Peter Jack consolidates position as NITDA DG

When President Goodluck Jonathan approved the appointment of Mr Peter Olu Jack as the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) for a first term of four years with effect from April 7^th  2014, it came to many as a surprise. However those could be said to be in the dark about the technical and administrative depth of the man, Peter Jack.

Prior to his appoint to replace by Prof. Cleopas Angaye, who retired in July 2013, having served for a maximum term of eight year, Mr Ashiru Daura, acted as the Director General of the agency until Jack's appointment.

A native of Abonnema in Rivers State of Nigeria, Mr. Peter Jack has been into private sector practice in the area of core information technology solutions and services since leaving NITDA in 2007. As a consummate technocrat, he is a product of International Information Technology Policy Program, College of Engineering, Seoul National University, South Korea. He holds a BSc. in Chemical Engineering, University of Ife, Ile Ife, a Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering and an MBA, both from the University of Lagos in Nigeria.

He represented the DG/CEO on several key national committees including the National Committee on Outsourcing, and the Public Service Reform Committee and led the team that wrote the National Outsourcing Policy. He set up the National Cisco Networking Academy Program in Nigeria. Mr. Jack designed and implemented the Niger Delta Youth Computer Training Program for Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in 2003.

Peter Jack is also one of the receipents of the Global Fund Research Fellows between 2009 and 2010. The Global Environment and Conflict Resolution award was meant to fund the first phase (Research) of a grand intervention plan to ensure peace, social inclusion, and sustainable development in the Niger Delta.

The research focused on exploring a consensus approach among stakeholders to identify the best path to peace-building in the Niger Delta. It will methodically review the current state of affairs in the Niger Delta Region in relation to level of threat to national security and stability as well as catalogue previous and current efforts at intervention in the Niger Delta.

Just like Etisalat, Aviat Networks also signs managed services deal with MTN Nigeria

Aviat Networks Inc, has reported that it has been contracted by the telecom major MTN Nigeria to offer enhanced managed services and associated technical support to the telecom network of one of Africa’s largest cellular operator.

The deal would also involve the Santa Clara based firm managing and controlling the conduit of materials into and out of MTN Nigeria facilities which are being managed by Aviat Networks Inc. The services rendered would also include the setting up of, managing and augmenting of network resources of high net worth customers who would be identified by MTN Nigeria. This is not the first time Aviat Networks is being contracted to manage the facilities of a telecom firm in Nigeria, as Etisalat had signed a similar deal with the company in 2012.

While explaining the reasons for going ahead with the contract expansion, MTN Nigeria’s Senior Manager Core and Transmission Implementation in the NID-Network Group has been quoted to have said that, “This is an opportunity to work more closely with our partner on planning and deploying Aviat equipment into the MTN Nigeria network. This new agreement demonstrates our confidence in Aviat’s capabilities to efficiently manage our inventory. The agreement reduces our overall costs and pain points and improves visibility to better plan future inventory requirements.”

Even though the details of the contract was not disclosed (especially to the Nigerian audience) Aviat Networks Inc has gone on record to state that MTN Nigeria is one of its key customers and is thrilled to be accepted as a trusted partner by the telecom operator in helping the firm provide value added services to its key customers. The services provider has also added that its speciality offering of managing the inward and outward flow of products for a company, is one of the key differentiators for the firm. It hopes to break into new accounts on the back of its success with MTN Nigeria.

Aviat Networks Inc, had in 2012 announced the signing of a service level agreement (SLA) to provide Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services (EMTS), operating as Etisalat Nigeria, with a comprehensive suite of Managed Network Services. The agreement, financial details of which were not available, covers establishing a network operations centre, providing an element management system and implementing spares management programme.

With that deal, Aviat Networks established a Network Operations Centre (NOC) to operate 50 hops of Etisalat's Enterprise Data Network, comprising 100 radios of the Eclipse Packet Node microwave networking solution, on the mobile operator's network nationwide within Nigeria.

Canadian Software coy Partners PMM Int. Ventures for Software solutions in W/Africa

As part of their objective to provide workable and cost effective IT solutions to SME’s in Nigeria, indigenous Enterprise technology Advocates, PMM Integrated Ventures and Canadian software firm Tilda Systems Incorporated, has entered into a partnership to ensure that Small and Medium Enterprises harness the potentials of a high end IT solutions at minimal cost.

