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The fourth space awaits you Come and experience a snapshot of your business future and turn your ideas into action, today! Do more business in 2020 The value of next generation networks in the digital age What’s inside: Leveraging the power of the cloud Fast Forward Series Calendar Scan QR code to find out more. Terms and conditions apply. Bookings are subject to availability March 2020 Come and experience a snapshot of your business future and turn your ideas into action, today! The value of next generation networks in the digital age Leveraging the power of the cloud Fast Forward Series Calendar Scan QR code to find out more. Terms and conditions apply. Bookings are subject to availability 1
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March 2020 The fourth space · Fast Forward Opinion 9 Digital transformation for SMEs (Brett StClair - CEO of Teraflow.ai) Fast Forward Calendar citizenry engagement, and thus spur

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Page 1: March 2020 The fourth space · Fast Forward Opinion 9 Digital transformation for SMEs (Brett StClair - CEO of Teraflow.ai) Fast Forward Calendar citizenry engagement, and thus spur

The fourthspaceawaits you

Come and experience a snapshot of your business future and turn your ideas into action, today!

Do more business in 2020

The value of next generation networks in the digital age

What’s inside:

Leveraging the power of the cloud

Fast Forward SeriesCalendar

Scan QR code to fi nd out more.

Terms and conditions apply. Bookings are subject to availability

March 2020

Come and experience a snapshot of your business future and turn your ideas into action, today!The value of next

generation networks in the digital age

Leveraging the power of the cloud

Fast Forward SeriesCalendar

Scan QR code to fi nd out more.

Terms and conditions apply. Bookings are subject to availability

1

Page 2: March 2020 The fourth space · Fast Forward Opinion 9 Digital transformation for SMEs (Brett StClair - CEO of Teraflow.ai) Fast Forward Calendar citizenry engagement, and thus spur

Fast Forward Opinion 4-5 The value of Next generation Networks

Fast Forward Opinion 6-7 Leveraging the Power of the Cloud for business success (Kabelo Makwane - Managing Executive: Cloud & Hosting)

Fast Forward Opinion 9 Digital transformation for SMEs (Brett StClair - CEO of Teraflow.ai)

Fast Forward Calendar 10-11

Fast Forward Opinion 13 Testimonial (Reishina Boodhoo - CEO of RSVX Holdings)

Fast Forward Opinion 14-15 Digital Disruption in the financial space (Marian Cassim - Chief Officer Vodacom Financial Services)

Fast Forward Opinion 17 The Digital Workforce (Peter Malebye - Managing Executive Vodacom Internet of Things

Your Guide to Fast Forward your Business

With the Fourth Industrial revolution (4IR) upon us, all companies, from SMEs to large enterprises, are being challenged to embark on their connectivity and digital transformation journey. While this is not a simple endeavor, it is well worth it, as the opportunities the 4IR offers are vast.

Emerging technologies like IoT, cloud, automation and next generation networks are positively impacting every industry and sphere of life. For example, they are transforming the digital workforce and ushering in new ways of working. Additionally, these technologies are enabling particular verticals such as retail and manufacturing to be more efficient and more productive than ever before. For the agricultural sector, it means that smallholding farmers can increase their crop yield and extend their reach into markets hitherto untapped for their produce.

For a growing population, and particularly in Africa, a young population at that, it means that food scarcity can be kept at bay more effectively as global population soars past the 8 billion mark.

In order to succeed, organisations both large and small have to not only stay connected, but also accelerate their digital transformation journey and the speed at which they can deliver services or products to their customers.

Underlying and enabling every emerging company’s digital transformation, and every emerging technology, from IoT to AI, is of course, connectivity. If data is the lifeblood of doing business in the 21st century, then connectivity is akin to its arteries and veins.

The reach and the impact of digital transformation isn’t constrained

only to businesses. For individuals, it means that digital classrooms, enabling students in remote areas to be taught and provided with the education they need to thrive in this new world. It furthermore offers the opportunity to foster greater citizenry engagement, and thus spur on improved service delivery.

On a macro level, effectively implementing digital technologies is a critical part of achieving the goals laid forth in government’s National Development Plan for 2030. Now a mere decade away, that date draws closer every day. The stated goals are as ambitious as they are relevant. They include empowering the impoverished, growing rural economies, and educating the youth. Each is part and parcel of growing South Africa’s economy. A tall order? Yes. Achievable? Most definitely.

