E-Business
EMEA 4Q14 x86 Server Spending Increases by Hyperscale Datacenters

As reported in International Data Corporation’s (IDC) EMEA Server Tracker, in the 4th quarter of 2015 the EMEA server market continued to show moderate growth, reporting $3.9 billion in vendor revenue and 625,000 units shipped, for year-on-year growth of 5.0% and -1.6% respectively.
For the full year 2015, vendor revenue was $13.2 billion and 2.6 million server units were shipped, with growth on 2014 of 3.0% and 0.1% respectively.
This trend can be attributed to two main drivers — the weakening dollar that forced average selling prices (ASPs) in local currency higher over the course of 2015, and the continued movement towards richer configurations for compute-intensive workloads.
The prior influencer is prominent when looking at the market in euros; in 4Q15 EMEA reported a slightly improved quarter, with a YoY revenue decline of 7.9%, which was a major improvement when comparing a full year view of 2015 against 2014, when EMEA saw a decrease in vendor revenue of 13.7%. 2015 also saw EMEA report flat unit shipments, a slowdown that can be attributed to the rise in ASPs by U.S.-based vendors earlier this year, as a means of stabilizing dollar revenues in a challenging economic situation. IDC believes that if U.S.-based vendors continue to increase local currency prices, the market might start to see more interest in Asian vendors including ODMs.
The EMEA non-x86 market showed positive growth in 4Q15 when compared to 3Q15, as revenue was up 17.9%, reaching $780 million and driven strongly by CISC machines, which showed double-digit growth (57.6%).
“This growth was pushed by longer refresh cycles, some dating back to 2014, and although this has driven the non-x86 market in 4Q15, larger vendors that play in this market are still seeing a notable decline in annual refresh cycles, a trend that IDC believes will continue into the foreseeable future,” said Giorgio Nebuloni EMEA associate research director, European Infrastructure.
“The x86 market in EMEA has started to see some normalization since the currency impact started to ease, leading to moderate 2.2% growth YoY in vendor revenue, reaching a new record of $3.1 billion, said Andreas Olah, senior research analyst, European Infrastructure. “A large share of this revenue growth has been generated by the construction of new hyperscale datacenters by several global cloud service providers. In addition, the growing hunger for more powerful, mission-critical machines with large memory pools has fueled further ASP increases, especially on the blade side.”.
Regional Highlights
“The strong performance of the x86 server market in Western European this quarter (6.0% YoY) found a lot of impetus from the larger systems product segment, which saw YoY vendor revenue growth of 39.1%, driven strongly by an increasing adoption of Big Data and IoT, which have a thirst for high-availability solutions,” said Eckhardt Fischer, research analyst, European Infrastructure at IDC. Besides the larger systems market, Western Europe also saw the x86 density optimized segment break the $300 million vendor revenue mark, for YoY growth of 30.2%. A huge achievement as more and more of the enterprise market finds its way to the cloud, driving the buildout of the larger datacenters.
“Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEMA) server revenue continued to decline in the last quarter of 2015,” said Jiri Helebrand, research manager, IDC CEMA. “Indeed, revenue fell by 5.5% to $891.83 million on the back of weaker demand for x86 servers. In contrast, non-x86 sales recorded 10.8% year-over-year growth driven by IBM z Systems refresh cycle.
“The Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) subregion declined 4.6% year-over-year, with revenue of $475.59 million. The Russian market continued to underperform, while Poland, the Czech Republic, and Romania observed double-digit growth thanks to improving economic conditions and delivery of HPC deals. The Middle East and Africa (MEA) subregion declined 6.5% year-over-year to $416.24 million as IT projects were scaled backed due to the unfavorable economic situation impacted by falling oil prices. Despite the negative business sentiment in the region, Turkey recorded double-digit growth driven by demand from telecommunications and finance verticals”.
E-Business
Kaspersky Reveals a New Malicious Framework Targeting Cryptocurrency Users with the Use of OkoSpyware

At its recent annual Cyber Security Weekend for the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa (META) region, Kaspersky Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) shared insights about the new OkoBot campaign targeting cryptocurrency users.

The new sophisticated framework employs TookPS to exfiltrate seed phrases and uses a new OkoSpyware module to monitor Chromium-based browsers and deploy various malware strains, including the Rilide stealer.
It has already targeted hundreds of victims across over 25 countries, with the highest number of affected end users recorded in Brazil, Vietnam, Canada, Mexico and Turkiye. According to Kaspersky experts, the threat remains active and primarily poses a risk to cryptocurrency users.
In January 2026, experts from the Kaspersky Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) identified multiple attacks involving a previously unknown malware capable of capturing the contents of cryptocurrency wallet windows. Dubbed Okobot, the new sophisticated malware framework comprises more than 20 malicious payloads and implants designed to perform a wide range of functions, including collecting local files, executing remote commands, downloading arbitrary browser extensions, stealing cryptocurrency wallets, harvesting seed phrases and credentials, recording video and carrying out other malicious activities.
One of the new implants used in the campaign is a loader that modifies browser memory to load and hide malicious extensions. OkoBot also includes a new OkoSpyware module, which captures keystrokes and the video stream of a target application’s window.
Currently available information does not allow the campaign to be attributed to any known crimeware actor with high confidence. However, the techniques and infostealer involved are widely used by Russian-speaking threat actors, and technical analysis has also revealed code artifacts in Russian.
The initial infection typically occurs through two main vectors: ClickFix attacks, in which threat actors use social engineering to trick users into running malicious code, and malware distributed via GitHub under the guise of legitimate software. During the investigation, researchers identified one such case involving a fake installer for SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), a widely used Microsoft database management tool.
The malicious framework includes SeedHunter, a malware component that monitors active system processes and injects an implant into Trezor Suite, Ledger Wallet, and Ledger Live, – official applications used to manage cryptocurrency assets. When it detects a connected Trezor or Ledger hardware wallet, it triggers the hooked functions to display a hard-coded phishing page aimed at stealing the user’s seed phrase, using a distinct layout for each wallet type.
“The OkoBot campaign has been active for more than a year and remained ongoing as of July 2026. The observed infection vectors strongly suggest that developers are among its primary targets. Of particular concern is the malware’s continued evolution, which indicates that the framework is being actively maintained. As distribution efforts persist, the campaign has the potential to reach more users and expand into additional countries in the near term,” says Dmitry Galov, Head of the Russia and CIS unit at Kaspersky Global Research and Analysis Team.
E-Business
Firm to recruit over 100 professionals to boost NRS e-Invoicing compliance