The Canadian company Tilda, with research operations base in Kochi - India, provides unique software solutions to carter for the various degrees of IT consumers in the E-Governance, Enterprise Portal, Education and Telecommunications sectors.  In a statement issued after the signing of the partnership arrangement which will see PMM Integrated Ventures supporting and distributing the solutions from Tilda Systems in English-speaking West Africa, the Head of Business Development and Communications of PMM Integrated Mr Obinna Ibeawuchi, said that there was need to make all business outfits in Nigeria have access to Workable solutions to suit their business without necessarily straining their finances. 

“This one of the reason we are having this Tilda/ PMM Ventures partnership as we believe it’ll will chart a new course for all Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Nigeria with regards to maximising productivity as we storm the Nigerian market with the most cost effective and top-of-the-class IT solutions while ensuring these medium companies harness the potentials embedded in these dedicated software solutions” he said.  

On his part, the Chairman Tilda Systems, Mr Tony Abraham said, “We are excited to partner with PMMI to bring innovative, ground-breaking Software Products and Services to Customers in Nigeria and other British West African Countries. PMMI’s excellent knowledge of the Nigerian market and product marketing strategies will complement our focus on delivering high-performance applications to Global consumers. Our joint efforts with PMMI will enable us to push the future of Path Breaking Technologies and Services to the African Citizens”.

The solutions he added would actually create a big shift from the norm where only big companies could afford these solutions before now. He further disclosed that Tilda Systems hopes to start off with providing services that’ll help Construction sector with Enterprise Resource Planning solution (CO-ERP) to track and monitor their projects both on and offsite;  Eval Mate 2.0, which is going to be the first ever online examination/certification portal solution to come into the region; as well as the E- commerce portal called E-Cart, that will make online commerce available to all.

According to Mr Ibeawuchi, solutions from Tilda Systems costs about 80% less than the conventional solutions in the market. He was also quick to state that Tilda have been able to break down some of the intricate nature of these solutions that were available before now, into a less complex and user friendly system. As part of the Market segmentation, Mr Ibeawuchi said PMMI will try to start with companies who are in dire need of cost effective IT solutions and would in the Long term make Tilda solutions a brand in the Nigeria and English-speaking West Africa.

PMM Integrated Ventures (a specialized arm of Private Media Mart Limited) is a unique technology solutions advocate for the Enterprise market with its strength on the ability to match consumers in the enterprise with the right and most cost-effective technology solutions available in the world today.

CRM solutions recommended for Power Sector by SA

In a bid to enhance the experience of customers in the power sector in Nigeria, Signal Alliance one of the leading systems Integration companies in the country has introduced two Customer Relationship Management (CRM) CRM solutions for Power Sector: Microsoft Dynamics and SAP CRM. The solutions, which have been specially recommended for the players in the reformed sector as the best CRM solutions for Power Sector in Nigeria, are meant to help the GENCOs and DISCOs, improve on their customer relationship and at the same time ensure positive bottom-line.

In a white paper presented by Signal Alliance, the company streamlined the challenges in the present-day power sector under the new private owners and how the solutions have been designed to help the sector surmount the challenges of satisfying their customers, while making profit through seamless productivity. According to the white paper, “the need to create the right relationship between the electricity providers and their customers and the need for the power infrastructure owners to deliver quality service formed the basis of the CRM solutions”.

As explained in the white paper, Microsoft Dynamics, an integrated Software Solution that will simplify complex management of electricity through; managing power usage intelligently, delivering power and analysis based on Customer demands, improve asset utilization, increase power availability, while the SAP CRM is meant for the Utilities Industry to help the companies retain customers loyalty. Reference was made to situations where there is power outage and nobody explains anything to anybody because of the communication breach. Also a case where a power transformer blows up and it will takes days before it is attended to were attributed to the lack of proper relationship structure between the owners and the direct users, justifying the need for specific CRM solutions for Power Sector.

