthreats, but are you familiar with the latest buzzwords?

5 latest tech buzzwords to know

Brushing up on the latest tech buzzwords is one way to get familiar with what people are talking about in the industry, and we’re here to help. Below are a few of the buzzwords we think that all businesses owners in South Africa should know.

1. Digital Transformation

Transformation seems to be happening everywhere in the world, the digital space included!

Digital transformation refers to enterprises adopting technology to improve their business processes. One example of digital transformation is using Zoom to connect with employees and clients; another is shifting from in-office storage to encrypted cloud backup for sensitive business data.

2. The Internet of Behaviours

It seems like only yesterday that we were familiarising ourselves with the Internet of Things (IoT), and now there’s an Internet of Behaviours (IoB) too.

Yes, you heard right. Data is used to make the IoB work, and this is where information on people is used to gain insight into consumer behaviours. With IoB, individual user actions are monitored (your mobile apps and internet browsers are probably monitoring you) to gather information on consumer profiles. An example of this in action is a mobile health app that monitors your sleeping patterns, exercise frequency, heart rate, and social behaviours – sound familiar?

3. Extended Reality

Extended reality (XR) draws on the best aspects of artificial reality and virtual reality for face-to-face interaction.

XR can be used to provide services, perform testing, and conduct experiments from a secure location anywhere in the world. An example of this in action is where optometrists can conduct eye exams virtually, without being in the same room as the patient.

4. 5G & Enhanced Connectivity

5G is faster and better connectivity to the internet which means seamless Netflix streaming, yes, but also better business services. Remember when uploading your encrypted data to the cloud would take a few hours? Now it can take just a few minutes.

5. As-a-Service

Ever seen the abbreviation SaaS? Well, that stands for Software as a Service and it’s making waves in today’s tech world. As-a-service is good for businesses as it provides all businesses with access to cloud-based and on-demand innovations by leveraging the likes of AI (artificial intelligence).

Big names that invest in and make use of As-a-Service include Amazon, Microsoft and Zoom.

we speak your tech buzzwords’ language

Now that you have a few of the tech industry buzzwords in your vocab, it’s time to start paying closer attention to what’s happening in your business’ IT or cybersecurity department. Learn to speak the language, or your business could fall behind the times!

Digital Payment Solutions in South Africa

Cash is no longer king, and neither is the average bank card, it seems. Nowadays, consumers want to choose a payment option that suits their preferences. While the world was largely all about serving the vendor or merchant’s financial conveniences in the past, now everything is changing, and the dreams of consumers are coming true! Digital payment solutions across a variety of platforms are now available, even in South Africa!

At some point during an online shopping experience or even at the local market you have perhaps seen payment options such as Apple Pay and Samsung Pay. If you’re an Apple user, the prospect of being able to pay for goods and purchases using your iPhone or Apple watch probably even excited you. No question, it is exciting. The world is advancing, and while it does, it’s giving us convenient ways to pay on the move.

As a security-conscious business owner or even in your personal capacity, you will now be questioning whether all of these new digital pay options cropping up (new to SA at least) are safe and secure. We take a look at each of the digital payment solutions currently available and coming soon to South Africa below.

apple pay

There’s been a lot of buzz about Apple Pay becoming available in South Africa very soon. Apple Pay has been live in other countries for some years now and allows users to make payments with their Apple Watch or iPhone using NFC technology. The iPhone or Apple watch must be linked to a supported bank account card. Apple Pay works by storing virtual representations of the user’s credit and debit cards compatible with the Apple Pay service.

  • Is apple pay safe?

According to Apple’s website, Apple Pay is safe and secure because your actual card numbers are not stored on the device. Instead, Apple Pay assigns you a unique Device Account Number that’s encrypted and held securely on your mobile phone in a secure area.

samsung pay

Samsung Pay is not new to South Africa; it’s been around in the country for a few years already and is widely accepted at many stores in SA.

To use it, you must link your bank card to the Samsung Pay app on your mobile phone. When in-store, open the app and select the card you wish to use. Authorise the payment with your fingerprint or pin code and then hold your mobile phone over the terminal. The amount will be drawn from the selected bank card account.

  • Is samsung pay safe?