Embracing this revolution is not just an opportunity, it is also a necessity.

The speed of change that SMEs and large enterprises have to contend with is only increasing. Individuals find themselves faced with the need to cultivate new digital skills in the face of automation. And the country deeply needs to grow its GDP by the required 5% to prosper.

Businesses in particular require a known and trusted partner on their journey, to help them avoid wasting time and begin reaping the benefits of the digital century right away. We look forward to being that partner with you and prospering, together.

Fast Forward Content

Foreword

Written by Shali Thilakan Chief Sales Officer

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Page 3: March 2020 The fourth space · Fast Forward Opinion 9 Digital transformation for SMEs (Brett StClair - CEO of Teraflow.ai) Fast Forward Calendar citizenry engagement, and thus spur

The good news is that implementing an SD-WAN network doesn’t require the heavy investment that previous networks called for. Nor does it require a ‘rip-and-replace’ approach. Rather, next generation networks can be run alongside their traditional counterparts, so implementing SD-WAN doesn’t obviate investments that have already been made. It is worth noting that an SD-WAN network can be installed without any interruption to business continuity.

Furthermore, SD-WAN is fl exible in that it fi nds application in a myriad of industries. From retail stores to mining, logistics, manufacturing, energy and fi nancial services, each sector can benefi t.

One piece of advice that I can offer SMEs and enterprises alike that are implementing SD-WAN is to guard against looking at their network in isolation. No less important are the services and solutions that providers like Vodacom Business can offer on top of the network implementation. At its heart, SD-WAN technology separates the software that controls where and how data moves across a network from the networking hardware that actually moves the data itself. The control software is then moved to a centralised location.

This separation provides crucial advantages including greater security, enhanced visibility and control over the network and the ability to make rapid changes to the network to meet an organisation’s evolving requirements.

Implementing next generation networks is just part of a bigger picture, impacting on the digital transformation journey of small, large and public enterprises. For the former, it plays a role in moving from physical or analogue business processes to digital ones. For large enterprises, next generation networks are a valuable part of automating their processes and increasing their effi ciencies in a secure way.

For public enterprises, fostering the cultivation of a more engaged citizen is often the main benefi t. For all three – SMEs, large enterprise and public enterprise – next generation networks like SD-WAN are an integral part of fi nding the new ways of doing business in a digital era.

Software Defi ned Wide Area Networks (SD-WAN) is not solely a considerably long acronym, it is also a critical component of a company’s digital transformation journey and an integral part of how successfully companies cope with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

For more information on our SD-WAN solutions visitwww.vodacombusiness.co.za or talk to your account manager

Unfortunately, networks are the one component that are too often overlooked, as companies begin executing on the digital transformation strategies. Instead, cloud, artifi cial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) garner considerable attention in the 4IR conversation, and for good reason – each are compelling components.

However, networks – and next generation ones in particular - are the foundation for any digital transformation journey. Suffi ciently preparing one’s network therefore is key to ensuring that the journey is successful.

Why though, should companies implement an SD-WAN network? The fi rst reason is that the next generation network brings with it some compelling benefi ts of its own.

Firstly, it enables numerous branches dispersed across a region to utilize business-grade broadband. It further enables organisations to steer their broadband traffi c, to specify which applications can access more bandwidth, and to prioritise how they use their connectivity. For example, mission critical applications can be allocated the most bandwidth to function optimally while limiting the amount of bandwidth available to non-essential functions, like social media or video streaming.

As it is a more effective way to connect dispersed branches, it also offers cost savings in the long run, and tends to be considerably easier and less costly to maintain. Additionally, it can be managed from a centralized source.

Fast Forward Opinion

Written by Fatima HassimManaging Executive: Mobile & Fixed

SD-WAN– The Value of Next Generation

Networks in the Digital Age

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Put simply, the 4IR poses an existential challenge for businesses to ensure that the manner in which they are doing business today not only survives, but also continues to thrive tomorrow. If they don’t, they may be disrupted by new entrants into their market who are able to bring competing services more quickly, cheaply and offer greater personalization for customers.

The common thread running through all three of the above points is that of customer-centricity. The fi rst strategy that organisations need therefore is to put their customer at the centre of their world, to make customer service not just an imperative, but a prerogative.

Additionally, organisations need to prioritise connectivity. In a cloud fi rst world, connectivity becomes even more critical.