According to the Signal Alliance Head, MS Dynamics, Mr. Maro Ologe “We have broadly explored the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) practices in the electricity distribution sector in Nigeria, identified some of the existing challenges and came up with how they can be improved with the use of CRM solutions for Power Sector and gain better service design”. 

The white paper also shed light on the history of the power sector from inception, the challenges and added that these solutions draw strength from state of the sector, and give a better understanding of the key actors and their roles, giving a few specific recommendations that are outlined using the short, medium and long-term lenses. To move from the identification of challenges and potential solutions to implementation of some of the recommendations on the ground, a series of concerted efforts are required by a number of key stakeholder groups,

With the CRM solutions for Power Sector - Microsoft Dynamics and the SAP CRM - the power sector would be able to achieve A new way of thinking: a change in paradigm, change in the messages sent and received and Change in the overall culture. The competencies required for an effective CRM process according to the publication would be: Reliability, Responsiveness, Accessibility, safety, Courtesy, Consideration, Communication, Recognizing the customer and competence on the part the providers.

The CRM solutions for Power Sector tends to provide answers to the numerous questions on the minds of the customers, which can be put in perspective through the provision of a 24 hours dedicated call centres, a stakeholders interactive platforms, offering online services, such as downloading of necessary forms, usage and payment history information, options for online application and bill payment, load shedding forecasting, maintenance notification platforms.

cineSync Used to Complete VFX for Academy Award® Nominee, Gravity

Cospective’s video review software cineSync played a key role in a globe-spanning VFX pipeline for Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity. Charting the lonely quest of an astronaut (Sandra Bullock) to survive after her spaceship is crippled, the film received ten Oscar® nominations, including one for Best Visual Effects. Framestore, principal VFX vendor on Gravity, tasked Australia’s Rising Sun Pictures with completing a spectacular reentry sequence. From their facility in Adelaide, Rising Sun was able to integrate seamlessly with Framestore via cineSync. With cineSync as a remote collaboration tool, distributed postproduction teams can work together closely to create groundbreaking VFX, regardless of locations and time zones.

In fact, cineSync was used for remote review on all of the movies nominated for Best Visual Effects this year, including The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Iron Man 3, The Lone Ranger, Star Trek Into Darkness, as well as Gravity. cineSync itself won a Technical Achievement Award from the Academy in 2011. 

Rarely has the big screen been put to better use than it is here, in conveying the immensity of space. The tight confines of spacecraft are set against infinite blackness. Often the only sounds in the film are the breathing of Bullock’s character, astronaut Stone. Physical objects float unbearably slowly, even as the narrative races inexorably forward. The tension is so complete, and the imagery so seamless, that is easy to forget that the entire film depends on visual effects work.

The film’s climactic scene shows Stone attempting reentry into earth’s atmosphere. Rising Sun Pictures completed 17 shots for this sequence. Using Framestore’s pre-vis for reference, Rising Sun worked with director Cuarón, executive producer Nikki Penny and Tim Webber, VFX supervisor at Framestore, to craft and deliver the 2.5-minute sequence.

“We came up with technical and creative solutions through talking to Tim and Alfonso,” said Tony Clark, VFX supervisor and co-founder of RSP. “These conversations required a large number of cineSync sessions, usually including various reference clips of elements they wanted to include in the reentry scene.”

For the scene, Rising Sun created stereoscopic, all-CG shots that included the space station and reentry module, plasma and flame effects surrounding the descending vehicle, the violent destruction of a space station, earth environments, atmospheric effects, parachutes and panoramic matte painting.

“It’s always great to work with a local VFX house, but these days, with communications as advanced as they are, it’s getting easier to work remotely,” said Webber. “On Gravity we worked with Rising Sun, literally at the opposite end of the world from our base in London. This was made significantly easier using cineSync. It is tried and tested software that has been such an integral part of so many films that it’s almost synonymous with remote working.”

“As the VFX industry continues to grow worldwide, we are seeing how facilities are constantly discovering new means to do better, more inventive work, with tight timelines and, in some cases, shrinking budgets,” said Cospective’s Rory McGregor, product manager of cineSync. “One particularly effective tool is remote collaboration between post houses. This allows you to bring in the best artists, regardless of where they are. This is precisely what Framestore did, using cineSync to communicate efficiently and clearly with the artists at Rising Sun Pictures.” 

