Dreams of a ”Born Free Generation” – A response to your inauguration pledge Mr. President

The author of the “I have a dream speech”; Martin Luther King once said “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This was indeed a speech filled with sentiment and expectation, a speech by a young man looking forward to a better future in a new America. The apparent reference to the constitution signified the desire for justice, for equity, and for freedom in every citizen’s pursuit of happiness. The same underpinning aspirations and desires of Martin Luther can be likened to the desires of every young person in Zimbabwe today. The goings on in our country’s political arena over the past few weeks have prompted the existence of an atmosphere filled with euphoria, anxiety and expectation of a turn in our country’s fortunes particularly for the many young people. Indeed, the climax of the events have culminated in the change of the macro-political dynamics of our environment prompting many to dream of a change in every direction. The discourse by the new Zimbabwean president spoke to the innumerable challenges that have inundated the life of every Zimbabwean and provided a promissory note for a deviation from the current status quo.

For any young person who was not privileged enough to have fought in our country’s war of liberation, the experience of independence is confusing, exciting and to some extent depressing due to the unpredictability of future events. Those who were there at Rufaro stadium 1980 independence day celebrations do attest to having gone through the same experience of what happened over these few weeks. The majority of the young people of the 1980s expected the status quo to change and surely for the initial periods much of the things changed for the better. Education, Health, Jobs, Freedom of Expression and association were all available and in abundance. The socialist mantra propagated by the then regime of Robert Mugabe delivered free education and health and promoted young educated black youths into positions of government. The move benefited our nation and years of success patently came by. But somewhere along the years, complacency creeped in, performance was no longer the primacy and political polarization and violence was the order of the day.

Our nation is on built on the ethos and sacrifices of the liberation struggle. The gains of independence have greatly influenced the manner in which our nation has been governed since 1980 and any departure from it has been met with ruthless antagonism.  Undeniably, the sacrifice of the pre-1980 generation ought to be respected for they fought a system of oppression and one that was greatly starved of the life and civil liberties and administered on the lines of race. The majority of the fighters believed in a system of equity, particularly for one Josiah Tongogara once said “What some of us are fighting for is to see that this oppressive system is crushed. We don’t care whether, I don’t even care whether I will be part of the top echelon in the ruling, I’m not worried but I’m dying to see a change in the system, that’s all, that’s all. I would like to see the young people enjoying together, black, white, enjoying together. In a new Zimbabwe, that’s all”. This was the dream of a fighter who unselfishly put his life on the line for a better Zimbabwe and better fortunes for generations to come. The sacrifice of the man admittedly has to be understood from the context of his words for today we carry the same desire and dream.

Now we enter into this new era, we have again to revisit these visions and dreams of the yesteryear generation and seamlessly marry them with those of the present and future generations to create a better nation. Your promise Mr. President as the head of state to chart a new direction does provide hope for a better Zimbabwe which must be driven by leadership and astute management:

Leadership - The early years of independence were characterized by diligent leadership, committed to serve its people under the dictates of a new constitution. Unlike the situation where corruption and nepotism were publicly upheld and encouraged by those in the public office, the new Zimbabwe wants leaders who provide equal opportunity for all and distaste for corruption. Corruption is a cancer that has consumed our nation creating an environment where no one is able to help without soliciting for a bribe particularly in the higher offices. The generation wants a crop of leaders who provides them with direction which points them towards development and prosperity. Our parliamentarians and ministers ought to adhere to their oath of office be the servants which they undertake to be and it starts with you Mr. President. Leadership entails embodying the very promise that you preach about and this is our dream for Zimbabwe. Every young Zimbabwean dreams of the day that this nation will be Magufulified!

Management - The very reason we are in this “new era” was the lack of energy to properly drive government business especially by the Chief Executive. It is thus hoped that this process will be characterized by increased levels of energy to manage principally the civil servants who have become an idle force.

