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Microsoft’s New Commerce Experience has reached Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform licensing in the Cloud Solution Provider programme – and there are significant changes coming in 2022.
Here at BUI, we’re already hard at work, helping our cloud customers to navigate the New Commerce Experience successfully.
We’re also fielding queries from business teams who are struggling to understand Microsoft’s New Commerce Experience. We hear you. And that’s why we’re tackling your most common questions today. You asked, and we’re answering. Let’s take a closer look.
A. The New Commerce Experience (NCE) is Microsoft’s integrated commercial platform, designed to simplify the sale of its cloud products and services globally.
Microsoft created the NCE to streamline and standardise licensing via Cloud Solution Providers (CSPs), Enterprise Agreements (EAs), and its own online portals – so that customers experience similar pricing and terms across a number of sales models.
In 2019, Microsoft implemented the NCE for CSPs, starting with Microsoft Azure. And since then, the NCE has been rolled out in stages. Today, customers with Azure Plan subscriptions – as well as those who buy Azure Reserved Instances, perpetual software, server software, and third-party apps and offers through CSPs – transact through the NCE platform.
In January 2022, Microsoft expanded the NCE to include commercial seat-based subscriptions for Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform in the CSP programme – and introduced new offers with new rules.
“The New Commerce Experience is the present and future of how Microsoft sells cloud products and services to customers, both directly and through partners… It will also make the selling process, requirements, and capabilities much more consistent across the Microsoft sales ecosystem.” – MICROSOFT
A. Simply put, the NCE will change the way that you purchase Microsoft 365 (M365), Dynamics 365 (D365), and Power Platform subscriptions from your CSP. There are three key differences between the legacy CSP experience you’re familiar with and the NCE. It’s important to note:
1. The subscription options. Under the NCE, there are monthly and annual subscription options to help you cater for fixed and fluid staffing scenarios within your business.
2. The cancellation policy. In the legacy CSP experience, an option to cancel a subscription wasn’t available. Instead, your CSP could suspend a subscription to stop the billing for it, and the subscription would expire if not renewed at the end of the term.
3. The seat reduction policy. Seat counts on NCE subscriptions can be reduced – BUT only within the first 72 hours of the term. After the first 72 hours, no seat reductions are possible. It’s therefore critical to ensure that your subscriptions and seat counts are accurate from the start of the agreement.
A. Microsoft has made it clear that the NCE platform will soon be the platform on which all CSP products and services are provisioned.
During the months in which the NCE and the legacy CSP experience are available side by side, your CSP will initiate the process of moving your existing subscriptions to the NCE platform, and start placing new subscriptions via the NCE in preparation for the eventual decommissioning of the legacy CSP experience.
A. From 10 March 2022, CSPs will no longer be able to order new subscriptions on the legacy CSP platform. From 1 July 2022, CSPs will no longer be able to renew existing subscriptions on the legacy CSP platform. You should engage directly with your CSP to determine the best schedule for your transition to the NCE. Your licensing strategy, your business needs, and your budget (among other factors) should be considered during this discussion.
A. Microsoft is clear about the NCE timelines, and there are several dates to diarise:
1 March 2022. Although unrelated to the New Commerce Experience, Microsoft’s previously announced commercial price increases for Microsoft 365 come into effect at the beginning of March this year. If you have Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Office 365 E1, Office 365 E3, Office 365 E5, or Microsoft 365 E3 subscriptions in play, then you’ll need to consider the new pricing as part of your planning for the NCE.
10 March 2022. All new subscriptions must be purchased via the NCE platform from 10 March 2022 onward. Your CSP will no longer be able to order new subscriptions on the legacy CSP platform.
1 July 2022. Starting in July, all renewals must occur via the NCE platform. Your CSP will no longer be able to renew existing subscriptions on the legacy CSP platform.
From October 2022, all customers will have to make purchases via the NCE platform.
In June 2023, all legacy CSP subscriptions will be retired.
If you rely on Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform in your day-to-day business environment, then it’s important to evaluate your current subscriptions in line with the New Commerce Experience timelines.