An exemplar of remote collaboration, Rising Sun Pictures has contributed to many recent Hollywood features, including The Great Gatsby, The Hunger Games, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and others. Working from Adelaide, South Australia, RSP has been able to integrate their workflows with studios and facilities in North America, Europe and Asia, all thanks to cineSync.

Cospective, the maker of cineSync, has been continually innovating in the area of synchronized remote review and approval and recently released Frankie, which is tailored for the review of short-form media such as TV commercials and which allows cineSync-style reviews in an Internet browser. “Cospective’s remote review and approval tools have never been more in demand than today in the new world of international filmmaking and advertising,” added McGregor.

cineSync runs on OSX, Windows and Linux systems and is sold worldwide by Cospective, the maker of Frankie video review software.

cineSync is the Academy Award®-winning synchronized review-and-approval tool used for major film productions. It is made by Cospective, creator of innovative software solutions to visual communication challenges. Cospective’s product line also includes Frankie, the real-time video review tool that uses standard web browsers and is ideally suited for short-form content produced by ad agencies, production companies and post houses. Cospective is a privately held company based in Adelaide, Australia.

Dell Debuts First Ad as a Private Company

Still recovering from a bruising battle to take itself private, Dell has introduced a business-to-business brand campaign on New Year’s Eve to promote its entrepreneurial spirit and that of well-known corporate customers like Whole Foods, TripAdvisor and Skype. Developed by the New York office of Y&R, the advertising is an extension of the agency’s recent “Power to Do More” consumer-oriented television campaign. Previous spots featured a fifth-grader who made a film of herself flying over her school’s playground, and a businessman who created an “alternate universe” through computer-generated imagery while commuting on a train.
Last February, Michael S. Dell, who founded the technology company in his dorm room at the University of Texas, Austin, in 1984, announced that he and the investment firm Silver Lake Partners would take the company private in a $24 billion buyout; they succeeded in September after fending off the investor Carl C. Icahn. Mr. Dell sought privatization to help the company more easily shift from focusing on making personal computers, a declining business, to providing software and services for corporate clients. Speaking after the buyout was approved by shareholders, he called Dell “the world’s largest start-up.”
The central message of Dell’s new campaign — as stated in a 60-second TV spot — is that Dell is “part of some of the world’s great stories, stories that began much the same way ours did, in a little dorm room, No. 2713.” The spot shows “the little room over the pizza place at 315 Chestnut Street,” where TripAdvisor began in 2000, as well as the “modest first-floor bedroom in Tallinn, Estonia,” where Skype was started in 2003, and the “second floor above the strip mall at Roble and El Camino,” where Shutterfly began in 1999.
The spot illustrates, the voice-over continues, “the story of where every great idea begins. Where those with endless vision and an equal amount of audaciousness believed they had the power to do more. Time and time again.”
Similarly, a print ad features a variety of images depicting the businesses of many well-known Dell customers, including Salesforce.com, Gilt.com and The Knot. The copy says, “The power to do. Dell helps companies of all sizes do more for their customers every day. Online advertising focuses on individual customers. One group of ads features images of fresh produce, with copy that says, “Foods that are free of artificial preservatives, colors and flavors. So millions can enjoy what is fresh. Wholesome and safe. The power to do. Dell helps power Whole Foods Market.”
The campaign will begin on New Year’s Eve, with the TV spot running on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest” on ABC. In addition, starting on New Year’s Eve and running through Jan. 20, four billboards in Times Square will run animated ads similar to advertising appearing in other media. At the same time, New York taxis will carry a 30-second version of the TV spot.
After the Dec. 31 kickoff, TV advertising will run on network and cable news programs through Jan. 26, while another version of the spot will air on NBC during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The print ad will run in January and February in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and Forbes, while online advertising will run through April on the websites of CNN, The Atlantic, IDG and others. Billboard advertising will also run from Feb. 24 through April at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Tex. The New York office of VML, the digital marketing agency of Y&R, helped create the campaign; both are part of WPP.
In a blog post scheduled to be released with the campaign’s introduction, Karen Quintos, chief marketing officer of Dell, said 2014 would be a “new year and a new beginning for Dell.” The campaign, she added, “celebrates the dreamer and the visionary, the person who knows that game-changing innovation begins with an idea coupled with unrelenting passion.” She declined to say how much Dell would spend on the new campaign. According to Kantar Media, in recent years the company’s largest advertising expenditures were approximately $307 million in 2009. In the first nine months of this year, it spent $73.5 million.
Sharmila Chatterjee, a senior lecturer at the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management who studies business-to-business marketing, said the new campaign’s message was “completely consistent with our values and culture. America is the land of second chances; we have a culture of taking pride in falling down, and then getting up and learning from our mistakes.” Matt Eastwood, a group vice president at IDC, said that by using the names of start-ups instead of established companies, Dell was “trying to appeal to the next generation of buyer constructing and building an enterprise infrastructure from end to end.”
The message is aimed at small businesses, which will be “very important to Dell’s future,” said David Johnson, a principal analyst at Forrester Research. “Small businesses do not have the resources to do what large enterprises can do. They need vendors that can help them level the playing field with technology.” Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, suggested the campaign was also directed at Dell’s own employees. “I suspect it’s a difficult time for employees at Dell — it needs its employees to be proud of the brand, too,” he said.
Andrew C. Frank, an analyst for Gartner, warned that “an ad campaign can’t be the whole story for how Dell changes perception.” He said there must be a balance “between getting people’s interest through advertising and delivering something on the product side to make people believe the messaging is not just feel-good stuff.”