Planning – our dream is to see more deliberate planning from government. Directness of plans ensures all personnel are in sync with what is expected of them. Industries have suffered predominantly from lack of planning taking into context the existing business environment. More planning should go into how parastatals should be resuscitated so that our economy can work again. Social safety nets need to be revamped to allow workers to easily move into retirement allowing for more energetic young men and women to assume office.

Implement – admittedly, some of form of planning has been done but it is the implementation which many analysts have decried. The land redistribution has always been hailed as one of the noble empowerment programmes of our time. It is how it was done that left many pessimistic of its perpetual benefit. Many questions were left hanging from compensation to resourcing of the eventual beneficiaries to sustain productivity. The incoming president spelled out a plethora of changes that must to be put in place and everyone is fond of that. What we all await is the implementation, actions must certainly speak louder than words.

Monitoring – the lack of monitoring and evaluation has always contributed to the failure of any project as it can go off rails at any time without anyone keeping track. The same can be said about our independence project called Zimbabwe. It was allowed to go off the rails because checks and balances were taken to the shelves of a single office. Our dream is to see non performers being held accountable, our monitoring institutions, Auditor General, ZACC, LSZ, all have to be respected and their input considered seriously.

Truly, your words have made us dream and our dream is for a better future, a future driven by unity, equity and freedom. The march on Zimbabwe, attended by thousands on the 18^th of November 2017 illuminated the very wishes of this nation. It exemplified the true vision and dream of the future generation, a nation that is not divided on racial, political or religious lines. But a nation united by the common goal of success and a better life for all. Your request for every Zimbabwean to play their part has not fallen on deaf ears, we will do our part just like we have supported this entire process as per the request of the powers that be, we look forward to the servant leadership you have assured us to take us to a new Canaan.

Ransomware and the Zimbabwean Business Environment: The advent of WannaCry!

Cybersecurity has become one of the most essential board room topics the world over as directors’ grapple with the ever growing threat of cyber thugs. Having been overwhelmed by the competitive edge offered by automation, Large corporates and even MSMEs adopted these systems to remain relevant in the business environment of the time. The Y2K effect further drove the consequence of automation to every dynamic business. In the year 1999, businesses came face to face with the reality of critical transition as risk managers raised the alarm of possible trials of system transition to the year 2000.  However, as the years passed by firms realised there weren’t as exposed as previously anticipated and normalcy returned to business. Scroll a decade later and ICT had been transformed to become the centre of service delivery accounting even for the extinction of a number of careers in the process. With the benefits of automation also came the risks of cyber threats. This illicit industry has grown massively into a billion-dollar alternative career excursion. Systems have been attacked and users have lost personal information to the criminals who have since evolved into one of the most feared terror campaigners of the present day.

 

On Friday the 12, 2017 the world woke up to yet another doomsday piece of news: WannaCrypt ransomware attack should make us wanna cry! Dubbed as one of the worst attacks of this generation, the ransomware attacked more than 200 000 in more than 150 countries in shortest period of time ever recorded. The attacks were perpetrated through a known Microsoft system vulnerability, the attackers used leaked techniques for hacking Windows OS that were discovered by the National Security Agency. Despite Microsoft having issued a patch for the vulnerability in March 2017, many legacy systems had not been updated with this patch and thus fell victim to this group known as Shadow brokers. Despite the discovery of a kill switch by a British firm, MalwareTech, the ransomware has since affected some African countries such as South Africa, Nigeria, Angola, Egypt, Mozambique, Tanzania, Niger, Morocco and Tunisia and companies particularly those still using the legacy systems.

 

Why is WannaCrypt special?

WannaCry is not just a ransomware program, it is also a worm. This means that it gets into your computer and looks for other computers to try and spread itself as far and wide as possible. Ransomware has a habit of mutating, so it changes over time in order to find different ways to access computers or to get around patches.

So how does this malware work?

WannaCry works by encrypting data on a computer that has been infected. It then tells the user that their files have been locked and displays information on how much is to be paid and when. The ransomware takes control of files on Windows computers and demands the payment of $300 dollars in virtual currency Bitcoin before it can restore access or double the cost after three days. The ransomware encrypts data on the computer using an encryption key that only the attacker knows. If the ransom isn't paid, the data is often lost forever.

