Page 13 - EngineerIT October 2021

ICT COMPLIANCE

assessments to meet a company’s unique compliance needs. Assessments are also
available depending on the licensing agreement.
It also offers workflow functionality to help one efficiently complete risk assessments.
Compliance Manager provides detailed guidance on actions one can take to improve the
level of compliance with the standards and regulations most relevant for one’s industry.
A risk-based compliance score also helps business leaders understand their
compliance posture by measuring their progress completing improvement actions.
Shared responsibility
Businesses that run their workloads on-premises are entirely responsible for implementing
the controls necessary to comply with standards and regulations. With cloud-based
services, such as Microsoft 365, that responsibility becomes shared with the cloud
provider, who is ultimately responsible for the security and compliance of their data.
Microsoft manages controls relating to physical infrastructure, security and networking
with a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering like Microsoft 365. Businesses no longer Richard Shaw
need to spend resources building data centres or setting up network controls.
With this model, businesses manage the risk for data classification and accountability relevant to the specific requirements of
- and risk management is shared in certain areas like identity and access management. the company are added.
More importantly, because responsibility is shared, transitioning one’s IT infrastructure Filters can also be used to view the
from on-premises to a cloud-based service like Microsoft 365 significantly reduces the portion of one’s compliance score, based
burden of complying with regulations. on criteria that include one or more
solutions, assessments and regulations. n
Compliance score
Compliance Manager helps business leaders prioritise which actions to focus on to *richards@argantic.co.za
improve their overall compliance posture by calculating their compliance score. The extent
to which an improvement action impacts one’s compliance score depends on the relative Argantic was founded nine years ago
risk it represents. with the aim of delivering software and
A compliance score measures the progress towards completing recommended actions infrastructure services to the corporate
that help reduce risks around data protection and regulatory standards. The initial score is and enterprise business market. The
based on the data protection baseline, which includes controls common to many industry company was founded by two ambitious
regulations and standards. South Africans, Garry Ackerman and
While the data protection baseline is a good starting point for assessing one’s Richard Shaw, with a simple promise –
compliance posture, a compliance score becomes more valuable once assessments to make a difference. www.argantic.co.za

BREAKING NEWS

The rise of African tech unicorns

frican unicorns have made big news in growing sectors from venture capital investors,” explains Lessem. “Across the globe, the number of
recent months, with four start-ups having billion-dollar companies is doubling in half the time, all while delivering leading returns.”
Arecently reached a $1 billion valuation On the continent, with the pace of digital transformation and adoption continuing at unprecedented
or more this year alone, taking the total up to rates, the rise of African tech unicorns is starting to gain significant momentum.
seven. Two of the new entrants are in fintech, High mobile penetration rates, a tech-savvy and growing youthful population, and advancements
one in edtech and one in general technology. in technologies that help overcome historically poor infrastructure in Africa, are key factors driving the
These and other technology-enabled sectors are growth of promising technology businesses. In addition, an inflow of skilled human capital returning
where emerging market investors are betting a to Africa has created the perfect melting pot of opportunity and skills, bolstering the development of
flurry of new African unicorns will follow suit in technology-enabled businesses.
the near future. “Africa is rich with opportunity – 2020 was a record year for investment in the start-up ecosystem,
Unicorns are privately held, fast-growing with 2021 expected to be even better, explains Lessem. “It is a continent of born entrepreneurs solving
start-ups with a valuation equal to or above a number of challenges that Africans are committed to addressing. When coupled with technology,
$1 billion. Unicorns are “rare creatures,” (hence ever-increasing addressable local and international markets, all buoyed by unprecedented amounts of
the term), which, according to Ian Lessem, investment, the future for the African tech sector has never been brighter.
managing director of HAVAÍC, says are expected In parallel to these developments, the venture capital market has matured in recent years, establishing
to rise in Africa in the coming years. a solid foundation for promising start-ups. Lessem elaborates: “The maturing venture capital market is
The number of billion-dollar companies supported by well-established accelerator programmes, corporate innovation challenges, and a wealth of
is growing faster than ever before; unicorns in international and local investors vying for an opportunity to support Africa’s growth opportunities.”
Africa have been a rare breed up until now. As Africa is not a homogenous market, finding the right partners with local experience and expertise
“It is thanks to a combination of factors, not is vital. “Whether termed a unicorn, camel or a gazelle, one thing holds true - African innovation backed
least of which has been the interest in these by smart capital holds promise for investors who have the right partner by their side,” he adds. n

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