Without it, cloud is akin to a destination that quite simply cannot be reached.

While connectivity used to be one of the biggest barriers in technology adoption and making technology pervasive, connectivity services in various forms, both mobile wireless and fi xed including Fibre, Wi-Fi, 4G, and 5G now enable organisations to reach a global customer base with ever-increasing connectivity speeds.

Therefore, a key strategy for businesses to consider is how they are using the connectivity available to them to reach customers with the right service, at the right time, for the right price.

Even more importantly, organisations need to bear in mind the importance of driving continuous innovation in terms

How do businesses, whether small start-ups, medium or large enterprises thrive, remain relevant and increase their competitiveness in the digital era?

One answer to this perennial question is by understanding and then using the power of the cloud.

More specifi cally, the cloud has three important benefi ts that any organisation should be aware of.

Firstly, it enables businesses to get closer to its customers, so as to hyper-personalise their offerings, and in so doing, build business resilience.

Today’s customers want services that are highly personalised to their requirements and are instantly available. If you have the right data about your customers, then

of how they can offer the best, fastest and most hyper-personalised services. A practical application could entail using digital platforms to determine price elasticity for each of one’s customer segments.

A fi nal thought: Organisations are advised to embrace being uncomfortable with the status quo. By constantly questioning whether one’s offering is still relevant and offers value to customers, businesses can ensure they not only survive, but thrive in the digital era.

you know what services to push to them through a digital platform - and cloud is the enabler of such digital interactions.

Remaining customer centric requires organisations to have customer insights, and an agile way of accessing those insights on an ongoing basis.

Rather than having to build a costly environment of servers and storage, cloud enables users to turn on or off their access as required, paying only for what they use. This means that no longer is a massive upfront investment required, and thus there is a level playing fi eld for all organisations, regardless of their size, to optimise their understanding of the customer.

The second major role that cloud has to play in the success of an organisation today is that it enables Software as a Service.

What’s important to note is that Software

as a Service (SaaS) has gone beyond just being a tool to spawning completely new kinds of services. The common thread between AirBNB, Uber and MyBooking.com for example, is that each used SaaS to disrupt established industries and greatly improve on the services offered.

The third important point that cloud brings to the fore is that it has a pivotal role to play in enabling companies to handle the demands brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

In a nutshell, this boils down to coping with the transformation that industries are experiencing, driven by automation and artifi cial intelligence. These emerging technologies are now mature and increasingly fi nding use across a variety of industries. Beyond building resilience, organisations need to sustain their relevance in a rapidly changing world.

Fast Forward Opinion

Written by Kabelo MakwaneManaging Executive: Cloud & Hosting

Leveraging the powerof the cloud for business success

For more information on cloud leveraging visitwww.vodacombusiness.co.za or talk to your account manager

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It’s in the cloud

There’s always a gap between what on-premises systems can do and what’s digitally possible. In the Cloud, that limitation disappears. “In the Cloud” just means your software and data reside in a data centre - a company that provides massive computing power and storage space. However, data centres worldwide are interconnected through the internet, giving you access to millions of online business apps and services as if they were all installed on your local computer or device.

It’s composable

Because the cloud is borderless, you can easily connect your apps and services together to share data with each other. So you’re able to compose them into groups of workfl ows that model your actual business processes. As the market changes, you can reorganise them to suit your needs without the huge cost you face with on-premises systems.

It thrives on automation

Online software often focuses heavily on workfl ow automation you can customise to your own way of working. Automation is the glue that holds digital businesses

together, doing away with manual handling that happens between value-adding activities. Whatever your business does can be done better by automating the process.

It lives on devices

Since 2007, when the fi rst iPhone appeared, smart devices have driven change in business. Today, everyone has at least one. You can offer informative services, take orders, manage stock, track shipments, check your business fi nances and perform many other activities, all on a device. In fact, enabling customers, employees, suppliers and other stakeholders to carry your business with them on their device is a key goal of digital transformation.

A new mindset

Digital transformation starts with managers adopting a new way of thinking about management. Instead of focusing on how to organise people around work, you fi rst need identify automation opportunities and save your staff for what they do best. With the sheer number of online Apps and services that promote better workfl ow, there’s no reason not to start today.