But why did it take so long to find solutions to the attacks and what can be done about it?

Practically some organisations in Zimbabwe view IT security IT security and cyberattacks more as a business development opportunity than as a chance to put their collective heads together to eliminate threats. The pace at which the industry is growing coupled with the rate at which Zimbabweans are adopting automation calls for more concerted efforts to be directed towards addressing information security issues, risk management and overall guaranteeing the continued existence of the firm.

Keep windows updates off? – Zimbabwe is one of the countries with the highest piracy rate for Windows Operating Systems and as such, many of the mechanisms are directed towards making these systems unable to update. However, WannaCry requires that all systems be properly updated hence highlighting a serious challenge for many organisations.

Upgrade legacy systems – in addition, many companies in Zimbabwe are running legacy systems which are seldom updated. This ignorance is driven by the lack of knowledge of the implications of not updating as well as lack of capacity in ICT functions to closely monitor systems updates. The situation is further exacerbated by the lack of standard operating procedures on ICT systems which would allow for continuous monitoring and adherence to global ideals for ICT service management.

Don’t pay - Security experts warn there is no guarantee that access will be granted after payment. Some ransomware that encrypts files ups the stakes after a few days, demanding more money and threatening to delete files altogether.

User Training – in the previous articles that I have written, I have highlighted the importance of people within any information processing system. People are key to the safety of the system from any kind of attack and research attributes their relevance to about 90%! What does this entail; user awareness of how to respond and how they work remains key. Users need to be trained to know their system and to have ownership of that system. When users are well trained and equipped, attackers will find little room to manoeuvre as users will be vigilant. I have noticed that in Zimbabwe, new users rarely undergo IT induction to make them aware of their value to the system. Many thus end up experiment for they do not know what they are doing! Managers thus need to invest in continuous training and interaction of ICT functions and other business related units in order to make them aware of their environment.

Invest – apart from investing efforts in their users, managers also need to channel their resources into ICT function in the organisation through ensuring that ICT personnel receive adequate training in order for them to properly manage ICT infrastructure. Investment also ought to be put in the direction of research and continuous environmental monitoring. Research allows the organisation to keep abreast with the ever changing world of technology and hence allow them to cope with the demands of such changes. Moreover, Business continuity planning and Disaster Recovery Planning also take centre stage. WannaCry is surely going to test the resilience of such mechanism as more data stands at the risk of being lost. It is the duty of every manager and every user to ensure that information is protected for WannaCry is a sure sign that more is on its way!

Natural attrition or environmental consequence - the demise of the teaching profession in Zimbabwe – “Inspired by Mufundisi Lovedale”.

Introductory …

Reading through one of my former mentor’s article led me to wonder whether his article was motivated by emotional attachment to the demise of his peers’ careers or a natural concern for the education system in Zimbabwe. The thoughts led me to dig deeper into self and into other available pots of information to better respond to some of the questions he posed in his article. My previous research into the causes of inequalities in Africa and in the world led me to evidence of why we are where we are; a world in which the rich walk miles to digest while the poor walk miles to find food. The industrial age of the 1800s saw the exceptional growth of western economies as the means of production improved. With better research and experimentation came even more efficient ways of delivering goods and services. At this time, the western economies were almost 90% richer than the rest of the world. As years passed by, the 1900s saw the emergence of China as a significant global policy maker. Inequalities seemed to have been neutralised by this occurrence, however, the transformation of economies in the 2000s from the industrial age to the information age accounted for yet another astronomical growth in inequalities in the world with the developed economies considered to be 750% richer than the rest of the world.

