Going the distance: Networks Unlimited Africa continues to empower women in technology
As women’s month in South Africa draws to a close, the spotlight has once again been on the empowerment of women across a number of different areas, including in the workplace. Networks Unlimited Africa is playing a role in uplifting women in the IT industry.
Anton Jacobsz, MD at value-added distributor Networks Unlimited Africa, notes: “There was a time in the western world when women were denied the vote: something that thankfully has changed over time. Similarly, an enlightened thinker would hope to see continuing change in a number of areas in the workplace where women continue to remain under-represented, and one such sphere, of course, has traditionally been in the IT industry. Here at Networks Unlimited Africa, we are aware of the need to play a role in transforming the industry and opening as many doors to women as possible.”
Networks Unlimited Africa offers solutions within the converged technology, data centre, networking, and security landscapes, operating throughout Africa. Continues Jacobsz, “We believe that starting education around IT at primary school level is of paramount importance in South Africa, but while this remains a work in progress, business can play a role in the present by offering internships and in this way assisting young people in the workplace. Networks Unlimited Africa has been offering internship programmes across various functions of its business for some years now. We currently have five interns in the company, of whom three are young women. We are pleased that a number of our young students have been placed in further employment afterwards, including a few whom we ourselves have hired and continue to assist with career development.”
One such success story is Pearl Mhlanga, who was recently promoted to junior Fortinet engineer through her certification in Fortinet NSE4. The NSE4 Network Security Professional designation certifies that the candidate has the expertise necessary to manage day-to-day configuration, monitoring and operation of FortiGate devices to support specific corporate network security policies.
Jacobsz clarifies, “Pearl is the first woman in the company to achieve her Fortinet NSE4 certificate. She is focusing on security and specialising in firewalls, anti spam and FortiGate configurations.”
Mhlanga herself adds that she would next like to focus on her CCNA certification. “I am grateful to Networks Unlimited Africa for the opportunities I’ve had to further my career in IT,” she says, “which began when I was first selected for the Networks Unlimited Africa internship programme, after having finished my National Diploma in IT (Business Applications) at the Tshwane University of Technology.
“I have developed a particular interest in security matters because, as the internet evolves, and computer networks become bigger and better, network security has also become an important consideration for companies, due to numerous attacks from hackers. These hackers try to steal vital information from companies and it is the duty of network security teams to protect the company’s information. Therefore, being part of a team that is capable of identifying such critical threats, and making sure that the company’s information is not compromised, has given me great enthusiasm to learn more about network security.”
“Other noteworthy young women in our IT-focused company are to be found in our marketing department, where we have a hard-working team who, between them, liaise with our vendor partners, both locally and internationally, as well as our internal employees, in order to further crucial internal and external communications which are so vital to the ongoing sustainability and growth of the business,” explains Jacobsz. “The knowledge of the IT industry that our marketing team members have gathered between them forms an integral part of the Networks Unlimited Africa business journey.”
“Following on from our recent B-BBEE deal, which was structured earlier this year, Networks Unlimited Africa is now in a position in which around 20 percent of the company is owned by black women. This, in conjunction with our ongoing internal policies and programmes, is an indication of our commitment to the ongoing upliftment of women in the IT industry, with the progression of Pearl Mhlanga since her internship period being a shining example of how business can play a role in empowering women in this sector,” he concludes.
Going the distance: Networks Unlimited Africa continues to empower women in technology https://t.co/553qfAq57p #ArriveAlive #NetworksUnlimitedAfrica pic.twitter.com/iSovbwNcZs
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) August 31, 2018