How many licences do you have? How many licences do you actually need? Are you paying a premium for features that aren’t being used? What is the best time for your business to transition from the legacy CSP experience to the NCE? What Microsoft NCE promotions can you take advantage of right now? Consider these questions with your CSP as you review the cloud solutions that enable workplace productivity for your teams.
As a Microsoft Azure Expert MSP and Gold Microsoft Partner with 16 competencies and 9 advanced specialisations, BUI is a recognised cloud and security leader.
Let’s talk about streamlining your Microsoft licences, refining your purchasing strategy, and maximising your cost savings for this year and the years ahead.
More than 80% of enterprises had embarked on a hybrid workplace journey by the middle of 2021. Today, the combination of on-site, remote, and mobile productivity is considered part of the new normal – but it also presents significant challenges for corporate cybersecurity teams.
With employees working from so many different locations, using multiple devices and methods of connectivity, managing and monitoring endpoints is a demanding job. And the task is further complicated by the status quo: as personal and professional lives overlap, the lines between home equipment and business equipment are being blurred.
In a recent survey, 46% of employees admitted using their corporate laptop for “life admin” – including online shopping and social media – and 30% said they had allowed someone else to use their work device.
Alongside these emerging trends in device use and misuse, there is substantial evidence that the cyberthreat landscape has been changed irrevocably – by the COVID-19 pandemic and by rapid digital transformation. As the world grappled with the first wave of coronavirus cases in early 2020, there was a 238% spike in cyberattack volume.
Threat actors took advantage of the sudden shift to home-based and remote productivity – and no industry was spared. Miners, manufacturers, financial institutions, healthcare providers, retail outlets, non-profit organisations, and even schools and universities were targeted. Unsecured endpoints – from smartphones to printers – were often exploited during these cyberattacks.
According to the International Data Corporation, 70% of all successful network breaches begin on endpoint devices. To safeguard your enterprise network, you need to monitor every endpoint. You need to apply controls and restrictions. You need to identify anomalies. And you need to respond to threats as they occur. How does your endpoint security strategy measure up?
For comprehensive security, you have to be able to identify, assess, and remediate endpoint vulnerabilities and threats in real time. Loopholes and misconfigurations are weaknesses that cybercriminals will try to exploit.
To minimise your exposure to cybercrime, you have to reduce your attack surface. With stringent controls for devices, applications, and folders, plus comprehensive defences against network intrusions and malware, you can lessen the risk to your resources.
When you’re proactive about threat hunting within your IT environment, you can harness the power of machine learning, big data, and advanced analytics to detect suspicious behaviours and malicious activities on endpoints – and remediate cyberthreats when they occur.
High volumes of security alerts and notifications can overwhelm corporate cybersecurity teams and delay their response times. Leverage the security tools at your disposal and apply decision-making algorithms to investigate and resolve security issues automatically, and at scale.
Continuous threat intelligence from endpoints is critical to help your security teams provide robust protection across your enterprise environment. With full endpoint visibility, you will be better positioned to eliminate potential penetration points, monitor emerging threats, and improve your overall security posture.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint uses a combination of technologies built into Windows 10 and Microsoft’s cloud service to generate continuous threat intelligence.
Talk to our experts to learn more about Defender for Endpoint’s advanced threat protection, centralised management, and detailed reporting features.
We’re excited to announce that we’ve been awarded the Microsoft Information Protection and Governance Advanced Specialization in recognition of our elite capabilities in the deployment of Azure Information Protection and Microsoft Information Protection workloads, as well as our expertise in enhancing data security for customers.
The Information Protection and Governance Advanced Specialization is our ninth advanced specialization from Microsoft, and our fourth such premier accreditation in the security category, which includes Cloud Security, Identity and Access Management, and Threat Protection.
With the exponential growth of data, and increasing data mobility in modern workplaces around the world, more and more customers are looking for trusted partners to help them implement effective information-protection solutions, says Managing Director Ryan Roseveare.
“Data security and compliance are major concerns for business leaders,” explains Roseveare. “They need to manage their data properly, mitigate internal and external risks, and adhere to the rules and regulations that are applicable to their enterprises. They also need to be proactive at every turn, because the threat landscape is changing faster than ever.”
In recent years, privacy laws like the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, California’s Privacy Rights Act, South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act, and Kenya’s Data Protection Act have put information management in the spotlight.
