Nataizya Sikasote, a postgraduate student of the CoE at UCT had the privilege to discuss his research work with senior members of the Jasco group. His research work focuses on utilising machine-to-machine (M2M) communications and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to assist consumers and utility providers in managing energy usage across the electrical grid. Nataizya has recently published a paper entitled “Enabling Scalability in an Energy Management” based on his MSc research. In this paper, he suggests the use of virtualisation, cloud computing and standardised M2M platforms to allow power utilities cope with the ever increasing demand for energy.

The Chief Operating Officer at the Jasco Group, Mark van Vuuren highlighted their commitment to the Telkom CoE as it is an essential component of developing and retaining key skills within South Africa. He further added that Jasco anticipates great things from Nataizya in the future and will be following his career with interest. The support given by Jasco and other industrial partners enables students in the CoE to further their studies by interacting with stakeholders in industry and fellow students from other institutions in South Africa.