Author: Akin Naphtal

Wattpad, a storytelling platform, has announced layoffs of 42 employees, which amounts to 15% of its workforce. The company has stated that the economic environment has resulted in cost-cutting measures that have impacted all of its divisions. The departing employees will receive at least 12 weeks of severance pay and six months of continued benefits. They will also be allowed to keep office-allocated devices, such as laptops. READ ALSO:VMware Cloud on AWS now available in Bahrain, supporting the country’s digitalisation plans and economic diversification goals Lyft partners with Ericsson and Deutsche Telekom to provide reliable connectivity for its growing micromobility…

VMware has expanded its cloud services to Bahrain, with the launch of VMware Cloud on AWS in the AWS Middle East (Bahrain) region in February. The service provides customers in Bahrain with optimised access to AWS services and enables them to move their workloads across VMware cloud environments. This will support organisations in Bahrain with their digitalisation plans and improve their ability to innovate. The service utilises VMware’s Software-Defined Data Center software on AWS bare metal infrastructure, which enables the secure and scalable running of enterprise workloads on virtual machines and containers. It also includes built-in Kubernetes and access to…

Ride-hailing company Lyft has partnered with Ericsson and Deutsche Telekom to manage connectivity for tens of thousands of its e-bikes and scooters. By utilising the Ericsson IoT Accelerator platform, Lyft can ensure reliable and secure global connectivity, allowing for real-time data transmission for efficient fleet management and reducing theft and loss. By mid-2023, the company aims to have over 20,000 connected micromobility vehicles through the collaboration. According to Ericsson’s Micromobility report, the shared bikes and scooters market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 16% between 2019 and 2027. Reliable and well-managed cellular connectivity is key…

Plus One Robotics has announced a Series C funding round worth $50 million led by Scale Venture Partners, which also included participation from Top Tier Capital Partners, Tyche Partners and ROBO Global Ventures. The San Antonio-based firm’s total funding now stands at $94 million, with the money set to be used to expand sales and product development. Plus One Robotics’ focus is on the logistics sector, which has continued to grow despite the pandemic. Founder and CEO Erik Nieves said: “The world needs what we do and our financial performance supported that premise”. The pandemic has spurred on interest in…

Cross Switch Ghana LTD has been granted approval by the Bank of Ghana to operate as an Enhanced Payment Service Provider (EPSP), according to a joint statement released by Cross Switch Ghana LTD and Cross Switch International S.A.R.L. As an EPSP, Cross Switch Ghana is set to digitise merchant payments, collections and disbursements for e-commerce, remittances as well as for financial inclusion. “The payments space in Ghana has been growing since the Bank of Ghana introduced the Payment Systems and Services Act (2019) and the National Payment Systems Strategic Plan (2019-2024) to create an enabling regulatory environment which fosters efficient…

Saudi-based sustainable agriculture technology company RedSea has expanded its Board of Directors with the appointment of Larkin Martin and Steve Dauphin. Martin is a seventh-generation farmer who manages Martin Farm in Alabama and serves as Vice President of The Albemarle Corporation, which are both family businesses with interests in agriculture and timberland. She also holds Directorial positions at the Soil Health Institute, NYSE-listed Rayonier Inc., Truxton Trust and is Chairman of Servico. “I am very excited to join the Board of RedSea. Its new, innovative technologies are set to transform the sector and positively impact food production globally. I am…

Synology has revealed its participation in GISEC 2023, the highly anticipated cybersecurity event scheduled from March 14th to 16th. Synology’s mission is to offer a comprehensive hybrid-cloud ecosystem that helps companies safeguard their data against cyberattacks and ensures business continuity through their disaster recovery solutions. At Stand D89, Hall 6, Synology will present its latest products and innovations in three separate zones dedicated to identity and access management, secure data storage and disaster recovery solutions. The solutions displayed address the most common security challenges faced by businesses, highlighting Synology’s commitment to providing complete and innovative data security options. READ ALSO:CPI…

CPI Media Group and Tahawultech.com recently hosted the 2nd edition of the Women in Technology Forum and Awards at The Sofitel Hotels & Resort in Downtown Dubai. The event brought together some of the most powerful and prominent female voices from the ICT ecosystem to discuss what needs to be done to address the glaring inequalities, challenges and outdated stereotypes that still exist for women in STEM-related fields. The event featured two panel discussions moderated by Anita Joseph and Mark Forker. The discussions were broad in terms of the insights and perspectives shared, but some recurring themes shone through. These…

Ericsson Canada has announced that Jeanette Irekvist will assume additional responsibilities as President, Ericsson Canada, effective immediately. Irekvist remains Vice President and Head of Customer Unit Canada and a member of Ericsson’s North America executive team. She takes over the role as President, Ericsson Canada from Graham Osborne, Vice President, Customer Unit Verizon. “I am thrilled to take on the responsibilities as President of Ericsson Canada, particularly as we mark our 70-year anniversary of our operations here in Canada”, said Jeanette Irekvist. “Our world-class R&D centres, Canadian customer relations and operations, and of course our people, propel Ericsson’s innovation and…

Extreme Networks has announced that it has integrated network fabric capabilities into its ExtremeCloud SD-WAN platform, allowing customers to securely connect various environments such as data centres, campuses and branch locations within a single platform. The new enhancements include automated workflows, simplified user interface and experience, improved visibility and control for better application performance. Customers can now automate tasks such as provisioning new sites and services, reducing fabric deployment time by over 90%, and enhancing network security through hyper-segmentation. By integrating Extreme’s network fabric with ExtremeCloud SD-WAN, customers can extend network fabrics across new locations, manage the entire network through…