“Organisations are re-examining their practices in terms of data processing and data protection,” continues Roseveare. “Not only because of the legal requirements, but also because of the security risks associated with undiscovered, ungoverned data. IT experts with the deep technical knowledge and experience to guide customers through digital adoption, and enhance their information-protection solutions for this era of data mobility, are in global demand.”
To earn the Information Protection and Governance Advanced Specialization, BUI had to meet stringent criteria around service delivery and support, and pass a rigorous assessment of its security and governance technical practices. “Our teams are committed to advancing their skills and abilities, and this recognition from Microsoft is a welcome validation of our focus, our continuous investment in security, and our value-driven approach to customer relationships,” says Roseveare.
BUI, named Azure Infrastructure Partner of the Year and Security Partner of the Year at the 2021 Microsoft South Africa Partner Awards last month, is a Microsoft Azure Expert Managed Services Provider and a member of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association. “As cloud and security specialists, we’re delivering innovative data-protection solutions that enable customers to locate, classify, manage and secure their sensitive information wherever it lives, and wherever it travels. We look forward to new opportunities to help businesses govern and protect their data estates,” concludes Roseveare.
A comprehensive information protection and governance strategy can help you to safeguard business data, and identify internal and external risks.
Talk to our specialists about customised security solutions to keep your data secure on devices, within applications, and across on-prem and cloud environments.
From ransomware to SolarWinds, the cybersecurity space has been as hectic as ever over the past 12 months. However, for all of the emerging threats on the horizon, phishing – one of the oldest pain points in cybersecurity – continues to wreak havoc for enterprises around the world.
It’s often overlooked in terms of media hype, but phishing has been a mainstay in the cybersecurity threat landscape for decades. In fact, 43 percent of cyberattacks in 2020 featured phishing, while 74 percent of US organisations experienced a successful phishing attack last year alone. And globally, cybercriminals exploited public fears over the COVID-19 pandemic to find new phishing victims.
Phishing remains one of the most serious risks to an organisation’s cybersecurity health, but with proper anti-phishing hygiene and best practices in place, you can shore up your defences. Here are three simple tips to help you deal with phishing threats…
Phishing scammers are masters of making their content and interactions appealing. From content design to language, it can be difficult to discern whether content is genuine or a potential threat, which is why it’s crucial to look for the red flags.
Unusual formatting, overly explicit call-outs to click on a hyperlink or open an attachment, and subject lines that create a sense of urgency are all warning signs. Emails with these hallmarks should be treated with caution. And if you suspect a phishing attempt, contact your IT department immediately.
Cybercriminals may impersonate someone you already know – such as a colleague, service provider or friend – as a way to trick you into believing that their malicious content is trustworthy. Don’t fall for it.
If an email is out of place, or unusual, reach out directly to the sender to confirm whether the content is authentic and safe. If not, break off communication immediately and flag the incident through the proper channels at your workplace.
Threat actors have diversified their phishing efforts beyond traditional email. For example, voice phishing – or vishing – has become a primary alternative for scammers looking to gather sensitive information from unsuspecting individuals.
Similar to conventional phishing, vishing is typically executed by individuals posing as legitimate contacts – like healthcare providers or insurers – and asking for sensitive data. It’s imperative for individuals to be wary of any sort of communication that asks for personal information (via email, phone or chat), especially if the communication is unexpected. If anything seems suspicious, break off the interaction immediately and contact the company directly to confirm the authenticity of the communication.
Phishing may be “one of the oldest tricks in the book”, but it is still incredibly effective and increasingly widespread. By exercising caution and vigilance, and by deploying these few fundamentals, you can reduce your chances of falling victim to a phishing attack.
This article has been adapted from Cyber Security Awareness Month resources supplied by the event organisers, and is published here with permission. References include:
BUI is proud to be a 2021 Cyber Security Awareness Month Champion Organisation. Follow along on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter for more security tips throughout October!
Our Cyber SoC leverages state-of-the-art Microsoft Security technology – including Azure Sentinel – to continuously monitor connected environments.
With cloud-powered data processing, cyberthreats are detected, analysed, and managed in near real-time to provide comprehensive, end-to-end protection.