SMEs operate in a world that’s rapidly changing before their eyes. You read reports about artifi cial intelligence (AI) in business, robots in factories and warehouses, self-driving cars or trucks, smart shops, drone delivery, or mobile payments. You hear cryptic terms like cloud, IoT, deep learning, blockchain, cryptocurrency and neural networks. You’re told that these technologies are ushering in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a period when trade and industry will be completely transformed by the wide-ranging automation of business operations and administrative functions.

Finally, you’re warned that, as businesses, you must undertake a journey of digital transformation if you don’t want to be left behind. Let’s step back and look at what digital transformation means to SMEs right now.

What is digital transformation today?

For big organisations, digital transformation is a huge undertaking, but for SMEs, it’s less intimidating.

However, “going digital” is not as simple as using modern technologies in isolation for their own benefi ts, like having a company website or emailing a PDF contract. Rather, it means fi nding ways to replace the manual management of work fl owing through your business with a computerised (or digital) representation of those processes.

So we’re no longer just converting physical documents and information to an easily distributed digital format; we’re actually digitizing the methods by which work is managed.Automated management is simply called “workfl ow”.

But what does a digitally transformed business look like?

Digitaltransformation for SMEs

Written by Brett StClairCEO of Terafl ow.ai

Fast Forward Opinion

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Page 6: March 2020 The fourth space · Fast Forward Opinion 9 Digital transformation for SMEs (Brett StClair - CEO of Teraflow.ai) Fast Forward Calendar citizenry engagement, and thus spur

Fast ForwardSeries

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Register to turn ideas into action at the Business Experience Centre in Johannesburg or our pop-up venue – Young Blood Gallery – in the Western Cape

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• Business Doctors South Africa CEO and MD, Steve Sutton, has a passion for turning start-ups into breakthrough companies. • Join him as he takes you through the steps you need to take to ensure your business remains sustainable in the face of Digital Disruption• Steve will walk you through how to use the Business Doctors tools to determine the “health” of your business and also how to increase your business’ value by up to 71%!

• Startup Grind is the largest independent startup community, actively educating, inspiring and connecting more than 2,000,000 entrepreneurs  in over 600 chapters. • In March, Start-up Grind in partnership with the Fast Forward Series will host a series of digital transformation talks at the Business Experience Centre pop-up at the Young Bloods Gallery.

The topics are:

1. Marketing Automation Using tools and processes to create predictable marketing activities and follow up.2. Scaling Readiness Creating systems and processes as a prerequisite for scaling your business.3. Creating a Sales Engine Tools and techniques for strengthening your number one business skill – sales.4. Investor Readiness Learning what investors look for in business and how to raise funds.

• 15 SME’s will be selected in Johannesburg and Cape Town to participate in a four week Hackathon. The Hackathons will replicate lean product development methods in the form of high impact sprints, iterative development cycles and collective ideation that will enable participants to develop IoT solutions on the IoT.Nxt stack. Participants will also learn firsthand why Vodacom Business has partnered with AWS as best in class providers of Cloud-based solutions and how our next generation networks form the foundation for these technologies.• While all SME’s will benefit from the training on the IoT.Nxt platform, 3 winners from each region will win an IoT.Nxt licence for one year in addition to a Raptor Dell and business starter pack.• Ultimately this is an opportunity for all participants to become resellers of IoT.Nxt solutions thereby ensuring your business’ sustainability• The selection criteria for this program is more stringent than the other Fast Forward workshops as only 15 SME’s will be selected per region to attend the 4 part sprints happening over one month.

• Learn how to take full advantage of the Vodacom digital and Mobile media channels to take your business to the next level.• Every business is unique and needs care when putting together the ideal digital marketing and media plan. You need to understand where your ideal customers are and how to reach them on the right channel at the right time. • All Fast Forward participants automatically qualify for a R2 000 EziAds voucher to start building your own tailored mobile advertising campaigns.

Register for a free half day workshop and qualify for a R2 000 EziAds voucher, as well as a free business health check.

• Startup Grind is the largest independent startup community, actively educating, inspiring and connecting more than 2,000,000 entrepreneurs  in over 600 chapters. • In March, Start-up Grind in partnership with the Fast Forward Series will host a series of digital transformation talks at the Business Experience Centre pop-up at the Young Bloods Gallery.

