Tuesday, May 31, 2011

And the winners of our survey are ......

We've finally managed to capture the moment as our winners collected their prizes. How easy was it to win? This easy .....  they simply responded to our 5 minute survey. Now for the moment we have been waiting for, presenting our three winners.

And the winners of our survey competition are:
  • First prize winner - Faiza Arendse – won Seagate 1TB external drive
  • Second prize winner - Lillian Kattan – won Canon Inkjet Printer
  • Third prize winner - Joerg Masche - Samsung Digital Camera

First prize winner - Faiza Arendse – won Seagate 1TB external drive

Second prize winner - Lillian Kattan – won Canon Inkjet Printer 

Third prize winner - Joerg Masche - Samsung Digital Camera


Congratulations to all our winners and a sincere thank you to everyone who has responded to our survey. Your feedback allows us to service you better.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Lessons from a growing company ... especially around public holidays ...

Public holidays are great, but a chinese-torture to employers. Not only do holidays need to be paid for, but staff on "stand-by" need to be scheduled and backup plans put into place.

What can you do to minimise downtime and make the most out of public holidays:
  • Know your staff schedule
    It is important to know who takes time off in between public holidays but assume staff not on your scheduled leave list will also call in "sick".
  • Have a "backup-backup" plan

    For public holidays where "stand by" staff are not on call, have two or three alternate numbers clients' can call for assistance.
  • Re-adjust deadlines

    The month of consists of 18 working days. Of these the 8th, 15th and 29th are Fridays and the 9th, 16th and 30th are Mondays.

    Scenario 1: 25% of your staff call in sick on either the Friday or Monday, this leaves your workforce very thin. Communication to clients' that any projects in April will add "X" amount of days to the project deadline will save any shouting matches from happening later in the month.
  • Plan ahead of time
    The two major disruptions in the year are April (Easter) and December (Christmas). Knowing this and planning ahead will save you from those stressful situations arising during the holiday time.
Either way, in between the back up plans public holidays exist and if you can, try and enjoy it.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Highlights from the ITWeb Social Security Summit

Attended the ITWeb Social Security Summit at the Southern Sun, presented by Kaspersky Lab and ITWeb. Stefan Tanase, Senior Security Researcher from Romania, flew in just for the event and delivered his presentation.

The top tips highlighted were:
  • Malware is becoming more complex
  • Networks have three layers of ways targeted attacks can happen.
    • Company networks
    • Devices connecting to the networks
    • Social media platforms
  • Kaspersky Labs process 70 000 malicious programs daily
  • More and more worms are created for additional platforms such as Mac
Top 5 threats for business:
  1. Targeted attacks
  2. Information leakage
  3. Social networking account gets compromised
  4. Malware distribution ("customers" can post to your wall and their machines are infected)
  5. Social networking - information available freely available 
Tips for staying safe:
  • Know your "social" friends
  • Be "security aware"
  • If you're not sure about something, don't post it
  • Companies need to realise that blocking these sites is not the best idea. Educate your staff and create policies around usage
  • Scan your pc for Malware every few days
  • Update your Anti-Virus software every few days
View the Kaspersky Lab products here.

For information on eNetworks Anti-Virus products, visit our website www.enetworks.co.za

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Congratulations, Dumisa Melane for being nominated as "Top Black Female Entrepreneur"


Our hearty CONGRATULATIONS, from all of us at eNetworks, to Dumisa Melane, one of our Directors for being nominated a finalist in the: 


"Top Black Female Entrepreneur"
category for the Metropolitan Oliver Empowerment Awards (MOEA) 2011.

Nominated along with other phenomenal women such as:
  • Nokuthula Luthuli – Bloom Marketing 
  • Zolelwa Molapisi – By Design Marketing Group
  • Dumisa Melane – eNetworks
  • Pria Hassan – WOA Fuels & Oils (**Category Winner**)
  • Johanna Mukoki – Travel with Flair
Dumisa currently fills the role as Customer Relationship Manager at eNetworks and has been with the company for ten years.




Well done Dumi ..... we're proud of you!


More about the MOEA - 2011

A decade of empowerment progress came to a spectacular climax last night (Thurs. March 24) with presentations to the country’s foremost champions of empowerment in the public and private sectors, among major corporates and across the ranks of small, medium and micro enterprises.


10th Metropolitan Oliver Empowerment Awards (the ‘Olivers’), the mark of BEE distinction for transformation leaders, were bestowed by guest of honour and keynote speaker Mr Thembelani Nxesi (Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform) at the Sandton Convention Centre before an elite audience of political and business leaders and media personalities.