We’re so proud to announce that we won the Azure Infrastructure Partner of the Year Award and the Security Partner of the Year Award at the 2021 Microsoft South Africa Partner Awards on Tuesday evening (28 September 2021). In addition to these accolades, BUI was named as a finalist for the Modern Work Partner of the Year Award and the Microsoft Consulting Services Partner of the Year Award.
Held annually, the Microsoft SA Partner Awards recognise outstanding accomplishments by Microsoft Partners in a variety of categories related to competencies, cloud technology, and entrepreneurial spirit. This year’s ceremony was an online event, and Microsoft SA Chief Executive Officer Lillian Barnard praised the Microsoft Partner Network for supporting organisations through the social and economic upheavals of the past 12 months.
Microsoft SA Chief Executive Officer Lillian Barnard delivers her opening remarks during the 2021 Microsoft South Africa Partner Awards virtual gala on 28 September 2021.
“It’s been a challenging time for many South Africans and yet we have remained resilient, and worked together to support our customers, our broader community, and each other,” Barnard said in her opening remarks to attendees. “Our impact and achievements in FY2021 have elevated us to a new level of operational discipline and performance excellence,” she added, acknowledging the agility and innovation shown by partners in response to customers’ evolving business needs.
BUI Managing Director Ryan Roseveare highlighted the importance of holistic protection after receiving the Security Partner of the Year Award for the third time in a row. “This past year has been an absolute turning point for security,” he explained. “The rapid pace of digital transformation and the shift to remote and hybrid productivity put security firmly in focus, and the rising levels of cybercrime made businesses re-evaluate their risk profiles. We’ve certainly seen an increased number of customers looking for new ways to secure their on-prem and cloud resources.”
The security trophy, continued Roseveare, is a testament to the BUI team’s deep expertise. “We take security seriously. It’s in our blood. It’s what we do every day. And we’re always improving our skills, expanding our capabilities, and exploring next-generation tools to provide superior service and support to our customers. Microsoft’s security stack is very powerful, and we’re able to leverage end-to-end solutions to help organisations protect and defend their critical data and assets.”
Master of Ceremonies Aki Anastasiou announced BUI’s victory in the Azure Infrastructure Partner of the Year category with a brief nod to the company’s milestones in 2021. “Well done to BUI for achieving the highest infrastructure-related Azure Consumed Revenue, having a 100-percent cloud-based cyber security operations centre powered by Sentinel, and for celebrating your 21st birthday this year,” Anastasiou said from the virtual stage.
“We’ve built our business around Microsoft Azure,” responded Roseveare. “For more than two decades, we’ve empowered customers to maximise their technological investments. And we’re all in when it comes to the cloud. Azure is a phenomenal platform. It’s constantly growing. And it has the features and functionality to enable connection, collaboration, and innovation at scale,” he added.
As a Microsoft Azure Expert MSP and trusted local partner, BUI completed several major modernisation and migration projects during SA’s coronavirus lockdown period, and continues to build on its reputation for excellence. “It comes down to our people and our processes,” notes Roseveare. “We have a specific culture around skills and skills development, and we invest in our teams to ensure that we remain on the cutting edge. Then, we develop repeatable practices to streamline the digital transformation journey for our customers. The Azure Infrastructure Partner of the Year Award is a prestigious prize, and we’re thrilled with this honour.”
BUI holds advanced specializations in Adoption and Change Management, Cloud Security, Identity and Access Management, Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop, Teamwork Deployment, and Threat Protection, among others, as well as 16 Microsoft competencies in cybersecurity, productivity, and cloud solutions. “We’re committed to helping customers reap the full benefits of Azure, in terms of cost savings, performance, security, and agility. And we’re excited to support South African enterprises as they move forward into the new year,” concludes Roseveare.
Join us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter as we share more updates and pictures from the 2021 Microsoft South Africa Partner Awards.
And sign up for our newsletter, the BUI Bulletin, to stay up to date with company news and industry developments.
We’re excited to add two new advanced specializations to our Microsoft portfolio: Cloud Security and Calling for Microsoft Teams.
