Africa is open for business and technology leads the way
by Victor Kgomoeswana, consultant and author East Africa continues to lead the way in banking. As if the innovations such as M-Pesa were not enough, the region comprised of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, made headlines recently for a trend that we all should be aware of... ( more) |
Q&A - BYOD and mobile applications
by Daniel Hall, Magic Software SA The consumerisation of end-user devices in business is atrend that will be staying put; resulting in staff having the freedom to choose and use any device, while simultaneously causing sleepless nights and security concerns for CIOs. But let's... ( more) |
 The changing face of mobile radio
by Hans van de Groenendaal, EE Publishers
Digital is fast changing the landscape of the land mobile radio (LMR) industry bringing with it spectrum efficiency, the addition of data and by and large, superior quality of communication. While smaller companies are still hanging onto... ( more)
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ISO 9001 in one of the standards in the ISO 9000 range. It is suitable for all sizes and types of organisations and is well known in South Africa as an invaluable quality management system standard. In our virtual panel discussion we asked companies to share their experiences in... ( more) |
Identify or verify: biometric adaptability
by Greg Sarrail, HID Global
Identity is currency. New technologies that can determine the who and the what are on the rise, and biometrics stands at the frontier, guarding the gates with highly specialised and targeted solutions that accurately recognise the individual. Gartner has predicted that by 2016, 30% of all organisations will be using biometrics on mobile devices... (more) |
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New solutions for optimising delivery of automation projects
Information from Honeywell
Predictability in today's capital-intensive markets is a challenge. While capital spend is up 400%, revenues are only up 2%. Project cost overruns across all industrial markets are one of the areas that are out of control and contributing to this dynamic... ( more)
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How modern train control systems are optimising passenger service
by Christoph Dossow, Harting Technology Group, Germany
Rail traffic in metropolitan areas must convey more and more passengers. Simply adding more trains is not enough - new train control systems are required. High-tech on the rails: reliable subsystems, connectors and cable connections are the pillars supporting... (more)
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Is software-based virtual measurement the future of instrumentation in industry?
by Steve Alves, Concilium Technologies
If we rearrange the question to read "Is software-based virtual instruments the future of measurement in industry" and restrict comments to electronic and telecommunication test and measurement, then my answer would be that they have been around for many... ( more)
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Testing the limits of IEEE 802.11ac
by Elias W Faraclas, National Instruments
The evolving wide-bandwidth IEEE 802.11ac communications standard brings new benefits to users but new challenges to those tasked with testing products based on this standard. As the IEEE 802.11ac wireless standard evolves, it continues to breed new challenges for those tasked with testing and measuring these wireless systems... (more)
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Easier FPGA design using the power of the cloud
by JP Naude, CSIR and Harnhua Ng, Plunify
Engineers at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Plunify tell how they analysed implementation options and different user constraints for a big Virtex-6 design. As field-programmable gate array (FPGA) devices increase in size and the designs living in them... (more)
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Lowering the total cost of ownership in industrial applications
by Jason Chiang, Tom Schulte, and Stefano Zammattio, Altera Corporation
Approximately one-third of embedded designers surveyed on the adoption and use of FPGAs for embedded applications responded that they perceived FPGAs as too expensive to use in their designs. However, a look at the total cost of ownership (TCO) at the system level (as measured by development, enhancement, replacement... (more)
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Biometric solutions and strategy for business needs
by Nick Perkins and Mike Ellison, Bytes Systems Integration
Biometrics has become an accepted and trusted method for authentication in both the private and public sectors, and there are a wide variety of solutions available. This large selection of biometric strategies and devices raises the challenge of how to... (more)
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How to choose the right industrial firewall: the top seven considerations
by Li Peng, Moxa
The right industrial firewall can strengthen the safety and reliability of control systems Central to industrial control systems, industrial control networks help facilitate efficient and safe operations in vital sectors such as utilities, oil and gas, water, transportation, and manufacturing. A resilient control network relies on a network that can... (more)
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Mine safety demands good communication
Information from Becker Mining
Mines represent some of the most dangerous working environments in the world. Annual fatalities resulting directly from mining operations average between 50 (USA), 273 (RSA), 563 (China) and more around the world. As the demand to maximise productivity increases, so too must the technology put in place such that the safety... (more)
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Security requires protection
by Veiko Raab, Dehn, Germany
Security, stability and order are basic needs. In a world of increasingly complex processes, sophisticated technical equipment is required to satisfy these basic needs. In this context, both structural and technical measures such as CCTV systems are decisive for increasing the security in buildings and facilities... ( more) |
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Amateur radio: ISS astronaut answers questions from SA learners
by Hans van de Groenendaal ZS6AKV, South African Radio League
It was a day they will long remember! Learners from the Sol Plaatje primary school in Mmbatho linked up with the Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti on the International Space Station via a link established by a radio amateur ground station on Saturday 2 May 2015... (more)
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Compiled by Aimée Clarke, EE Publishers
- Investment improves connectivity in Ghana
- Malawi drives digital growth
- African schools offered hands-on technological experience
- Botswana striving to be regional ICT hub
- Nigeria: Internet users grow to 83,4-million
- Orange Tunisia grows to 3-million users
- Vodafone Ghana to invest millions in network
- Telecom adds Zambian ISP to portfolio... (more)
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Views, Comment and Opinion
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