SA Post Office targets online push
The SA Post Office (Sapo) is upgrading its backbone datacentre infrastructure, applications and network as part of an R800 million “infrastructure refresh project”.
“The project will enable Sapo to provide IT services on both physical and digital channels throughout its network,” said Brighton Tiribabi, acting chief information officer at the SA Post Office.
Tiribabi noted that the project is already underway, and once completed, it will enable customers to transact with the Sapo using digital channels including mobile and internet, and to access products and services online.
Tiribabi said that the Post Office’s Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment (EBPN) product delivers and accepts bills that are not on the average list of predefined beneficiaries on internet banking.
Such bills include the renewal of post boxes, vehicle licenses and accepting the payment of traffic fines using Sapo’s third-party payment solution, among other channels.
BusinessDay recently reported that Sapo would dedicate further resources towards the digitisation of services, citing chief financial officer Khumo Mzozoyana.
“We plan over a three-year term and our IT (information technology) spend is going to be over R800 million to create platforms that will serve our clients and also provide us with an opportunity to innovate,” Mzozoyana said.
Sapo said that its Trust Centre, launched in July 2013, already offers digital signing and encryption for any form of electronic communication, including web sessions and voice over IP protocols.
In December, Sapo selected Escher, a provider of outsourced, point of sale software to the postal industry, to deliver its e-registered mail services, following a “rigorous tender process”.
Through the RiposteTrEx platform, the post office can provide e-registered mail services to the country’s more than 51 million citizens, delivered directly to digital devices.
The platform’s services allow for e-registered mail to be sent in parallel to physical registered mail (“hybrid” mail) as well as for transactions and payments to take place, digitally.
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