The Cloud Security Advanced Specialization is awarded only to Gold Microsoft Partners with deep technical knowledge related to Microsoft’s cloud security products, and a successful track record of implementing comprehensive protection across Microsoft Azure and hybrid cloud environments.
To earn the Calling for Microsoft Teams Advanced Specialization, Partners must have extensive experience deploying and managing voice solutions in Microsoft 365, and must be able to integrate modern telephony for customers who require end-to-end communication.
As enterprises accelerate their digital transformation initiatives to enable remote and hybrid work, holistic security should be a key consideration, says Managing Director Ryan Roseveare. “Cloud adoption is taking place at a rapid rate, but it’s also taking place at a time when cyberthreats are more serious, more sophisticated, and more frequent than ever,” he notes. “A single mistake or misconfiguration could leave your enterprise vulnerable to attack, and you cannot afford such exposure when hackers are actively targeting businesses, almost constantly, every day.”
“Here at BUI, our approach is ‘build secure and deploy secure’,” continues Roseveare. “We make security part of the process from day one. We work with our customers to understand their unique challenges, and we help them to make the most of Microsoft’s cloud security products so that their digital environments are fully protected. Our expertise, certified by this Cloud Security Advanced Specialization and several others, is what gives our customers the peace of mind to move to the cloud confidently,” he adds.
BUI already holds advanced specializations in Adoption and Change Management, Identity and Access Management, Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop, Teamwork Deployment, Threat Protection, and Windows Server and SQL Server Migration to Microsoft Azure, as well as 16 Microsoft competencies in cloud productivity, cloud solutions, and cybersecurity, among other solution areas.
The Calling for Microsoft Teams Advanced Specialization recognises BUI’s capabilities in creating modern voice solutions for a work-from-anywhere world, explains Cloud Centre of Excellence Lead Dhiren Boodhia. “With remote and hybrid work here to stay for many enterprises, there’s a demand for phone-calling technologies that combine unified communications and teamwork,” he says.
Calling in Microsoft Teams has rich functionality to enable people to place and receive calls, transfer calls, and mute or unmute calls. “For end-users, the experience is similar to traditional telephony, but with additional features and the power and scale of the cloud,” continues Boodhia, describing how end-users can use a mobile device or a headset with a laptop or personal computer to place calls to anyone listed in their online address book.
“Calling in Microsoft Teams delivers truly seamless communication, but it must be deployed correctly and securely. The implementation process can be quite complex, especially if it involves Microsoft 365 service deployment, networking changes, and the provisioning or porting of large volumes of telephone numbers. Expert hands are needed, and that’s why our specialists are trusted to help enterprises transition from on-prem phone systems to cloud-based ones – as quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively as possible,” concludes Boodhia.
The BUI Cyber SoC is a state-of-the-art facility backed by world-class Microsoft security technology, including Azure Sentinel.
Take a look inside to see our teams in action, or contact us today to explore next-generation security solutions for your enterprise.
BUI is proud to be recognised as a Microsoft Azure Expert Managed Services Provider (MSP) for the second year in a row.
As the first South African company to achieve this status in 2020, and the only SA-based Microsoft Partner currently holding this prestigious accreditation, we are part of an elite group of cloud specialists trusted to provide world-class managed services to Azure customers.
Launched in 2018, the Microsoft Azure Expert MSP programme is a global initiative to highlight Microsoft Partners with proven expertise in end-to-end cloud management. Approximately 100 organisations have been granted the Azure Expert MSP badge to date. We achieved re-certification after a rigorous independent audit of our people, processes and technologies in July 2021.
“When BUI became an Azure Expert MSP for the first time last year, our teams were acknowledged not only for their superior technical abilities, but also for their commitment to service excellence,” recalls Chief Technology Officer Willem Malan. “Since then, we have focused on expanding our Azure credentials and our portfolio of Advanced Specializations to offer our customers the best possible advice and support throughout their cloud journeys. As we celebrate our Azure Expert MSP renewal, I’m so proud of the team whose focus and passion have helped us retain our place among Microsoft’s top cloud partners,” says Malan.