The topics are:

1. Marketing Automation Using tools and processes to create predictable marketing activities and follow up.2. Scaling Readiness Creating systems and processes as a prerequisite for scaling your business.3. Creating a Sales Engine Tools and techniques for strengthening your number one business skill – sales.4. Investor Readiness Learning what investors look for in business and how to raise funds.

• 15 SME’s will be selected in Johannesburg and Cape Town to participate in a four week Hackathon. The Hackathons will replicate lean product development methods in the form of high impact sprints, iterative development cycles and collective ideation that will enable participants to develop IoT solutions on the IoT.Nxt stack. Participants will also learn firsthand why Vodacom Business has partnered with AWS as best in class providers of Cloud-based solutions and how our next generation networks form the foundation for these technologies.• While all SME’s will benefit from the training on the IoT.Nxt platform, 3 winners from each region will win an IoT.Nxt licence for one year in addition to a Raptor Dell and business starter pack.• Ultimately this is an opportunity for all participants to become resellers of IoT.Nxt solutions thereby ensuring your business’ sustainability• The selection criteria for this program is more stringent than the other Fast Forward workshops as only 15 SME’s will be selected per region to attend the 4 part sprints happening over one month.

• Business Doctors South Africa CEO and MD, Steve Sutton, has a passion for turning start-ups into breakthrough companies. • Join him as he takes you through the steps you need to take to ensure your business remains sustainable in the face of Digital Disruption• Steve will walk you through how to use the Business Doctors tools to determine the “health” of your business and also how to increase your business’ value by up to 71%!

• Learn how to take full advantage of the Vodacom digital and Mobile media channels to take your business to the next level.• Every business is unique and needs care when putting together the ideal digital marketing and media plan. You need to understand where your ideal customers are and how to reach them on the right channel at the right time. • All Fast Forward participants automatically qualify for a R2 000 EziAds voucher to start building your own tailored mobile advertising campaigns.

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Page 7: March 2020 The fourth space · Fast Forward Opinion 9 Digital transformation for SMEs (Brett StClair - CEO of Teraflow.ai) Fast Forward Calendar citizenry engagement, and thus spur

The sessions that Reishina attended gave her new insights into her own business which has led her to make changes.

“In my business, I can look around the room and I see tons of successful business people. But what I realized while I was there, is that there is so much that we still don’t know. I was able to get that information at the Fast Forward Series that literally led us to embark on a mission to run our business differently.”

Some of the key take outs that Reishina gained included adopting technology in her business, an understanding of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and some of the benefi ts it brings to business owners such as improved effi ciency, an increase in profi ts and scale of business.

“I am not a ‘tech-guru’, but what the sessions showed me is that businesses aren’t embracing technology going forward. From the group itself, many people were traditional thinkers, and what Vodacom Business did was to show us the need to upscale people’s knowledge about technologies and its benefi t in the marketplace.”

Reishina was also extremely impressed with some of the experts who conducted the workshops and sessions. So much so that, this was her favourite part of the experience.

“My favourite part of attending was the fact that these were experts training us, and the fact that it was free! For people with that kind of experience to train us would have cost us a fortune. We were all entrepreneurs in the room with limited time on our hands, but I can say the time I spent there was well worth it!”

“What Vodacom Business did was they hand-picked every strategic empowerment session for an entrepreneur. They really thought the Fast Forward Series through, understood everyone’s needs and still brought in a valuable technology aspect.”

Reishina’s only regret from attending the Fast Forward series was that she couldn’t attend more sessions and workshops. However, she would like to attend the full Fast Forward Season 2 and will be bringing her colleagues from RSVX Holdings with her.

“I wish I could have attended all the sessions. When I get the chance, I will be at every session and I will bring RSVX Holdings with me as it is very empowering and aligns with what we are trying to achieve as a business.”

Vodacom Business has just launched Fast Forward Series Season 2, the next series of industry events, interactive workshops and collaborative sessions, focused on driving growth and accelerating positive changes within the business landscape of South Africa. However, let’s rewind and look at what some of the attendees of the fi rst Fast-Forward Series .

Reishina Boodhoo, CEO of RSVX Holdings, a women-led BEE Level 1 company that works collaboratively with entrepreneurs to achieve greater value from their business, attended the Fast Forward Season 1. Based in Johannesburg, Reishina fi rst heard about the Fast Forward series from a Vodacom employee that told her about an amazing business learning opportunity.

Reishina attended the Fast Forward Series because she has heard that Vodacom Business is actively empowering entrepreneurs, which is aligned to her businesses vision of creating 100 000 entrepreneurs within South Africa.

