- By Genesis Articles Global

Introduction  

Leading supplier of specialised Business Management (BMS) and Business Intelligence (BI) solutions    Lorge Consulting Services has done it again. The Midrand-based powerhouse service provider   celebrates yet another milestone achievement by successfully supplying and installing a turnkey software solution for a market leader with niche’-specific and intricately demanding operational needs. This time it was for none other than iconic Digital Signage Specialist, Ethniks.

About Client:  Ethniks  

Well, there’s a slim to zero chance that you haven’t directly or indirectly been exposed to Ethniks and their diverse range of innovative solutions. While you may not exactly know of them as “Ethniks, the Digital Signage Experts”, you’ve certainly come across their products and encountered their services on a frequent basis.  

For instance, they put a smile on so many faces at the many MacDonald’s franchises through the supply and maintenance of digital menus and other informative, alluring and high-tech signage. In other instances, they help you locate your favourite store in major malls and shopping centres through robust wayfinder technology. You will typically feel their presence at the likes of corporates, multinationals operating in a host of industries, banks - as well as public and private spaces that either rely on, or can be advanced by digital signage and similar products suited to divergent applications.  

Lorge mandated to deliver technologically adept solution for Ethniks  

In January of 2016 discussions ensued between Ethniks and Lorge. The primary focus was to identify and implement a solution that would effectively address a major logistic and operational area. This dealt with being able to equip field technicians to not only communicate more efficiently in terms of day-to-day tasks, but also execute such duties with greater ease. In other words, the solution needed to enable enhanced functionality and interactivity. This would be in lieu of delivering technical, support, customer related as well as internal requests with superior efficiency and superb accuracy while working in the field or on the move.  

The recommended solution  

As a platinum certified Sage partner for over two decades, Lorge is a preferred supplier and implementer of associated products including Sage 300. This in conjunction with a relevant and comprehensive CRM solution was proposed and accepted as the solution of choice. A crucial component of the solution installed by Lorge, involved mobile technology. This represented a groundbreaking leap for the already well-established digital signage giant. While the installation as well as sophisticated tools and technology used can be rather technical, in layman’s terms this meant that the field technicians would be able to receive repair and related instructions via their mobile devices. They would also be able to attend to specific changes and reparations remotely – all in real time. It is interesting to also note that Ethniks digital solutions are underpinned by satellite transmission, making their adaptability, dynamic nature and service support extremely stable and responsive. The installed system needed to factor this consideration into the product, installation, and after-sales requirements.  

CRM Product Manager at Lorge, Gustav du Plessis, Sage 300 Product Manager, Riekie Roux as well as Senior CRM Consultant, Glen Taylor, discussed the extent of the project as well as the intricate requirements for a successful installation. They confirmed that despite the complex nature of the implemented solution - which needed to be installed in a manner consistent with the high service-standards established by Lorge - the project rollout was seamlessly facilitated from March of 2016, with the system going live effective July 2016.                

Benefits to Ethniks  

In addition to the specific operational advantages of the above software solution, extensive system-wide benefits include considerable time-saving on previous processes - from quoting to technical updates executed. This naturally translates to improved technical and associated responsiveness, more effective communication, cost-savings in the medium to long term, minimised downtime, increased productivity, stronger customer service delivery and ultimately an improved top line.  

Spokesperson for Ethniks and company accountant, Jaco le Roux, also confirmed that the organisation is already experiencing the positive impact of the relatively new system. They remain firmly confident in the training, ongoing support and effectiveness of the new software solution provided by Lorge. He also indicated that Ethniks has just begun to scratch the surface so to speak of the vastly intelligent software solution and its extensive capabilities.              

To fully understand the solution delivered by Lorge it is worthwhile to consider the broad service and product offering of Ethniks in a little more detail. As a veteran of close on 30 years specialisation, Ethniks provides premium-quality infrastructure in conjunction with pioneering software and creative content integration - including customisation, implementation, technical and customer support. Products range all the way from general digital signage, to interactive information kiosks, to platforms suitable for employee training, solutions capable of interfacing with virtually any data source such as point-of-sale systems, others capable of integrating mobile friendly features like social media and much more. Furthermore, it’s no surprise that they deliver internationally acclaimed solutions, being partnered with SCALA software that power more than half a million screens in over one hundred countries.  

Lorge leads the way  

Lorge, as a multi-award winning organisation, is a preferred supplier and implementer of Sage X3, Sage 300, Sage CRM and Qlikview business and technology solutions in Africa. The company has implemented over 10 000 users across divergent economic sectors and is a trusted supplier for over 250 companies, more than a third of which are listed on the JSE Securities Exchange.  

