Cape Town, South Africa. September 2018

Twenty57, an experienced provider in enterprise software, is shipping the newest version of Linx, its flagship product. Linx, a leading low code software for automation of back-office IT tasks, has added a variety of features that further enable IT professionals to quickly automate projects, including scheduling, monitoring and integrating IT systems, without complicated programming.

"Linx and its drag-and-drop methodology offers IT professionals the power of assembling complex automation tasks without writing a single line of code," said Gawie Yssel, CTO of Twenty57. "Our customers find that they can develop automated tasks faster than ever before and just as important, maintain those tasks more affordably."Among the major elements of the release is the unveiling of a suite of AWS (Amazon Web Services) plugins. The new suite of AWS plugins makes it easier for users to develop applications that interact with the Amazon Web Services API. The new plugins provide access to several AWS solutions including the most popular services; Amazon Simple Storage Service (s3) cloud storage, Amazon EC2 and Amazon Simple Notification Service.

The plugins allow for faster AWS development, saving time, cutting down costs, leaving the user to focus on the businesses process rather than be tied down in the development grind of API code. Linx help users users effortlessly build automated processes and incorporate their development into existing AWS services, all without writing a line of code. Yssel explains “Our new suite of AWS plugins makes it easier to develop and deploy applications using Amazon Web Services. With the AWS plugins, you'll be able to get started faster and be more productive when building, integrating or automating AWS applications”.

The new version is available can be downloaded for free at linx.software/download

About LinxLinx is a comprehensive integration and business process automation tool with a wide range of connectors to external systems.

Linx is developed Twenty57.Founded in 2001, Twenty57 is a leading provider of investment and financial software, the company provides a wide range of industrial strength applications to improve integration, business process management automation, reconciliation and reporting. Twenty57 is headquartered in Mauritius , with offices in South Africa and India.For more information, visit www.twenty57.com or https://linx.software

SMSPortal is pleased to announce the launch of its 2017 Software Development Internship Program. Now in its fourth year, the two-week paid internship consistently attracts exceptional students from leading universities across South Africa. This year, SMSPortal expects to receive more than 1,000 applications for four placements in its Cape Town headquarters.  

During the internship program, which runs over the June/July break, students train with experienced staff who help develop skills and interests beyond university. Interns have the opportunity to learn firsthand about the organisation, get experience in real-world software development, will apply the theory they’ve learnt, and work with the SMSPortal team which specialises in multithreaded highly-scalable services.  

Charles Stretch, co-founder and MD of SMSPortal says: "We are proud of the reputation that our internship program has earned over the years and of SMSPortal’s ability to attract such remarkable talent. Investing in software development is an important goal of our management committee, and we are committed to providing additional training and educational opportunities for all of our employees. This is an exciting time for SMSPortal, and we are enthusiastic about our role in preparing the next generation of software developers." 

The internship pays R7,500 for the two weeks, includes free transport to Cape Town and free accommodation near SMSPortal’s Century City offices for the duration of the internship.  

To apply for an SMSPortal internship, visit: http://www.smsportal.co.za/#!careers

The SovTech Dev Shop, an on-demand custom software development provider, today announced the launch of their on-demand software developer network. The Dev Shop offers a simple solution for enterprises and startups to submit their development requirements and have a dedicated team of experts designing & coding within a matter of days.

SovTech Dev Shop offers on-demand bespoke software development solutions to enterprises and startups of any size. With SovTech, customers can ‘Start A Project’ or speak to a project engineer, receive a fixed, monthly recurring or per hour quote within 24 hours and hire an elite development team of software engineers, business analysts, designers, project managers and testers within 5 working days. The Dev shop also offers full project consulting, strategic advice and marketing expertise services that can be bolted onto any project at any point in time.

SovTech realizes the difficulty companies face when recruiting and retaining talented developers as well as the added complexity to ensure that they have a cross-functional skill set to adapt to multiple projects in an ever changing and highly competitive business environment. SovTech provides companies of any size with an on demand software engineering team with a diverse range of skill sets dependent on the project at hand.