This full transformation within economies rendered people jobless and some careers extinct. Globalisation which saw the removal of trade and economic obstacles between countries created a mechanism for the transmission of these developments into developing nations such as Zimbabwe. The transformative power of this change brought with it technology and more productive efficiency. The pre independence era was mainly characterised by marginalisation of communities in Zimbabwe with little access to educational facilities. The white settlers envisaged a less educated community as a lesser threat and hence the enforced maintenance of this status quo. White supremacy was the order of the day with the majority black being employed within the farms and other industries owned by the minority few. This phenomenon was not only experienced within the productive sectors of the economy but also within the service industry, teaching being one of them. However, the liberation war victory by the majority brought with it a fundamental change in the culture of the day. A socialist economy was the mantra of the new black government, a government which promised education for all, health for all, land for all among many of the would be pledges of the new administration.

With the ushering in of the new government, the laws of demand and supply also kicked in. The economy now needed more people who were educated enough to run the socialist policies of the new regime and teachers occupied that position to be the ‘enablers’ of the socialist agenda. The new regime invested in the erection of more educational infrastructure which called for even more teachers to take up jobs and drive the strategic focus of the government ahead. Because of the presence of the free market influence of demand and supply, the supply of teachers remained low while demand amplified. As the laws of demand and supply would have it, teaching became an elite profession as government financially incentivised more and more people to take up this role. Because of their role within society of churning out even more prestigious professions such as doctors, nurses and bankers, teachers received even more credit for their stellar work. Teachers were indeed highly regarded in their communities and respected too. Teachers then could afford a lifestyle which everyone within their society respected be it at their homes or in the beerhalls. If electricity were to be found within a given area, then everyone would know the owner of that home would be a teacher. Teachers drove new, and trendy cars of the day and could afford to educate their children, sending them to the best of schools of that time. But the question that is still begging for an answer is what has deeply changed to necessitate the kind of life that teachers live today?

Teachers of today have become the laughing stock of the community, ridiculed even by the students whom they teach. A 2017 teacher can no longer afford to live a lifestyle worthy of a 1980 teacher, worse still not even affording to send their own children to school. Why, why, why? It would be erroneous to claim that teaching in 1980 was over-glorified because in those days, teachers did play a pivotal role to shape the communities to what they are today. The literacy rate which the nation is so proud of is the making of the very teachers we see today. However, a deeper reflection into the aspect of development referred to earlier gives pointers to the very ins and outs why this could be so;

Superior Education

The teachers of 1980 leveraged on an education which no one else had. Achieving a standard 6 was enough to see anyone becoming a teacher in the day. In addition, it took a lot of commitment to any parent to want to send their child to school as many did not have the financial resources which could allow their child to earn the much converted standard 6. But the teaching fraternity of the day rested on its laurels and forgot that the laws of demand and supply is what drove them to occupy that superior position in society. The society we live in is ever evolving and failure to adapt will lead to extinction. Teachers need to realise that gone are the days when teaching was as prestigious because not so many of the people then were educated. The process of continuous learning is a must in order for teachers to survive this ever changing environment. Having been a teacher myself, and having interacted with teachers for some time, I discovered that there is a tendency of teachers thinking that they have arrived when they get to be teaching at a prestigious school. The process of continual developing evades them and they are concerned with getting more and more. I have an inspirational story of one Dr. Chitakure, a true example of continuous learning. Not being satisfied with what he had saw him enrolling for a Master’s Degree in the United States and he challenged himself to the point where he is a Doctor of Philosophy to this day. So teachers cannot cry and complain of lack of opportunities because the opportunities are plenty, the process requires initiative and focus.

Highly Rewarding

As previously alluded to, the high demand for teachers and their low supply meant that their price tag would be higher as well. Teachers were highly remunerated and lived a more than decent life. However, the educational development which saw the churning out of degree holders in their thousands meant there was always pressure on the fraternity. The pathetic economic situation has further exacerbated the situation with the majority of the civil servants not being adequately rewarded for their work. However, the increased literacy rate also meant that the skills premium in industry also rose as more professions started earning more than teachers, this thus meant that teaching was no longer as coveted a profession as before. Because of that lack of interest and so did the respect go with it.

