SUPPLEMENT | February 2018
Enabling the cloud ecosystem
Defining Welcome to Change the digital mindset the intelligent edge and the channel
Microsoft Partner Network It’s not what you have, it’s what you do with it. When you’re the only ICT company firmly rooted in SA that can offer tailor-made, customer-centred solutions, you need to stay on top of your game. And nothing demonstrates this more than offering solutions that resolve pain points, meet specific business challenges and help you extract better value from Microsoft products.
That ICT company has been named the 2017 Microsoft Consulting Partner of the Year. Editor’s note Credits
PUBLISHER Jovan Regasek EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Ranka Jovanovic EDITOR Adrian Hinchcliffe PROJECT MANAGER Simon Foulds CONTRIBUTING WRITERS James Francis, Dave Glazier, Adam Oxford, It’s not what you have, Tamsin Oxford, James van den Heever, Rodney t’s with a feeling of excitement and Weidemann nervousness that I write this editor’s it’s what you do with it. DESIGN Zack Hoosen Inote welcoming you, dear reader, to the PHOTOGRAPHY Chris Anderson, first edition of Brainstorm αlpha, the new Julian Goldswain, supplement from the Brainstorm team. When you’re the only ICT company firmly rooted in SA that can Karolina Komendera, First off, we need to say this isn’t a rebrand Paul McGavin, Mike Turner offer tailor-made, customer-centred solutions, you need to stay of our long-running Special Focus, which BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Caryn Berman on top of your game. And nothing demonstrates this more than DIRECTOR: PRINT [email protected] takes an indepth look at an ICT company, its offering solutions that resolve pain points, meet specific business MEDIA SPECIALIST Carmel Singh strategy, technology offerings and general challenges and help you extract better value from Microsoft products. [email protected] go-to-market. Nor is it a replacement for SENIOR ACCOUNT & Carrie-Ann Waldeck the occasional Special Report publications SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER [email protected] that we produce focusing on a specific That ICT company has been named the 2017 Microsoft Consulting Partner technology area. Both of these titles are still very much part of the Brainstorm stable. of the Year. PRODUCTION MANAGER Sindiso Khupe Brainstorm αlpha is something new. It’s designed to showcase excellence from a DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT Nikola Djuricanin, variety of local companies delivering technology. We chose the name Brainstorm αlpha Ana Golijanin because we wanted to produce a publication featuring companies that were leaders in their field, had a drive to succeed and were shaping the local ICT environment. This PUBLISHED BY ITWeb Limited publication provides a platform for us to tell the stories of companies doing amazing www.itweb.co.za work for customers and helping move South African organisations into the digital world. 326 Rivonia Boulevard, Rivonia, 2128 There are many local tech companies out there that are doing great things and don’t PO Box 2785, Rivonia, get the media coverage they deserve. Brainstorm αlpha gives us the opportunity to work 2128 with a major vendor, understand which of their partners are excelling in their chosen field Tel: +27 (0)11 807-3294 and then bring them to the attention of you, our valued readership. Fax: +27 (0)11 807-2020 In this first edition, we’ve worked with Microsoft and have been guided as to which WEB www.brainstormmag.co.za companies to feature as they are all winners from Microsoft’s 2017 partner network SUBSCRIPTIONS [email protected] awards, which was themed ‘head in the cloud’. ADVERTISING [email protected] In the upfront section, we’ve interviewed key members of the local Microsoft team. PRINTING Novus Print Solutions These articles provide an understanding of how digital transformation is infiltrating Microsoft’s strategy, the organisation itself, its culture, ecosystem and technology. Of Copyright © 2018 by ITWeb Limited. All rights reserved. No part of course, this transformation isn’t just limited to Microsoft or its partners, but also to this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without customers and, in fact, all businesses operating in the modern world. The publication then the prior written permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed in transitions to provide you with articles about each of the award winners, and the fantastic this publication are not necessarily those of the editors, publisher, or advertisers. work they’ve been undertaking in order to win the best in category award. There are plenty of stories of innovation and excellence by South African companies in these pages. I hope you find the featured companies and their stories insightful and interesting, To access the additional content in our and the publication provides you with a glimpse of some of the local talent working hard digital versions (iPad, Android and/or PDF), to transition South African organisations into the digital arena. scan the QR code or visit http://books.itweb.co.za/brainstorm Happy reading
Adrian Hinchcliffe Editor WELCOME TO THE INTELLIGENT EDGE 22 The hub of the digital world may be the cloud, but it’s no longer necessary to stand at the centre if you want its benefits. Contents By James Francis FOCUSED ON CLOUD DELIVERY 28 Digital transformation is on the minds of every major IT’S ALL ABOUT THE business today, and cloud is ECOSYSTEM the centrepiece of this new, 04 Microsoft’s strategy for digitally transformed business promoting and enabling digital landscape. transformation ultimately rests By Rodney Weidemann on its willingness and ability to collaborate with partners and COMPLETE CONTROL customers. If you haven’t moved your By James van den Heever 29 business to the cloud, then this winner will do it for you. CHANGE AND THE By Tamsin Oxford CHANNEL 10 Microsoft’s partners are HEAD INTO THE CLOUD facing disruption as they must The cloud can now be home digitally transform themselves 30 to everything, even an entire as well as their customers in enterprise’s technology. order to remain relevant. By James Francis By Adrian Hinchcliffe BEATING THE BLACK DEFINING THE DIGITAL FRIDAY BLUES MINDSET 31 When the deals went up, for 16 The success of digital some of South Africa’s largest transformation relies as online retailers the sites went much on the culture of down. Tangent Solutions the organisation as it does wants to change that, as well on strategic investment in as how we interact with the technology. sites. By Tamsin Oxford By Adam Oxford
Brainstorm αlpha AGILE, FROM END-TO- END 34 Mint Management Technologies has been pushing cloud-based transformation in key sectors. By Dave Glazier
EVOLVING THE AD MEN ON-PREMISE IS BACK IN With a focus on the BUSINESS 35 advertising industry, Chase 42 The cloud doesn’t signal the Software has taken the end of datacentres. It brings Microsoft Dynamics 365 new opportunities for on- and Azure platforms, and is premise. exporting to the world. By James Francis By Dave Glazier DEFINING THE DATA THINK SOLUTION, NOT ENABLING EFFICIENCY DIVIDE LICENCE Still chasing paper? There’s 43 Harnessing the power 50 In a digitally transforming 36 an app for that. of big data to improve world, all aspects of By Tamsin Oxford decision-making is one of technology are forcibly the key tenets of digital evolving, and software NURTURING transformation. But it’s not an licensing is no different. KNOWLEDGE easy task to get right. By Rodney Weidemann 37 Technology is nothing By Tamsin Oxford without the skills to apply and STAYING AHEAD OF enable it. ADOPTING THE AGE OF THE CURVE By Simon Foulds IDENTITY 51 Certifying employees via 46 Security and identity are digital instruction is paving PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM inseparable, opening a the way for the upskill of Assisting clients adapt in a world of new technology employees throughout Africa. 39 digitally transforming world. opportunities. By Simon Foulds By Rodney Weidemann By James Francis ENABLING THE CLOUD BE THE CHANGE CONSUMERS IN THE ECOSYSTEM To help others get through CLOUD 52 Astel Systems pivoted from 41 the process of transformation, 47 Consumer software licensing telecoms to cloud and is you must first take the is evolving, but it’s taking a already making a big impact journey yourself. while for consumers to get enabling local cloud solutions By Adrian Hinchcliffe used to the change. providers. By Adam Oxford By Adrian Hinchcliffe
Microsoft Partner Network U P F R O N T 4 STRATEGIC TRANSFORMATION
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE ECOSYSTEM By James van den Heever
Microsoft’s strategy for promoting everything else changes, Microsoft’s But, Hoosen emphasises, without trust the vision and mission, ‘to empower cloud is just damp air. Some commentators and enabling digital transformation every person and every organisation speak about the ‘trust economy’ in ultimately rests on its willingness and on the planet to achieve more’ the same breath as the ‘collaborative remain constant. To achieve that, the economy’ – in reality, the two are virtually ability to collaborate with partners company can’t work in isolation, it interchangeable. At the most basic level, must build partnerships both with its using the cloud means having to trust one’s and customers. partners and customers. data, applications and even infrastructure to In fact, one might best understand a third party. Microsoft’s strategy as creating What builds this trust? Hoosen says KAROLINA KOMENDERA the platform that many parties, compliance with applicable regulations and including competitors, use to create international standards is one facet. value. Vertical integration, which “Being prepared to sign up to in technology amounts to ‘owning’ independent criteria builds confidence,” echnology is, of course, both a driver the whole technology stack, now seems he says. “In the same vein, it’s important to and enabler of digital transformation to be as outdated as operating systems abide by the laws of the jurisdiction in which Tand the ‘digital age’, but the real designed to lock customers in; the new you’re operating.” issue is how business is done. Microsoft’s business style is about flexibility, agility and Another important component of that expertise in the technology underpinning scalability, creating partnerships on the fly trust is security. The digital economy has digital transformation is matched by its with companies who can supply missing spawned a whole new class of criminal, and deep understanding of its implications capabilities – all at high speed. these cyber criminals are well organised for business, says Zoaib Hoosen, MD of and funded, and command some of the Microsoft South Africa. BUILDING THE TRUST ECONOMY best brains in the business. Their resources “The Fourth Industrial Revolution is well The cloud is ultimately the technology that far outstrip those of most commercial underway now. Everybody understands the makes the new business model physically companies for whom IT is a non-core, ‘why’, and the technologies like sensors, the possible. It’s no coincidence, one feels, though critical, discipline. A technology giant cloud and 3D printing are all being used that Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, built like Microsoft, with an R&D budget north today. What we’re facing now is the ‘how’ his reputation in the company by leading of $1 billion, can offer a credible challenge and ‘what’,” he says. Microsoft’s move into cloud computing and to these criminal syndicates. However, core Its ability to answer, and help its customers the development of its cloud infrastructure, matters, such as security and independent and partners answer, these two questions will and thus the reinvention of Microsoft as standards, mean little without transparency, drive Microsoft’s growth into the future. primarily a platform rather than a software or he says. “Microsoft strives to ensure Hoosen emphasises the fact that while device company. transparency and even reveals the number
Brainstorm αlpha Zoaib Hoosen, Microsoft South Africa
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ONTINUING ITS WINNING STREAK WITH MICROSOFT, TORQUE IT IS THE FIRST LEARNING PARTNER TO ACHIEVE GOLD STATUS WITH MICROSOFT GLOBALLY ON ITS NEW PARTNER MODEL. THIS GOLD STATUS IS MEASURED AGAINST A GLOBAL STANDARD PLACING TORQUE IT CIN AN ELITE GROUPING OF TRAINING ORGANISATIONS AROUND THE WORLD. Learning is our passion Instructor-led training leads the way in building relationships, cultivating skills and creating leaders of the future. International certification is always promoted, which leads to better industry reputation and competitiveness for both current and future generation of IT professionals. Completely customisable training and enablement solutions tailor-made to specific requirements are offered to customers, while retaining the quality and credibility associated with vendor authorised training courses. Training is delivered in a practical and theoretical environment through the use of hands-on-lab, vendor-accredited courseware and interactive class discussions, overseen by a team of internationally certified instructors.
Leading through innovation “We remain an innovator in the learning space and have worked closely with Microsoft on new and unique learning solutions. These Morne Hugo and Anneline van Rooyen, Torque IT solutions showcase us as being one of only a handful of partners globally with the necessary skills, and the only one in South Africa,” “We’re confident that throughout Africa we’ll be able to meet the says Van Rooyen. new, and extremely arduous, requirements permitted to aggregate Torque IT has a wide and far-reaching offering in the marketplace the volumes and certifications that pertain to organisations in the that provides solutions across four training spheres: in-class region,” states Anneline van Rooyen, sales director at Torque IT. instructor-led training, virtual instructor-led training, self-paced Over 100 Microsoft courses are conducted monthly by Torque learning and digital learning. “Every client has a training objective IT and the stringent Microsoft KPIs ensure the training centre and a preferred learning methodology and we can adapt by providing conducts these courses to a high standard. either a single or blended learning experience,” Hugo adds. For the second year in a row Torque IT has won Microsoft’s Learning Partner of the Year award. Over the past 22 years Torque IT has been keeping abreast The following innovative training solutions form part of software developments, ensuring it offers a range of training of Torque IT’s ever-growing training capabilities in suited to every company’s requirements, from standard operational its quest to provide richer learning experiences and training to designing customised training of Microsoft products constantly improve results specific to a designated project being implemented. • Training in a box (onsite • Unique Microsoft SATV Adds Morne Hugo, Microsoft business unit manager of Torque training, anytime, anywhere) proposition IT: “Our strength is adapting the training programme to suit • Microsoft MOC on-demand • A rolling six-month public the needs of the client. Companies looking for project-driven (self-paced training solution) schedule • Virtual instructor-led training • Tailored and customised requirements approach us to customise the training, which is (VILT) training propositions specific to their needs. This is conducted in conjunction with • Digital learning platform • Assessment solutions Microsoft’s programme requirements, while also being specific to (MOOC training solution) • International exam centres the customer’s requirements.”
