Brands/Products
Zoho Unveils Unified Communications Platform Zoho Trident
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A unified Communications platform and native desktop app that unifies mail, messages, audio/video calls, calendar, tasks, and more in one place called Zoho Trident has been introduced by a leading global technology company, Zoho Corporation.
This application has been added to the Zoho Workplace to strengthen the unified office platform, which combines collaboration, productivity, and communications tools.
Zoho Workplace is available in three editions: Standard, which costs N780 per /user/ month billed annually; Professional, which costs N1,560 per /user/month billed annually; and Zoho Mail, which costs N260 per /user/month billed annually.
The Zoho Workplace is now a flexible, full-featured business mail and cloud office suite that is built on a common data model and unified through search and AI, enabling users to operate collaboratively and seamlessly through applications.
“In the past year, Zoho Workplace adoption has accelerated as businesses of all sizes transition to digital-forward, hybrid work. With a clear focus on continued innovation, Zoho is well-positioned to thrive during this time of readjustment.
“The goal of Zoho Workplace is to enable businesses to unify their work to a point where the line between apps disappears. It is heartening to see so many new businesses join the Zoho family, using Zoho Workplace as their customizable center of gravity,” the Country Head for Zoho Nigeria, Kehinde Seun Ogundare.
Zoho Workplace has grown 30 per cent year-over-year with a rapidly expanding global user base of over 16 million, Workplace continues to revolutionize the way teams work together.
Workplace is among the top five products in Nigeria where it has seen a growth of 106 per cent. There has been an increase in the number of migrations to Zoho from notable tech companies such as Namecheap.
The predominant industries driving this trend are Finance, IT, FinTech, Retail, Non-IT Professional, Other Orgs and Services.
The growth is attributed to increasing business demand for simplified, streamlined solutions that maintain utmost standards for user privacy as well as rising costs from other collaboration platform providers. Additionally, migrations from Google, Microsoft and GoDaddy to Zoho Workplace almost doubled in 2022 globally.
Zoho continues to enhance its suite of workplace products with new features aimed at improving collaboration, productivity, and communication.
Furthermore, Zoho Voice is now fully integrated within Zoho Cliq and Zoho Meeting, allowing employees to make direct line calls, send SMS messages, and pick up inbound calls across the apps.
In addition, Zoho Webinar within Zoho Meeting enables businesses to broadcast to thousands of attendees, engage with them using polls and Q&As, and present virtually without sharing their screen.
Zoho has also introduced BluePencil, an AI-based grammar tool with a text editor that can be used on any third-party webpage. Universal Drag and Drop functionality saves time by letting users move files between products with a simple drag-and-drop.
With a focus on security, Zoho has added Mobile Device Management capabilities and OTP-restricted emails to its workplace suite. Lastly, TrueSync has been added to Zoho Workdrive, removing hard drive storage limits and allowing users to access and make changes to their files locally and in the cloud.
“The new Zoho Workplace announcements show a deep commitment to creating choice in the digital productivity sector with a broad, integrated suite that continues to innovate,” said Dion Hinchcliffe, VP and Principal Analyst of Constellation Research, adding, “the improvements to unified communications, the addition of high-performance native functionality, improved security, and the addition of new AI capabilities keep Zoho Workplace in the uppermost echelon of productivity suites in my analysis. Zoho Workplace with its newest applications Trident, Webinar within Zoho Meetings and Phone systems within Zoho Cliq and Zoho Meetings is helping users do their jobs more efficiently and effectively.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
To make finding the right service provider or reaching the right customer seamless, popular local information portal, Connect Nigeria, has introduced a Quote Request platform.
Connect Nigeria described the new system as “a digital solution designed to make connecting with service providers faster, easier, and more reliable.”
It said the Quote Request was built for consumers who need services quickly and want trusted options without the stress of searching endlessly; and service providers and businesses looking for real, high-intent customers without spending heavily on marketing.
“Whether you need a caterer for an event, a plumber for your home, or a designer for your brand, the platform is designed to connect you with the right people,” Connect Nigeria added.
“By connecting demand directly with supply, the platform creates a more structured and dependable marketplace,” it further stated.
At its core, the Quote Request simplifies the entire process of finding and offering services.