Technology

Technology has not only affected production oriented professions but rather it has cut across the board. Teachers have not been spared by this threat. From satellite stations offering lessons to e-learning platforms providing the much needed material, Technology has transformed the way 21^st century students learn. The Zimbabwe government has been on a STEM subjects drive but I am of the opinion that ignoring the technology threat will only but worsen the situation. Teachers need to embrace technology particularly those that are young so they also make the learning experience much more interesting. Technology may not completely replace the human teacher but the way in which robotics and artificial intelligence are increasingly threatening many careers they cannot go unnoticed. If self-driving cars are a reality, why not robots that can interact with children 24/7?

Concluding…

The inability of teachers to invest in continuous learning will continue to put them on a sliding career path as the world changes. Teachers need to appreciate that they need to continue learning in order for them to remain relevant in their work. Continuous learning is not only through enrolling for more formal education but rather searching for material that is relevant to their area of interest and reading it. Teachers are at the source of information particularly in Zimbabwe which creates an opportunity for them to collaborate with researchers. Research is a good area for continuous learning and creation of alternative career paths for teachers. The teaching experience creates a competitive advantage for them to leverage on when they move into such fields as mentorship, career guidance, psychology, and research. Teachers need to develop skills, skills that renders them relevant no matter the kind of change that the world may throw at them.

Mufundisi Lovedalearticle 

High risk high return – What we learned about Philip Chiyangwa, Ahmad Ahmad Victory at CAF.

When I started my graduate studies I was introduced to the concept of risk and return. From these fundamentals of economics there appeared to have been a consensus among theorists that with high risk in investments comes higher return. Without better practical application of the theory, it merely lived within my realm as mere statement but I believe today I can say something different. I have been one person who has followed with eagerness, the career path taken by the then villain Phillip Chiyangwa to manage national football matters in Zimbabwe. It may be an understatement to say that I was one of the sceptics but I was a critic of his involvement in the ‘world’s most beautiful game’. Part of my scepticism stemmed from his failed attempts to land posts in higher offices in government let alone some of his failed business ventures which are alleged to have swindled many of their hard earned cash through botched land deals. Some may say my reservations were misplaced but countless would agree with me that Phillip Chiyangwa isn’t a name many of the faint hearted would have loved to hear to be on the other end in any of their business transactions. Despite much of the failures attributed to him, the man remained resolute, flamboyance still being identified with his name even in the worst of times. He not only managed to live up to this tag but in my view went on to surpass the standard expected of that tag. In 2014, as a show of his success he managed to buy himself a brand new top of the range GL63 AMG and named it Tsivo (Revenge). Some took this for a mere public stunt but the man was on a mission.

Sceptics came to the party in 2015 when Phillip was elected ZIFA president, even sports reporters and journalists came to roost with tongue lashing comments, interviewing him and asking him scathing questions live on radio. Some of the public comments even attracted his sarcasm and emotion and many were not spared from his usual derogatory statements. But Philip sought to achieve something bigger and as he took office, he made sweeping changes and with the help of Wicknell Chivayo managed to bring a bit of sanity into Zimbabwean football which had been marred by confusion and chaos in the era of Curthbert Dube.

Phidza as he is affectionately known then surprised many of the football faithfuls when he landed the COSAFA presidency in 2016. At that time a lot of people started taking him serious as he started showing signs of influence in African Football. Even Ahmad the now CAF president could not resist and embraced the potential influence in the man appointing him his campaign manager -  a high level show of confidence. Perhaps drawing from the Zimbabwean political arena, Philip then sought to assert the influence of a new kind grouping of the so called Young Turks, “G40”, to initiate the storms of change in African football. In the process of initiating this change, Philip did attract the attention and drew the ire of the long serving, 71-year-old Issa Hayatou who rose to football prominence 29 years back. But wind back into 2016 again, against all odds, Philip began showing his mettle when he went against the then CAF president by openly voting for G. Infantino who later became FIFA president. As a show of appreciation Infantino even attended Chiyangwa’s birthday bash in Harare much to the discontent of Issa Hayatou who had already started sensing the winds of change. Hayatou even threatened Chiyangwa with disciplinary action but the man would not be moved. In some of the WhatsApp videos recorded by Chiyangwa, he is seen openly challenging Hayatou and promising to depose him from the throne, a promise which was fulfilled on 16 March 2017.