Tel: 011 602 9000 [email protected] www.torque-it.com U P F R O N T STRATEGIC 7 TRANSFORMATION
Because partnerships are the core of the new business model, our relationship with Microsoft’s customers is no longer primarily transactional: it’s four pillars of long-term, strategic and getting more complex all digital the time, as such trust is critical. Zoaib Hoosen transformation Based on years of technology and type of law enforcement requests company, we’re focusing a lot of attention leadership and customer received through the Transparency Hub.” on industry verticals to enhance the value we interaction – and a large network can bring to our customers. Our other big of partners – Microsoft has both A HARD TEST focus is on supporting our partner ecosystem the technology and vision to help In this world ruled by trust, actions speak because the innovation and creativity largely louder than words: companies need to be happens there, on our platform. Our partner customers along their journey to seen to be trustworthy. An example of this is ecosystem is critical to us; in fact, you could digital transformation: Microsoft’s refusal to allow the United States say it’s the ecosystem of ecosystems.” government to access data held outside the country despite being required to do so. TAKING OFF IN SOUTH AFRICA Helping customers engage with their “In the cloud world, it’s possible for a Hoosen says that South African companies customers. All purchases now have an government to access information held initially focused on empowering their experiential component, with a built-in outside its jurisdiction, but that doesn’t make employees. This gave them the chance to feedback loop via corporate and/ or public it lawful,” Hoosen notes. “Cloud providers experiment with digital transformation and channels. The key to success is knowing how to have to show they will remain true to the law, its implications generally, and with the cloud turn the resulting data into insight. and thus safe to trust with corporate data.” in particular. Another dimension of trust is the It also, he says, gave them the opportunity confidence that consumers have in the of engaging with regulators over questions company’s products and their alignment with of data security and sovereignty. Helping customers to empower their industry norms, as well as the trust capital “We’re now starting to see more sustained employees. Technology has habituated people embedded in long-standing customer focus and investment into the customer – Millennials in particular – to certain levels relationships. engagement piece,” he says. “The big of convenience and customisation in their “Because partnerships are the core of change came about when we announced private lives, and they want the same flexibility the new business model, our relationship our commitment to launch a South Africa- at work. In response, companies are changing their organisational structures. with customers is no longer primarily based hyperscale cloud offering in 2018. It’s transactional: it’s long-term, strategic and a game-changer for our customers: they like getting more complex all the time, as such the idea of their data being held onshore trust is critical,” he observes. “You have to and, of course, it puts to rest any lingering think in terms of ecosystems now.” issues about data sovereignty.” Helping customers reinvent their For example, a bank might be a Microsoft Microsoft’s hyperscale cloud will be operations. The first stage of digitalisation customer in one area but a partner in serviced by Microsoft-operated datacentres, is almost invariably about efficiency but, says Hoosen, the real trick is doing things developing a new revenue stream in another, based in the Western Cape and Gauteng, differently. One example: fast food companies perhaps through a joint venture or by that will serve the whole continent. like McDonald’s using UberEats to service their empowering the bank’s employees to do “Africa as a whole has seen the value customers, rather than building their own new things. proposition of cloud, and we’re already consumer distribution networks. Hoosen expresses Microsoft’s sense of the doing good business with the continent,” he collaborative nature of the new economy says. “A major barrier is the skills shortage, as “building things that other people use especially when it comes to business to build things”. More specifically, the transformation. Our drive to democratise Helping customers to transform their company’s credentials to be the partner technology, by making it usable by non- products and services. The logical extension of choice in a successful journey of digital techies who are specialists in their area, has of reinventing how a customer does things transformation rest on four key areas a lot of potential to help Africa realise its operationally is reinventing what it produces. of collaboration and joint learning, with potential. And, of course, having hyperscale The elevator company Thyssen Krupp customers (see sidebar). cloud located on the continent puts any began using sensors to perform predictive “Our business has also been disrupted and concerns about performance to rest, and maintenance, ultimately creating a service it we’ve had to change in line with new business provides a solid foundation for digital could sell to other engineering companies. models,” Hoosen notes. “As a platform transformation.”
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HCL – cloud ready for SA
INNOVATION, SOLUTION-ORIENTATED DEVELOPMENT, AND THE OPTIMISATION OF VALUE FOR THE CUSTOMER ARE THE FOUNDATIONS ON WHICH THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN HCL TECHNOLOGIES (HCL) AND MICROSOFT OPERATE.
he partnership entails a Microsoft. Some key aspects of HCL’s Microsoft is a strategic partner in the 360-degree relationship competencies include: infrastructure, cloud and applications built around a shared • Datacentre migration – where space, facilitating Infrastructure-as ecosystem, which sees the customers have been transformed -a-Service hosting. Azure is a key two organisations engage from legacy datacentres to modern enabler for provisioning market- T at various levels, including: cloud-centred datacentres, which leading solutions and IPs within the Alliance Partner; IT Service Partner; help to build efficiencies and SAP ecosystem via Software-as- Preferred Customer and OEM Partner. facilitate agility for ever-changing a-Service models. With regards to The key point of differentiation and growing business Azure, HCL has over 87 000 virtual is the approach that HCL brings to • Azure migrations for core business machines, across more than 20 of business challenges, constantly applications – for example SAP the Fortune 500 companies. HCL is a seeking the optimal outcome for the (where HCL is a global SAP Gold Partner with Azure and services customer by focusing on a value- partner with strong local customer in excess of 50 clients with more based, metrics-driven and ‘skin-in- references) than 6 000 cloud resources. Some the-game’ approach. This approach • Cloud consulting services, which examples of HCL excellence in this has enabled HCL and Microsoft to help customers build their journey respect are: jointly pursue international business towards cloud and modernisation • HCL MyCloud – complete and to lead the market in terms of • Managed services for cloud. cloud service aggregation and application development. HCL and Microsoft Azure collaborate management framework for hybrid With several successful closely on go-to-market activities for cloud implementations, capabilities and cloud readiness, with Azure being a • HCL ITOPS – IT operational analytics technical certifications, HCL fulfils leader in the public cloud space. As a framework for cloud-based services the rigorous parameters for each fast-growing collection of integrated • HCL MyDevOps and Iac – HCL specified competency. HCL has cloud services, it helps developers framework for DevOps, including achieved Microsoft Gold recognition and IT professionals build, deploy, cloud-based infrastructure as a as a result of continually increasing and manage applications through code. real-world experience and expertise a global network of datacentres. Within HCL’s capabilities are several via projects independently verified by As one of HCL’s major clients, apps for modernisation – i.e. for the CASE STUDY Washington Gas and Light
Washington Gas and Light delivers natural gas to more than one million residential, commercial and industrial customers throughout the Washington DC area. HCL was faced with the following challenges: • reduce overall time to deploy infrastructure; • optimise disaster recovery capabilities; • create flexibility to scale environment to certain use cases; • reduce lead time for capacity-planning and reduce governance and oversight for IT systems. The scope of the project was to develop the solutions in tandem alongside non-production and disaster recovery environments. HCL’s approach to the problem was to suggest a consumption-based Azure public cloud solution for non-production environments and disaster recovery. Alongside this would be managed cloud and basis support services at a fixed annual price. The solution entailed hosting the non-production and disaster recovery environments on Azure public cloud, while hosting the production environment on-premise. Additionally managed services were provided to support all applications in the hybrid landscape. Some of the highlights of this approach include a 54% reduction on overall infrastructure spend; a flexible infrastructure capacity with consumption- based cloud; and predictable spend and lower migration from legacy Microsoft In South Africa, HCL is gearing up governance cost with managed support service. and non-Microsoft to the latest to migrate customers to the cloud Microsoft development ecosystem. on Azure with the establishment This was one of the first-ever SAP on Azure These are broken down into: of two Microsoft cloud regions developments. It drew on HCL’s skills base of over • Industrialised – a factory model (Johannesburg and Cape Town). 4 000 Microsoft skilled and certified professionals, to achieve efficiencies through Customers will be able to draw on coupled to dedicated centres-of-excellence, which automation, standardisation and HCL’s global expertise and customer have key focus points, including SharePoint, MS reuse; success experience in Microsoft Dynamics, Power BI, Azure, SQL Server, Mobility, • Azure-Ready – modernising Azure migrations to ensure a Architecture and Core.NET. As a product engineering desktop/web applications to seamless, risk-free process that will partner to Microsoft, developers within HCL work make them Azure-ready; and reap exceptional benefits in terms of as ‘Solution Accelerators’ and on frameworks within • Universal Apps – automated efficiencies and cost-reduction in line the many Microsoft technologies under constant migration to universal apps using with those achieved by Washington development. HCL Migration Assistant tool. Gas and Light.
4th Floor, World Trade Center, Johannesburg, South Africa Tel: 011 063 8569 www.hcltech.com
@hcl tech https://za.linkedin.com/company/hcl-technologies U P F R O N T 10 ECOSYSTEM TRANSFORMATION
CHANGE AND THE CHANNEL By Adrian Hinchcliffe
Microsoft’s partners are facing disruption, but more importantly the costs have dropped, it also represents we respond collectively with our how Microsoft’s future partner engagements disruption as they must digitally partners.” could alter drastically compared to a couple transform themselves as well as their The cloud, along with other of years ago. disruptive technologies, has started “It’s about the economics of consumption customers in order to remain relevant. making waves in market dynamics – whoever can build something that as smaller startups are enabled to consumes a Microsoft Cloud service, we compete head on with established consider them a partner. That’s brilliant, MIKE TURNER industry players. because our customers could become our Thanks to the democratisation of partners, and also our ecosystem is totally IT, which has long been a key value democratised. Anyone can start up and build n an age where some of the hottest proposition for Microsoft, the barrier to entry on our platform,” he says. companies in the world were founded for technology has dropped significantly Although cloud is the underlying Iless than a decade ago, Microsoft, which over the past few years. “If a Microsoft foundation enabling access, it’s not the launched in 1975, has been working hard to partner wanted to offer business intelligence only technology on offer, and that too will remain relevant by constantly evaluating the a decade ago, it would’ve needed an change the competencies and dynamics landscape and reinventing itself to respond. experienced team of strong technical of Microsoft’s partner base. “If you look The company recently shifted its own consultants before the company even at our hyperscale cloud platform it covers worldview from ‘mobile-first, cloud-first’ thought about being credible to customers hundreds of advanced services that would to an ‘intelligent cloud with an intelligent in this space. This was the demand-based have been impossible to build on your own. edge’. This philosophy factors in that devices economy where partners responded to RFPs Frameworks supporting machine learning, at the edge of the cloud also need to be and delivered projects. Today, in the supply- IoT, advanced analytics, bots, among others intelligent, and is key to Microsoft’s focus side cloud-first economy, it’s feasible that a are highly complex foundations that anyone for its solutions to meet the needs of its student sitting in a university dormitory can can now build on top of. We want developers customers and enable their digital business build a big data solution, move terabytes of and innovators to see this cloud platform transformation. data over fibre into Microsoft’s cloud using as a canvas for innovation and expression. But this isn’t Microsoft’s first refocus. highly advanced technology like machine Undoubtedly, our partner base will be “We’ve had to modernise ourselves over the learning and cognitive services. This solution specialised in these competencies, and years. If we’d stayed focused on the desktop could target customers anywhere in the there will be a strong need for partners to or datacentre, how much longer would we world, and is sold as a service.” work with each other. The cloud platform is be relevant?” says Derek Kudsee, director: That example doesn’t just represent vast and no one entity can specialise across One Commercial Partner, Microsoft South how technology is now easier and more the entire platform. Cloud also means that Africa. “We’re continually responding to convenient to use than ever before, or how partners could come from anywhere, in any
Brainstorm αlpha Derek Kudsee, Microsoft South Africa
Microsoft Partner Network Always Relevant Are you ready for the Cloud (R)evolution?
In South Africa, we are on the cusp of a Digital Revolution. With the Azure Datacentres opening for general availability early next year is it imperative for organisations to really understand and execute on their cloud roadmap. With First Technology, clients have a partner that understands how Licensing and Software Asset Management plays a key role in revolutionising their workplace and datacentre.
Microsoft recognized First Technology as Licensing Solutions Provider Partner of the Year & Software Asset Management Partner of the Year for 2017. First Technology uses the insights and analytics gained from its Licensing and SAM engagements as the catalyst to embark on a services journey driving TCO and ROI engagements. The end result of such a journey with FT is a modernised workplace and a transformed Datacentre platform.
How do we do it? Want to know more?
• Establishing your digital transformation maturity Get in touch with our specialists • Rightsizing your digital platform for a Cloud Roadmap Engagement
[email protected] Why First Technology? U P F R O N T ECOSYSTEM 13 TRANSFORMATION
While companies may be scared of customer service response, or to change taking steps to transform themselves, their order. Digitally-enabled and optimised One Kudsee says there are numerous reasons operations support customer engagement to do so. To those wary of the expense he in a different way. And the feedback loops argues that, in most cases, Microsoft sees its means products can be transformed to Commercial customers reduce costs as a result of digital better meet the needs of customers.” transformation. A partner’s understanding of its customer Partner Another aspect he believes is often is also vital. Every company is unique, with misconstrued is the true meaning of digital its own business processes that give it a In July 2017, Microsoft introduced transformation. Kudsee says it’s about competitive advantage or differentiation. One Commercial Partner (OCP) to ideation and solving problems in the name of “Partners who get to the depths of their consolidate different partner-focused engaging customers. “Digital transformation customer’s organisations to enable the teams from within the company into a is, as the name suggests, about transforming processes – unique or disruptive – will bring single organisation and align resources something, not inventing it from scratch. technology to life,” he says. with its focus of enabling digital business transformation. OCP brings together Partners should generate ideas that solve Microsoft’s partner expertise to simplify problems, and they should do this in an agile, ALWAYS LEARNING the experience and benefit every partner iterative way. There can be a high turnover Another important trait is what Kudsee calls whatever their size, business model or of ideas initially, but once an idea has been the ‘growth mindset’, or an always-learning geography. OCP’s framework for partner selected, it should be built quickly into a mentality. support includes three pillars: ‘Build-with’ minimum viable process or product. Test it “Partners need to be constantly learning focuses on partner development; ‘Go-to- with the customer and customer’s customer; about the innovations Microsoft is bringing market’ centres on marketing, and ‘Sell- with’ gives Microsoft channel managers if value is created then build on it, and keep to market, so they can go deep and leverage the responsibility to connect the right building on it. But it’s important to start with these new opportunities,” he says. partner solutions to the right customer. something, and quickly.” Fundamentally, Microsoft is a platform provider that relies on its partners to develop A TIME FOR INTROSPECTION on top of and create solutions to serve Before partners start to pitch digital end-customers. “We’re betting on artificial transformation, they must embark on intelligence, augmented reality and quantum size organisation. The future of partnership is the journey themselves. “Many partners computing. Partners need to take the one of incredible potential and possibility.” are running older technologies. The first platforms we’re developing in these areas place the partner must look to digitise and and use their imagination and capabilities to HOW TO COPE modernise is themselves.” solve real-world problems.” While this democratisation of technology Microsoft lists four pillars that support While much has changed over the years, is all well and good for ‘born in the cloud’ digital transformation: engage customers; Microsoft has, since its foundation product startups, what does it mean for Microsoft’s empower employees; optimise operations; Windows, always built platforms that allow established and ‘traditional’ channel and transform products. “Digital partners to build on top. That’s where the partners? How does this already diverse and transformation is about engaging customers value of partners lies for the company and established collective of software resellers, in a new way. If you’re engaging customers so much of its success has been built with independent software vendors, distributors in the same way you always have, then partners, Kudsee notes. and system integrators ensure they don’t get your operations aren’t transformed, and “We’ve modernised the core of our left behind? employees have not been empowered. technology stack over the years. And, as much “There’s always space, in any economy, Customers want to engage through digital as Microsoft’s relationships are changing with for trusted vendor brands with significant channels, such as the web, voice over IP, or our partners, what’s constant is relationships customer bases to provide solutions to the on social networks where they’re talking built on trust and mutual benefit. A lot of top end of the market. Government, organs about the brand. Empower employees to vendors would say that, but with over forty of state and corporates want enterprise- know what’s going on around the brand and years of being in the partner business we’ve grade, enterprise-ready, secure, trusted, enable them to respond, so, for example, been consistent in building programmes that cloud-based solutions,” Kudsee says. customers aren’t waiting two weeks for a are predictable and consistent.” Partners can’t afford to stand still however. In the same way Microsoft has had to disrupt itself to stay at the forefront, Partners need to be constantly learning so too its partners need to continue evolving and realigning with the company. about the innovations Microsoft is bringing “Partners must transform at the speed we are. They’ll miss the market opportunity if to market, so they can go deep and leverage their transformation is outpaced by their Derek Kudsee competitors,” he says. these new opportunities.