The Olivers are hosted every year by Impumelelo, a pioneering publication dedicated to black business success, and organised by Topco Media in partnership with headline sponsor Metropolitan, the leading life assurer and investment solutions provider."
- Extract sourced from official press release provided by Topco Media.


About Topco Media
Topco Media is a leader in South African business-to-business communication, where our primary service and product offerings i.e. Events and Publishing, aim to reward, celebrate and advertise the best in South African business and government; educate; inform; foster relationships; and facilitate understanding on a range of topical issues and subjects.

For more information on how winners and finalists are selected, visit the MOEA Website.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

A glance at where the world is moving toward ...

I am a lady, but not any kind of lady, I am a lady who is completely and utterly in love, no, obsessed with technology and the way the world evolves around it. I love it so much that I made a career out of it. Fourteen years later, here I stand. Every now and then, I gaze at what is, what was and what will be?

The evidence that technology is made the world flat is irrefutable. Those of us who are technophobes are being roped in by new user interfaces such as touch screens and voice activation. Gone are the days where one could shy away from being connected and gone are the days when we could simply disappear for days without an IM, DM or SMS asking "where are you?" Yes, technology has invaded every sphere of life.
As a consumer, the way we transact online is becoming simpler yet more complex. We demand user friendly front-end experiences, safe and secure back-end experiences and because of our assumptions that is should be there, sometimes, we fall prey to hoax sites and scams.

Here are some tips to keep you safe online:

  • If the company is a relatively new one, search for it via GOOGLE and BING, legitimate companies have a track record, even the new ones.  If you cannot find anything on them, step away from the browser!
  • Look for Trust Seals or Digital Certificates which indicate that the company belongs to some kind of membership organisation or has been verified by a trustworthy company.

  • When transacting online, ensure that your browser displays a secure lock and https (not only http).
  • Browse around to see which other companies offer the products you are looking for. This will give a relatively good idea on what to expect on this kind of business website.
  • Email the company and ask for information on delivery or products, if they 
    • don't respond, this is a bad sign of service and or their non-existence
    • respond one week later, also a bad sign, it may take you ages to receive your goods as well
  • My Favourite, find them on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Most companies have profiles set up on at least these social networking platforms and judging by the amount of fans and followers, this is a good indication of the kind of business they operate.

What about businesses? How are they affected? Businesses are being bombarded by information overload, a flurry of new and ever improving web applications and life is starting to move into the Cloud. Bottom line? Businesses need to ensure that:
  • their existing processes cater for new set of demands consumers make
  • their networks need to be secure and stable enough to handle the extra load due to:
    • smart phones
    • cell phones
    • table pc's
    • laptops
  • their company policies are modified for information sharing and "leakage"
  • their staff pc's, laptops and smart phones are protected against hackers and viruses
  • they have a presence on social networking platforms
  • they engage with their consumers/customers
  • they move to web application environment, since staff are travelling more and working remotely
Tips for business?
  • Be VIGILANT against VIRUSES. Audit your existing Anti-Virus packages and update regularly
  • BACKUP your data, daily and by the hour
  • Monitor bandwidth consumption and make adjustments where needed
  • Communicate and engage with your customers, they are starting to expect this as the norm
  • Allow your staff to engage on social media platforms, they too are the voice of your company, although audit sites (such as pornographic ones) when monitoring bandwidth
At the end of the day, be careful online but enjoy it. There are so many applications and websites designed to enjoy and make life easier. Knowing how to filter the fluff from the awesomely-incredible is an art you learn over time, but ...... it does happen. 

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Info overload because of unsolicited email? We can help!



Checking email first thing in the morning adds the first layer of anxiety for the day. First, we look for important email, but the holy grail of emails seems to be drenched in that which we call "UNSOLICITED EMAIL". One cup of tea/coffee down and we're already "ansi" about the day ahead.

Wouldn't it be great if we could reduce our
email by as much as 90%?

We've spent years researching and testing various ways to do JUST that and have developed a SPAM SCANNING SOLUTION.

How does it work?
  • All mail is scored on its probability of being SPAM
  • Mail under a certain threshold score, is let as non-SPAM
  • Mail over a certain threshold score, is discarded as SPAM, and if there is a valid sender associated with the mail, the sender with be notified of the action taken.
WHAT HAPPENS to DISCARDED MAIL? It is kept for 5 days in the event recovery is required.

For more information on our SPAM SCANNING SOLUTION, download the brochure explaining more.

We care about providing solutions which solve your problems, saving you time and money. Give the brochure a browse, then give us a call.


Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Staff "Cocktail Shake-Down" in true eNetworks style of course ..