HP rewards its Africa Channel Partners...launches 2-in-1 laptop and tablet hybrid for business

Seventy of Africa's top HP Enterprise Group (EG) partners spent 3 days in Dubai recently celebrating FY13 achievements, learning HP's latest announcements on PartnerOne and discussing with HP senior executives their strategies and growth plans. The event was organized by Mitsumi Africa Distribution and was held at Burj Al Arab hotel followed by a lavish award ceremony at the Address Downtown hotel.

"Over 94% of HP's Africa EG business is done through our channel partners. We appreciate the efforts and activities of our partners, they are key to our success in the region. We have a clear strategy towards growing our indirect business and we are committed to support their development; the latest enhancement to HP PartnerOne program clearly demonstrates HP's interests towards making business easier, predictable, and more profitable to our partners" said Ammar Lababidy, Manager of HP Africa EG Indirect Sales.

HP has a unique partner compensation program that offers partners substantial rebates and bonuses based on their level of certifications and skills rather than a revenue threshold. "HP ExpertOne provides the knowledge and experience partners need today to drive the new style of IT. From cloud solutions to software defined networks, HP ExpertOne delivers the perfect certification path. And this goes hand in hand with the compensation plan; the higher certification level partners achieve; the higher rebates they are entitled to." He added.

As a part of its strategic growth plan for Africa, HP invested heavily in developing its channel network as well as expanding its coverage across the African continent through opening up 16 HP subsidiaries last year.

HP is also diving deeper into the 2-in-1 market for devices that can double as laptops or tablets. Its latest hybrid Windows touchscreen convertible is aimed at businesses, and it’s actually a pretty powerful machine in a small package. HP is unveiling the laptop-tablet hybrid at the 2014 International CES, the huge tech tradeshow in Las Vegas this week. The HP Pro x2 410 runs Windows 8.1 and has a 11.6-inch high-definition touchscreen. You can detach the cover and use the screen as a Windows tablet. The idea is to give employees the capability to quickly access applications that meet the demands of both work and life.

The device has no fan, and the tablet part is just 2.5 millimeters thick. It uses Intel Core i3 and i5 processors, Beats Audio sound, a front-and-back webcam, and dual speakers. HP is selling it now in the U.S. for $900.

It is less than an inch thick and weighs 3.43 pounds. The tablet weighs just 1.8 pounds. The full device is just 22.3 millimeters thick. The machine comes with options for 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB flash memory solid state drives. The base unit has Intel integrated graphics. HP is also launching its inexpensive HP 350 G1 notebook computer with a 15.6-inch display. It has a durable, spill-resistant design and an optional fingerprint reader. It uses Intel Core i3, i5, or i7 processors, or Intel Pentium and Celeron processors. It is available now in the U.S. for $400.