Microsoft Partner Network ADVERTORIAL
Delivering innovation, execution and value
HANGE IS THE ONE CONSTANT IN THE IT INDUSTRY, SO IT’S NO SURPRISE TO LEARN THAT IN RECENT TIMES, BOTH BCX AND MICROSOFT HAVE UNDERGONE SIGNIFICANT SHIFTS IN THEIR BUSINESSES. HOWEVER, DESPITE THE CHANGES, THE TWO ORGANISATIONS CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP CTHAT GOES BACK TO BCX’S INCEPTION AS BUSINESS CONNEXION. According to Charles Lalieu, executive for Lalieu adds that change is also being He suggests that the partnership Product and Subscription Services at BCX, driven by the need to handle new security between BCX and Microsoft is focused a key driver of change in the industry is threats and legislative requirements, as on turning the market on its head in terms digitalisation, which has led to new ways there are many governance, risk and of assisting customers to accelerate their of delivering solutions and a different compliance issues to be addressed, as well time to market and to help them to drive approach to doing business. as economic issues. Customers today are innovation within their own organisations. “From BCX’s perspective, digital very cost-conscious and IT departments “A good example of our role in helping disruption is driving us to think how we are expected to do more with less, which to drive innovation for our customers is can service our customers differently, has led to BCX honing its delivery models the way we assist them to be increasingly by building solutions that match their to address these challenges. agile by introducing them to the concept evolving requirements. A good example of DevOps. Bringing this to customers of how we do things differently is with our Custom approach is a new approach for us too, as it’s not approach to Microsoft implementations “Obviously, each customer journey is so much about introducing a specific for our customers – we’ve evolved from unique, so it’s important for us to tailor our framework as it is about implementing a simply rolling out products to working solutions to enable the customer to achieve cultural change within the business,” states more closely with customers to help their evolving business goals. Where BCX Lalieu. them extract additional value from their differentiates itself is that we have a massive “Ultimately, we serve as the link purchases, to do more with what they skill set within the organisation – the largest between Microsoft and our customers have,” he says. in Africa – which covers everything from and it’s our role to bring it all together. “So for example, when it comes to core infrastructure expertise to advanced We do this by streamlining the processes the cloud, we’re focused on guiding business services and from on-premise for our end-customers, thereby making the customer in ways to extract further knowledge to cloud skills. it easier for them to manage their own value from product sets like Azure and “As Microsoft has changed its business access to services, simpler to purchase Office 365, and in using analytics to approach, BCX has ensured that it aligns new licenses, and enabling all the other extract deeper value that enables better not only with Microsoft’s new initiatives, management required to utilise Microsoft’s business decisions related to day-to- but also our customers and the business solutions. It’s really all about making things day operations. It’s important to work challenges they face in a digital world. easier, quicker and more efficient for the with customers on these issues, as with We have thus positioned ourselves to end customer.” an increasing amount of data being build solutions and practices that dovetail generated daily, they will need to know with the new way that Microsoft is going Test of time how best to analyse this in order to to market, and our methodologies are As a long-standing Microsoft partner, make the tough decisions around their constantly evolving to meet the changing Lalieu adds that BCX is proud to have enterprise’s future.” needs of this market.” been nominated for two of the company’s Charles Lalieu, BCX
Partner of the Year Awards. He says that obtain deep value from the product sets we also hosted a major event called as it’s critical to understand and manage they acquire from Microsoft. BCX does BCX Disrupt, which goes to the heart of the software assets in today’s corporate more than simply help them to activate what we have been saying about making landscape, being awarded runner-up in and deploy these services; we assist people and organisations think differently. the Software Asset Management category customers to gain the additional value that BCX Disrupt is our way of letting our shows that BCX’s deep skills and analytical allows them to become more agile and customers know that there’s no longer any abilities in this space were recognised. effective in the market and enables them ‘business as usual’ – instead, the new focus “Moreover, we were also named as to drive both their own innovation and to is on innovation, speed of execution and Microsoft Consulting Partner of the Year, deliver more to their own customers. driving continuous value,” he concludes. which is a great honour, particularly as this “We’re particularly excited to note that category is all about ensuring customers in the same week we won these awards,
Find us: BCX/BCXworld U P F R O N T 16 CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION
DEFINING THE DIGITAL MINDSET By Tamsin Oxford
The success of digital transformation
relies as much on the culture of the culture, the business will never be While on the topic of disruption – the organisation as it does on strategic able to implement a strategy that customer-facing quadrant of the digital delivers long-term success. What’s transformation journey also needs an investment in technology. hot today may not be hot tomorrow, overhaul. Not just in terms of creating so if a culture isn’t open to new exceptional customer experiences, but ideas and able to pivot on a coin, in how the corporate culture embraces then how can it take advantage of digital transformation, using systems and trends and change?” solutions to engage more effectively with MIKE TURNER To become capable of the customer. capturing the flexibility of digital “The business needs to ask how it can igital transformation, digitalisation, transformation, the organisation has to transform and disrupt its own products and digitisation – the words that create a culture that embraces change. It’s services, and assess how it currently does Dbuzz alongside the technological a journey, not a ‘just-add-digital’ checklist, business,” says Parbhoo. “There’s inordinate revolution and Industry 4.0 are often and the first step is perhaps the most value in looking to how markets are set interconnected and confused. Each one obvious – empower the employee. Does the to change in the future and using digital adds a different flavour to the digital mix, organisation’s digital transformation strategy transformation to anticipate disruptors and but they’re distinctive tools that define include tools, technologies and processes respond quickly.” different elements of what digital does within that put employee needs at the front? If the the organisation. Digital transformation answer is no, then it’s time to relook digital DISRUPTION IN THE FABRIC is perhaps best described as the blurring investment and align it with the people and Of course, every industry has different goals between the physical and the digital to what they need to succeed. and objectives and each one will evolve achieve business objectives and create a “It’s also important to examine how differently, but without a culture of learning sustainable digital ecosystem. But where are your digital investment can modernise and change embedded into the fabric of the the people in this definition? They’re as vital operations,” says Parbhoo. “It’s not as organisation, it will remain stuck in the past. to the success of any digital transformation sexy as customer experience solutions, A flexible culture needs to become a part of strategy as the technology itself, so, to so often people don’t pay attention to it, digital transformation to ensure long-term digitally transform the business, the business but to disrupt the business, systems need change. needs to transform how it does business. to be put in place that allow it to do so. “It’s easy to point out that culture is “One thing underpinning digital Many companies have legacy systems and essential to effective digital transformation, transformation is a culture that embraces projects that have to be modernised before but the question that needs to be answered learning and new ideas,” says Kethan they can compete with the startups that from the outset is obviously the most Parbhoo, chief marketing and operations are popping up in every market and taking pressing – how do you create the right officer, Microsoft South Africa. “Without this business away.” culture?” asks Parbhoo. “When we embarked
Brainstorm αlpha Kethan Parbhoo, Microsoft South Africa
Microsoft Partner Network Strategic delivery made us number one. Agility keeps us there. We are the 2017 Microsoft Consulting Partner of the Year. This award is a result of our ability to unlock meaningful value for our clients over the years, and stay abreast of changing needs every year. Thank you to our clients who support and entrust us with shaping the future together. U P F R O N T CULTURAL 19 TRANSFORMATION Strategic delivery made us number one. Digital transformation fast facts Agility keeps us there. 87% 36% 90% $369.2bn of organisations believe that of executives say that their of organisations state that Digital transformation as a market We are the 2017 Microsoft Consulting Partner of the Year. This award is a digital transformation is a company isn’t reacting well to employee productivity has is set to hit $369.2 billion by 2020 result of our ability to unlock meaningful value for our clients over the competitive opportunity digital trends increased thanks to digital [Markets and Markets]. years, and stay abreast of changing needs every year. Thank you to our [MIT Sloan]. [MIT Sloan]. transformation [OSS Integrators]. clients who support and entrust us with shaping the future together. 33% 91% 45% 41% of executives believe a lack of companies believe that faster of IT departments have changed of organisations have seen an of overall strategy is one of digital transformation strategies the way they work to support increase in market share as a result the leading barriers to taking would deliver inordinate benefit to digital transformation [SAP of their digital transformation advantage of digital trends [MIT the organisation [Accenture]. whitepaper]. efforts [Altimeter]. Sloan].
that inspires people to look at innovative Every single day there’s something new ideas and risk new ventures. We also have to perform while we transform – the to learn or understand – what’s important organisation can’t shut down while we figure is that the business is capable of taking advantage out how to do something, so transformation has to run alongside the business and of these opportunities and learning quickly from mistakes have to be picked up, learned from and then everybody moves on.” its mistakes. Kethan Parbhoo When Microsoft’s new CEO, Satya Nadella, took over in 2014 he spent the first eight months of his tenure taking the entire global on this journey we recognised that the single day there’s something new to learn organisation through a journey. It was a world was changing rapidly – in the past or understand – what’s important is that the journey that followed the changes in the three years our worldview has changes from business is capable of taking advantage of market, the new world view and the role that ‘mobile first, cloud first’ to ‘intelligent cloud, these opportunities and learning quickly the company should be playing. Within this intelligent edge’, which means a shift in what from its mistakes.” time, a new culture shifted into play, one our customers need and want. Our culture that embraced the fundamental principles needs to be one that’s easily able to adapt to FAILURE ISN’T BAD of digital transformation and the mindset these changes – and continue to deliver on This is perhaps one of the greatest learnings required to take advantage of it. the evolving needs of our customers.” of the digital era – failure. Today, failure is “We spent the better part of a year Microsoft paid attention to the fact that probably the litmus test of success. It isn’t examining why it was important to transform, the world is more dynamic now than it ever the end of days and collapse of reputation the growth mindset culture and the need to has been, and that it had to embrace this and infrastructure. It’s a sign that employees embrace continuous learning. Now we have new reality to succeed. The market isn’t so are taking chances, exploring new ideas and the right environment that allows us to fail fast, much moving in one direction, its splitting looking at new ways of doing business. It learn quickly and move on. We aren’t perfect into a thousand opportunities that are ripe isn’t dangerous to fail, it’s only dangerous to yet, but over the past three years we’ve for the picking if the business is listening. stop trying. moved away from a culture that fears failure “We had to embrace what our customers “The business must make mistakes towards one that allows people to be open wanted, what they were asking for,” says and learn from them, but it also needs to to the idea that they don’t know everything Parbhoo. “They needed us to make changes recover quickly and look at the lessons it yet, and are continually in a state of learning. in how we worked, the products and has learned,” says Parbhoo. “We have a And that’s a fundamentally important part solutions we offered, and how we partnered strong legacy of delivery and taking on of making digital transformation a working with them to create digital innovation. Every big challenges because we have a culture reality,” concludes Parbhoo.
Microsoft Partner Network ADVERTORIAL
Axiz and Microsoft: a premier partnership
ith a reputation for providing access to the world’s top information technology products from leading global brands, Axiz takes particular pride in its extensive Microsoft experience over the past 15 years and in delivering Microsoft value-added w services to its partners. Traci Maynard, Microsoft Executive at Axiz, is our portal to enable CSP licensing for the ‘Innovation and Thought Leadership’, and explains that the company operates as a channel. The idea is that we can dovetail it’s one we pay close attention to. For us, solutions aggregator, focused on delivering brands we sell onto this platform, offering innovation is all about working with our ground-breaking value-added solutions a single place for organisations to shop and partners to help them achieve traction in to its registered partner channel. These buy across all 50 different vendors.” the market.” solutions range from edge client devices In addition, states Maynard, the Microsoft also stresses the importance to core datacentre hardware and software, company’s Microsoft value-added services of growing one’s business, something that and encompass cloud software and to its partners includes a basket of expertise: she points out is a strategic imperative for services. licensing and technical specialists with Axiz. Maynard says that the company’s view “Our organisation has 30 years’ channel competencies in Azure developments and of growing the business includes partnering experience and operates as part of a solution deployments, as well as marketing with Microsoft in its various partner and reputable and financially solid enterprise, skills. Axiz is also a registered member of the business events. namely Alviva Holdings. Axiz houses Microsoft Partner Network and is proud to “For example, Axiz has served as a main over 50 brands, each working in tandem be associated with the company. sponsor at Microsoft’s ‘Accelerate your with our vendors and partners to deliver Business – Grow, Impact and Innovate’ holistic solutions, best tailored to the ShowcaSe of excellence strategic sessions, as closely aligning needs of the channel. Our latest vision is to “As the winner of the Microsoft SMB the company with Microsoft’s own key include many of the global ISVs currently Distributor of the Year Award for the messaging about its technology is critical in our distribution portfolio – such as Intel past two years running, we’re perfectly to Axiz’ strategy moving forward.” Security, Red Hat and Citrix, to name just positioned to understand the importance “But of course, we understand that three – onto our AxizCloud Cloud Solution of the Microsoft Partner Network 2017 success is not only determined by growing Provider (CSP) platform. This will give Awards, which recognises partners in the business. It’s equally decided by what our partners a one-stop marketplace for South Africa that have excelled in delivering you put back into society. With this in world-class cloud offerings,” she says. Microsoft solutions over Microsoft’s mind, Axiz drives a major learnership and “Microsoft’s CSP programme is all fiscal year. These awards are particularly internship programme on an annual basis, about streamlining and accelerating its important as they showcase solutions built which is designed to help uplift the socially commercial licensing strategy, enabling on the latest Microsoft technologies, which and economically disadvantaged in the innovative new cloud and business scenarios provide benefits for all its customers.” country, and include them in a growth plan that scale as users’ needs grow. AxizCloud “A key metric in these awards is that of to work in the technology sector.” The programme focuses on taking 90 unemployed learners and 35 unemployed graduates and providing them with exposure to many of the most crucial brands, those that are leading the digital charge. Furthermore, she adds, it also exposes them to the latest trends in the technology industry, all of which helps to make these youngsters that much more employable – so much so that a number of them find work after the programme with either Axiz or one of its partners.
Recognition of achievements Asked her views on the overall importance of the Microsoft Partner Network Awards, and particularly the past two years’ wins, Maynard explains that for Axiz employees, traci maynard, Microsoft Executive at Axiz it amounts to recognition of a job well done. “Obviously it’s nice for the sales people, but the real benefit lies in the incredible morale booster it delivers to our back- office employees, who don’t always get from Microsoft, it goes a long way towards “Despite often competing with large the recognition they deserve. The impact ensuring you become the partner of choice.” multinationals, we continue to aim to be the these awards have had on our business She adds further that Axiz is positioned leader in our field and to be the best at what over the past two years has been profound, differently to many other Microsoft we do. I believe that winning these awards in in improving staff morale to benefiting partners, in that it’s a 100% South African 2015 and 2016 is proof that a local business our partner community. Furthermore, business, meaning it retains the local can play in the same league as its global when you receive this kind of recognition touch. rivals,” concludes Maynard.