Additionally, the Ethniks project symbolises a new chapter in the expanding specialisation of Lorge’s service capabilities. This is paramount in a technologically advancing era that demands solutions which are increasingly mobile-friendly, more robust and align to progressive business and end-user trends. The success of this project also paves the way for the digital marketing industry as a whole, notwithstanding other industries that provide innovative solutions for the modern consumer and rely heavily on field technicians.  

For further information on Sage 300, or to discuss your current enterprise needs, simply contact our Sales Department on 010 594 9800. 

Media Contact

This Press Release is proudly brought to you by communications specialists Genesis Articles on behalf of Lorge Consulting Services

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Mobile network operators aren’t paying close attention to leverage DCB in mobile vertical markets. TeleResearch Labs examines many such hot opportunities in adjunct telecom markets for operators in its latest report: Vertical & Horizontal Worlds of Mobile.

As mobile payments is one of the broadest areas of horizontal potential, US-based telecom research company TeleResearch Labs strongly encourage operators to try incorporating direct carrier billing (DCB) – for physical goods. Though there are a few cases where it has started but operators have not yet focused on it. San Francisco-based company Boku, which specialises in direct carrier billing solutions, has entered into partnerships with the UK's three main telcos for supporting DCB payments for items such as magazines and bus tickets, and is looking for expanding into the food industry.

While operators do not foresee DCB in developed markets where the focus currently is on NFC/ mobile wallets, this payment method could be explored in emerging markets where millions of people don't possess credit/ debit cards and don't even have bank accounts. Telcos charge upwards of 25% of the cost of items purchased via DCB, and they could do worse than lowering this amount so as to expand scale of such payments. Moreover, this platform can also assist operators in competing with incumbent e-commerce/ m-commerce companies such as Amazon.

If only, mobile operators work with app developers facilitating DCB and the merchants to bring down the rates they charge, as has been done in South Korea, humongous revenues are in store as they would compete head-on with credit card companies. It would be additionally one more way to lure prepaid customers to sign up for postpaid contracts, especially in markets such as India, Pakistan, and countries in Africa.

For more strategical guidelines in mobile vertical markets, visit:
http://www.teleresearchlabs.com/view_document/73-vertical-a-horizontal-worlds-of-mobile
http://www.teleresearchlabs.com/
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Phone: +1   202-506-8078

Event organiser Kinetic has confirmed that industry-giant Performanta has signed on as platinum sponsors for this year’s anticipated 6th edition of their successful flagship event; the IT Leaders Africa Summit.

The event, taking place from 18 - 19 March 2015 at The Maslow Hotel in Johannesburg, is set to go beyond your usual routine business conference, evolving to deliver on a more exciting, topical, trendy and current platform, utilising both the latest technologies coupled with the latest in conference trends internationally.

Together with Performanta, the event aims to deliver an expert-lead agenda that features an educational conference program backed by the latest in technology workshops and demonstrations. 

Performanta’s workshop; Safeguard your organisation now, your wallet will thank you later; focuses on measuring your organisation against the industry on 10 information security and privacy measures, derived from real-world assessments.

Performanta Consulting was established by Anthony Olivier 4 years ago, aligning information security consulting services to the Performanta Technology & Services stable. Performanta Consulting has provided services to primary South African banks, insurance companies, brokers, mining companies, service and retail organisations. Their key differentiator: senior, qualified, experienced consultants, integrated frameworks and fair pricing. Furthermore, the team has assisted in addressing security problems in seventeen African countries and has a thorough understanding of the continental landscape.

As thought-leaders in the industry, they are amongst the most active South African participants in industry conferences, blogs and podcasts.An expert-led advisory panel will lead the summit with industry giants Robert Sussman, co-founder and joint-CEO of Integr8; Hugo Timmerman, Head of IT Southern Africa at British American Tobacco; and Tunde Coker, MD of Rack Centre (A Jagal Group Company).

The event also features over 35 speakers, keynotes, panel discussions and numerous educational workshop sessions hosted by key industry providers, all sessions led by some of today’s most notable individuals who are shaping the IT landscape in South Africa and beyond.

Speakers, just to name a few, include; David Visser, CIO of Coca-Cola Southern Africa; Anthony Hlungwane, Group IT Director of Mr Price Group; Sal Laher, CIO Eskom; Rocky Gwewera, Global Head of Infrastructure Architecture at Sasol; Stephan Ekbergh, CEO and founder of Travelstart; and Sunil Joshi, MD and CEO of Neotel.

Some sponsors and partners include; Telkom Business, HP, Performanta and Blue Coat Systems, SITA, Airwatch, Kofax, Dimension Data, Neotel, Meso Systems, Sage Pastel Accounting and ERP Africa, and Blackberry.