Who says celebrations have to happen at the end of the year? Our motto, celebrate anytime! To get our team motivated for a great year ahead, we gathered all staff for a "cocktail shake-down"
As our staff arrived at the office, they were greeted with a cocktail demonstration and drinks with colourful umbrellas.

Seeing that the shake-down was a competition, everyone was eager for the games to begin. The participants had a limited time to invent their own cocktail, along with a name for their creation.  
These drinks were judged on: 
  • taste
  • creativity of name 
  • presentation
It was pure entertainment for everyone as the competitors got stuck into their cocktail mixing. Those not taking part in the "cocktail shake-down" watched as spirits got mixed, shakers clattered, blenders buzzed and pineapple flew.

As you can imagine we had some seriously creative cocktails, some that looked absolutely fantastic and others that just looked well...what can I say ... interesting :).
There were three judges (all staff) who had the difficult task judging the cocktails. One of the judging criteria was "taste" and boy did they taste the good, the bad and the down right yukky. The good ones looked appetizing, interesting and ultimately tasted good, but then there were the “special” ones... say hello to “what the hell is that!?!”. 
The memory is scarred by one drink in particular...the "Chunky Cocktail" that looked like it had been cooked up in a lab.  It had an interesting blue-green colour with a strange texture I can only hope was pineapple.

I had the pleasure (or displeasure) of tasting this one. As you sucked on the straw something gets lodged in it (blowing is not an option as the glass is full to the top) and the only option is to suck harder.  Close your eyes and wait for it...WACK, a chunk of pineapple gets shot down your throat with a flourish of strong alcohol.  Shame those poor judges, but they were great sports and did a great job of judging!

A huge THANK YOU to the THREE of them. 
After much deliberation three winners were selected. Taking 1st place was Ezaad and his drink "The Broken Toon nael" in 2nd place was Conrad and his "Vesper Martini", and in 3rd place were Karen and Melanie with their drink "It’s a wrap".

Well done to the three winners who all won prizes for their efforts.
What is a party without the great people?  Luckily, we have loads of them and much laughter, fun, face pulling, drinks and sticky floors were had, as one would expect from a staff-cocktail-party :)

What a great day, when’s the next one :)?

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Why use eNetworks? This is NOT a sales pitch!


We hate trumping our own horns, so this is not a sales pitch. We're simply here to tell you who we are and why pick us to partner with you ➸►.


So, who are we? Why do we do what we do? And why should you choose us? We could say something like "unlike other service providers, we are:
  • passionate
  • relationship driven
  • reliable"
Instead we'll take the direct approach. eNetworks started as a small business with specific needs and growing pains and we understand the challenges of a small, thriving business all too well. We've spent a DECADE perfecting what we do, to deliver the best service in South Africa.

We get that your needs are different, we get that your business fluxuates and we get that you need a stable service from a reliable service provider.

Having engaged with clients' across different industries with specialised needs, we've realised we need to be FLEXIBLE, LISTEN and RESPOND according to YOUR specific needs.

To help us deliver a quality service, we work with the best suppliers, to offer you the best, stable, most competitively priced services.

For more on what we do and who we are, visit our website www.enetworks.co.za or join our Facebook group. We value your comments, pleas feel free to add yours.

ƪ(ˆ◡ˆ)ʃ eNetworks. Service IS everything.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Valued client, help us service ☞ better ... in all ways ツ

We know everyone hates surveys, we do too ツ, but it is important for us to hear your voice. We are constantly looking for ways to ensure we meet and/or exceed your expectations.


By completing this short survey you would not only be helping us to improve our current services, but also stand a chance to WIN one of these fabulous prizes:
  • Seagate 1TB external drive
  • Canon Inkjet Printer
  • Samsung Digital Camera
Spend 5 minutes completing the survey http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/S2CL3NZ and who knows, you could be one of our lucky winners!

Thank you - in advance. Have a wonderful day Æª(ˆ◡ˆ)ʃ .

eNetworks, where service IS everything.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

We are hiring! Could you be part of our awesome team?

We are growing! Last year we grew in office size and this year, we grow in staff compliment. Will you be part of our dynamic team? If you have the skills and drive to make a great team player, then submit your CV ASAP!

Available Positions:
  1. Web Developer
  2. Debtor's Clerk
Web Developer

This person will need to have a clear understanding of our client’s businesses to build creative and professional websites, developing the concept into live websites and keeping the projects on track with respect to meeting deadlines. An ability to work well under pressure to deliver projects on time is essential.

A very strong understanding and knowledge of Joomla (technical and navigational functionalities), HTML, intermediate PHP, MySQL and current web trends. Experience with Google Adwords, Analytics, WordPress is beneficial. Ability to scope, develop and manage a website from start to finish.  