011 2377128 | [email protected] | www.axiz.com
@axizsa linkedin.com/company/axizsa U P F R O N T 22 TECHNOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATION
WELCOME TO THE INTELLIGENT EDGE By James Francis
The hub of the digital world may be come closer to the truth – and until “We’re laying cloud computing capabilities recently that truth was seen as ‘cloud on the edge. Sometimes these are a proxy the cloud, but it’s no longer necessary first, mobile first.’ But things have for the cloud, but at other times it uses its to stand at the centre if you want its moved on, says Clifford de Wit, chief own intelligence to work and compute at innovation officer at Microsoft South the edge. This is really important. Many benefits. Africa. competitors’ strategies rely on cloud and “The current convention is largely connectivity. But if you think of scenarios driven by the views that cloud is such as IoT, there are sometimes split-second important and mobile proliferation decisions that can’t be made on a trip all the MIKE TURNER will drive innovation and the future of way to the cloud.” technology. Though these were true Consider farming. It’s an area that, hen last did you receive an in a sense, when we look at how that world’s although receptive to technology, is also electrical shock? Not the benign changing, we’re seeing things on the horizon firmly rooted in its own environment. Wtwitch of a static discharge, but that don’t naturally fit into this view,” he says. Agriculture is digitising, but not because a bona fide surge from a live electric feed. Take artificial intelligence or machine farming is changing. Instead it’s thanks Assuming your roles don’t include that of learning as examples. These fit fairly well into to the capacity to bring digital into that an electrician, it’s fair to assume it’s been a cloud conversations, but reach much further environment. This can’t be done with a pure while, if ever. You don’t close your eyes and than mobile can offer. Neither are ‘mobile centralised approach. hope the bedside lamp’s switch isn’t about to first,’ seeing they can exist and grow on a Digital farms use drones, soil sensors and do something bad to you. multitude of devices and touchpoints. weather detectors to plan their strategies. Yet go back a century and this was These are enhanced by powerful analytics. entirely likely – so likely that there were even RISE OF THE EDGE But instead of carting those observations to limericks about people dying from electric While cloud has many advantages, it also has remote servers, many of the key decisions shocks. One of the owners of the original shortcomings. If you need quick action, you can now be made right there – at the edge of electricity providers was killed while trying to can’t rely on centralised infrastructure, you the traditional cloud world. swap a lightbulb. Can you imagine? require local intelligence. “This is possible because we can move History is repeating itself, but with ‘Cloud first, mobile first’ no longer beyond the infrastructure conversation. We digital instead of electricity. Just as with sufficiently explains the scope of digital can build and train a model on cloud, then that revolution, we continue to articulate capability, so we need a new definition - that export it and execute it at the edge. It speaks the change in different ways until we of ‘Intelligent Cloud with Intelligent Edge’. to the multi-device world we live in.”
Brainstorm αlpha Clifford de Wet, Microsoft South Africa
Microsoft Partner Network ADVERTORIAL GO CLOUD. GO DIGITAL.
ATA MAY BE KING IN TODAY’S DIGITALLY TRANSFORMING WORLD, BUT MANY ORGANISATIONS ARE FACED WITH SHRINKING TECH BUDGETS, WHICH MAKES IT INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO EFFECTIVELY SERVICE THEIR CLIENTS. THE ANSWER TO THIS CONUNDRUM – HOW TO OBTAIN THE GREATEST VALUE FROM THEIR DCUSTOMER DATA, WHILE DOING MORE WITH LESS – IS TO MAKE THE MOVE TO THE CLOUD. “Gijima spends a significant amount of time developing customer cloud strategies. With its vast industry experience, it has been able to assist customers achieve their goal of becoming more efficient and reinventing their go-to-market strategies,” says Joel Chacko, Microsoft business manager at Gijima. “While we understand there may be wariness about adopting a cloud strategy, it’s critical for customers to have the confidence to take the first step. Once they have done this, they’re able to more clearly see the advantages this offers to their business operations – which means further adoption is much more readily embraced.” He adds that one major concern customers have relates to their legacy systems. To overcome this fear, Gijima utilises a two-step approach to cloud adoption, enabling clients to maintain their legacy systems while at the same time creating a digital layer to engage customers and empower employees. Joel Chacko, “The obvious advantages of cloud are its speed of deployment Gijima and its agility. Cloud is ideal for all businesses and organisations striving for improvements, as it is all about moving the right workloads at the right time so as to boost efficiencies. This is Beginning a digital transformation journey by moving into the where Gijima fits into the equation, as our organisation is able cloud creates opportunities for innovation, efficient operations to not only assist clients in moving to the cloud, but we can even and cost savings, according to Leonard Rawbone, Microsoft help them with regards to managing it on their behalf.” practice lead at Gijima. This is exactly what Gijima Technology Rawbone is adamant that as more enterprises realise the Solutions offers its customers, irrespective of the sector they value of the cloud, so they will seek a partner to help them such a operate within. move, and Gijima is ideally placed to assist them with this. “We believe in simplifying processes and optimising the An example of this is that Gijima is one of the first in South operational landscape of these organisations as they digitally Africa to migrate SAP services on Azure. It could assist the transform their traditional ways of work. Gijima has several Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) in this regard by creating offerings that prepare customers for the transition into a digital a new environment utilising SAP on Azure, complemented by its business. This journey is about much more than simply shifting Business Intelligence solutions. According to the GPL, its cloud workloads; it is, in fact, about taking a conscious view of the operations were functional in hours of going live and in the build business and appropriate application landscape and modernising up to this GPL’s internal IT team could test the environment across these areas,” he says. without impacting production. These areas also assisted in “When it comes to starting the whole transformation process, securing case studies for both hybrid cloud and SAP on Azure we recommend adopting the cloud model, as it provides the within the public services vertical. customer with more agility and a greater capacity for evolving “We have transformed our organisation into a major cloud their business.” enabler, and with Microsoft as a partner, we’re in the perfect Gijima’s digital transformation strategy for customers, based position to enable an effortless move to the cloud for our on moving to the cloud, strongly aligns with Microsoft’s own vision. customers, irrespective of the type of business or service they Microsoft will open its first local hyperscale datacentre in the provide. This will, in turn, provide them with the necessary country this year, with the aim of being able to more efficiently foundation to begin a broader digital transformation,” he deliver various services like Office 365 to users in the region. concludes.
Tel: 012 675 5000 www.gijima.com
Gijima.Unboxed @Gijima_Holdings linkedin.com/company/gijima U P F R O N T TECHNOLOGICAL 25 TRANSFORMATION
We’re laying cloud computing look for pests on his mielies by using drone photos. That farmer doesn’t run the AI or capabilities on the edge. Sometimes backend, but gets all the benefit. This is the future: a world where these are a proxy for the cloud, but at other technology is as available and expected as times it uses its own intelligence to work and electricity. De Wit refers to it as ‘digital Lego blocks’ – Microsoft makes the blocks and compute at the edge. Clifford de Wet customers take advantage of those. Azure’s engineers already produce two to three new features a week. It’s up to companies and partners what solutions can be built with Edge capability is how digital is those. proliferating across our world. With it comes “This is very important for our partners the realisation that how we’re using digital and something they must think about. The is also evolving to that of a service-driven, value of these building blocks are entirely in intelligence-powered and yet server-less the solution. They create true innovation. But world. that means the companies who live to create solutions must take advantage of this. It’s not TECHNOLOGY ON TAP about infrastructure anymore.” Do you still own your email infrastructure? This doesn’t mean infrastructure is off the Most companies don’t. They use provisioned table. Microsoft still caters across the stack services such as Office365. Email isn’t their and if you have a good reason to run your domain – they only ran the infrastructure own hardware or software infrastructure, the because they needed the service. But cloud support and innovation is there. But these paradigms have made it possible to engage are no longer necessary if all you want is to only with the service layer. If you want email, benefit from digital. Just as we can change a you don’t need to ponder the alchemy going lightbulb today without fear that it will be the on behind the scenes – you simply demand end of us, we’re starting to engage digital access and get it. without being obliged to take ownership of In that scenario, you’re essentially the backend. ‘serverless’. The same is starting to happen This is the future of the world. We no with many larger workloads. Right now we’re longer talk about ‘electrification’. We migrating those to virtual machines, but will one day no longer talk about ‘digital this is still an infrastructure play. You’re still transformation’ either. We will just expect it maintaining a server, only a virtual one. A to be there and build on top of it. lot of focus still rests on the application and not the desired outcomes. Yet if you could get the infrastructure and applications stacks provisioned to you, all you need to focus on is the workload itself. “Serverless is stepping up and asking for a set of services – mobile, website, CRM, and so on. We think this is an important notion in computing. People will worry about services, not the infrastructure.” Let’s say you need an AI trained to carry out image recognition for you. You can build your own system from scratch. You can also host your AI on virtual environments. But today on Azure you can simply engage a generic image-recognising AI service and adjust that to your needs. You don’t need to worry about building the AI, just training it. Then you could export that model to an edge device. Perhaps as a farmer trying to
Microsoft Partner Network ADVERTORIAL
Microsoft and Mustek – a partnership for the ages
OUNDED IN 1987 AS A COMPONENT DISTRIBUTION BUSINESS, MUSTEK QUICKLY EVOLVED TO ASSEMBLING THOSE COMPONENTS INTO PCS FOR LOCAL BRANDS LIKE TEDELEX. THE SUCCESS OF THIS PC ASSEMBLY OPERATION QUICKLY RESULTED IN THE CREATION OF MECER, A LOCALLY FPRODUCED PC BRAND THAT REMAINS ONE OF SOUTH AFRICA`S TOP SELLING BRANDS TODAY. “Our partnership with Microsoft is probably involved in the pre-launch testing and have Kan, adding that the company focuses on the oldest in the country, as we concluded been able to supply the product to the identifying and satisfying customer needs our first OEM agreement with Microsoft local market from day one. So despite the and offering a total product and service Taiwan in the early 1990s, even before fact that we’re based on the tip of Africa, support system. This includes ten service Microsoft had officially entered South our relationship with a multinational like divisions across all major metropolitan Africa. Naturally, we signed a new local centres, a two-year carry-in warranty and agreement in 1995 with Microsoft South a promise of 48-hour service support Africa, and are proud to have been such a turnaround. long-serving partner of the company,” says “Our two organisations “Mustek is a proudly South African David Kan, the Mustek and Mecer Founder work well together and business, one which has always focused on and CEO. the local market – from employing local staff “Microsoft offers a fantastic ecosystem we base a lot of our and developing local skills, to local assembly and we’re pleased to be a part of it. Our two business strategy on of components, in order to deliver to the organisations work well together and we country its own, locally-built PC.” base a lot of our business strategy on the the way it designs and “A key part of our focus lies in our way it designs and develops its strategy.” commitment to job creation. We have a Asked about some of the key milestones develops its strategy.” workforce of more than 600 employees that have occurred in this long relationship, across the country, reflecting the diversity Kan says that the company is proud of David Kan ,CEO of South African society. In addition, we see the fact that it has developed from being ongoing skills development and training as an OEM to becoming a delivery service a business imperative, and the company partner (DSP). This was followed by volume Microsoft is such that we always play a key is committed to empowerment and licensing distributor, and most recently part in any new release they undertake.” transformation across all divisions and all the business became a cloud solutions “As Microsoft develops new levels. In-house training of staff allows Mustek provider (CSP). programmes and competencies, we’ve to stay abreast of constantly changing “Perhaps the most exciting aspect of developed our approach to suit, acquiring technology and enables us to develop skills our partnership with Microsoft has been the necessary competencies ourselves.” and talent from within the ranks of our own the fact that every time they’ve launched a This is just one of the ways Mustek is able employees – in this way, we strive to develop new operating system, we’ve been closely to maintain its competitive edge, continues the industry leaders of the future.” David Kan, Mustek
Kan is optimistic about the future. “While anyway, so Mustek is well-positioned to play a from their company, not only from a pricing many people are suggesting that the era major role in South Africa’s technology future, and technology point of view, but also in of the desktop is over, Mustek feels that regardless of where digital transformation terms of resolving any technical challenges although the focus on desktop PCs may ends up taking things.” that arise. Our relationship is not just about change, these products will still be here for “For us, being a Microsoft OEM partner is Windows, it is one that continues to grow many years to come. Besides, the company’s as critical today as it was over 20 years ago. from strength to strength, and will continue to product range goes well beyond the desktop We still get enormous amounts of support do so for many years to come,” he concludes.
