4C Group is a leading provider of information technology (IT) services in Africa. Over two decades, we have built up an innovative team of professionals and amassed extensive industry-specific knowledge, allowing us to evolve in close alignment with the unique needs of African enterprises. We are committed to making a positive impact by supporting our customers in their transformative journeys towards economic growth and expansion.
One of our most significant innovations has been our iNSight framework – a software platform designed for enterprises in the telecoms and financial services sectors. Most of our service offerings revolve around this intelligent, scalable and customisable software which ensures high-volume data processing that meets the ever-growing demands of digital businesses.
We have an extensive footprint across Africa, stretching from South Africa to Ethiopia, and while the majority of our customers are in the telecoms and financial services sectors, our software and IT services have the potential to be harnessed by a range of large organisations across various industries.
Below is a comprehensive list of our services. If your company is facing IT challenges or needs assistance with its database management, billing or cyber security, browse our offerings to see how we can help.
4C Group database services
We offer database services and support to enterprise customers including:
- Database configuration – Growing businesses setting up and installing new data environments can rely on 4C Group to create and configure these systems according to industry best practices.
- Database migration – Need to move your data from on-premise servers to the cloud? Our technicians, who have experience in database migration to various cloud service providers, such as Oracle, AWS and Microsoft Azure, will handle this process seamlessly.
- Database administration – Our expert database administrators (DBAs) will oversee your on-premise and cloud environments including round-the-clock monitoring, regular updating, upgrading and patching.
- Database security – Cyber security is a growing concern and experts believe that more than half of all enterprises in South Africa experience cyber attacks every year. Let us help you protect your data and customer information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act.
- Database backup and recovery – Need to back up your data or recover lost or stolen files? We will ensure your information is restored in accordance with an agreed recovery time objective (RTO) and recovery point objective (RPO).
In addition to the database services above, 4C Group also offers hardware support, operating system support, application support and managed services:
- Hardware support – Our engineers are ready to assist in defining your hardware requirements, procuring devices and commissioning your on-premise database. They will also assist with forecasting and the creation of roadmaps, ensuring hardware continues to support your business as it grows.
- Operating system support – Needing to switch from one operating system to another, or perform widescale installations and upgrades on your end devices? 4C Group can assist with these tasks, as well as perform software patches and end-to-end operating system migrations using our extensive knowledge of Windows, Linux, Solaris and Unix systems.
- Application support – 4C Group offers remote monitoring of applications with customised service level agreements (SLAs), as well as optional onsite resources for a physical presence at your location.
- Managed services – Our managed services allow you to focus on your core business while we oversee all the necessary IT requirements on behalf of your company. We offer a single-point, reputable and cost-effective solution for the remote management of daily operational aspects of hardware, operating system, database administration and support.
4C Group fintech services
Fintech encompasses any technology that disrupts traditional financial services models and methods, including mobile money. We provide innovative and secure technology for financial services to telcos and banks with more than 160 million users across the continent.
Using our fintech services, users can deposit, transfer and receive money, or pay bills and withdraw cash from mobile network agents. This service suite includes:
- Payment gateway – An iNSight-powered digital platform that enables mobile money service providers to offer their users access to an expandable range of products and services. Looking for an interconnected payment gateway to external service providers, such as retailers and banks? 4C Group enables companies to integrate the payment gateway services into their operational or business support systems.
- WASP charging gateway – Similar to our payment gateway, this service manages users subscribed via a Wireless Application Service Provider (WASP), which generates revenue by providing premium content that subscribers pay for, such as ringtones and wallpapers.
- Orchestration engine – Enterprises that use fintech need to synchronise data and activities across networks. This connected system needs to communicate seamlessly and securely. Our intelligent orchestration engine automatically collects data from various services and events and curates it into one centralised hub for processing and analysing.
- OpenAPI – Our OpenAPI service allows enterprises to efficiently onboard third-party service providers. This service offers developers an easy way to access documentation, create applications and configure various parameters. It also allows for these third-party apps to be tested and deployed.
- Enterprise transaction switch – This service facilitates the switching of transactions and events between different systems. It can be seen as an enterprise service bus (ESB) or middleware layer that directly links various platforms together, both internally and externally, whilst simultaneously providing a security layer to ensure the integrity of every transaction.
- Credit and loans – Telcos and mobile money service providers often lend money to users. These financial services need to be recorded and tracked to ensure that they are repaid on time. Our iNSight software can predict payment behaviours and assign users a credit score based on their current purchasing behaviour and debt management.
- Partner commissions/brand ambassador – This service allows network operators to reward retailers for registering new SIM cards, thereby encouraging retailers to upsell and cross-sell from a range of value-added services.
Information management services
At 4C Group, we’re focused on making our clients’ data their most valuable asset by reducing their time-to-insight (TTI) so they can make data-driven decisions that positively impact the future of their business.
Information management systems are essential for businesses to operate efficiently. It is the collection of data from any number of sources, the responsible custodianship thereof and ultimately its distribution to business stakeholders and decision-makers.