Samsung advises that the Samsung Pay app creates a virtual card account number that doesn’t disclose your credit or debit card’s real details. Because your card information is never stored or used, the transaction is considered secure.

garmin pay

Garmin Pay contactless payment features aren’t new to South Africa. In fact, in 2018, the company announced that contactless payment features were live on various Pay-Enabled Garmin watches in SA. These features were made available to VISA cardholders who banked with FNB and RMB Private banks.

Users can make a payment via their Garmin watch by entering a password, selecting the correct card from the virtual wallet and then holding their watch near the card reader. What’s alluring about this payment system is that there’s no chance of physically cloning your card, and it’s hard for any opportunistic onlookers to see the password you type into the watch.

  • is garmin pay safe

According to Garmin’s website; Absolutely! Garmin claims to take security very seriously and therefore only use watch-specific card numbers and transaction pin codes with every purchase. Your actual card number is never stored on the Garmin watch, the company servers, or provided to merchants.

last word on digital payment solutions in South Africa

Whether you are new to these digital payment solutions or already familiar with how they work, it’s vitally important to ensure that the service you are using offers up-to-date security systems. It must also encrypt any data that it needs to provide you with the service. Data encryption is an essential feature to look out for, as without it, a digital payment solution is not up to scratch.

Bridging the gap between what digital technology could and is doing for education

One just has to consider how advanced the rest of the world is in terms of Edtech (educational digital technology) to recognise that Africa has been lagging. International classrooms have seen students using laptops, iPads and tablets for a decade or two already. On top of that, education departments have been making use of various digital tech in schools to boost learning experiences and outcomes in the way of:

  • Robot teaching assistants
  • Virtual classrooms (online classes/lessons)
  • Virtual reality experiences
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Machine learning

Unfortunately, Africa has some significant strides to make before these technologies can be effectively used in our educational environments.

Where Digital Tech is in African Schools

Digital tech in African schools has been relatively stagnant. While millions are spent on getting computers and digital tech into schools and learning centres, that’s where the journey seems to have ended.

Until now, there has been little to no real follow-through. Africa has had computers available in many schools for several years already, but that doesn’t mean that these facilities are fully or properly utilised. In many instances, devices are not used for studies and in some sad situations, they are even stolen.

What the continent needs is smart educators and Edtech entrepreneurs who can bring the skills to actively advance technology within the school environment to ensure that students are getting the very best out of this global tech revolution. Simply providing access to a device is not enough.

Where Digital Tech Should be in African Schools

Digital tech in African schools presents a massive opportunity for tech entrepreneurs to drive development in education by contributing to the development of future technology in schools.

Educators haven’t been “all in” when it comes to Edtech in Africa, and there’s still a great need and opportunity for change. Entrepreneurs should get involved in school-based piloting programs to get their devices and technology out there and to assess how effective they are in the learning environment.

Edtech Entrepreneurs in Africa

Africa has some impressive up-and-coming Edtech entrepreneurs with great products and systems ready to hit the learning environment.

Here are just a few of the young entrepreneurs and start-ups that caught our eye:

  • South Africa (Student Hub – Kabeya Hertzy)

Kabeya is a Cape Town resident and founded his start-up company, Student Hub in 2015. This tech is aimed at government, educational institutions, and students. Students can use Student Hub to access a wide variety of e-books. They can also send feedback and questions to the authors and publishers as required.

  • Uganda (EdTech – Charles Muhindo)

Charles created his website and mobile app called EdTech to assist students with sharing and interacting with each other. Members of EdTech can share notes and past papers as well as course work and revision notes. The app brings together students and educators by placing them onto the same network with different features to cater to all parties. Educators can use the system to upload lesson notes, assignments and discuss topics and classes with students. The content that’s loaded on the system can be accessed both online and offline.

  • South Africa (Obami – Barbara Mallison)

Created by Cape Town resident, Barbara Mallison, Obami is an online community where students, teachers and others involved in the education sector can communicate and connect. Here members can share lesson notes and resources and keep in touch with each other, as long as they have an internet connection. The Facebook design creates a familiar interface for users.

Last Word

While South Africa might not be where it could or should be in terms of educational technology in the classroom, it is certainly beginning to show great strides in the right direction.

Particularly comforting is that the progress we are seeing goes beyond simply dumping a few computers in a classroom. Developing technology provides a unified and supported learning experience that unites students not just in Africa, but even on a global base.