Tel: 011 237 1000 www.mustek.co.za
@MustekLimited company/mustek-ltd AWARDS 28 CLOUD SOLUTIONS AGGREGATOR - INDIRECT
FOCUSED ON CLOUD DELIVERY By Rodney Weidemann
Digital transformation is on the minds of every major business today, and cloud is the centrepiece of this She adds that Axiz focuses intently on certain core issues, which enable Traci Maynard, Axiz new, digitally transformed business it to remain a leader in its field. These include winning new customers, landscape. driving increased customer satisfaction, positive partner feedback, growing the business (with KAROLINA KOMENDERA specific focus on cloud growth), as well as innovation and enabling people. loud is obviously one of the Moreover, continues Maynard, Axiz has, critical factors on the minds of for the past 15 years, specialised in providing and so recognition of this nature is fantastic, “CCIOs everywhere, and our focus Microsoft value-added services to its both for them and for our customer on cloud delivery makes us a key player in partners. This has included providing access community. After all, when it comes to the this space,” says Traci Maynard, Microsoft to experts in licensing and technical matters, latter, receiving this kind of recognition from executive at Axiz. who offer competencies in areas like Azure the Microsoft brand tells them that they’ve “We’ve been closely involved in the development and solutions deployment, also made the right choice of partner.” transition of the accepted, on-premise bolstered by solid marketing skills. “It’s important to note that we’re a local model to the current cloud approach and business with a local touch, yet we continue believe we’re well positioned to share our THOUGHT LEADERSHIP to aim to be the best in our field and at what experiences with those customers and “Innovation and thought leadership are we do. Having now won Partner of the Year partners that are still nervous about taking metrics we pay close attention to, as these awards three years in succession, I think their first step into the cloud.” are all about assisting our partners to this serves as proof that a proudly South Maynard believes the company’s solid achieve greater traction in the market. Our African business can be just as strong as any understanding of the cloud and what it role here is to take something that can multinational,” she concludes. means for best practice was a key factor potentially be quite complex and simplify it.” in the organisation’s scooping the title of So what does the Partner of the Year ‘Cloud Solutions Aggregator - Indirect’ at award mean to Axiz? Maynard says that as Microsoft’s 2017 partner awards. far as she’s concerned, it provides a critical The Cloud Solutions Aggregator- “I think the crucial factor in our win is morale booster to the company’s employees, Indirect award recognises the top the fact that our cloud portal is owned by particularly to the back office workers who solutions aggregator that enables Axiz itself. It’s a platform that is an in-house play a vital role in working closely with the Microsoft Cloud transformation developed and supported product, where organisation’s vendors, and without whom, through their channel. all the intellectual property is owned by Axiz. the win would not have been possible. This provides us with the flexibility and agility “The impact this award has on our Other finalists required to make on-demand changes, business is quite profound. After all, the • Tarsus Cloud on Demand based on partner feedback, as well as amount of investment – both spiritually and customer responses to competitive offerings emotionally – that our people put into our • Westcon Comztek from other cloud vendors.” Microsoft business is absolutely enormous,
Brainstorm αlpha A W A R D S CLOUD SOLUTIONS 29 RESELLER
COMPLETE CONTROL
By Tamsin Oxford
If you haven’t moved your business to the cloud, then this Danie de Lange, winner will do it for you. XContent
JULIAN GOLDSWAIN
loud solutions are constantly being “Customers want to have all their solutions company realised there were numerous reinvented creating uncertainty in in one place, they don’t need the hassle of challenges in on-premise environments Cthe market. This is where Microsoft’s managing multiple solutions across multiple requiring the skills, rollout, maintenance and 2017 winner for the Cloud Solutions Reseller platforms and providers,” says De Lange. expertise it provides. award – XContent – fits into the equation. “We realised that being able to increase or “We’ve remained aligned to Microsoft The company’s XCNimbus portal provides decrease users, change spend, and adapt as we think it’s best-of-breed from a clients with a comprehensive portal allowing use cases on demand weren’t just nice technology perspective,” says De Lange. complete control over software usage, features to offer; they were essential features “It’s a familiar platform and experience, and investment, budgeting and scale. Designed that customers needed.” the cloud capability provided by Azure is by the company in 2016, the XCNimbus seamless. Everything just works. We can portal started operations once the company THE CLOUD CHANGE AGENT provide our clients with the technology they received its Microsoft Direct CSP Tier 1 A quick scan of the cloud market today want at a cost they can afford, while the accreditation. shows this type of offering shouldn’t be a big skills, risk and innovative technology lie with “We’ve developed a portal that provides surprise. No business wants to tie its assets us,” he concludes. a holistic cloud experience to customers, up in tin, not anymore, and the demanding allowing them to fine-tune their cloud nature of the licensing model is being rapidly journey and move elements of their business overthrown by fresh ideas making it far into the cloud on demand,” says Danie de easier for customers to do what they need to Lange, MD, XContent. “The entire portal do, when they need to do it. The Cloud Solutions Reseller of the is self-help, so clients can address specific “The cloud journey demands different Year award recognises a partner that pain points and adopt specific solutions tactics around decision-making and demonstrates solution innovation and dependent on their requirements and investment,” says De Lange. “On our platform exemplary commitment to building strategic timeframes.” we’ve also introduced the concept of a its Microsoft Cloud business. The The XCNimbus platform came about single point of responsibility. We collaborate partner had to align its CSP model when XContent realised how the market was with other expert Microsoft partners with to solve a customer’s key business changing and the ways in which Microsoft complementary skill sets for every aspect challenges, either by identifying a was adapting to meet these changes. The of the cloud journey, but throughout the new market opportunity or by using licensing model was becoming obsolete process, we remain the single point of technology innovation to address and organisations were faced with the responsibility for the client. This minimises customer needs. challenge – adapt or be disrupted. So, the risk in their move to the cloud.” company set about building a solution XContent has been a Microsoft partner Other finalists that allows clients to invest in a monthly, since 2009 and so its evolution from the • Nerdworks on-demand subscription with no big fixed on-premise technologies has been closely • BUI costs, easy budgeting, and with convenience aligned with how the technology giant has embedded into its core. shifted its own focus over the years. The
Microsoft Partner Network AWARDS 30 CLOUD PLATFORM HEAD INTO THE CLOUD By James Francis
The cloud can now be home to everything, even an entire enterprise’s technology. (Left to right) Ryan Roseveare, BUI and Zoaib Hoosen, Microsoft CHRIS ANDERSON
sking BUI’s MD Ryan Roseveare of companies were migrated to the cloud. high-quality infrastructure. Business systems to pinpoint the projects that won Not minnows or startups, but established now run better while using fewer resources. Athe company a fourth consecutive enterprises. One such project involved Even monitoring has become far more Microsoft Cloud Platform Partner of the Year moving over 350 servers onto Azure. powerful, says Roseveare. “It’s operationally award, is a tall order. “We moved everything, the whole lot. secure. Who rebooted the server? Where did “Practically everything we’re currently When we were done, the customer only that data go? It’s a nightmare to track it on- doing has a cloud component,” he says. needed a few routers, switches and a firewall premise, but in Azure everything’s logged.” “It’s become important to just about every on-premise. Everything else was moved onto Even today, if you claim you could put an technology strategy we encounter.” Azure. They sold their old servers and that entire enterprise’s systems into the cloud, This is testament to a maturing market, was that.” many will scoff and shake their heads. but also to Microsoft’s deep investment Perhaps some basic stuff: but never the core in end-to-end choice in the cloud arena. SEAMLESS TRANSITION business applications and business critical Advances in its cloud environment have BUI did this in three months, and the nightly assets. Yet BUI has now done so several times created new opportunities for companies, transitions were so seamless that some with great success. It’s testament to how launching projects and migrations that once started to ask if they had done anything at much Azure has evolved and matured to wouldn’t have even been possible. all. There were no outages or downtime. But provide pitch-perfect business infrastructure “Three years ago we’d have been foolish it’s telling that the three-month deployment in the cloud, but so good you’d swear it’s still to move serious product workloads to the period was preceded by a much longer nine in the same building. cloud. But right now the platform is perfectly month period during which the customer fine. There’s SSD, scalable infrastructure, you was convinced of this approach. “We had a can put policies in, shut stuff down at night... champion in the customer’s CIO, but there it’s all there.” was a lot of cost analysis involved to show This award category recognises Yet that only describes the capabilities of the value of the migration. There were also partners that help customers cloud. Getting to use those is another matter, fears of job cuts, but the customer didn’t modernise their infrastructure, particularly if you’re going to depend on lose any staff. Instead, the infrastructure migrate applications and data to datacentres that aren’t even located locally. If management team was reduced from ten to the cloud, build analytics solutions workloads are hosted in an Azure datacentre two people, and the rest are now focused on on cloud-based data platforms, and in Europe, that’s quite a drive. So a big part business innovation.” deliver services and build products of adopting cloud is helping build cloud The migration is saving the customer tens using SaaS and PaaS solutions environments that are secure, accessible of millions of rands in IT costs, especially available on Azure Marketplace. and as easy on the customer’s mind as the as the IT function no longer has to worry comfort of their own datacentre. about disaster recovery, future capacity or Other finalists Just how advanced this journey can be other necessity-driven drains on technology • XContent is resounded by BUI’s win. In particular, the budgets. Roseveare also notes the migration • Resolve IMMIX company has delivered several projects and allowed BUI to ‘de-tune’ workloads to take solutions where the entire technology stacks advantage of Azure’s highly scalable and
Brainstorm αlpha A W A R D S APPLICATION 31 DEVELOPMENT
Tangent Solutions moved to BEATING Azure two years ago. It was however not the most conventional of matches. “We’re very much one of the THE BLACK new types of partner for Microsoft,” Nel says. “We’re an open-source house, all of our solutions run on FRIDAY BLUES Linux, PHP, Ruby and so on. We’re representative of the new type of By Adam Oxford partner that’s come on-board since the change of strategy by Microsoft When the deals went up, for some to a platform-agnostic position.” of South Africa’s largest online Nel says that he and his team have a great relationship with their retailers the sites went down. Tangent peers at Microsoft, and the move to Azure has brought other advantages Solutions wants to change that, as beyond performance. well as how we interact with the sites. “We’re able to leverage advanced tech built into Azure, such as ‘AI as MIKE TURNER a service’,” Nel says. Right now, he adds, this is a powerful tool for implementing he end of November 2017 marked a recommendation engines for shopping sites, somewhat ironic dichotomy in South as well as more novel applications. Using Dave Nel, TAfrican ecommerce. On one side, was cloud-based AI for image recognition, for Tangent Solutions the runaway success of the annual Black example, means that customers can search Friday sales, which have been growing in for products without using text. popularity here for the last few years. Despite “You’re in someone’s kitchen and like their ecommerce up to global standards, but there’s the fact that the unprecedented surge in taps, for example, take a snapshot of them still more to be done. Looking to the future, Nel traffic was predicted and prepared for, the with your phone and shop straight away.” says, there’s more change to come. shopping frenzy was enough to overload “We’re looking at different interaction several major retailers’ websites. PROTECTED PURCHASING paradigms,” he says. “Using voice-driven The flipside to that is Johannesburg- The other key advantage, of course, is services will have a massive impact on based Tangent Solutions won the Microsoft security. There’s still a challenge around ecommerce and help us create even more South Africa Partner of the Year awards for educating enterprise customers that cloud personal services using bots. We’re working Application Development, for its work on solutions are as secure – if not more so – at creating great AIs in the background to its Elastic Commerce online retail platform. than hosting services locally. bring conversational interfaces to online Elastic Commerce provides the infrastructure “The first thing you need to do is help shopping.” for several large enterprises in South Africa people understand the risks are real whether – none of which suffered downtime during you’re in the private datacentre or the cloud,” Black Friday shopping. Nel says. “But, with the cloud you have the “As our infrastructure is entirely cloud-based backing of one of the biggest companies In an app-driven economy, partners and scalable,” says Dave Nel, managing partner in the world when it comes to security and who build great software solutions at Tangent Solutions, “we put a plan in place patch policies.” for their customers create highly and it was a relatively calm day.” There’s still confusion around PoPI differentiated value. This The compliance and cloud hosting as well, Application Development award SHOPPING AS A SERVICE Nel says, which has to be overcome when recognises the top partner that The underlying infrastructure for Tangent convincing customers to move. helped customers to digitally Solutions’ Elastic Commerce platform is “A lot of companies have an obsession with transform by leveraging Microsoft Microsoft Azure, which Nel says gives the owning the transaction, rather than focussing technologies to build solutions – or product the stability, speed and scalability on speed, user experience and getting their help modernise their existing apps that customers and end-users expect. numbers up. There’s still a level of immaturity and put them in the cloud on Azure. “We’ve been doing ecommerce for around in the local market among people who are five years now,” Nel says, “but, we reached a new to ecommerce.” Other finalists growth ceiling. Hosting customers’ stores in Winning the Application Development • Mint Management Technologies small datacentres gave us endless problems, Partner of the Year award is valuable and that was before Black Friday was even here recognition for the work that Tangent • OneNebula in South Africa.” Solutions has put in to bringing South African
Microsoft Partner Network ADVERTORIAL
YOUR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY REQUIRES A TRUSTED PARTNER
IGITAL TRANSFORMATION IS UNDOUBTEDLY THE CURRENT INDUSTRY BUZZWORD. IT’S ALSO CLEAR THAT DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IS SOMETHING TODAY’S BUSINESS LEADERS HAVE TO FACE UP TO, D EVEN THOUGH IT’S A CONCEPT THAT’S INTERPRETED DIFFERENTLY ACROSS DIVERSE MARKETS. According to Grant van der Wal, has evolved, but has given it a clear and how best this can be achieved in a CEO at Karabina, ultimately every understanding of both the past and cloud-first world. Heath Turner, customer industry is likely to be disrupted the future – and how the two tie engagement and sales director at by digitalisation. As such, it’s vital together – which Karabina views as a Karabina, says: “Additionally, we’ve that businesses understand what major value proposition. designed our business and capabilities the implications are and what it will to, in effect, touch all elements of the mean for their organisation, and the digital transformation journey that market space as a whole. “Business our customer will need to undertake leaders are recognising that disruption “OUR DIFFERENTIATOR – to solve challenges related to data, is happening, but they struggle LIES IN THE customer engagement, the digital with understanding how it impacts workplace, corporate performance their business and how to go about CONVERSATIONS management, ERP and Microsoft cloud transforming. It is, however, clear that WE HAVE WITH OUR enablement. digital transformation isn’t something CLIENTS ABOUT THE “We’re able to provide our to be ignored, as it will provide the customers with a full digital potential opportunity to leapfrog your BUSINESS VALUE WE transformation journey across their competitors,” he says. CAN OFFER THEM, business, or provide the traditional Karabina considers itself uniquely AND THE SPEED professional services in one or two positioned to be the trusted Microsoft of the competencies that are a partner that can assist executives of WITH WHICH WE CAN priority – which may result in a full companies in better defining a digital DELIVER IT.” modernisation programme, if the transformation strategy and Microsoft Grant van der Wal need exists and we deliver the right technology roadmap that will enable business impact.” their business to achieve their goals This makes a Karabina partnership and strategies. with customers much more relevant. Van der Wal says Karabina chose Karabina has been a partner to over The customer can focus on a specific to take a journey with Microsoft from 300 companies over the last 17 years, challenge that needs resolving, and early 2001 and has been through helping them achieve business impact the Karabina team will develop a various waves of technology change with Microsoft technology. The company roadmap aligned to their investment and improvement. This has not only believes this provides it with the ability cycles and business priorities. enabled the company to modernise to advise customers on the outcomes Turner suggests that thanks to and transform as the industry itself that are important to their business, Karabina having the six well established Heath Turner (L) and Grant van der Wal (R) at Karabina
and focused competencies mentioned success is determined by the overall building something sustainable and above (which includes AI, machine solution we offer and how we couple of substance alongside Microsoft. We learning and data science), the company the technology to processes in the really couldn’t ask for a better partner is able to help their customers, business most capable and simple manner, to in this regard. people, to succeed. enable the customers to achieve their “Looking ahead, we have plans “We have a tremendous track goals. Our differentiator lies in the to focus on new markets, which record in delivering on customer conversations we have with our clients will, in turn, give us access to a requirements,” says Van der Wal. “As about the business value we can offer larger customer base. To this end, our business has grown and matured, them, and the speed with which we we’re looking to Africa initially and, we have harvested the understanding can deliver it.” ultimately, internationally. This of the key challenges and pain points Van der Wal indicates that Microsoft means that our canvas for the that are specific to each of these is well positioned to take the lead in future is huge and we see enormous areas. In this way, we’re always able the digital transformation space. He opportunities going forward. These to have a relevant conversation with adds that Karabina’s initial decision opportunities will, of course, be built the customer, and provide them with to partner with the multinational is on the foundation of our leadership solutions tailored to the particular enabling it to reap many rewards now. and our trusted advisor status, which challenge they’re facing. “Our goal has always been to be positions us to play a massive role in “Ultimately, we view technology as seen as a leader in our particular the digitally transformed future,” Van nothing more than an enabler. For us, niche, and we have achieved this by der Wal concludes. www.karabina.co.za [email protected] Tel: JHB: 011 463 8155 | CT: 021 001 1044
www.facebook.com/karabinaza www.twitter.com/karabina www.linkedin.com/company/karabina AWARDS 34 DYNAMICS 365 CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT
AGILE, FROM END- TO-END
By Dave Glazier
Carel du Toit, Mint Management Mint Management Technologies is continuously increasing its reach Technologies across industries, powering new has been pushing cloud-based levels of customer-centricity for its transformation in key sectors. clients, and enabling innovation that disrupts. He says the big theme of the KAROLINA KOMENDERA 2017 awards was honouring those partners that are themselves rapidly Microsoft Gold Partner, Mint transforming. “For us, it’s very important that “By having the datacentres in-country, Management Technologies was we’re an agile business from end-to-end. In it becomes very simple to move network A recognised for its role in cloud- fact, every part of our business runs in two- fileshares into OneDrive and start capturing based digital transformation – particularly week sprints: from finance, to marketing, to the value from having your data backed-up, in the healthcare, education and financial operations, and everything else.” searchable, and always available.” services sectors. Group CEO Carel du Toit With ISO 27001:2013 certification for data points to the team’s depth of vertical-specific DYNAMIC CULTURE privacy and information security, Mint is well- expertise in these sectors, and their ability to “Allied to this is the need to have a dynamic placed to continue helping organisations implement fit-for-purpose solutions. culture of innovation and entrepreneurship,” to better harness the value of their data, “Winning the Dynamics 365 Partner of he adds, noting that these principles are and realise all the benefits of cloud-centred the Year award is of strategic importance for certainly not mere lip-service. Even the business models. us. We often get too busy to celebrate our unconventional ‘franchise-style’ ownership successes, so it’s great to pause and enjoy structure of the group is designed to the moment,” he says. encourage a strong sense of ownership The Dynamics 365 Customer Mint’s implementation teams worked among all staff. Engagement and Operations/Finance tirelessly to truly understand clients’ “We also recognise that we need to be in Partner of the Year award recognises requirements and levels of maturity, he a perpetual state of planning and refining, as a partner that differentiates itself adds, and then forged ahead with solutions is the nature of agile businesses. It’s only by as a premier provider of Dynamics delivering tangible business value. “The aim living these principles ourselves, that we can 365, that delivers modern intelligent is to stay flexible and responsive. We realise help our clients to transform and disrupt the experiences and services that connect what we did last time isn’t necessarily what we way that they operate.” all the data across an organisation should do this time.” Mint has also been a huge catalyst in to help customers make better, Highlights of Mint’s Dynamics 365 migrating data and applications to cloud- faster decisions and achieve optimal deployments include solutions that enhance based platforms, in-line with Microsoft’s outcomes. delivery of public sector medical care global strategy to help businesses maximise (through its work at the Department of the power of cloud architectures. Health); as well as a bespoke anti-money- Du Toit says the forthcoming locally- Other finalists laundering solution developed for Africa’s located Azure datacentres will have a • Xtreme CRM financial services firms. ‘massive impact’, eradicating any lingering • Karabina (Information Systems As one of the largest Dynamics solutions concerns from cloud-resistant CIOs about Partners) providers in Africa, Du Toit explains that Mint data sovereignty or data classification issues.