“There is simply no need to embark on the lengthy, costly and notoriously difficult hiring process, with SovTech you are equipped with a team of dedicated experts that will handle your software requirements from concept to launch” says head of the Dev Shop, Andrew Chouler.

The SovTech Dev Shop works with enterprises, startups, accelerators and governments to provide expert talent across web, mobile, ecommerce, enterprise and IoT platforms. It is the Dev Shops goal to be every company’s on demand and immediately scalable software development department. “We provide a new level of agility to our clients, as they have access to a pool of talent that can build and maintain what they dream of in a fraction of the time” Says SovTech’s CEO Gerald Neves.

Whether you are prototyping an app or building robust internal systems, SovTech’s local and international developer network and flexible pricing models give companies the freedom to digitize, automate and innovate ahead of their competitors.

About SovTech Dev Shop: The SovTech Dev Shop combines advanced pricing tools and an elite pool of software engineering talent to provide enterprises and startups with unparralled digital agility.  

Software development isn’t just about data structures, algorithms and measuring computation complexity. It’s about problem-solving, connecting people, improving business processes, and being commercially savvy.

SMSPortal has just taken on four interns for software engineers, and Brett Skinner, SMSPortal’s software development manager has noticed something they all seem to have in common, and might be an indication that a computer science degree and career as a software engineer might be for you. “Our interns have an eagerness to learn,” comments Skinner. “They come with fresh ideas from university and combine it with what they can learn from our experience, and create new and novel solutions to problems that we need to solve.”

So what are the signs, according to Brett Skinner, that a job in software engineering is for you?

You're a problem-solver Intern Lodewyk van der Westhuizen says “I love solving puzzles, and the message I had to decipher to apply attracted me – and I cracked the puzzle – that’s a huge sense of achievement.” And that’s just it. Many will tolerate problems without looking to solve them, but if you enjoy the challenge of solving problems, and understand the importance of timeframes and budgets in a commercial environment, then that's a sign you could be suited to software development. 

You like computer games Gaming can be good for you, especially games of strategy. These types of games, such as chess, help hone your ability to make decisions whilst taking into account short and long-term consequences.  Even 3D shooters contribute to a brain that likes to solve engineering problems.  The shoot-em-up style of games work in a 3D space and help your ability to visualize problems and their solutions.

You are able to convey your message You are able to get your point across by making logical and well-structured arguments. This skill is vital in teamwork and big problems often take teams to solve.

You are creative Do you get a sense of satisfaction from building something? In the digital world your constraints are different to those in the physical world.   When coding, you have to deal with time and space constraints.

You like the theory Knowing what has come before, helps you to avoid re-inventing the wheel. A solid computer science background is an important aspect of a software engineer’s skillset. By knowing what others have discovered, allows you to use their ideas correctly and build on them.

You’re a team player Coding is collaborative. By working together, you shake out bugs, and refine code to create something which adds value to a business and its customers. For this reason, prospective software engineers need to enjoy working together, and able to feedback and improve the team’s work.

You have a love-hate relationship with technology You love seeing what is new and what has been made possible. But hate that we are not further and always yearn for more. 

Software development in business exists to support the business, its activities, and to help change the way a company performs. SMSPortal continually looks to source talent for its growth. Each year, SMSPortal offers four, two-week paid internships to third-year students at its Cape Town offices.

If you are thinking of a career in software development, SMSPortal’s always looking for new talent for its internships, keep an eye open for the next opportunity. 

Written and distributed for SMSPortal by Sapphire Street. For more information please call Kimberley Clare Ogden on 076 321 8918 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Notes to Editors Established in 2002, SMSPortal has grown to be South Africa’s leading bulk SMS provider with direct links to national and international cellular networks.

Based in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, SMSPortal has the leading SMS gateway as well as offering: bulk SMS purchasing and sending, long and short code numbers, short code keywords and an international service. 

SMSPortal has fostered long-term relationships and forged a reputation built upon a carefully developed, user friendly, reliable, high capacity, online SMS platform. Clients include: well-known retail banks, and clothing stores and supermarkets.