For more information on the event to register to attend or to sponsor, visit www.itleaders.co.za or contact the event organisers Kinetic on +27 21 180 4700.Follow the event and stay up to date on Twitter. @ITLeadersAfrica and join in on the conversation using #ITLAfrica.

Africa.com is looking forward to welcoming a team of students from Harvard Business School this week. The team of six students will be in Johannesburg for a week as part of a required first-year course at Harvard Business School called FIELD, which stands for Field Immersion Experiences for Leadership Development. Africa.com is one of 156 FIELD Global Partners spanning 13 countries around the world. Together they will host more than 930 students in all.  

“We are pleased to be working with Harvard Business School to provide students with a real-world learning experience in South Africa.” said Teresa Clarke, Chairman and CEO.  “We feel certain that the students will gather insights here that they would never be able to glean from a classroom discussion alone.”  

FIELD has three modules that run through the entire first year of the two- year MBA program. The first module focuses on developing individual leadership skills through team feedback and self-reflection. The second focuses on developing global intelligence by immersing them in a foreign country to develop a new product or service in country for their Global Partner organization. The final module brings all the lessons together by challenging students to develop and launch their own micro-business as part of a small team back in Boston.

Africa.com executives have been working with the team remotely in the months leading up to their arrival in South Africa. While in the country, they will pitch their ideas to the leadership team, conduct field research with consumers around Johannesburg and present their final recommendations to management.

Harvard is quick to acknowledge that this important learning experience would not be possible without the Global Partners.  

“We are extremely grateful to Africa.com and all the FIELD Global Partner organizations for all they do on behalf of our students,” said Professor Tony Mayo, the faculty head of FIELD. “The students benefit immeasurably from this experience and we hope the partner organizations do as well.”

About Africa.com   Africa.com is the leading Africa-related website with more than one million views every month from people in over 200 countries & territories. Our signature product is the Africa.com Top10 - we read all the Africa news so that you don't have to.  We curate and summarize the top ten African news stories of the day and of the week. Africa.com is also a one stop shop to help Africans put their ideas onto mobile websites easily and affordably.  For companies and bloggers who want to showcase their African identity as part of their website address. With offices in South Africa, Nigeria and the United States, Africa.com is dedicated to changing the way the world sees Africa.  

Media Contact:
Debra Winter
Tel: +27 11 881 5941
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Kinetic is pleased to announce the latest additions to our speaker line up for the eCommerce Africa Confex. With just over 2 months to go, the agenda is jam-packed with the best that Africa's eCommerce industry has to offer as they address current topics and share valuable insight into establishing a successful eCommerce business.

Mike Cotterell, Head of Online for Pick n Pay, and Peter Allerstorfer, Founding Partner of Silvertree Capital, will be sitting on a panel that will discuss the trends for delivery of online orders. They will be joined by Business Development Executive of DPD Laser, Hilton Eachus, and Justin Drennan, CEO of wantitall.co.za, to elaborate on the importance of good infrastructure and the transnational cooperation of all companies involved to meet customer needs.

Want to know what the best consumer and business brands are doing to drive a greater user experience? The following eCommerce professionals have all reserved their seats for the panel discussion that will answer this very question:

• Lee Zuk, General Manager, justplay.co.za
• Gysbert Kappers, Co-Founder, Wyzetalk
• Clinton Arnot, Head of Online Distribution, Protea Hotels
• Amanda Cromhout, Founder and CEO, Truth
• Stephan Ekbergh, CEO, Travelstart
• Bryan Porter, eCommerce Manager, Comair

The 2-day conference sessions will wrap up with Mohammed Parker, Deputy Director: IT Strategy, eCommerce and Governance from Western Cape Government, and Andrew Dean, Managing Director of Calleo. They will discuss the security and regulation of data collection as well as online sales in Africa. Joining them will be Alastair Tempest, COO of Direct Marketing Association of South Africa (DMASA), and Craig Shapiro, Partner at WCIS Attorneys.

Africa's premier eCommerce conference and exhibition is taking place on the 3rd-4th February 2015 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre and seats are filling up quickly. To avoid disappointment, register to become a delegate or find out more about sponsor and exhibitor opportunities by contacting Kirsten Pow Chong on 021 180 4700 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

www.ecommerce-africa.com For all the latest updates, follow us on Twitter: @eCommerceConfex and @KineticEventsSA or like our Facebook page: eCommerce Africa Confex

The eCommerce Africa Confex is proving to be Africa's most influential eCommerce gathering as we bring you face to face with the key individuals in the industry. The conference agenda will cover all things eCommerce, from how to expand your business into Africa to the survival and flourishing of SME's and small businesses. 