Brainstorm αlpha A W A R D S DYNAMICS 365 OPERATIONS, 35 GP AND NAV
EVOLVING THE AD MEN , , Toit du Carel Mint Management Management Mint By Dave Glazier Technologies
With a focus on the advertising industry, Chase Software has taken Jamie Peers, Chase Software the Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Azure platforms, and is exporting to help to create fluid integration into reduce cost and complexity even further. We the world. an agency’s broader ecosystem no longer need to have servers on premises. enabling new levels of automation All you need is an internet connection.” KAROLINA KOMENDERA and accuracy – providing the best Chase’s tool promotes the use of new, possible experience to agency clients. agile ways of working, helping to spur new s an independent software vendor It’s now regarded as one of the advertising levels of collaboration and creativity, while focusing on the advertising and industry’s most crucial elements of success, keeping tight control over every aspect of Amarketing industry, Chase Software finding favour in many leading agencies – agency operations. has harnessed the power of the Dynamics 365 including Y&R, FCB, McCann, JWT, Lowe, By focusing on Dynamics NAV in the platform to create an industry-specific solution Saatchi & Saatchi, DDB and Publicis. cloud, Peers explains that agencies are able that’s spreading its wings globally – from its Marc Gower, Dynamics lead at Microsoft to swiftly see the benefits of moving their origins in South Africa, to clients in London, South Africa, says customers around the operations onto Microsoft’s Azure cloud Singapore and beyond. world in every industry seek new ways to platform. Through its partnerships with Chase CEO Jamie Peers notes that the understand and serve customers, create new Microsoft’s local team, as well as Dynamics company’s management tool enables markets and products, reinvent operations, Africa, the Chase team has been able to advertising and marketing agencies to unify and modernise how employees work. complete a number of successful cloud the various aspect of their operations, from migrations in the past year. end-to-end. TRANSFORMING CUSTOMERS He says the award reflects an incredible “Chase’s world-class solution delivery and effort from the teams responsible for Microsoft’s market-leading software and developing and enhancing the tool, and technology are helping customers transform. The Dynamics 365 Operations, GP helping to embed it into client environments. This award recognises the business value and and NAV Partner of the Year award Its intuitive web interface helps to enhance innovation that the partnership is delivering recognises a partner that excels at productivity and collaboration, ensure the to our joint customers,” Gower says. providing innovative and unique right information reaches the right people, With a heritage stretching back to the sales, services, solutions, and/or improves control over operations, and can company’s launch in 1999, Chase has support based on Microsoft Dynamics easily scale as needed. specialised in understanding the needs of ERP. By handling every aspect of an agency’s the advertising industry. With today’s focus workflow, project management, billing, on the cloud, Chase has been recognised financial modelling and forecasting, and for guiding clients on a journey of digital Other finalists • Resolve IMMIX surfacing key data in analytics dashboards, transformation. execs get accurate visibility into their Peers says: “With a cloud-based model, • AccTech Systems organisation. Client and supplier portals clients can unlock new efficiencies and
Microsoft Partner Network AWARDS 36 RE-INVENTING PRODUCTIVITY
ENABLING EFFICIENCY
By Tamsin Oxford
Still chasing paper? There’s an app Troy Gerber, Karabina for that. company in the retail sector. Designed shifted from manual to digital and are now KAROLINA KOMENDERA to improve systems and processes completely automated.” for the people on the ground, it roductivity has been blamed for many focused on employee engagement and real- INSTANT SAVINGS things. It’s been accused of being the time information sharing. The mobile app The clients from these projects have seen a Pbuzzword that killed creativity, the most allowed store managers to capture facilities saving on their infrastructure from day one. irritating word of 2017 and the term that management information in real-time, The move from infrastructure dependent on- your business is least likely to avoid. These such as a broken lightbulb or maintenance premise servers to the cloud was an instant terrible tabloidesque accusations could required, for the relevant personnel to action budget cut. In addition, the solutions were put a company off, but they’re happening straight away. enabled within the first week of roll-out. for a very good reason. Productivity is “Another project was implemented in the “Data could be pushed straight down the buzzword du jour because of what building industry, reducing the turnaround to employees from the cloud, without IT technology has done for it and the potential time for actionable items from 24 - 48 having to come and do it for them,” says it offers. It’s no longer the bleak worker hours to immediate,” says Gerber. “The Gerber. “We used SharePoint Online for chained to the desk of time sheets and KPIs, client can now manage multiple properties the intranet and implemented Microsoft’s it’s the ability to achieve more and do more more efficiently, and use the app to capture complementary collaboration solutions to with so much less. information while on site. It took a system transform communication. As a result, the It’s into this landscape that Karabina, requiring people to scan or email information, speed of getting the clients into the cloud the 2017 Microsoft award winner for Re- wait for manual capture, and then action, and enabled was fantastic.” inventing Productivity, steps. The company and turned it into a real-time, actionable The companies can expand on services they builds solutions that assist organisations system that’s quick to use with instantaneous require on demand and on a per unit basis, in finding their way along the digital response times.” making it far easier to budget and manage. transformation path. The third solution focused on taking a “We focus on business process client company through a comprehensive automation, employee productivity, digital digital transformation journey over a transformation and mobile capability,” says five-year period. Karabina has been The Re-inventing Productivity Partner Troy Gerber, digital workplace competency closely involved – looking at every of the Year award recognises a partner lead, Karabina. “We submitted four projects process and system, replacing old ways of demonstrating thought leadership in for the award and they all have a single communication and collaboration, rebuilding taking their customers on a journey of golden thread running through them – the intranet, migrating data to Office 365, digital transformation, with multiple digital transformation, and improving and creating an on-premise and cloud- workloads delivered from Office365 productivity and performance while getting based platform. (excluding Exchange Online). things done faster.” “We restructured the way the workforce collaborates by using Microsoft technologies IMPACTING SOLUTIONS and we’re still engaging with them on a Karabina selected solutions which had the change management programme,” adds Other finalists greatest impact on its customers’ businesses Gerber. “Finally, our fourth project saw • Mint Management Technologies throughout the year. The first looked at us migrate a company completely to the • Nerdworks improving workplace productivity for a cloud – a total of 64 business processes were
Brainstorm αlpha A W A R D S LEARNING 37 SOLUTIONS
NURTURING KNOWLEDGE By Simon Foulds
Technology is nothing without the skills to apply and enable it.
MIKE TURNER
mplementing and managing Microsoft technologies, with the emphasis on Itransitioning to the cloud, requires critical skills. For IT professionals to acquire these skills they need a foundation of knowledge Left to right: Morne Hugo and Anneline van Rooyen, Torque IT from which to gain experience, and it’s thanks to learning solutions partners, such as Torque IT, that they can build this initial base. The proof of Torque IT’s success is the fact them to present both newer and modern specific modules according to a company’s that it has received the Learning Partner of learning experiences and methodologies, needs within the Microsoft framework.” the Year award in 2017, as well as numerous creating value in training its customers in “We believe our role is a critical one in occasions before. utilising Microsoft products. enabling Microsoft’s customers to implement “This particular award recognises our “We’re also one of the few Microsoft the products efficiently,” she says. “After a performance as an organisation over a partners chosen from around the world to company purchases Microsoft products it 12-month period,” says Anneline van Rooyen, pilot a digital platform catering specifically needs to have the skills in-house to operate sales director, Torque IT. “Microsoft looked at for ‘millennials’,” adds Hugo. “It was piloted it. This is where we step in, taking the whole how we’re winning new customers, driving in 2016 with the end-result now being process to the next level and ensuring customer satisfaction, the growth of our rolled out globally across all of Microsoft’s certified employees are able to implement business in the Microsoft ecosystem, the training partners.” Microsoft’s products competently.” type of innovation we bring into our business A lot of industry focus is on selling as customer solutions and finally, but most RECOGNITION technology, but the transfer of skills is just importantly, how we enable people through Torque IT trains 22 000 students per annum, as important as the software itself. Hugo training and certification.” providing 100 Microsoft official curriculum concludes: “Without the skills, the final courses per month. The company qualified product can’t be implemented effectively, TRAINING SOLUTIONS to meet the new Microsoft Gold learning and the benefits won’t be appreciated by Torque IT is able to provide training solutions standard, which shows the investment made the customer.” across four training spheres. Depending in developing a long-lasting partnership with on the students, Torque IT offers in-class Microsoft, states Van Rooyen. instructor-led training; virtual instructor-led Microsoft’s vast portfolio of products training; self-paced learning and digital means project-driven requirements are The Learning Partner of the Year learning. These, according to Morne Hugo, key elements of the training required in excels in providing innovative training business unit manager, Torque IT, are implementing the software effectively within solutions to drive growth in Microsoft designed to accommodate every type of an organisation. skills and certifications. student within an organisation. “Each company is looking for a different Because companies have different training training solution suited to their specific Other finalists objectives, along with a preferred learning requirements,” adds Van Rooyen. “Through • LGIT Smart Solutions methodology, Torque IT is able to adapt our close co-operation with Microsoft, in • CTU Training Solutions by providing either a single or a blended understanding their products as they’re learning experience. This, says Hugo, enables released to market, we’re able to develop
Microsoft Partner Network ADVERTORIAL DISRUPTION FOR EFFICIENCY
IGITAL TRANSFORMATION SHOULD START AS AN INTERNAL PROCESS FOCUSING ON MODERNISATION,” “DSAYS DAVE NEL, MANAGING PARTNER AT TANGENT SOLUTIONS. processes, you need to have the strategy and technology to enable this to happen.” “Unless you have an agile digital strategy, you’re not really implementing digital transformation within your business.” Nel says: “Businesses with big legacy systems should put structures in front of these systems, so that they can start transforming themselves, to expand their footprint and ultimately their bottom line.”
Key strategy Tangent Solutions offers its clients a new way of embarking on either the start of the digital transformation journey, or as they expand their digital transformation process. “There needs to be an appetite from the client to want to experiment through the digital platforms, and if this is approached with an open mind, the entire process happens much quicker. “ “It’s about educating people and making them aware of what best practices are available.”
Open mind Dave Nel, “Generally, we come across two types of company mind-sets Tangent Solutions when dealing with digital transformation. The first, is the client that has a mature mindset about the process, but who lacks in the execution process. They know what they need and have “By first disrupting the business internally, I believe a company the experts with the architectural knowledge, but don’t have will be able to transform the way it delivers its processes to its sufficient IP within the business to expand.” customers more efficiently; at the same time making it easier for “The second, is the hesitant client. As opposed to making their customers to use these systems.” meaningful changes, they only want to make changes at face “It’s a process that needs to be considered holistically; value. This gives way once they see the true value of embarking firstly, by laying the foundation, in order to start integrating and on a proper digital transformation journey.” iterating their digital strategy much faster.” Having a broader conversation offers far more benefits Partnership when a company is either adopting or evolving its digital As an open-source business, Tangent Solutions has a synergistic transformation process. relationship with Microsoft; working closely with the software “Whether it’s the way you need to modernise the way your IT company within the open-source context, as new paradigms operates; the way you need to modernise the delivery of your emerge, has proven successful. app, or service your clients through more efficient business “It’s all about focussing on transformation and assisting clients to choose and adopt the right technology, enabling them to Tel: 011 463 7844 be proactive in supporting their applications and production [email protected] environments, so that they can better understand their users’ www.tangentsolutions.co.za and customers’ needs,” Nel concludes.
http://bit.ly/2Djn8Cd http://bit.ly/2DOX1nG http://bit.ly/2EV7T2I A W A R D S SOFTWARE ASSET 39 MANAGEMENT
PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM
By Rodney Weidemann
Software Asset Management is a vital process for any enterprise to ensure compliance with licensing requirements. Matthew Poulter, First Technology Group MIKE TURNER
hen it comes to driving customer use SAM as a platform to drive extra services identify additional opportunities where we adoption and maturity in Software to its customer base, while bringing them up can assist them to improve the enterprise.” WAsset Management (SAM), First to date in terms of the cloud, and this new According to Poulter, First Technology prides Technology Group has successfully and method of licensing. itself on its customer focus and on building consistently delivered value accurately “First Technology has been doing SAM strong and long-lasting relationships, which it and relevantly to its customers. It’s also for well over a decade and we’ve noticed in achieves by clearly understanding their needs assisting many customers in their adoption the last year or so, there’s been a significant and working with them closely to develop of cloud, as its services team enables the change in respect of how closely Microsoft their business. It’s through SAM, he adds, that transformation to cloud by supporting has been collaborating with SAM providers. the company is best positioned to gain an customers with managed services. “In our case, this entailed piloting a SAM understanding of their environment, meaning As the winner of the 2017 SAM Partner of managed service alongside Microsoft, which that SAM is the foundation of the company’s the Year award, First Technology delivers a has proven to be particularly successful. long-term relationships with its customers. comprehensive solution to enable its clients to Historically, managed service engagements “In today’s digitally transforming world, maintain control of their software management were conducted independently of Microsoft, our customers are facing a range of new solution and keep sight of costs, says Matthew but thanks to this new programme we’re challenges, including the evolution of Poulter, SAM business unit manager at First bringing Microsoft and our customers together Microsoft’s own approach to licensing. They Technology Group. It does this by assisting again. Our success at this is demonstrated now find themselves in a position where they them with the complex issue of licencing and by the fact that we remain its only accredited need to remain relevant in this atmosphere the legal aspects of licensing compliance. managed services partner in South Africa.” of change, at the same time staying legally “Essentially, we give organisations a clear compliant in terms of their licences – and SAM picture of their overall application environment COMPETENCIES services are the key to this,” he concludes. and software spending practices. This Covering over 40% of all such local capability helps them ensure they’re paying engagements, First Technology is the largest for the correct number of licences and the SAM delivery partner in the country, and a employees using them have the software they well-established Microsoft partner. “The simple The SAM Partner of the Year award need,” he says. fact that we deliver on 15 of the 18 Microsoft recognises a partner that delivers on “It also assists enterprises to monitor that competencies puts us in a unique position as the SAM objectives of driving customer they’re not wasting money on software that a partner. From a SAM perspective, this means adoption and maturity in SAM with the goes unused or perhaps is never even installed, we can draw on the other competencies within delivery of quality value engagements. while helping them to maximise the value of the group as required and provide additional The partner has successfully driven software licence terms, such as provisions for value-add to our customers.” customer cloud adoption and internal support and training.” “SAM is also a key part of our overall perception change. business, as it’s quite often the competency NEW APPROACH that customers seek to access first. Through Poulter says in a digitally transforming world, SAM, we’re able to get to know the customer Other finalist Microsoft has adopted a new approach to and understand their environment and • BCX licensing. This enables First Technology to business challenges. This enables us to
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0861 100 395 | ctutraining.ac.za | [email protected] A W A R D S SERVICES 41 BE THE CHANGE By Adrian Hinchcliffe To help others get through the process of transformation, you must first take the journey yourself.