In the past 12 months, BUI has earned Microsoft Advanced Specializations in Adoption and Change Management, Identity and Access Management, Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop, Teamwork Deployment, Threat Protection, and Windows Server and SQL Server Migration to Microsoft Azure, and been selected to join the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA).
“We are actively strengthening our alignment with Microsoft, while distinguishing our company in terms of skills, experience, and customer successes,” explains Malan, citing the BUI Cloud Centre of Excellence (CCoE) as a key enabler in this regard.
“Our Cloud Centre of Excellence is an important business unit – for us, and for the customers we serve,” agrees BUI CCoE Lead Dhiren Boodhia.
“With a dedicated group of cloud experts, including Azure architects, DevOps and cybersecurity specialists, we’re helping customers move to Azure in a secure, fast and consistent manner. With these tried-and-tested frameworks in place, we can deliver scalable, cost-effective solutions for our customers, and ensure they have the expert guidance they need every step of the way,” says Boodhia.
The Azure Expert MSP badge is awarded only to those Microsoft Partners with demonstrated abilities in high-fidelity managed services on Azure.
“The accreditation comes with a lot of prestige, but it’s not a one-and-done accomplishment,” notes Boodhia. “You aren’t given the badge forever: you have to earn it every year. The BUI a2zManaged services team is truly committed to end-to-end cloud lifecycle management, and the Azure Expert MSP badge is our assurance to customers… Yes, we can build, deploy, migrate, optimise and manage your business solutions in the cloud. Yes, you’re in expert hands. And we will help you to harness the full power of Azure,” he concludes.
Johannes Kanis, Cloud and Enterprise Business Group Lead at Microsoft South Africa, comments: “Our partner ecosystem is an integral enabler for customers at every stage of their digital transformation journey. Through its investment in building deep Azure skills, knowledge and competency, BUI is delivering innovative, impactful solutions that enable customers to become more agile and resilient. The Azure Expert MSP re-accreditation is a rigorous process and BUI has continued to demonstrate its commitment to helping customers achieve more with Microsoft cloud technology.”
From assessment and planning through to deployment, optimisation and management, our Azure experts can help you to achieve more value from your cloud investments.
Make your digital transformation a success with a trusted partner, and thrive in a cloud-first world. Book an Azure Discovery Workshop to explore the platform and its possibilities.
“I was one of the few girls who showed up. I was the only girl with a computer. And I spent more time sorting out the switches and LAN cables than I did gaming,” chuckles Terryanne du Toit as she recounts a weekend tradition from her high school years: network gaming with her classmates. Back then, while her friends were honing their keyboard skills as virtual soldiers and rally drivers, BUI’s resident Tech Talk presenter and infrastructure consultant was already thinking about a career in IT.
“From a young age, I was fascinated by broken things,” explains Terryanne. “I think it came from watching my dad work on cars. As a mechanic, he’d spend hours taking apart all kinds of machinery. He’d find the problem, fix it, and put everything back in its place. I was about eight years old when our home PC stopped working, and I was determined to dismantle it and find the issue. I remember turning the PC on its side, watching the CD-ROM fall out, and looking to my dad for help. I think he could see that I was genuinely interested in computers, and from that day onward, he encouraged me to learn as much as possible.”
But learning presented its own challenges, even at the dawn of the new millennium. Terryanne was living in the Northern Cape at the time, and studying on her own to achieve the IT certifications that would open doors for her. “I managed to find all the books I needed to study, but the closest exam centre was in the North West, and that meant a very long bus trip to Potchefstroom every time. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.”
Terryanne started with CompTIA’s A+ Certification, which gave her a solid grounding in hardware and software support and administration. She then completed all the Microsoft Office exams, and later became a Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert in core infrastructure. “I’m still learning,” she reveals. “It comes with the territory when you work in IT because technology is always changing, but I also believe in taking every opportunity that comes my way.”
Terryanne relished the chance to share her knowledge with the Welkom community, live on Gold FM 104.3, even though she’d never been a radio presenter before. “I live and work in the heart of the goldfields region, and I like to talk to people, especially about technology,” she says. “The Tech Talk show has been a great platform for creating public awareness, about everything from password security to artificial intelligence. I’m grateful for the support from BUI, and I hope that listeners walk away with a few ideas to help them work smarter.”
