Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 50 | Page 7

EDITOR ’ S NOTE

Welcome to the latest edition of Intelligent

CIO Africa . A recent info brief by market intelligence and advisory company International Data Corporation ( IDC ), has revealed that while an impressive 76 % of manufacturers in the Middle East , Turkey and Africa ( META ) region are currently engaged in , or about to start , a formal Digital Transformation ( DX ) programme , a significant proportion risk limiting their efforts by failing to connect key elements including DX initiatives , data and technology environments . The info brief , which was sponsored by Infor , refers to ‘ Islands of Innovation ’ as a key challenge , with siloed DX initiatives , siloed data and siloed technology environments highlighted as three particular challenges for manufacturers to be aware of and fix in the region . In this regard , we continue to cover articles in this edition of the magazine addressing the issue of Digital Transformation and how organisations can overcome challenges and improve their chances of successful with DX .
Gracing the cover of this edition is Hossam Ismail , IT Network Lead , Information Technology at The Knowledge Hub Universities , who tells us how the Egyptian education investment and management company , implemented Aruba ’ s solutions to provide world-class education through the use of cutting-edge digital learning tools .
“ Our flagship initiative has been setting up a multidisciplinary educational hub that host branches of leading international universities , delivering the same academic programmes offered at their mother campus and thus leading to the same , exact qualification and degrees . We needed exceptional wireless coverage across the entire campus . To protect the digital identities and activities of our students and staff , security was also a key requirement and Aruba was a clear industry leader in both these areas . We selected Wi-Fi 6 capable solutions because as a university , we are constantly introducing the very latest innovations to ensure our students have rapid access to the cuttingedge digital technologies ,” says Ismail . You can read more by turning to page 50 .
Elsewhere in the magazine , we look at GIZ , Orange , the Ethiopian Ministry of Innovation and Technology , have launched the Addis Ababa Orange Digital Centre , an initiative that aims to raise digital skills in the East African country . You will find this article on page 42 .
With Digital Transformation accelerating , the benefits IoT can provide organisations , especially those reliant on data collected from Edge devices are substantial . Industry experts share insights on how IT decisionmakers can increase their understanding of how IoT can be better integrated into existing systems . You can read more on the evolving IoT market in Africa on page 34 .
As usual , we have all your favourite features , opinion , insight pieces and analysis articles from across the continent . You can also read daily news updates on our website at www . intelligentcio . com / africa /.
And kindly , don ’ t forget if you would like to get in touch please email me at manda @ lynchpinmedia . co . uk .
Once again , I would also like to wish you a great month ahead . Enjoy the read !
Manda Banda Editor
www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA 7