MIKE TURNER
lot of enterprises purchase software from Microsoft, but don’t “A fully realise the value of it,” says Charles Lalieu, managing executive: solution development, BCX. Charles Lalieu, Being able to assist customers to get the BCX most bang for their buck from solutions is one of the main reasons why Microsoft works with an army of consulting services partners, power of the cloud. Beyond the restructure, done better, and apply that next time.” such as BCX. And as digital transformation there has been significant attention paid to Lalieu says the centres of excellence model gathers steam, the guidance and support indoctrinating a corporate culture focused that’s key to the delivery of the company’s offered by these partners to customers to on doing things differently, educating consulting services is founded on the leverage their Microsoft purchases and employees on how the core offerings have principle of being agile and able to adapt. propel them on the transformation journey changed and above-the-line advertising to “We’re building out a few centres of becomes even more valuable. raise awareness in the market. excellence; one of them is focused on BCX believes its progress in transforming “Once the core offerings spark interest, Microsoft. How it looks today and the itself to better serve customers and consultants go into customers and discuss structures in place will change radically over move to a digital world has been key to their specific technology sets to ensure the time, because it’s designed around the change it claiming the title of Microsoft Services software they have addresses specific pain of our customers and the evolving landscape.” Partner of the Year 2017. points,” he says. So the ultimate reason why BCX believes “We’re helping our customers extract the “Our consulting practice allows us to sit it won the award? “Customers see that we’re true value of what they’ve procured from with a customer, understand what they’ve going through the transformation process a hyperscale vendor like Microsoft. That bought, formulate a roadmap by consulting ourselves,” says Lalieu. “If you don’t know comes through from what our customers with them in terms of priorities and risks, how to transform yourselves, how are you and vendors are seeing in terms of where we and where they can reduce cost or increase going to do it for a customer?” define our business and how we’re changing productivity, and then build those solutions ourselves,” says Lalieu. out for them. “As a company there was a restructure at “As we get better at it, and as we get more The Services award goes to the the start of 2017 and we’re currently going understanding of how the market moves partner that has demonstrated true through a radical shift. We’ve re-designed from a digitalisation standpoint, we will hone commitment to the partnership with our entire business model from multiple the specific offerings to be more pertinent to Microsoft, and in particular, Services. siloed operations sitting in diverse areas the pain points.” The award recognises the partner to one where we’re bringing things closer Lalieu’s point of constant learning who has consistently aligned with together and creating centres of excellence and improvement is a valid one. Digital Microsoft Services and helps to drive driven by specialists. This has helped the transformation, despite being a well-used consumption, support the lifecycle and consulting division hone the way it delivers phrase, is not a standard path; there’s no single make the market. The award winner not solutions. With digital transformation map as it affects every organisation differently. only meets the criteria, but also aligns to happening around us, we knew we needed “We don’t know it all; no one does. And the culture, values and success metrics to change the way we operate.” we don’t know what the future will look like. of Microsoft Services. But we do know what we are and where POWER OF THE CLOUD we’re going. We’re in favour of ‘fail fast, learn Other finalist BCX has spent a lot of energy on positioning fast’ – we need to understand what went • BUI itself to capitalise on the transformative wrong and understand what we could have
Microsoft Partner Network AWARDS 42 DATACENTRE
ON-PREMISE IS BACK IN BUSINESS
By James Francis
The cloud doesn’t signal the end Lizette van Wyk, BUI of datacentres. It brings new opportunities for on-premise. datacentres are being run: you switch can do, what they should focus on and where it on, and then forget about it until they have been getting stuck. It’s a cliché to KAROLINA KOMENDERA something goes wrong. Then you fix talk about going on journeys with customers, what went wrong, and then wait for but BUI’s approach reflects the value of that. t’s a myth that the cloud is getting rid of something else to go wrong. There isn’t an “Let’s go on a journey, modernise your ‘on-premise’, as if it’s an antidote to some emphasis on innovation and modernisation, infrastructure – quite often Microsoft’s Iperceived burden companies carry with because companies don’t completely grasp ecosystem has an almost A-Z solution for them. Though it’s true that public cloud has what they own.” most things. Let’s modernise what we can, created alternatives to organisations building Things have to change, particularly if a and what we can’t, we move into the cloud. their own physical IT environments, it doesn’t company is eyeing some of the public cloud That’s a good percentage of the projects mean on-premise datacentres are becoming world through a hybrid cloud engagement. we carried out in the last year: change redundant, says BUI’s business development This would involve their on-premise hypervisors, putting system sensors in to manager, Lizette van Wyk. systems liaising with public cloud platforms. make system management simpler, reporting “A greenfields company or startup may Establishing those paradigms is what has on your infrastructure, understanding where use public cloud because it’s easier. But in driven most of BUI’s datacentre projects bottlenecks are. A good 80% of the time you a legacy business, you have a lot of capital in the past 12 months, helping it clinch the just use what the customers have and very expenditure on-prem. You’ve got SANs, Microsoft Datacentre Partner of the Year often they don’t have to buy anything new.” servers, staff, networks, all those things. That award for a fourth time in a row. The datacentre is not going away. But it’s stuff can’t just become fallow, so it needs to Modernisation can come in many forms, changing for the better, yet that evolution be optimised.” says Van Wyk. Some customers don’t even use doesn’t come naturally. Sometimes Datacentres haven’t remained inert in virtualisation yet, while in one specific project companies already own what they need to the face of cloud. In fact, this is a common the goal was to optimise an existing network transform, they just don’t know how. With misunderstanding, that cloud is in some way and improve its monitoring. “We started a fourth consecutive win under its belt; it is the opposite of on-premise systems. Cloud optimising the networks of one of our bigger clear BUI does. is instead a methodology, a way of doing customers. Call it a ‘fixer-upper’: getting the things. It’s an approach flexible enough to environment as it should be, modernising provision applications, infrastructure and elements, putting in monitoring and alerting. The Datacentre Partner of the Year other components of a datacentre in new It was done over a weekend. The administrator award recognises a partner with ad hoc ways. But whether you use cloud in mailed us on Monday, asking if the monitoring Microsoft capabilities that enables a hyperscale environment, such as Azure, was broken. There were no outages that customers to modernise their or via your own in-house datacentre, it’s weekend. He was of the mindset where he was datacentres by taking advantage of still cloud – and that means datacentre constantly putting out fires. To him it was a advances in hybrid infrastructure and environments have to evolve and modernise. normal thing that happened all the time.” hybrid management capabilities. “Companies want to push what they own, but many of them don’t even run MODERNISATION what they have. There’s this idea that if you This is the second part of many of BUI’s Other finalist • Aves Cyber Security install something and nobody complains, datacentre projects: not only modernising the then it must be working. This is how many systems, but guiding customers on what they
Brainstorm αlpha A W A R D S DATA 43 ANALYTICS
DEFINING THE DATA DIVIDE
By Tamsin Oxford Harnessing the power of big data to improve decision-making is one of the key tenets of digital transformation.
But it’s not an easy task to get right. Ryan Jamieson, Karabina
PAUL MCGAVIN
ne of the most powerful data and around how they access and interpret it. business, capture a clear foothold in the analytics tools on the market at the We collate it in a way that makes sense and data, use the data to anticipate customer Omoment happens to be Microsoft present it to our clients with context. This spend or seasonality, take this information Power BI. Sitting in the leading position in the way they can make informed decisions from a step further towards ongoing goals and Gartner Magic Quadrant, it’s the new cool data compiled across numerous platforms strategic business development. for agile analytics and the most popular data – personal, website, services and more. We “In addition to developing solutions that player in town. But its ubiquity and capability support them in drilling down into the data to blend a variety of different technologies, from don’t necessarily mean a business will instantly find the gold.” Azure to on-premise data warehousing, we gain the perfect insight into its data and make do a lot of training and provide corporates strategically brilliant decisions. That depends EVOLVING SOLUTIONS with hands-on support,” says Jamieson. “We on the implementation and product mix. BI isn’t something that the business installs take our customers on a journey through Karabina has won the Data Analytics and then leaves. Any solution should evolve their data, their capabilities and their end Partner of the Year award 12 times because it alongside the organisation, and in this, goals. With every solution we work hard understands the value of data and the tools Karabina excels. to understand our customers so we can required to really work with the data itself. “We help clients to recognise the capability anticipate what they need.” The company has crafted solutions using of master data so they can understand their When asked why he believes Karabina’s high-profile, relevant technologies such as customers a lot better,” says Jamieson. “By solutions won the award, Jamieson puts it Microsoft’s Azure and Power BI. The goal allowing them to understand their data and down to a passion for data and people. is to create applications that are agile and do deeper analysis into the insights, they have “One of our core values is putting the client intelligent enough to support organisations been able to gain improved insights around first,” says Jamieson. “We look for client success as they dive into the oceans of data they customers, employees, projects, and product and we work with individual people within possess. Using Power BI and Azure, among portfolios. The better quality the data, the client organisations to ensure we’re all focusing other applications, Karabina creates data more useful it is.” on the end goal. We’re not a charity, but we’re warehousing and cloud solutions that extend As part of its application, Karabina not just about making money.” data access and manageability within a entered three specific projects into the 2017 solid and robust environment. Whether in Microsoft awards, each one with the golden the cloud or on-premise, the solutions are threads of data and cloud woven through accurate, reliable and timeous. implementation and solution. The company The Data Analytics Partner of the “People are struggling to make decisions has completed hundreds of successful data based on their data,” says Ryan Jamieson, data and analytics projects over the years and Year award recognises a partner that and analytics competency lead, Karabina. its insight into the market and the tools delivers on Azure Data Services and “Everyone is talking about how big data is a has paid off. Karabina has followed a clear SQL Server Premium. business imperative, but there are limitations process – establish what’s going on in the
Microsoft Partner Network ADVERTORIAL
Laying the foundation for a digital future
S A PROUD SUPPORTER OF SOUTH AFRICAN SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISE (SME) RESELLERS, RECTRON PARTNERS WITH THESE ENTITIES ON A DAILY BASIS. IT WORKS WITH THEM TO PROVIDE CHANNEL ENABLEMENT TO THE END-CUSTOMER IN WHAT IS AN INCREASINGLY COMPLICATED IT A ENVIRONMENT, HELPING THEM TO NAVIGATE THE COMPLEXITIES OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION. As a subsidiary of Mustek, which was basis, giving these organisations much “Microsoft is a name that’s trusted among Microsoft’s first partner in South Africa, greater flexibility in terms of their cash flow South African businesses, as it delivers Rectron has a long history with the software and with respect to licence numbers that may exceptional products and services, ones organisation. The company began as a vary according to staff fluctuations.” which virtually everyone has grown up using. delivery service provider (DSP) partner, Wang adds that RCT Cloud, which she But more than that, Microsoft is fiercely building from the strength of its components describes as ‘the new home of Rectron’s committed to the same values as Rectron, business, before being appointed as a fully such as focusing on the upliftment of our packaged product (FPP) partner in 2010. nation’s youth and providing critical support Once the company became an FPP for South Africa’s small businesses.” distributor, explains Elaine Wang, Cloud and “Microsoft is a To this end, she explains that the two Software Solutions director at Rectron, the name that’s trusted organisations are actively involved in relationship with Microsoft really began to promoting internships, with Rectron deepen. In 2013, Rectron was appointed as among South African bringing a number of young diploma a volume licensing distributor, and was then businesses, as it delivers graduates into its work environment over named a cloud solutions provider (CSP) exceptional products the past few years and upskilling them in 2017. Most recently, the company was with Microsoft product and solutions appointed as an electronic software delivery and services, ones which knowledge. The results, she says, have (ESD) partner. virtually everyone has been nothing short of phenomenal. “ESD essentially eliminates the need for a grown up using.” “Apart from our concentration on youth, retail box product, as the customer can now we also focus on assisting the development download their chosen solution and licence Elaine Wang, Rectron of the SME market. We’ve positioned via the internet, linking the licence with their ourselves as the distributor that sells to Windows Live ID. This is just one of the many of the smaller resellers, which would ways Microsoft is changing its approach to otherwise have been a bit neglected by business, aligning with digital transformation future’,is under the banner under which the industry. It is through Rectron then that and at the same time making life easier and Microsoft CSP and ESD reside, along Microsoft is able to communicate with a simpler for the end customer,” she states. with Palladium Accounting, Acronis Cloud range of resellers that it might otherwise “Rectron is extremely excited about its role Backup and BitDefender Security software. never have had access to.” as an indirect CSP and the opportunities this “RCT Cloud is effectively an extension “I believe the fact that Rectron recently opens up for customers. We’re now able to of our RCT brand, one which our resellers won the Consumer Distribution Partner provide solutions to the local SME market in know and love, and we have no doubt that of the Year award at the Microsoft Partner an agile manner and offer billing on a monthly the cloud represents the future of this brand. Awards speaks volumes about the good From left to right: Matthew Hall; Spencer Chen and Elaine Wang, Rectron
work we’re doing in the consumer space. the business ticks all the relevant boxes. innovation, understanding digital marketing, In particular, I think our work with ESD has “We see our role as bridging the gap and generally how to make sense of and helped to set us apart and demonstrates between our resellers and the large operate in a digital world. that we can be bold and are willing to try new multinationals like Microsoft, which is why “This is crucial, as the digital journey – one things to get the broader market to adopt we undertake plenty of channel enablement we have been on with Microsoft for some this new model.” exercises, assisting our customers to time – is only accelerating. Solutions like According to Wang, Rectron does more understand Microsoft and imparting critical ESD and CSP are Microsoft’s way of moving than simply partner with the channel – she knowledge to them. But we do this from forward into this digital future. We’re already indicates that as an example, the company more than just a product point of view. We seeing the fruits of this, with a number is willing to go out with its resellers to meet will also assist them with their financials and of local businesses developing exciting clients, in order to help them win deals. offer them the information and education solutions based on the cloud, and we When one factors in Rectron’s core value- needed to succeed in a world that is digitally believe that our partnership with Microsoft adds in the traditional distributor space, transforming. In other words, it’s about has laid the foundation for this to continue such as knowledge of the salesforce, free much more than mere product knowledge happening, and we expect much more of this delivery and the like, she says it shows that – we help them with key issues such as to occur in the future,” concludes Wang.