Would Terryanne consider a career behind the microphone? She laughs. “I was so nervous during the first few shows,” she recalls. “I would shake so much that I couldn’t even hold my notes! It got better as I became more comfortable on air, and the feedback has been amazing! My family and my friends and colleagues have been behind me from the beginning. I took a big step outside of my comfort zone and it opened up a whole new world for me, but I’m not ready to leave IT behind: I enjoy the buzz too much.”
The buzz, as it turns out, is literal and figurative. “I love the hum of happy machines,” says Terryanne, sharing a personal quirk. “And I’m excited to be involved in the technology industry at a time when women are challenging traditions and challenging themselves. When I was growing up, certain jobs were considered unsuitable for women, and IT was still very much ‘something that guys did’. But I never let that stop me. I had the support and encouragement of my parents, and I worked hard to gain the skills and experience I have now.”
Are attitudes changing? “I think so,” ventures Terryanne. “Slowly, but surely… One of my first jobs was as a technician at a computer repair store, and I remember one client who refused to explain his PC problem to me. He said he didn’t think I could help him, and that he wanted to speak to a man instead. That was tough to hear,” she recalls. “But when people don’t know you, or what you’re capable of, I think it’s easy for them to make assumptions. I do my best to surprise them.”
As the infrastructure consultant in our Free State hub, Terryanne is the link between the wider BUI team and customers in Welkom, Bloemfontein, and other parts of the province. “My role involves organisational and technical responsibilities, as well as liaison work and mentorship within my group of local colleagues, but every day is different,” notes Terryanne. “Every day brings new projects, new deadlines, and new challenges. It can be chaotic and stressful one minute, and quiet the next, but it’s always interesting. And I like being able to help people. I like being able to make a difference for them, with the right tools and technology,” she concludes.
Catch all the recaps on our YouTube channel! Listen in as Terryanne tackles trending topics, from cybersecurity to data privacy.
And don’t forget to follow BUI on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter for company news, industry updates, and helpful tech tips.
We’re proud to announce that we’ve earned the Teamwork Deployment Advanced Specialization from Microsoft in recognition of our premier capabilities in the deployment of Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, Exchange Online, and Yammer workloads for customers.
This is the sixth advanced specialization we’ve achieved since September 2020, after similar accomplishments in Adoption and Change Management, Identity and Access Management, Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop, Threat Protection, and Windows Server and SQL Server Migration to Microsoft Azure.
Microsoft 365 teamwork solutions play a critical role for enterprises, notes Chief Technology Officer Willem Malan. “With these cloud-powered tools, business teams are able to meet, chat, call, and collaborate online, and they’re able to do it securely – from their offices, factories, warehouses, and dining-room tables – as they adjust to the hybrid and remote-work scenarios we’re seeing today,” he says.
Microsoft Teams, in particular, has emerged as a powerhouse platform for business communication and co-operation, observes Malan. “There are about 145 million daily active users on Teams, across locations and time zones around the world. It’s a very comprehensive shared online workspace, and Microsoft continues to introduce new features to help people carry out their daily tasks and stay in touch with their colleagues, clients, and service partners, no matter where they’re based. From one-on-one conversations to group calls and company-wide video conferences, Teams delivers the rich functionality required for seamless collaboration in diverse environments,” he explains.
As enterprise leaders look to the cloud for efficiency and scalability, they must remember the importance of people-centric change, advises Malan. “You have to choose the right tools for your people and their specific needs. You have to make sure that those resources are configured and deployed correctly. And you have to give your teams the training and support they need to adopt and embrace the new technology, as quickly and easily as possible,” he adds.
The Teamwork Deployment Advanced Specialization not only validates our expertise in this area, but also demonstrates our commitment to delivering innovative, customised solutions for the modern workplace.
“We’re excited to help our customers embrace the Microsoft productivity suite. From flexible communication and collaboration with Teams to email and calendaring with Exchange Online and content management with SharePoint Online, our specialists are empowering business organisations to become more productive every day,” concludes Malan.
Microsoft Teams is a shared virtual space geared for modern communication and collaboration.
See how one of South Africa’s top digital banks uses Teams to ensure business continuity.
