Author: Stuff Business

Any business that prints a lot knows that ink cartridges are expensive. In fact, if you look at it per millilitre, black ink is one of the most expensive liquids on the planet – it’s even more expensive than human blood. And even when you print what feels like a modest amount, it can be quite easy for businesses to spend R13,000 or more just on ink cartridges. But fear not! There are practical strategies you can implement to significantly reduce this cost, without compromising on the quality of your printouts. Here’s how you can do that. Use a managed…

No matter what you may think of them, there’s no doubt that cryptocurrencies have ignited the world’s imagination in the past decade, offering new opportunities and challenges for consumers and businesses alike. While the basic premise of digital currencies sounds pretty good, turning crypto earnings into cold, hard, cash has not been easy. Today, it’s not just possible, it’s easy: South African-based global payment company Paycorp has introduced the CryptoExpress app, which promises to bridge the gap between crypto wallets and actual physical money you can touch. Your crypto, your cash CryptoExpress has one primary goal: to simplify the conversion…

Email marketing is a cost-effective way for businesses to get their messaging out there and spread the word about sales, specials, and products. It works, too: Litmus.com says it returns up to $36 per $1 spent, or roughly R675 for every R19 spent. But not every business knows how to go about making emails deliver those kinds of results, so it can be quite handy to have a bit of outside help to guide them in the right direction. And that’s what we’re hoping to do with the following five tips that can help any business with their email marketing.…

On top of everything else South African businesses have to worry about, ransomware attacks are becoming more and more of a problem. And an expensive one. An independent survey commissioned by Sophos reveals that a staggering 78% of South African organisations fell victim to ransomware attacks in the past year, marking a substantial increase from the 51% reported in the previous year’s survey. This surge surpasses the global average of 66%, highlighting the pressing need for businesses in the region to address the ransomware threat effectively. Ransomware root causes and attack vectors Exploited vulnerabilities emerged as the predominant root cause…

Microsoft’s annual Ignite conference took place last week, and AI was the star of this year’s event. AI is the one technology Microsoft seems most excited about, and most of the news out of Ignite is around how Microsoft is integrating some form of it into everything in its extensive stable of software and services. AI is so pervasive in Microsoft’s announcements, in fact, that the conference has been jokingly referred to as “AIgnite” in some circles. Of course, CIOs and IT leaders need to be aware of the insights and product announcements that Microsoft has revealed so far, but…

If you’ve been a long-time Google user, you may have noticed recently that Google’s search results are not quite as relevant to what you actually searched for. You might even have noticed that they appear more commercially-minded than what you were actually looking for. But why is that? Could it be that Google’s algorithms are somehow not doing what they are supposed to? Perhaps. This YouTuber has suggested that Google subtly changes your search terms without you knowing and returns results that are more likely to generate revenue for itself, rather than the thing you actually searched for. Surprisingly, this…

Solid-state disks (SSDs) are so much better than regular hard drives since they’re so fast, but there’s also a downside: the memory they use to store your data instead of spinning platters has a limited lifespan, called ‘terabytes written’ or ‘total bytes written’ (TBW). This can have implications for businesses that use solid-state storage inside their IT operations, as these drives can’t be installed and forgotten about – their limited shelf life is something businesses need to keep in mind and make a point of addressing every few years or so. To help you get your head around all this,…

When it comes to getting internet into your business, there are really only two technology choices: 5G and fibre. With both promising high-speed connectivity with enough bandwidth that staff won’t feel like their internet is being throttled, it can be a tough choice. Rest assured, though, there are enough differences between the two connection types to warrant some deeper thought before deciding. Here, we weigh the pros and cons of each to determine which might serve your business best in South Africa’s unique market. The case for fibre internet Fibre optic technology, which transmits data as light signals through glass…

The post-pandemic business landscape remains challenging for businesses across the globe, not just South African ones. Fortunately, there are companies working to learn and understand the exact conditions of the current business climate. They are using what they find to provide the insights and advice businesses need to make the right decisions in these trying economic times. The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has recently published a new report entitled “Winning Formulas for E-Commerce Growth,” which delves into the distinguishing factors between successful e-commerce entities and those falling behind, providing valuable insights for businesses aiming to chart a course toward profitability…

In a time when cybersecurity threats are on a sharp rise and the good guys seem to be on the back foot, cybersecurity firm Bitdefender is offering a way for businesses to get a leg up: a new cyber defence initiative called Bitdefender Offensive Services, aimed at proactively helping businesses uncover and address security vulnerabilities. This move comes in response to data from BitDefender’s own 2023 Cybersecurity Assessment Report that suggests over half of all businesses experienced a data breach within the last year. In the report, software vulnerabilities and zero-day threats stood out as the biggest concerns. With sophisticated cyberattacks happening…