So many are wondering is it Phillip the Kingmaker? Or Phillip the Brave one? Or High Risk High Return? For the purpose of this article, I choose Philip the Brave. What lessons then does Phillip give us in the entire CAF fiasco?

1. Confidence – in going against Issa Hayatou, Chiyangwa knew what he was up against. He knew that he was going to upset the long serving leader but he remained confident of victory. In crafting his strategy, he didn’t look down on his opponent and he indeed came up with tactics that ensure victory in the end. As we also embark in our quest for success in this life, Philip does inspire us and gives us a true semblance of confidence and how it can carry the day. To be assertive and to focus on the goal no matter the kind of threats and pull down factors we may encounter.

2. Commitment – Philip remained committed to the cause of taking Zimbabwe to the footballing world. He had a plan on how he intends to do that and to date remains on course to achieving that goal. Indeed, it’s never easy to achieve consistency but it is the key to commitment. Remaining resolute even in the face of uncertainties that may come our way is important. Many great athletes such as Michael Johnson, and my favourite David Rudisha always reaffirms commitment to the cause as one of his greatest tools which has taken him to the hall of fame of the athletics world.

3. Calculated Risk Taking – without taking the initiative, the risk we cannot get to where we want to be. Many of us have faced situations in which they have had to make choices in life, some of them unfavourable and risky, but because they made that decision and with confidence remained committed to it, they enjoy the fruits that decision. Philip does leave with the same lesson, in going against the status quo he risk being sanctioned by CAF, sanctions which could have sucked in even the entire SADC region. But again proper planning had laid the ground work for the course of action to be taken. Phillip narrowly missed the prediction of how many votes Ahmad would get by only 1 vote. Hence with proper planning one can make a decision, no matter the outside risk associated with it, proper planning does bring down the likelihood of that risk.

4. Nothing is Impossible – coming from a political background of politics, Philip always knew that nothing is impossible. All that was need was to take the first step towards the goal. Chiyangwa took the first step in becoming the ZIFA president and used that as the launch pad to where he is today. To be identified as an agent of change in African Football.

5. The power of networks – as he attended FIFA hosted functions and as he travelled the world, Philip took that opportunity to network. To talk to some of the influential footballing icons and perhaps whispered his plans for football. It was in these established networks that he pulled off one of the greatest surprises in African football. Having the world’s football boss coming to your birthday party is a sure sign on good networking skills. I am sure the rewards for that networking will soon come to the fore.

6. Never under estimate you opponent – Issa Hayatou made one of the grave mistakes which the renowned Goliath did when he faced David, Indeed the battle in this African football arena seemed like a David v Goliath affair and again Goliath made the same mistakes of not realising that his opponent was backed by a powerful force behind. In Phillip, Issa failed to realise that Ahmad was backed by a force of change, one which not only Philip was driving but one which was shared by many who came out to be 34! So in life never underestimate the potential in one person by merely looking at them but rather offer them the opportunity to express themselves.

                                                                                            

Digital presence and exposure to cyber thugs: The enigma of establishing a Digital Marketing Presence

Reading through one of my friend’s profile on the LinkedIn platform worked as a setup for me to discover a world that I at no time thought I would find myself reading or writing about; Digital Marketing. Indeed, digging into his activity you encounter a young man enthusiastic about his marketing work and full of a passion for creating a modern day alignment between business and ICT. The man has left no stone unturned as he delves into the world of business and technology alignment. Several companies in our Zimbabwean business environment have embraced technology and set themselves on a path to harness the benefits of this mutable world of technology. Among the functions that have seamlessly and successfully integrated their operations into this phenomenon are the marketing and sales teams. Spurred by the available free platforms and applications, countless have hedged on the technical abilities of their content creation personnel to produce the best, heart-warming advertisement material. Digital marketing in its simplest only comes as simple as email exchange and website content uploads. The use of social media platforms has in some way disrupted and redefined the concept of content marketing. These platforms have integrated the interaction of business leaders, their marketing teams and their target customers allowing corporates to insert themselves into the feed from their clientele further reinforcing the impact of ads in the perceptions of the customer.

