Author name: itserviceafrica

As we enter 2025, technology continues to be the backbone of professional and personal life. However, poorly managed devices—whether in a corporate IT setup or a family ecosystem—can create unexpected costs beyond dollars and cents. Here’s what you need to watch out for: 1. Productivity Drains For Your Organization: Employees struggling with outdated, slow, or unsecured devices waste hours on what should be seamless tasks, which compounds into significant output losses. For Your Family: When personal devices are cluttered or prone to crashes, simple tasks like online learning or managing household schedules become frustrating hurdles. 2. Security Breaches For Your Organization: Poor device management is a hacker’s playground. Weak updates, unauthorized apps, and untracked devices open doors to data leaks, lawsuits, and reputational damage. For Your Family: Personal photos, financial information, and even smart home systems are at risk if devices lack proper security protocols. 3. Financial Costs For Your Organization: Neglecting preventive maintenance often results in frequent device replacements and inflated IT expenses. For Your Family: Failing to manage warranties, backups, and updates can lead to avoidable expenses like data recovery or new purchases. 4. Emotional Stress For Everyone: Whether it’s an employee struggling to meet deadlines due to tech hiccups or a parent trying to fix a frozen laptop during family movie night, the frustration is real—and unnecessary. 5. Environmental Impact For Organizations and Families alike: Improper device disposal and excessive replacements contribute to e-waste, a pressing global challenge. Solutions for 2025 and Beyond Embrace smarter device management to save time, money, and peace of mind, ensuring your 2025 is smooth and secure, whether you’re running a company, a household, or just your own space.

1. Nigeria’s Digital Renaissance: Government Drives Tech Education In a strategic move to position Nigeria as a global tech hub, the Federal Government has doubled down on initiatives aimed at empowering young Nigerians with the skills to thrive in the digital age. By investing in technology training programs and fostering a conducive environment for innovation, the government is fueling the nation’s digital transformation. Through a variety of programs, the government is equipping young Nigerians with the necessary skills in software development, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and data science. These initiatives are designed to bridge the digital divide and create a skilled workforce capable of driving economic growth. The government’s commitment to tech education is evident in its partnerships with both public and private sector organizations. By collaborating with tech giants, startups, and educational institutions, the government is leveraging expertise and resources to enhance the quality of training programs. As Nigeria continues to invest in its digital infrastructure and foster a culture of innovation, it is poised to become a leading player in the global tech scene. The government’s focus on youth development and technology education will undoubtedly play a crucial role in shaping the country’s future. 2. Huawei Launches Local Cloud Service in Nigeria Huawei, a global technology leader, has made a significant stride in its African expansion strategy by launching its local cloud service in Nigeria. This strategic move aims to provide enhanced data sovereignty, reduced latency, and tailored support for local businesses. By establishing a local cloud region, Huawei empowers Nigerian organizations to store and process data within the country’s borders. This not only ensures greater data security but also accelerates application performance and improves user experience. Additionally, the local cloud service offers flexible and scalable solutions to meet the diverse needs of businesses of all sizes. Huawei’s commitment to Nigeria is evident through its investments in local infrastructure and talent development. By offering world-class cloud services, Huawei is contributing to Nigeria’s digital transformation and economic growth.  3. Nigerian Police Busts Fraudsters Linked to Flutterwave The Nigerian Police Force has recently arrested several individuals suspected of fraudulent activities linked to Flutterwave, a popular Nigerian fintech company. The arrests were made following an investigation into a previous security breach that resulted in significant financial losses. Law enforcement authorities are actively pursuing 601 additional suspects believed to have benefited from the proceeds of the fraudulent activities. These individuals are suspected of receiving funds from fraudulent transactions processed through Flutterwave’s platform. This incident highlights the increasing prevalence of cybercrime and the importance of robust security measures to protect digital platforms. Both Flutterwave and Nigerian authorities are working to address the issue and ensure the safety of users’ financial information. 4. BNI to Host Seminar on Leveraging Tech for Business Growth Business Network International (BNI) is set to host a seminar focused on the power of technology in driving business growth and global expansion. The event, themed “Leveraging Technologies for Business Growth and Global Expansion,” will take place on December 13, 2024, in Lagos. The seminar will feature industry experts who will share insights and best practices on how businesses can harness technology to improve efficiency, increase competitiveness, and reach new markets. Attendees can expect to learn about the latest technological trends, digital marketing strategies, and cybersecurity best practices. By providing a platform for networking and knowledge sharing, BNI aims to empower businesses to thrive in the digital age. This seminar is an excellent opportunity for business owners and entrepreneurs to gain valuable insights and connect with like-minded individuals.  5. NITDA Warns of Grandoreiro Banking Malware Threat The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has issued a warning to the public about a new cybersecurity threat posed by the Grandoreiro banking malware. This sophisticated malware is capable of targeting various banking applications and stealing sensitive financial information. NITDA advises individuals to be cautious of suspicious emails, SMS messages, and phone calls, as these are often used to distribute malicious links and attachments. The agency recommends taking the following precautions to protect oneself from cyberattacks: 6. Moniepoint Warns Nigerians Against Sharing Account Details Mr. Babatunde Olofin, the Managing Director of Moniepoint Microfinance Bank, has issued a stern warning to Nigerians about the dangers of sharing their account details publicly, particularly during the festive season. Olofin emphasized the importance of safeguarding personal financial information to prevent cybercriminals from exploiting vulnerabilities. He urged Nigerians to be cautious and avoid sharing sensitive details on social media platforms or with strangers. The warning comes as cybercrime continues to rise, with fraudsters employing increasingly sophisticated techniques to steal personal information and financial resources. By exercising caution and avoiding sharing sensitive information, individuals can significantly reduce their risk of falling victim to cyberattacks. 7. Google’s Pichai Forecasts a Potential AI Slowdown In a recent interview, Google CEO Sundar Pichai offered a sobering prediction about the future pace of generative AI advancements. While acknowledging the rapid strides made in the field, Pichai suggested that the industry may experience a period of consolidation and refinement in 2025. Pichai’s assessment is rooted in the belief that many of the foundational breakthroughs in generative AI have already been achieved. As the technology matures, future advancements may be more incremental, focusing on improving the performance and efficiency of existing models. Despite this anticipated slowdown, Pichai remains optimistic about the long-term potential of AI. He emphasized the importance of responsible AI development and the need for careful consideration of the ethical implications of these powerful technologies.  As AI continues to evolve, it is crucial to strike a balance between innovation and safety. By addressing potential risks and biases, we can ensure that AI is used for the benefit of humanity. 8. Elon Musk’s xAI Secures $6 Billion in Series B Funding Elon Musk’s ambitious AI venture, xAI, has achieved another major milestone by successfully closing its Series B funding round, raising a substantial $6 billion. This significant investment underscores the growing importance of AI and the immense potential of xAI’s innovative technologies. The fresh capital