General Duties

Contribute to the development, implementation, and achievement of departmental objectives in a non .net environment ; Provide solutions to complex problems; Responsible for executing projects to meet briefs, standards, client requirement and deadlines including:
  • Lead the web development analysis process
  • Responsible for ensuring that all work meets best practice code re-usability
  • Ensure adequate unit testing of all development to meet quality standards (permutations, usability, stability and accuracy)
  • Meeting deadlines as per scope of work/enhancements
  • Ensuring understanding of and the compliance to company development methods and standards
  • Ensure issues are timorously escalated and appropriately resolved
  • Design and develop web-based applications for eNetworks clients using Joomla, HTML, intermediate PHP, MySQL and current web trends, according to brief
  • Work on legacy systems to develop, enhance existing applications
  • Mentoring: It is a specific requirement that mentoring of the junior developer takes place
Personal Development
  • Proactively remain abreast of industry knowledge
  • Development of both technical and soft skills
Competencies
  • Analytical with strong problem solving skills
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Strong technical and navigational Joomla knowledge
  • Ability to work under pressure
  • Fast learner
  • Must thrive in fast moving environment
Please note that .net developers need not apply as this is not a .net environment.

View the Debtor's Clerk position.
    Please submit your CV to Leslie Maliepaard who will be in touch with the candidate for an interview.

    We are hiring! Debtors Clerk needed, be meticulous and get paid for it!

    ** This position has been filled ***

    Are you a pain, meticulous about the finer details? Cross your t's and dot your i's, always? Love ACCOUNTING? May be considered obsessive compulsive when it comes to your work? Then we need you!

    A Debtors Clerk position has become available for a meticulous and target driven individual. Strong ACCOUNTING SKILLS a prerequisite with Pastel Partner Experience essential.

    We will only consider applicants who meet with all the below minimum requirements of this position due to the high level of professionalism, accuracy and consistency needed within this role.

    Please note that all applicants that are successful for client interview will be tested on RECON & EXCEL skills.

    Minimum Requirements
    • Must have Matric and relevant tertiary qualification
    • Must have minimum of 3 years experience when it comes to full debtors function
    • Previous bookkeeping/basic internal auditing experience will be highly advantageous
    • Previous experience in stock management is essential
    • Must pay high attention to detail and accuracy
    • Must have excellent communication skills (English & Afrikaans)
    • Must be fully computer literate (emphasis - strong Excel skills)
    • Must possess solid administration skills
    • Must be well groomed and presentable
    • Must be a team player and adapt to change easily
    • Must be reliable and trustworthy
    • Registered debt collector advantages
    • Target Driven
    Key Performance Areas
    • Process invoices to clients and distribute accurate monthly statements to clients
    • Follow up with clients in regards to outstanding payments and gain commitment from client in this regard
    • Receive client statements and resolve all queries within agreed timeframes
    • Manage necessary reconciliation process to consistently provide current status and feedback to management
    • Build strong and professional relationships with clients
    • Ensure that there are no client complaints by providing world class client service
    • Ensure client phone calls are returned promptly
    • Ensure written communication with client is 100% accurate and easily understandable
    • Maintain all filing systems
    • Perform ad hoc duties based on specific projects if and when required
    • Report directly into Accountant and on a dotted line to the General Manager
    • Implementation of charging interest on overdue Accounts
    • Drafting of demand letters
    • Customer Record creation, credit checking, bank reconciliation, issuing receipts and statements
    • Issuing receipts and statements, customer record creation.
    We offer:
    Salary is commensurate with experience

    Please submit your CV to Leslie Maliepaard who will be in touch with the candidate for an interview.

    Wednesday, February 2, 2011

    Dark fibre? What is it and how can your business benefit?

    I've been reading up on connectivity and fibre and came across Dark Fibre. A dark fibre network is a privately operated optical fibre network that is run directly by its operator over dark fibre leased or purchased from another supplier, rather than by purchasing bandwidth or leased line capacity.

    It is quite new to the South African market, but has been the standard in Europe for years. How can dark fibre benefit your business? 

    From the research I've gathered, it seems as if Dark Fibre is carrier neutral (great) and is able to carry voice, data and internet, seamlessly.

    What can Dark fibre networks be used for? We can call the Dark Fibre, the landlord allowing:
    1. private networking
    2. Internet access
    3. Internet infrastructure networking
    Dark fibre networks may be:
    1. point-to-point
    2. point-to-multipoint
    3. use self-healing ring or mesh topologies

    So what's the big deal?
    Dark Fibre access allows companies to increase business operations without spending huge amounts of cash (capital) and all of this possible due to the change in the Electronics Communications Act in 2004. Prior to the change in Act, operators were simply not allowed to offer their own networks, now they can.