In spite of all the benefits associated with the concept of digital marketing, marketers themselves cannot afford to ignore the growing threat of cybercrime. With an estimated financial cost of more than 400 billion USD annually, cybercrime is proving to be a tempting industry for many would be cyber criminals. Despite the increase in cyber policing activities globally, cybercrime continues to attract countless professionals due to the high return and low risks associated with it. In the entire business spectrum, electronic data processing has taken over the mode of transacting and it is in this approach of doing business that trust becomes essential. Customers are able to trust and transact knowing that they are protected from any kind of criminal activity and once that trust is broken, the financial catastrophe could be disastrous as consumers vote with their dollars. Cybercriminals have been known to pry on the transactional activity of customers there by successfully breaching the security of platforms. This potential disaster hence calls upon Chief Marketing Officers and Chief Information Officers to closely interact in order to build an exciting, safe and secure customer experience in this transformative information age. So what strategies are available for the transformative, tech savvy manager to arm themselves with?

Identifying security to be the foundation and centre of your digital marketing strategy

With customers growing more fearful of internet scams, fraud and cyber terrorism as these have become more material, it is imperative that CIOs and CMOs drive customer protection to be the core of the digital marketing strategy. Customer experience is primarily built on trust which hinges on the ability of the firm to safeguard and protect customers’ transactions. Where trust is lost so is the brand and when the brand is lost then the corporate loses its ability to influence and drive demand for its products.

Creation of Synergy between security and marketing strategies

Gone are the days when ICT used to be a “back office” service department which only came into action to support what were called then core business services and functions. Through innovation ICT has transformed itself into being part of the core business services. It has become a medium of delivery of value to clients and a point on which countless entities have leveraged on it for competitive advantage. CMOs concern themselves primarily with customer acquisition and customer retention which are the fundamental activities in the construction of brand loyalty and driving sales revenues. However, in the CIOs perspective at each of these points lies intrinsic danger posed by marauding cyber thugs. CIOs and CMOs ought to work together to eliminate these risks in spite of the medium which the consumer may use to access the desired services.  CIOs and CMOs need to create an environment characterised by open communication which is key in the initiation of risk based conversations that are aimed at collaboration in digital marketing.

Read, Communicate and Innovate!!

CIOs and CMOs should realise the importance of investing time in keeping abreast with technological trends and changes. The accelerated rate of technological transformation is at its peak and management can no longer afford to entertain the cost associated with being left behind. By investing time in apprising their knowledge, they are able to communicate system breaches to consumers and act on them and in the process being able to assure consumers of continued safety. It would be desirable for CIOs to be the initiators of such communication rather than for consumers to get the information from public media. Through solid communication channels CMOs are able to create robust protection protocols for consumers enhancing brand value in the process. Brands drive sales revenues and profitability in firms, however management ought to invest more in protecting consumers so as to safeguard their continued existence in the business ecosystem. Business-consumer relationships operate on the basis of trust and as such managers need to work harder to develop such relationships and sustain them. The enterprise wide appreciation of cyberattacks remains key in all organisations in Zimbabwe, cyberattacks are here and perhaps here to stay as more and more incentives are derived from this activity. The business-technology alignment strategy needs to take centre stage in the highest echelons of business leadership in order for this initiative to be efficient. Training needs to be offered to all so as to build the much needed protection of consumer experiences in accessing services.

ICT Automation, The digital economy and strategic implications for firms in Zimbabwe

Starter ….