“I felt like I needed to understand what the series was about as I cannot recommend something to others unless I have experienced it myself. I don’t have all the answers when it comes to business and when it comes to my work, so I try taking every opportunity to empower myself and hopefully others.”

While at the Fast Forward Series, Reishina attended two of the workshops. The Business Doctors and Google workshop, where she attests to have been blown away by the presentations.

“I found the workshops fabulous. Absolutely fabulous! I was sadly only able to attend two of the sessions and not the full series, but I felt it was very empowering from a business perspective which I will be taking forward.”

A Rewindof Fast-ForwardSeries Season 1

Thoughts from Reishina BoodhooCEO of RSVX Holdings

Fast Forward Opinion

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of funding in fi ve minutes. This can be done without the hassle of extensive paperwork or long waiting periods. In the majority of cases, applicants will receive an instantaneous response to their application and money in their account within 24 hours.

Securing painless funding is not the only area where digital transformation has enabled us to think differently about what kind of fi nancial services we can offer SMEs. We have further created a payment acquisition proposition for merchants that traverses online payments and digital payments, along with offering small businesses a physical point of sale machine.

Traditionally, at banks, these are separate processes with their own lengthy requirements for a merchant to wade through. However, by offering a digital-fi rst strategy our aim has been to make it as simple as possible for business owners to be

able to accept payments, whether that be online or via credit or debit card. In today’s environment, particularly locally, brick-and-mortar shops sit alongside online stores and therefore the opportunity to simplify the process presented itself.

To this end, we’ve designed user-friendly digital interfaces that allow customers to sign up for these payment acquisition services themselves, while on our end, the aim is to speed up the approval processes to be far quicker than the fi ve or six days that banks require to approve a merchant contract.

Securing loans and accepting payments are not the only challenges that budding companies face. Legal complexities of doing business remain a challenge for many. It is for this reason that we have included in our SME offerings affordable legal assistance. Whether it’s a contracting issue, labour

One arena that is on the frontlines of digital disruption is fi nancial services. It is a sector that digital transformation has opened the fl oodgates for new, innovative products and solutions to be brought to the fore. Additionally, it has also enabled agile companies who have a wealth of data at their fi ngerprints but aren’t traditional banks or insurance providers, to enter the market with better, cheaper and more convenient fi nancial offerings.

capital segment. Nonetheless, they still need easy access to an infusion of capital in order to grow their businesses.

Whether micro, small or medium-sized, digital disruption has meant that each require fi nancial products that are more responsive to their immediate needs, without having to endure the cumbersome processes and weeks of waiting that is often required by traditional banks.

A prime example of how Vodacom has attempted to fi ll this gap is with the Vodacom Business Advance product, which enables businesses to apply online at Vodacombusiness.co.za/fundmybusiness for up to R1.5 million

dispute or whether an SME needs to establish a contract with employees, the business can turn to a call centre for legal advice at reduced rates.

Additionally, we have endeavoured to make it easy for SMEs to bundle together a combination of the above propositions and pay for everything they need via one bill. The aim is to offer SMEs a one-stop-shop for all their fi nancial services’ needs.

Vodacom is rightly associated with being on the forefront of connectivity and emerging technologies like IoT and next-generation networks. What isn’t as well known is that the company is developing products and capabilities across the key areas of fi nancial services, including payments, insurance, lending, savings and investments.

However, we did not enter these arenas because of the profi tability of the market, but rather to further enable businesses to have greater access to the resources they need in order to succeed. For example, micro-enterprises, in particular, don’t always have ready access to loans from banks who generally cater to a higher

Fast Forward Opinion

Written by Marian CassimChief Offi cer Vodacom Financial Services

Digital Disruptionin the fi nancial space

Digital disruption and transformation are two forces in the 21st century that are undeniable for small, medium and large businesses alike.

View list of events for Season 2. Register on www.vodacombusiness.co.za

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The rise of a digital workforce is compounded by young people who are digital natives that are now entering the workplace. Having grown up with the internet and technology, they have different expectations as compared with their Baby Boomer or Generation X counterparts. How companies employ and contract with these workers will need to change in this 4IR era because for them, work is not about an eight to fi ve grind. Rather, younger workers report that feeling like they are making a meaningful contribution ranks as a high work priority.