South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act gives individuals more control over how their personal information is collected, processed, and used by private and public bodies. The Act requires such bodies (AKA responsible parties) to meet several minimum requirements for the lawful processing of data – and the grace period is almost over. From 1 July 2021, SA organisations must be compliant. Are you ready? Ask your leadership team these five questions to check that key areas of accountability have been addressed…
As a responsible party, you are required to register your Information Officer with the Information Regulator by 1 July 2021.
You can do this online via the Information Officer Registration Portal on the Information Regulator’s website, where electronic and PDF versions of the registration form are available. The portal also contains relevant documentation, including guidance notes, official notices, and policies.
Remember, your Information Officer (IO) is the person responsible for making sure your organisation adheres to POPIA. They need to encourage and ensure your organisation’s compliance with POPIA, deal with any information access requests pursuant to the legislation, and work with the Information Regulator in relation to any investigations conducted in terms of POPIA.
They also need to see to it that an organisational compliance framework is developed, implemented, monitored and maintained, and that internal awareness sessions are conducted regarding the provisions of the Act, among other duties. The IO’s responsibilities are listed in Section 55 of POPIA and in the POPIA Regulations.
As a responsible party, you are required to secure the integrity and confidentiality of personal information in your possession or under your control.
According to Section 19 of POPIA, this includes the implementation of “appropriate, reasonable technical and organisational measures” to prevent loss of, damage to, or unauthorised destruction of personal information.
Whether you manage personal data on paper or online, POPIA calls for you to identify all reasonably foreseeable internal and external risks to the data; establish and maintain appropriate safeguards against the risks identified; regularly verify that the safeguards are effectively implemented; and ensure that the safeguards are continually updated in response to new risks.
In addition, POPIA decrees that you must have “due regard to generally accepted information security practices and procedures” which may apply to you generally, or which may be required in terms of specific industry or professional regulations (e.g., hospitals are expected to have strict security measures in place to protect the detailed, sensitive medical records of their patients).
As a responsible party, you are required to report security compromises to the Information Regulator and the data subject(s) involved as soon as reasonably possible.
Section 22 of POPIA describes the obligations of the responsible party when there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that the personal information of a data subject has been accessed or acquired by an unauthorised person.
You should have a comprehensive incident response plan on hand to guide your actions in the event of a data breach, data leak, or cybersecurity incident. Make sure that your IO and key members of your leadership team follow a systematic process to identify the incident, respond appropriately, escalate where necessary, and communicate clearly in line with POPIA’s stipulations.
If you fail to notify data subjects in such circumstances, you could face imprisonment, fines, or both. Remember, you must notify affected parties in writing as soon as reasonably possible after the discovery of a security compromise.
As a responsible party, you should ensure that your employees are educated about basic information security protocols and procedures.
From your Human Resources Department, which handles sensitive staff info, to your employees themselves, who may manage personal data from customers, suppliers, and service providers, your teams have to deal with personal information on a regular basis.
Make sure everyone in your organisation is familiar with POPIA’s requirements – and that individual staff members, line managers, and department heads understand their duties and responsibilities when it comes to data processing, data management, and data security.
Educate your personnel about the collection, use, and storage of personal information under POPIA, and remember that they may need specialised training for new systems and new productivity tools deployed now, or in the future.
As a responsible party, you could face hefty fines or imprisonment if you’re found to be in contravention of the law.
There are civil and criminal consequences for non-compliance with POPIA. Section 99 of the Act describes how a data subject (or the Information Regulator, at the request of a data subject) may institute civil action against a responsible party for breach of POPIA.
Offences, penalties, and administrative fines are outlined in Chapter 11 of the legislation. If you are convicted of an offence in terms of POPIA, you could be fined up to R10-million, or imprisoned for up to 10 years.
Non-compliance also poses a risk to your reputation: public trust in your organisation could be eroded overnight if you suffer a data breach, and serious brand damage could cripple your business irrevocably.
The BUI Cyber Security Operations Center is the first of its kind in Africa. Take a look inside to see how our security experts protect and defend critical data 365 days a year.
Or contact our team directly to learn more about next-generation security solutions to safeguard your personal information, customer files, and business resources.