To use the service, users have to submit a request describing the service or product needed, which is then sent to verified vendors on the platform. Interested providers respond within 1–2 days, and users compare offers and choose what works best for their needs and budget.
“Instead of searching for vendors, the vendors come to you, with relevant, tailored responses,” Connect Nigeria explained.
The company expects this new platform to eliminate the stress of endless online searches, delayed or vague responses, and uncertainty about service quality.
As for businesses, it solves poor visibility, inconsistent customer flow, and lost opportunities due to slow response times.
Connect Nigeria Quote Request mobile app is now available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
An institutional investor, First Ally Capital, has strengthened a leading Nigerian financial technology company, Mathesis Analytics, to scale its proprietary credit decisioning infrastructure.
It made this possible by injecting fresh capital into the firm, which specialises in AI-powered credit decisioning infrastructure, an action that will directly support the growth and scaling of Mathesis’ core mission of providing the intelligence and infrastructure needed to bridge the credit gap for millions of unscored or underscored individuals across Nigeria.
With this investment, Mathesis will enable financial institutions to confidently assess and extend credit to borrowers who lack a formal credit history by leveraging an expanded pool of alternative behavioural and transactional data.
To date, Mathesis’ systems have supported more than 8 million loans for over 2 million unique borrowers in Nigeria, and the company is actively deploying its infrastructure to establish a growing pan-African footprint.
With the investment from First Ally Capital, Mathesis is well positioned to transform how the credit ecosystem operates, driving financial inclusion in partnership with lenders across the continent.
A significant barrier to credit access in Nigeria, which prides itself on being Africa’s largest economy, is data fragmentation. Borrowers frequently build positive financial behaviours across multiple digital platforms by repaying microfinance loans, saving through fintech wallets, or servicing Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) facilities.
However, under traditional credit infrastructure, these achievements remain invisible to new lenders.
Mathesis addresses this challenge through the concept of Personal Equity—the quantified expression of an individual’s financial behaviour aggregated across every institution with which they have transacted.
By translating these disparate signals into a precise, portable measure of creditworthiness, Mathesis creates a comprehensive credit identity that reflects the full breadth of a person’s financial life.
“True financial inclusion cannot be achieved in a vacuum; it requires structural collaboration in which lenders and fintech companies work as partners within the ecosystem.
“This investment from First Ally Capital validates our approach to reshaping credit infrastructure. By quantifying Personal Equity, we empower lenders to safely look beyond the constraints of formal credit histories and recognise a borrower’s true creditworthiness. This capital enables us to accelerate our pan-African expansion while maintaining the robust, institutional-grade infrastructure our partners rely on,” the chief executive of Mathesis Analytics, Winston Osuchukwu, stated.
On his part, the chief executive of First Ally Capital, Mr Ebenezer Olufowose, said, “At First Ally Capital, we pride ourselves on being a one-stop destination for financial solutions, offering a diverse portfolio of services ranging from investment banking and asset management to trusteeship, inclusive banking, and real estate.
“Our investment in Mathesis Analytics reflects our strong belief in the company’s vision and our commitment to supporting forward-thinking enterprises that deliver excellence.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The chief executive of Canal+ Africa, Mr David Mignot, has disclosed that MultiChoice is now fully integrated into the media group.
Mr Mignot disclosed this via a statement issued on Thursday, noting that this development marks a new phase in the evolution of one of Africa’s leading pay television operators.
He noted that the integration positions MultiChoice within a global media organisation with an extensive international footprint.
“MultiChoice is now a full subsidiary of a truly international media group operating in 70 countries. The group was founded in France, is listed in London and Johannesburg, and has a strong African presence with operations in more than 45 countries,” Mr Mignot said.
The statement underscores the scale of the combined business, highlighting Canal+’s global reach alongside its significant investments across Africa.
The completion of the transaction is expected to strengthen MultiChoice’s position in the African media and entertainment market by giving it access to the broader resources, expertise and international capabilities of the Canal+ Group, while reinforcing the group’s commitment to the continent.
MultiChoice operates across sub-Saharan Africa through platforms including DStv and GOtv, serving millions of subscribers with entertainment, sports and news content.