There is no reason why organisations cannot use output as a metric for performance rather than time spent in the offi ce. With the use of digital platforms, KPIs and worker output can be measured by the completion of set tasks and digitized in an online report.

Benefi t bounty

There are a myriad of other ways in which the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and the tools it brings, can help transform the workplace. From digital platforms and virtual learning tools that can be used to train up employees and locating

workers in mines in the event of a cave-in, to using IoT to monitor cables so as to mitigate against cable theft, the solutions are boundless.

At Vodacom Business, we have been preparing for the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution for some time. At this point, we already have complete solutions to manage remote workforces, mobile ERP applications, products that digitize applying for leave and contract management. Additionally, we currently offer mobile invoicing so that SMEs can invoice customers from within an App.

In a broader context, embracing new ways of working in a 4IR world offers an opportunity for South Africa to accelerate economic growth and realise its potential of becoming a centre of excellence for the rest of the continent. Ultimately, it would enable the country to contribute to the global community as an innovation leader. However, realising this vision requires us to be bold and forward-thinking around what we do differently and how we approach work in this digital era.

As a new decade dawns, it has become clear that the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is upon us. Along with disrupting industries and compelling organisations to change how they do business, it’s also resulting in the rise of a digital workforce and generating new ways of working.

Today’s employees, particularly knowledge workers, can have access to all the data they need to do their job remotely and when on the move. Truly mobile working is encouraged by falling data prices and increasingly powerful smartphones. Both factors are making mobile devices increasingly effective channels for an emerging digital workforce to be more effective and more productive beyond the constraints of having to work from a centralized offi ce.

Responding to the times

Furthermore, sporadic power cuts which greatly increases traffi c delays, also add to the digital workforce momentum locally. It’s not practical to spend two to three hours in traffi c getting to work, as this amounts to lost productivity that neither today’s businesses, nor the country, can afford.

As workforces become more dispersed and able to respond outside of the traditional centralised location or set times, we expect to see greater collaboration occur from anywhere, at any time. Thus, it comes as little surprise that there is a notable trend in the growth of collaborative tools.

Fast Forward Opinion

Written by Peter MalebyeManaging Executive:

Vodacom Internet of Things

The Digital Workforce and the New Ways of Working in the 4th Industrial Revolution

1716

Page 10: March 2020 The fourth space · Fast Forward Opinion 9 Digital transformation for SMEs (Brett StClair - CEO of Teraflow.ai) Fast Forward Calendar citizenry engagement, and thus spur

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The Vodacom Business Experience Centre offers business customers an exclusive, tailor-made experience showcasing the latest enterprise mobility, cloud and IOT products and solutions.

Visitors have the opportunity to engage with Vodacom Business and industry experts to create bespoke business solutions through co-creation and emerging technologies. With access to virtual reality demonstrations (VR), virtual assistants and video conference boardrooms, the Vodacom Business Experience Centre invites you to reimagine the way you do business.

In the month of March The BEC will be hosting Season 2 of the Fast Forward Series.

Visit our pop-up Experience Centre in the Western Cape by registering for a Fast Forward session or contacting your account manager.

The Vodacom Business Experience Centre offers business customers an exclusive, tailor-made experience showcasing the latest enterprise mobility, cloud and IOT products and solutions.

Visitors have the opportunity to engage with Vodacom Business and industry experts to create bespoke business solutions through co-creation and emerging technologies. With access to virtual reality demonstrations (VR), virtual assistants and video conference boardrooms, the Vodacom Business Experience Centre invites you to reimagine the way you do business.

In the month of March The BEC will be hosting Season 2 of the Fast Forward Series.

Visit our pop-up Experience Centre in the Western Cape by registering for a Fast Forward session or contacting your account manager.

The Vodacom Business Experience Centre offers business customers an exclusive, tailor-made experience showcasing the latest enterprise mobility, cloud and IOT products and solutions.

Visitors have the opportunity to engage with Vodacom Business and industry experts to create bespoke business solutions through co-creation and emerging technologies. With access to virtual reality demonstrations (VR), virtual assistants and video conference boardrooms, the Vodacom Business Experience Centre invites you to reimagine the way you do business.

In the month of March The BEC will be hosting Season 2 of the Fast Forward Series.

Visit our pop-up Experience Centre in the Western Cape by registering for a Fast Forward session or contacting your account manager.