Written by: Justina Nwokedi and Edited by: Joshua Babatope Is your laptop running slower than usual? Using a laptop moving at a snail’s pace can be frustrating as it affects your work productivity – it can take you hours to get done with what can be done in 30 minutes. If your computer is experiencing a slow, here are some top fixes to help you get your laptop back up to speed. 10 Simple Ways To Fix a Sluggish Laptop While surfing the net you notice that most times your laptop slows down. If this happens consistently, you have to consider optimizing your web browser. More so, regularly clearing cache, cookies and browser history can help resolve the issue of your laptop slowing down while browsing the internet. At the same time, always disable unnecessary plugins and browser extensions consuming system resources. Click here for more device optimization tips. We are always reluctant to update our operating system and software because we feel it takes time. Because of this, we quickly look for the  “remind me later” option, and it takes us days, weeks, and even months before we update our system software. Here’s the risk – Outdated operating systems and software can cause performance issues. Verify that the applications and operating systems on your laptop are up to date. Install updates as soon as they’re released and make sure to check for them often. Read more on how to set up your operating system. Your laptop may slow down if it has insufficient RAM, especially if you’re using many apps at once. If you want to enhance multitasking and general performance, consider boosting your RAM. Most of us are guilty of this act – it takes most active PC users ages to clean up their device’s Hard drive. The performance of your laptop might be significantly affected by an overloaded hard drive. To make disc space available, remove temporary files, pointless files, and unwanted applications. You can save time by automating this process. Consider using a disc cleanup solution for automation. Launching multiple programs at once is something we enjoy doing, right? But, here’s the fact: The boot time of your laptop may be slowed down if it has too many programs set to run at startup. However, to increase boot time and utmost laptop performance, disable pointless startup programs. Moreso, use the System Configuration tool or Task Manager to accomplish this. Another way to fix a laptop moving at a snail’s pace is optimizing performance by adjusting the power settings on your laptop. To make sure your laptop is performing at its best, switch to a high-performance power plan. The files on your hard disc may become scattered over time due to frequent use; this means that the files are not kept in a continuous sequence but rather in separate locations. A Laptop’s performance may be slowed down by this fragmentation. Your operating system’s built-in disc defragmentation programme can help you with this problem. By rearranging fragmented data on your hard disc, this utility enhances performance by efficiently organizing it. If your laptop is still using a traditional hard disc drive (HDD), think about switching to a solid-state drive (SSD). SSDs can greatly enhance overall performance, and provide faster read/write speeds. Make sure your laptop is regularly virus- and malware-free. Using reputable antivirus software to do a thorough system check and identify and eliminate any dangerous programs that might be slowing down your device is one approach to achieve this. If none of the aforementioned fixes resolve the issue, you might need to do a system restore to get your laptop back to its optimal condition. Before you begin with a system restore, make sure you have a backup of your most important files. Conclusion In conclusion, implementing these ten practical solutions can help restore your laptop to peak performance. After attempting these fixes, if your performance problems persist, it might be time to speak with an expert IT technician like IT Service Desk Africa to help you get your laptop moving at lightning speed.