Raphael Afaedor, Co-Founder of Jumia and CEO/Co-Founder of Supermart, together with Simdul Shagaya, CEO and Founder of Konga.com will both be sitting on a panel discussing how to sell into Africa and grow your business beyond South Africa. 

Raphael is part of the advisory panel that has been consulted to tailor the event agenda. He co-founded one of Nigeria's largest online stores, Jumia, in 2012 and has since left to start Supermart, an online platform that allows the consumer to shop from over 18 000 grocery items. Simdul is the CEO and co-founder of recently Naspers-invested, Konga.com which is known as Africa's answer to Amazon.com. He was on Forbe's list of "The 10 Most Powerful Men in Africa 2014" and also won "Entrepreneur of the Year" at the 2013 All Africa Business Leaders Awards. 

SME's and startups can gather valuable insight during a panel that will discuss what small businesses, without the big corporate budgets, can do to build a business that will not only survive but thrive and flourish in the eCommerce industry. Panellists for this discussion include:

• David Muller, Managing Director of CyberCellar

• Phaedon Gourtsoyannis, Founder of Cape Coffee Beans

• Gary Hadfield, CEO of loot.co.za

• Olivier Chas, Managing Director and Co-Founder of CitySlicker

The eCommerce Africa Confex takes places on the 3rd and 4th February 2015 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

Should you wish to register as a delegate or are interested in sponsor or exhibitor opportunities, please contact Greg Johnson on 021 180 4700 or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Leading South African Payment Gateway, Setcom Payment Solutions, today announced their partnership with innovative e-commerce solution provider, Digital Planet. This partnership will enable Setcom to introduce a wider range of e-commerce services to their existing portfolio of online credit card processing, SID Instant EFT and mobile payment solutions.

“We feel that Digital Planet’s services would be of great value to our client base, as they have a proven track record in terms of optimising efficiencies across the entire e-commerce value chain. We look forward to collaborating with Digital Planet to provide our clients with holistic e-commerce solutions that will have a positive impact on their business performance,” said Setcom CEO, Kumalan Naidoo.

Digital Planet has been assisting some of South Africa’s biggest businesses and brands for over 15 years by enabling e-commerce efficiencies and helping their clients realise e-commerce goals. Running a successful e-commerce business can be very challenging, as it requires efficiencies in a number of areas, such as website design and development, payment integration, digital marketing, fulfilment, customer service and logistics. This is where Digital Planet’s expertise can help improve and streamline competencies across the board.

“Digital Planet continually strives to add value to our clients, and working with Setcom has allowed us to offer more flexibility to our clients when it comes to online payments. This is very important to us because secure payment methods are one of the most important consideration factors for online shoppers in South Africa,” added Cassie van Wyk, Head of E-commerce at Digital Planet.

Setcom facilitates secure credit card and SID Instant EFT transactions across multiple channels, making them a one-stop payment solution partner. Setcom’s payment infrastructure paired with Digital Planet’s e-commerce expertise will surely make for a winning combination for years to come.

About Setcom:

Setcom has been one of South Africa’s most trusted Payment Gateways since 1998. They offer secure online and mobile credit card payment processing, SID instant EFT and fraud prevention services to entrepreneurs looking for a reliable, affordable payment solutions partner.

Part of the Setcom methodology is to offer traditional and non-traditional payment types across multiple channels, partnered with an effective reporting and reconciliation platform that enables efficient processing of payments. The offering is further enhanced by a fraud and risk management system that operates across multiple channels to ensure optimal business performance.

As payments evolved through traditional retail environments and the Internet, Setcom has been at the forefront of developing products that not only differentiate, but allows business to partner with technology to expedite growth and revenues. For more information, visit www.setcom.com.

About Digital Planet:

For more than a decade, Digital Planet has helped companies build and manage profitable online businesses. They offer a complete solution: world-class e-commerce websites, back-end order management systems, e-commerce expertise, online marketing, call centre services and fulfillment services.

Digital Planet was founded in September 1999 when they launched the Digital Planet online electronics store. It was early days for the e-commerce industry in South Africa and there weren’t many skills available, so they built our own end-to-end solution for the business. This solution included the front end marketing, merchandising and technology, as well as the back-end logistics and customer services. They mastered all the nuances of a virtual business in South Africa.

They soon had customers knocking on their door to help them build and run their own online businesses. Digital Planet quickly won clients including the major brands Hewlett-Packard and Discovery Vitality, both of which are still with Digital Planet today, more than a decade later. For more information, visit www.digitalplanet.co.za.

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