    More on How Dark Fibre can benefit your business at EzineArticles.

    Should you have any queries on fibre in general, contact our sales department at sales@enetworks.co.za or call 0861 55 33 11.

    Tuesday, January 4, 2011

    2011 Technology trends to take note of, plan now, save later ...

    The hardest thing to do post New Year is get into the work groove.

    How can we help? By bringing the top technology trends to take notice of, while you do the hard work, like plan your life and your business.

    We've scrutinized the predictions provided by the following resources, then picked our top 10:
    Our top 10 technology predictions for 2011 are:
    1. Table PCs
      1. With the showcase of 80 new Table PCs at the Consumer Electronics Show, most of them actually run on Windows 7 and have been reviewed to be easier to carry around than laptops and more suited to daily ops one would carry out when on the move.  
    2. Mobile web
      1. Mobile is exploding. We can see this. How? Even users in third world countries without access to computers have mobile phones and then there are the Generation Y's and even these users are getting younger and younger. What should we watch out? Security issues pose a HUGE threat to this booming industry.
    3. Platform-Independent Mobile AD Tools
      1. A common complaint by web development companies is often that they cannot develop applications that would work 100% across all platforms within project time or budget. 
      2. Tools such as Flash, Silverlight and AIR, as well as multiplatform development tools such as Qt, Appcelerator and Java Micro Edition will be used more and more to deliver more stable, cross platform apps.
    4. App stores
      1. App stores are becoming  a vital part of the online ecosystem for users in both personal and business capacities. One of the biggest advantages I have personally used many times, is my directions map when traveling anywhere.
        (We've heard a rumour that Microsoft will launch their own app store soon, lets see how true this is.)
    5. Virtualization or the "Cloud"
      1.  Gone are the days where clunky hardware is require. Rated the no.1 technology (by Gartner) in 2010, the "Cloud" is here to stay. Not only does it reduce the need for actual space, it can save your company thousands annually.
    6. Video
      1.  Although not a new trend, Gartner believes that video will become the mainstream medium for communication with users across platforms.
    7. Social Analytics
      1. "Social analytics describes the process of measuring, analyzing and interpreting the results of interactions and associations among people, topics and ideas."
      2. Why this would be important to your organization is post data collection, identifying relationships and evaluating the impact of managing that relationship directly affects your bottom line.
    8. Social Media
      1. Your audience may not frequent social media for business purposes, but it is becoming a vital tool for business. Information is distilled into bite size which users choose to consume and quick engagement with consumers is now possible.
      2. Use social media to network, collaborate, publish and get feedback.
    9. Touch Screens
      1.  With companies like Sony and HP already in the market with touch screen desktop monitors, we see them becoming the dominant user interface on large-screen handsets as well.
    10. Device-Independent Security
      1. Device-independent security solutions will be developed to help to deliver web applications that run on a range of devices across multiple platforms. This will significantly reducing security risks
    It pays to take notice of these trends, although nothing is set in stone. Happy planning for 2011.

      Sunday, January 2, 2011

      Mobile phones, wireless connectivity and notebooks making this round world flat ..

      In a world of wireless technology, access to .. well anyone is easy. So easy that should you live in a "third-world" country, the ability to wire funds anywhere in the globe is possible as long as you have a mobile phone.

      Add to this working longer hours and anywhere, the world is (I wish I could say it was literally spinning faster since it feels that way sometimes) spinning faster.

      But does technology hamper or enable?

      On the plus side, we can work remotely anywhere in the world. 
      On the minus side, we can work remotely from anywhere in the world. 

      Ironic, isn't it?

      Gone are the days where holidays meant leaving your notebook behind and even when you do, your Smart Phone beeps away as emails are received. At the end of the day, the innate need to be connected or not really lies with the holder of the Smart Phone.

      To iPhone, Android or Blackberry that is the question. Oh and let's not forget Windows?

      Android has overtaken iPhone in market share and although Blackberry offers best value for money in the Smart phone category, Android has managed to take the top spot.

      How to know which make is best for you?

      Personal preference really? Personally, I am an Apple fan, although I have to confess that the HTC gives me a slight stirring. Once you're used to touch screen, I find I assume everything is.

      My coolest find for 2011? Touch screen monitors. 

      For health reasons, it may take off sooner than later. Why? Although most users now have notebooks, we still use a mouse and extended mouse use has been shown to cause Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

      If we've learned anything about technology though is that it enables and makes life more efficient. The trick is to know when not to react to every beep that comes along.




      Oops, have to go (☆◑‿◐).