Johannesburg, 09 Feb 2026
Obsidian Systems will take the stage as a sponsor and exhibitor at Digital Retail Africa 2026, where it will demonstrate how retailers can future-proof their operations with resilient edge infrastructure and virtualised retail environments.
The event takes place on 26 February 2026 at the Southern Sun Cape Sun in Cape Town and brings together executives from Clicks Group, TFG, Superbalist, Pepkor, Massmart, Absa Group, and other major players navigating what organisers describe as the “New Age of Retail: Innovation, Engagement, and Experience.”
At its exhibition stand, Obsidian will showcase a practical retail scenario built on Penguin Solutions’ Stratus ztC Edge and ztC Endurance platforms, combined with ThinLinc remote access technology.
The live demonstrations will focus on how retailers can deliver always-on, secure digital experiences across stores, distribution environments, and remote teams, even in conditions of power instability and bandwidth constraints.
Retailers across South Africa are under mounting pressure. Footfall is unpredictable. Customer expectations are shaped by global e-commerce platforms. Infrastructure failures, whether due to load shedding, connectivity loss, or ageing on-site systems, directly translate into lost revenue and reputational damage.
“Retail has become a real-time business,” says Muggie van Staden, CEO of Obsidian Systems. “If your point-of-sale systems fail, if your inventory systems go offline, or if your customer experience tools are unavailable, the impact is immediate. What we are demonstrating at Digital Retail Africa is not abstract innovation. It is infrastructure that keeps trading environments operational when conditions are less than ideal.”
The showcased solution centres on consolidating retail workloads onto fault-tolerant edge platforms designed for high availability. In practice, this means branch systems that continue operating seamlessly if one component fails, without requiring specialist intervention or lengthy recovery processes. For retailers operating across distributed locations, that resilience can significantly reduce downtime risk.
ThinLinc adds a second dimension. By virtualising retail applications, staff can securely access core systems from thin clients, tablets, or standard laptops, while processing and data remain centralised and protected. This architecture enables consistent user experiences across stores and reduces reliance on high-specification endpoint devices.
In a retail environment increasingly shaped by hybrid teams, remote support, and digital collaboration, that flexibility matters.
“Retail innovation is often framed around customer-facing technology. But the real differentiator sits underneath. Reliable infrastructure, secure remote access, and centralised control are what allow retailers to experiment with new engagement models without risking operational stability.”
Digital Retail Africa 2026 will explore themes including innovation, customer engagement, and digital experience. Obsidian’s contribution focuses squarely on the foundation required to support those ambitions.
Retail executives attending the event will be able to engage directly with Obsidian’s technical team, explore live demonstrations, and discuss how resilient edge computing and secure virtual environments can be applied to store networks, fulfilment centres, and distributed retail operations.
For retailers preparing for 2026 and beyond, the conversation is shifting. It is no longer only about digital front ends. It is about ensuring the systems behind them do not fail when customers are ready to transact.
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