As the year 2000 approached a fever gripped industry particularly in the United States with many of the worried about the internet, tech industry and the hitches of migrating systems into the new millennium. Giant corporates such as Morgan and Chase did set aside an estimated 250 million dollars as budget provision for mitigation of the transition costs. The total costs of migration were estimated to run to about 600 billion dollars and to manage this risk investment was pushed into the technology sector. Initial public offerings by tech firms took centre stage with prices of stocks of these offerings growing by an estimated 100% with each passing day. This continued surge however came to a grinding halt in 2001 when firms realised that they were really not as exposed as previously anticipated. Tech companies closed shop as their stocks fell in value with an estimated loss of 30million per year. These massive losses were unsustainable and from a remarkable 260 tech companies only 76 survived into 2002.

But there seems to be similar characteristics of the internet bubble growing again in the tech industry with insurmountable growth in technology uptake largely driven by financial oriented products known as FINTECH. The ICT industry has witnessed some ridiculous appreciation in the value of tech companies which saw the acquisition of WhatsApp for an unprecedented 19 billion dollars by Facebook in 2015. Technology has had a noticeable impact in the productive sectors of every economy. Research organisations claim that Technology has accounted for at least 85% of the 5 million jobs that the American economy has lost between 2000 and 2010 with artificial intelligence and robotics being at the prime. Such is the influence of technology that is has resulted in the budding of an undesirable offshoot in cybercrime. This technological ill is estimated to cost economies into billions of dollars annually. The key difference also lies in the fact that the present day technology is being driven by production where technology has become a medium of delivery for service which has positively impacted on profitability. One of the notable value appreciation saw the surge in value in Google which was valued at 50k a decade ago and is now worth a whopping 500 billion dollars.

This growth has been driven by the countless innovations that have come through the industry. The internet of things has been one of the most welcome developments of the 21^st century. The development has seen the integration of traditional hardware devices into intelligent systems such as life support systems capable of making real time processing and making intelligent decisions without human intervention. In addition, the concept of fintech continues to grow at an astronomical rate causing disruption even in Zimbabwe’s financial services sector where mobile money applications such as Ecocash, Telecash and GetCash have threatened the very existence of banks. Virtualisation and cloud computing continue to provide institution with ways of managing their computing resources and doing so at considerably low cost.

ICT has since moved from being a support function to be at the centre of services delivery, providing ERPs, CRMs and many other tools for business process management. The concept of DevOps has also contributed to the recognition if ICT as a vital cog in the business value delivery engine.

What does IT automation entails…

The fast paced change in the business has clearly made demands for systems that are able to cope with this kind of change. Technology has responded with rich innovations which have matched the necessary changes as required by business. This has led to a business-IT convergence which has intertwined technology and business creating an unmatched competitive advantage for any organisation looking to be the leader in its sector. In general, automation refers to a non-manual way of completing a task. When applied to ICT, it refers to the use scripts, programs, jobs, and various other means of value provision to the intended end user.

Why it matters …..

The Zimbabwean business landscape is one that is marred with a myriad of snags ranging from macro socio-economic to internal issues. Issues of cost structure and infrastructure obsolescence have been identified to be some of the causes non-performance within organisations. Automation therefore, presents an opportunity for managers to avoid the burden of cost and lack of efficiency. Adopting technology oriented products allows organisations to reach new customers and provide convenient access to provided services.

Cost Reduction Strategy

In cost reduction thrust, technology has created paperless office. Technology has fundamentally reduced the use of paper through the use of software programs that take advantage of workflows. In addition, technology has also replaced some jobs and in the process reducing the human resources costs to companies. Moreover, technology introduced the use of collaborative tools which have gone miles in bridging geographical divides and reduce travel costs.

Competitive Strategy

Information and Communication technology (ICT) is perceived to play a crucial role in transforming not only big but also small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs). Enabling policies on the part of government in order to provide incentives to SMEs for usage of ICT is quite essential. Many firms in Zimbabwe have adopted automation and electronic data processing in order to make their processes more efficient. ICT therefore are playing a key role in service delivery in the process providing competitive advantage. ICT allow for better process, supply chain and marketing of products and above all interaction between service providers and customers. Adoption of ICT therefore can never be over emphasized as it has turned out to be an important strategic option for organisations.