The process involves raw data collection, transformation and enrichment, storage, processing, analysis, distribution, presentation and decision support. Other considerations include data modelling, retention, archiving, retrieval and accessibility. Our information management services include:
- Information mediation – Enterprises need to collect and distribute large amounts of data whilst providing the necessary controls and functionality to apply and report on unique business metrics. Our mediation services collect data from your network, copy and back it up, and then distribute it to downstream systems for additional processing. It provides guaranteed data delivery from one location to another, with all the necessary integrity checks included along the way.
- Management Information System (MIS) – Enterprises that require a planned system of collecting, storing and distributing processed data to carry out management functions can rely on our iNSight-powered MIS. This system captures data from various internal and external sources and then processes and aggregates it into information that allows management to plan, organise, coordinate, direct and control functionalities at strategic, tactical and operational levels.
- Customer Data Store (CDS) – This service simplifies customer data management by providing a singular customer database that aggregates all data captured when a customer interacts with a business. This data is organised and stored in individual customer profiles, which can then be made accessible to other systems, such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.
Business assurance services
Modern businesses have an insatiable demand for new digital systems, so telcos and other digital services providers need to rapidly scale up operations and speed up innovation to stay competitive. Companies are expected to forge relationships with new partners to create unique digital ecosystems.
With an experienced business assurance partner, telcos can focus on expediting their digital transformation while preventing losses through revenue leakages and incidents of fraud. 4C Group has an established history of supporting African telcos with business assurance solutions that offer greater control through real-time, end-to-end monitoring that reduces revenue leakage and incidents of fraud. We offer the following services:
- Revenue assurance – Revenue assurance allows enterprises to accurately capture and monitor the revenue for their services so they can detect and correct payment or billing errors. Our comprehensive and transparent revenue assurance system uses alerts to flag problem areas, which can then be investigated further to improve profits, revenues and cash flows.
- Fraud management – It’s vital for enterprises to look out for any fraudulent activity occurring on their networks or IT systems. This service uses multiple in-stream fraud alarms to continuously monitor usage and trigger alerts based on specific conditions or patterns. When possible fraud scenarios are detected, all relevant data is summarised and stored. Fraud cases are automatically generated for further investigations.
- Anti-money laundering (AML) – Large companies, especially in the mobile money sector, can sometimes be used as vessels for money laundering. Our AML service identifies and flags suspicious events. Alerts can be used to create custom watchlists or be used in conjunction with existing watchlists. These alerts can be grouped into cases to be investigated further. The findings of the investigations are put into reports which can be used to inform required actions.
4C Group’s business systems
We offer a variety of flexible and secure business systems that enable operational efficiency, enhance customer experience and improve your bottom line. Our systems are both feature-rich and easy to use, providing excellent value for money. Our services include:
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) – CRM systems allow you to manage your interaction with current and potential customers by integrating and automating sales, marketing and customer support. Our CRM system stores every customer or lead and all their contact info, preferences and history. Additionally, it also provides detailed analytical data about a customer’s history that informs your relationship going forward.
- Billing – Managing customer accounts and payments is an extremely complicated process for enterprises, with millions of customers needing to be billed accurately on a monthly basis. Our software ensures high-volume data processing, including detailed billing.
- Interconnect billing – Our system is designed to provide a flexible, scalable and cost-effective system to manage third-party settlements for telcos. It processes events from the various communication service providers and stores them in a relational database, from which financial settlement invoices are generated.
Cyber security services
Africa has a general lack of cyber security skills, leaving many enterprises and small businesses vulnerable to threats. 4C Group offers four foundational cyber security services that will help you understand and prioritise risks, identify and remediate vulnerabilities, and meet compliance requirements. Our services include:
- Risk assessments – Our security experts will help your business identify and prioritise its most critical assets and understand the threats they face by conducting a thorough analysis of your network, systems and applications to determine the level of risk and identify vulnerabilities that need to be addressed.
- Vulnerability management – Any company that relies on a complex IT environment needs to know where potential weaknesses lie within their infrastructure. Vulnerability management is the process of identifying vulnerabilities and managing key risks associated with your software and digital systems.
- Compliance management – Enterprises need to be compliant and adhere to national and international regulations for data protection. Our service maintains IT systems and ensures they conform to regulations and standards, ensuring they perform in a consistent manner to protect valuable data and confidential information.
- User awareness training (UAT) – Employees need to have the knowledge and skills to identify and protect the business from cyber threats. By educating employees about phishing, password security and other best practices, we can help them make better decisions and reduce the risk of a security breach.
This comprehensive guide outlines all of the services on offer by 4C Group. If you’d like to find out more about any of these offerings, please contact us today. Our consultants will be able to answer any questions you may have and provide more information relating specifically to your business and industry.
___
At 4C Group of Companies, we strive to effect operational changes and cost savings for customers through our iNSight product and associated services. This product’s main function is to re-purpose and deliver business-critical information to a variety of systems and stakeholders.
We specialise in information management, business assurance, fintech solutions and a variety of cyber security services. For more insights into our products and services, check out our blog page or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
