Impeccable communication skills ensure a significant advantage in the workplace, as destructive behaviour and poor communication can obstruct business purpose and frustrate personal aspirations.

Isn`t it ironic how multimillion-rand technology is being used to amuse bored children, while truly worthwhile causes cannot deploy even simple applications to make a huge difference?

Last week saw Datatec and Dimension Data report losses, while controversy over the second national telecoms operator continued.

Multimedia messaging has landed, or so they would have you believe.

A year ago only the brave, the skilled or the bored ran Linux as a desktop alternative to the dominant Windows operating system. Today, Linux has come so far that it is no longer a pipedream to imagine the open source office.

AITEC Europe launches today, aimed at showcasing African ICT companies in the hope of attracting foreign investment to Africa. Yet there seems to be little or no support from SA`s Department of Trade and Industry.

Last week saw former Compaq CEO Michael Capellas appointed as chairman and CEO of WorldCom, while Telkom caused controversy with its latest tariff hikes.

Only in the world of open source could an operating system have its own praise singer - and it is one of the reasons that open source is so attractive.

First National Bank doesn`t trust me, which I can understand. But it also doesn`t trust its own employees to exercise self-restraint when it comes to e-mail. And these are the people we trust with our money?

Regional press in particular pays scant attention to business in general, let alone development of niche industry sectors.

Last week`s financial IT highlights included the ongoing Telkom SA/Telcordia fight and Venfin`s $100 million cash injection into Dimension Data.

The Tablet PC is going to be a winner. With its launch today, users are going to be introduced to a whole new paradigm of personal computing.

Last week saw some forward momentum in the second national telecoms operator process.