Afri Invoice, one of Nigeria’s leading accredited e-invoicing service providers, has announced plans to recruit more than 100 professionals nationwide to strengthen support for the Nigeria Revenue Service’s (NRS) mandatory e-invoicing compliance programme.

The recruitment campaign, is aimed at expanding the company’s workforce to meet the growing demand for digital tax infrastructure and help businesses transition smoothly to the country’s evolving e-invoicing regime.
According to the company, the new positions will be spread across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones to ensure businesses receive timely, localised support as they adapt to the new tax compliance framework.
The vacancies cut across several key departments, including Information Technology (IT), Marketing and Digital Marketing, Audit, Legal, Human Resources and multi-site office operations.
Afri Invoice said applicants are expected to possess relevant professional experience, particularly in managing operations across multiple locations and supporting organisational growth.
The company explained that the latest recruitment drive builds on a similar exercise conducted last year, which significantly expanded its operational reach and increased its capacity to onboard clients nationwide.
With the NRS intensifying the implementation of mandatory e-invoicing, Afri Invoice said it is investing in additional manpower to ensure uninterrupted service delivery, efficient client onboarding and expert technical support for businesses of all sizes.
Speaking on the expansion, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Afri Invoice, Mark Odenore, said the company remains committed to helping Nigerian businesses comply with the new tax regulations through innovative technology and professional support.
“As the national drive toward comprehensive e-invoicing gathers momentum under the Nigeria Revenue Service, our mission is to ensure that Nigerian businesses have a reliable, accredited partner to navigate this transition effortlessly,” Odenore said.
He added that recruiting more than 100 professionals across the country’s geopolitical zones would significantly strengthen the company’s ability to provide quality technology solutions and customer support nationwide.
Interested and qualified candidates have been encouraged to submit their applications through Afri Invoice’s official careers portal.
Afri Invoice is an accredited e-invoicing service provider that offers digital solutions designed to simplify financial processes, improve tax transparency and support businesses in complying with national tax regulations while enhancing supply chain and financial management.
E-Business
CMS T&M Launches TMO Rides to Enable a Faster & Cashless Transport Experience for CMS – Ajah Passengers

CMS Transport Management (CMS T&M), one of Lagos’ longest-standing and most trusted transport operators, officially launches a new service known as TMO Rides.

This new initiative is designed to simplify the daily commute by introducing seamless cashless payments for passengers across its bus network.
For over 58 years, CMS T&M has played a significant role in moving millions of passengers daily along the CMS – Ajah routes through its fleet of high-capacity buses popularly.
The launch of TMO Rides marks another milestone in the company’s journey toward building a smarter, more efficient transport experience.
Through the initiative, passengers will have access to TMO Cards for a seamless transport. This is more exciting because TMO launches with 2 consecutive apps.
These apps help to eliminate the need for cash transactions while reducing boarding delays and create a more convenient experience for passengers.
Beyond introducing digital fare payments, the initiative reflects CMS T&M’s broader commitment to modernize public transportation through innovation, operational efficiency and improved customer experience.
CMS T&M operates within Nigeria’s regulated transport ecosystem as a registered member of the BRT Association of Nigeria (BRTAN), where it is also an equity stakeholder, reinforcing its commitment to a cooperative-driven transport system.
The company is equally registered with the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), the agency responsible for planning, regulating and franchising public transportation in Lagos State, and is also a member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) that promotes safe and organized road transport operations.
Speaking on the launch, Andy, Managing Director of CMS T&M, said: “For nearly six decades, our focus has remained the same, which is moving people safely and efficiently.
“As the transportation needs of Lagos continue to evolve, we must evolve with them. TMOx Rider is about making everyday commuting easier by giving our passengers a faster, more convenient way to pay while improving the overall travel experience.
“This launch represents another important step in our commitment to building a smarter, more accessible transport system for everyone.”
The launch of TMO Rides forms part of CMS T&M’s long-term vision of embracing technology to improve public transportation without compromising the trust and consistency the passengers have relied on for generations.
The cashless payment infrastructure empowering TMO Rides is enabled by Treepz, whose mobility technology supports digital fare collection and operational efficiency.
By providing the technology behind the initiative, Treepz is helping CMS T&M expand access to modern, seamless transportation while advancing a shared vision of making everyday mobility more connected, convenient and accessible across Lagos.
Visit our website: https://www.cmstaxiandmotor.com/
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