It’s a very difficult time- a new ICT company with little experience entering a new market ‘’ with HOPE ‘’, I will say. Even though, the global recession and change of government is reflecting on Ghana’s economy. Yet still, The ICT sector should be booming in the near future as predicted.
For many years, some of us have no idea about the internet and emails until we were out of school. I can’t imagine some still do not have access to information and tools. The economy seems to be affected heavil… Continue

The Sustainer is a unique solution to produce fuel and electricity in remote rural areas, for example in the African countryside where only 5 to 20 percent of the population have electricity. In many of these situations, access to energy would facilitate development, higher… Continue

Isatong is excited to announce that it has been appointed by Printronix as distributor of
TallyGenicom printing products in West Africa. Printronix acquired TallyGenicom U.S. assets
including the intellectual property, inventory, and equipment necessary to offer TallyGenicom’s
line-matrix and laser printer series. Following this acquisition, Printronix has appointed Isatong
as distributor of TallyGenicom Printers in West Africa. Isatong is able to provide resellers and
customers with all range o… Continue

Working in the Security industry i know the importance of been safe and what to avoid to be safe but i have had my fair share of unexpected moments that i myself would never dream of it happening to me. We all sometimes forget the rules of staying safe and in a split second you are the target of been a victim. It can be both emotionally disturbing and physically draining when something happens and you wonder "why me", " what did i do to deserve this" and especially when it takes place in your ho… Continue

I have a friend who is the Chief Information Officer of a Government Department here in South Africa. The other day, he said: “The problem with our Government Ministers and Director Generals, is that they are buzz-word-compliant. They use all the latest buzzwords without having a clue as to what the implications of their words are”.

A survey of a number of recent news articles reveals this to probably be true of most of Africa, and who knows, possibly true of many other Governments in the world… Continue

At our last CIO Breakfast Forum for 2008 in November we presented and discussed Agile Practice. We specifically looked at the use of the Scrum project management methodology and a practical implementation in an enterprise. There was a lively discussion and unfortunately we went over our usual time limit. This looks like a topic that may evolve into other conversations.

A Certified Scrum Master (CSM) discussed and presented Scrum and highlighted some of the differences between the agile project… Continue

As part of the CIO Forum program for 2009, we are extending our focus towards establishing an independent applied research centre to facilitate projects that bridge the gap between academia and commercial enterprises. We intend working closely with the four universities in the Western Cape and all faculties and departments where the academic program is relevant to Information Technology and Communication (ICT).

We believe there is a need for a research centre that can help address and promote t… Continue

As part of the CIO Forum program for 2009, we are extending our focus towards establishing an independent applied research centre to facilitate projects that bridge the gap between academia and commercial enterprises. We intend working closely with the four universities in the Western Cape and all faculties and departments where the academic program is relevant to Information Technology and Communication (ICT).

We believe there is a need for a research centre that can help address and promote t… Continue

There's nothing like a new job to test and expand your leadership skills, but such opportunities don't come around that often. So look for ways to grow as a leader in your current job:
Reshape your current job to find new challenges within it. Rethink your approach to a current responsibility, trade tasks with a colleague, or take on a role that is needed but currently left undone.
Take on temporary assignments that offer fresh challenges. Seek out projects, task forces, and events that you can… Continue

1. Don't be afraid to ask for what you want. Successful negotiators are assertive and challenge everything – they know that everything is negotiable. I call this negotiation consciousness. It was Number One on my previous list and it stays at the helm in 2009. Negotiation consciousness is what makes the difference between negotiators and everybody else on the planet.

Being assertive means asking for what you want and refusing to take NO for an answer. Practice expressing your feelings without a… Continue

If you're an ICT manager (and even if you're not), you know that nowadays there's precious little discretionary money available for developing new ICT capabilities. And when such spending is approved, it comes in the form of a 10-pound bag of expectations and a 5-pound bag of resources.

What to do? Whether you're developing the process or sponsoring its development, stay focused on realizing value by asking key questions at each stage. For example:

1. Exploration stage: "How will this initiati… Continue

When you're arguing for resources or presenting a business case, it's essential to take time to understand your audience before making your pitch.

Figure out what your audience members (your boss, peers, other stakeholders) are already feeling, and what change in feeling you must induce in them to further your purpose. For example, is your boss already upset over a previous request for resources that ultimately produced no value? If so, avoid projecting an air of entitlement. And don't deny res… Continue

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It makes sense to encourage older and younger employees to share knowledge, ideas, and advice. But old-school, top-down programs in which mentors and mentees are assigned to each other don't work as well as relationships that come about more organically.

It's best to help mentors and protégés find each other by starting with specific work needs -- when one person can contribute to another's project or goal. This gets the initial relationship going in a comfortable, useful way. Later, if the che… Continue

Many IT organizations have focused process improvement and measurement almost exclusively on software development projects. This is understandable, given the business critical nature and costs of large software development projects. But in reality, IT support services consume most of the IT budget, and they also require the most direct and continuous interaction with business customers.

IT organizations must demonstrate the value of IT support services to business customers, and a primary way o… Continue

The last thing your company needs in this downturn is to lose its star performers to a competing company. And one reason some valued employees defect is that their managers don't support work/life balance.

How can you help your firm retain its top talent? Show your employees that you care about work/life balance, too -- with these actions:
Provide emotional support, by acknowledging employees' sometimes extensive responsibilities outside work.
Provide structural support, by working with employe… Continue

Few of us can do much about the economic crisis we're living through, but you can improve your employees' emotional health and their performance. A groundbreaking study by researchers at Harvard and the University of California, San Diego showed that happiness is contagious -- even among strangers, friends-of-friends, and coworkers. As a manager you can use this knowledge to boost your team's morale, productivity, and engagement.

Carefully cultivate a positive outlook. Then use it to cheer up y… Continue

Do you need support -- in the form of funding, personnel, equipment, or other resources -- for a change initiative you know is essential for addressing a problem in your group? If so, how you ask for that support can determine whether you succeed or fail.

It's vital to present a fact-based business case. Here's how: Show that you've explored all the options for solving the problem at hand, not just the alternative you're proposing. Lay out the pluses and minuses of the option you're advocating.… Continue

One obvious solution is to approach a software development company and obtain a custom built product. However to take this approach one needs to first know what features and functionality is desired. Then on the other hand in some instances the need does not warrant the cost of commissioning a custom application.

A plethora of free open source web applications exist today. Regardless of the specific circumstances of the need these applications can quite often prove to be a valuable resource.

h… Continue

If you're looking for a project manager to lead your PMO, you have to look deeper than a PMP certification. Here are the characteristics to look for.

Some would argue that hiring good people is now more science than art. Personality tests, leadership tests, background checks, reference checks, relevant experience, etc., all make selecting the right candidate an easier task. That may be the case for some IT resources, but it doesn't necessarily apply to project managers. And for project managers… Continue