www.rectron.co.za 011 203 1000 | [email protected]
RectronSA @Rectron linkedin.com/company/rectron AWARDS 46 ENTERPRISE MOBILITY + SECURITY
ADOPTING THE AGE OF
IDENTITY Willem Pretorius, BUI By James Francis
Security and identity are inseparable, “We’ve had customers with opening a world of new technology many types of users. Some, like the corporates, may already have opportunities. Active Directory accounts. But they might have blue collar workers, or KAROLINA KOMENDERA roles such as third party insurance salespeople. You can’t feasibly give again. It has even executed some grand dentity matters, more so than ever before. everyone an AD identity, but they need schemes. For example, one project involved In an age where assets are often intangible credentials to interact with you. So Microsoft creating credentials between two separate Iand the people who access a company can do that, using for example, cloud organisations that were collaborating, but don’t even have to be in the same geography, accounts. Take educational institutions; you wanted to do so without the headaches of many are concerned about security. BUI don’t want an AD account for every student. VPNs or forest trusts. Microsoft EMS, using was founded in security, which remains a So you use cloud identities. We’ve done a lot cloud and AD identities, could do it. cornerstone of its solutions. To it, security and of that kind of stuff.” EMS enables BUI to deliver on all levels of identity go hand-in-hand. management and security concerns. By using “Everything is based on identity. In a A KIND OF MAGIC its full view and machine-learning platforms, cloud application environment, what’s EMS is not, in itself, revolutionary. Much Microsoft has increasing capabilities of threat common across all of them is their identity,” of the magic has to do with how each awareness, policy enforcement and digital says BUI cloud solutions evangelist, Willem component is integrated, relying on careful asset tracking. It’s perhaps hard to pinpoint any Pretorius : “It’s often the only thing you and strategic decisions that the customer specific project, because the possibilities – and have in common, so Microsoft allows you to makes with BUI’s guidance. Yet the Microsoft successes – of the EMS suite are numerous. integrate that identity with services.” difference is that its EMS is not a pinpoint “People think EMS is Mobile Device The lynchpin here is something most solution. Companies get a view of the user Management, but that’s just one feature of a companies already use – Active Directory across multiple ecosystems, from Office365 massive ecosystem of products, all of which (AD). By utilising this identity management to their device down to their authentication are inside EMS. They’re all based on identity. system, combined with Microsoft’s extensive for web access. Administrators can see It’s security with an identity base, with services Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) suite, the user’s lifecycle across all the different plugged into it. Once that ID groundwork has BUI has been able to bring its pedigree elements. been laid, the choices of what you can do and for security into a wide range of projects, In some cases, EMS modules are create are incredible. We’ve been doing this all leading to a fifth consecutive win of deployed for simple yet potent adjustments. type of work since BUI started and it never Microsoft’s EMS Partner of the Year award. adjustments. Pretorius cites the example of gets boring. It only gets more exciting.” Naming one specific reason for the win self-service password resets: “It’s the call-desk is tricky, since Microsoft EMS offers a large panacea; users stop phoning on Monday variety of tools and applications, of which mornings because they’ve forgotten their The Enterprise Mobility + Security customers can pick and choose. Some passwords. They can reset it in a secure self- Partner of the Year award recognises a activate everything, while others make very service way. Microsoft’s EMS lets you do that.” partner that stands out as an expert in specific choices. The resulting solutions, It’s appreciating the scale of this potential, powerful, secure mobility management though, are always interesting, says and the ability to help customers grasp that solutions for large businesses. Pretorius. potential, that has seen BUI scoop the award
Brainstorm αlpha A W A R D S CONSUMER 47 DISTRIBUTOR CONSUMERS IN THE CLOUD By Adam Oxford
Consumer software licensing is evolving, but it’s taking a while for consumers to get used to the change.
KAROLINA KOMENDERA
n the new world of cloud-based, subscription- licensed software, the role of the distributor in Elaine Wang, Rectron Iconsumer and small business markets hasn’t always been clear. If agreements are signed online and packages delivered digitally, what’s left for the channel to do? THE FUTURE OF SOFTWARE any device, or access photos from anywhere, Elaine Wang, cloud and software solutions The switch to ESD has changed both Rectron’s with Office 365, you can also use Office on director at Rectron, believes that it’s exactly relationship with Microsoft and the way the any device, be it Windows, iOS or Android.” because her team has been able to add team works in general. Wang describes it as a “Equally important, for the channel, is we value in that difficult role, that Microsoft more ‘agile’ environment now. don’t have to keep hold of stock and we can awarded the company the prestigious title of “We look to make sure a campaign meets mitigate against the threat of theft.” Consumer Distributor Partner of the Year. the needs of everyone,” Wang says. “We’ve “I believe, what won us the award was how come up with a lot of experimental ‘out of TURNING CLOUDY we engaged with Microsoft,” Wang says. “It’s the box’ type of ideas.” There are solid competitors in the channel, been an interesting journey, and we tried out The real success, however, has been, though, and Wang is keen to stay ahead. As lots of ideas. We’ve been enthusiastic to try understanding the needs of local customers. part of the strategy for future growth, ESD new things and experiment, and learn what “Lots of South Africans still want to ‘touch sales are now part of Rectron’s RCT Cloud works and what doesn’t.” and feel’, the perception was that if you platform and division, alongside the newly Wang says that Rectron has been involved didn’t have a sticker on the PC you didn’t added Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider with electronic software distribution (ESD) have a licence,” Wang explains. “So we’ve put portfolio. This gives Rectron the ability to since 2010, and that it’s been ‘hugely a lot of effort into channel education, we’ve add more services and value for the channel exciting’ to watch the market switch from created videos combining consumer and and end-users alike. traditional sales channels. Growth in ESD has reseller education at the same time. “Our cloud business has seen massive accelerated rapidly over the last 18 months, “There’s still a need for the channel. Many growth year-on-year, and we’re hugely she says. consumers still want to speak to someone, excited about that,” Wang says. “Business is “Initially, the switch to digital hasn’t been an IT service provider in-store or on the being transformed, and we’re very focussed as fast as we’d have liked, and certainly not phone. We help our resellers go the extra on supporting that.” as fast as overseas,” Wang explains. “The mile, and walk with the consumer.” limiting factor here was bandwidth, but the The message Rectron takes to widespread availability of fibre has changed market is clear: the benefits of ESD are things dramatically.” insurmountable. Having top consumer hardware brands, “Once, if you lost your licence key you lost This award recognises partners such as Lenovo and Gigabyte, in the your ability to reinstall,” Wang says, “Now keys that hold Microsoft distribution Rectron stable has also helped the company are tied to your Windows Live ID. Microsoft agreements for Full Pack Products understand consumer needs, and Wang says talks a lot about the ability to do anything (FPP); OEM software and Microsoft that has helped shaped campaigns and her from any device anywhere, and so do we. hardware. approach to the market. With OneDrive we can be productive from
Microsoft Partner Network ADVERTORIAL
Delivering a goldmine of opportunity to CSPs
NE OF THE CRITICAL CHALLENGES FACED BY CLOUD SOLUTION PROVIDERS (CSPS) IS THE NEED TO OFFER BOTH INTERNAL TEAMS AND CUSTOMERS A USER-FRIENDLY PORTAL, ONE THAT FUNCTIONS AS IT SHOULD. AT THE SAME TIME, IT’S VITAL THAT THEY’RE ABLE TO ENSURE THAT CURRENT AND FUTURE NEEDS CAN BE OMET BY A SINGLE TECHNOLOGY OFFERING. As a company with a background being made available to manage at run a specific cloud solution’s entire in the provision of telecom billing customer, reseller or direct or indirect customer lifecycle within a matter solutions, Astel Systems has been in partner level. of days. Moreover, Singh suggests the industry for well over a decade. It “Building the operational systems that because Astel is so familiar with initially built its reputation on creating and processes for administering the Microsoft’s systems and processes, a replacement billing system for iTalk end-to-end customer lifecycle yourself it can automatically take care of any Cellular. could take months of hard work – in ongoing provisioning changes for the According to MD Alkesh Singh, with fact, in some cases, it has taken years – CSPs. the advent of the cloud, he recognised and that will bring with it a considerable “By delivering a fully-integrated early on that cloud providers would platform to operate your customer also need an effective billing platform. lifecycle, GlobillCSP reduces the He explains that both his own research amount of people and processes and that of the IDC indicated that telco “CSPS CURRENTLY otherwise required to operate your billing vendors were best placed to USING OUR PLATFORM cloud solution. This saves clients enable cloud providers. REPORT THAT THEY’RE significant time and money. In fact, As the company had a strong CSPs currently using our platform foundation with an excellent 20% MORE PROFITABLE report that they’re 20% more profitable understanding of the telco model and NOW, COMPARED now, compared to before, and are service provider operations, it was able TO BEFORE, AND furthermore spending 35% less on to create an end-to-end solution that administration costs now that they’re would truly enable CSPs to perform. ARE FURTHERMORE using the platform.” He goes on to say that achieving SPENDING 35% LESS Speaking at the Microsoft Partner of profit in the CSP model depends on ON ADMINISTRATION the Year Awards, where Astel won the minimising costs and maximising sales, coveted Managing Director’s Award, but it doesn’t end at just a Microsoft COSTS NOW THAT Microsoft South Africa’s MD, Zoaib licence or cloud product sales. ISV THEY’RE USING THE Hoosen, pointed out that Astel is playing partner product opportunities, PLATFORM.” a hugely influential role in enabling direct value-adds, hardware, other Microsoft SA’s cloud ecosystem. software, expertise and delivery are all Alkesh Singh “Astel is a company that started in commodities that CSPs can monetise 2005 with two people – and at this and use to increase customers’ time they already had the forethought reliance on the partnership. cost and the ongoing requirements of to understand the power of cloud “Of course, to be profitable, CSPs staff to run and operate things.” computing and the impact that it need a slick system with processes It is with this in mind, he continues, would have on business and the world that provide reassurance of products that Astel has launched GlobillCSP – and built a solution that would end being provisioned correctly, billing for Microsoft CSPs. GlobillCSP can up empowering Microsoft’s own cloud running accurately and information deliver a fully operational platform to world. Their innovative GlobillCSP potential, but is also technology that can be transferred anywhere.” Singh adds that one of the reasons CSPs love the solution is that it offers them the simplicity of getting just one bill from their service provider, and having just one point of contact if something goes wrong. “Using GlobillCSP to sell, deploy, provision and manage each customer seamlessly frees our clients up to focus on offering an unparalleled customer service. Moreover, because CSPs are no longer distracted by handling the minutiae of operational systems and processes, they can resolve issues more quickly than before, often Alkesh Singh, without the need to contact Microsoft Astel support. This is a total win-win for the CSP and the customer. “What Astel offers to the market solution is providing the billing and Today, Astel has over 40 employees, is of great value to CSPs – instead revenue platform for Microsoft CSPs, has grown its revenue by over 550% in of them viewing the role of Cloud delivering an end-to-end solution that the last three years and has offices in Solution Provider as one fraught with offers complete customer lifecycle South Africa and the United Kingdom operational challenges, GlobillCSP management, encompassing CRM, and customers across the world. This enables them to, instead, turn it provisioning, rating, billing, collection, is not surprising, considering that this into a goldmine of opportunity,” he servicing and support,” he says. technology has not only got enormous concludes.
Head Office (Durban): +2731 566 1560 www.globillcsp.com Johannesburg: +2711 783 3341 www.astel.info Sheffield, United Kingdom: +44 330 808 2235 [email protected] | [email protected]
fb.com/GlobillCSP & fb.com/AstelInfo @GlobillCSP & @Astel_Systems GlobillCSP & Astel Systems AWARDS 50 LICENCE SOLUTION PROVIDER
THINK SOLUTION,
NOT LICENCE Tracy Scaravaggi, First Technology By Rodney Weidemann
In a digitally transforming world, all be a leading partner here, due to “I think a key reason for us winning the simple fact that out of the 18 this award was because we’re a partner aspects of technology are forcibly Microsoft competencies represented, that has the skills to deliver on almost evolving, and software licensing is no we actually have 15 of those – 13 Gold every competency, as well as the ability and two Silver competencies.” to offer multiple skills in the Microsoft different. solutions areas. Added to this, we continue EVOLVING BUSINESS to develop offerings that enhance the KAROLINA KOMENDERA “We’ve constantly evolved our Microsoft Cloud offering. It’s the multiplicity business as Microsoft’s own approach of our offerings and abilities that are key n the past, licensing was simple: whatever to licensing has developed and changed, differentiators for us.” software the client was purchasing, especially in recent times, with the significant According to Scaravaggi, First Technology Ithey needed a licence for it, says Tracy shift brought about by digital transformation. is Microsoft’s largest LSP, holding some 40% Scaravaggi, licensing operations manager at Moreover, the simple fact that we have the of the market share in terms of licensing. First Technology Group. vast majority of the required competencies With this in mind, it’s not so surprising to “Today, however, we like to look at things makes us a particularly natural fit, moving learn that this is the second successive year from a solutions perspective, so the focus forward. the company has won this particular award. has shifted from the licences to the challenge “First Technology has also grown its “We’re very proud to have won this, and faced by the customer. Once this is known, licensing teams over the years, to drive our are proud of our great team and thank all it’s about determining the correct solution commitment to delivering value accurately our customers who made it possible. We to solve this, and then we look at how we and relevantly to our customers. Our services believe our success – which is highlighted can licence-enable a particular solution. Our team is then able to assist customers in their further by winning this award – is all down name – Licence Solution Provider (LSP) – transformation to cloud by supporting with to our skills and our people, who bring says it all: we’re all about selling solutions, managed services.” incredibly vast expertise to the table. We rather than licences,” she says. Typically, she adds, the customer process have been a Microsoft partner for over The winner of this year’s Microsoft LSP begins with a pre-sales team meeting with 25 years, and some of our people have Partner of the Year award, First Technology the client, to clearly understand their long- been around the whole time – this level of has taken to heart the need to transform its term strategy. Its solution-focused approach experience is another key differentiator,” she LSP business, via modern licensing processes means that the company not only works to concludes. and innovative value-added offers. meet the customer requirements, but its Scaravaggi says much of the change was team also maps out attendant areas of focus determined by Microsoft’s launch of its One that need to be looked at. Commercial Partner (OCP) programme, “For example, we might have a customer This award recognises Licence designed to harness partner expertise and that wants to purchase Exchange, but hasn’t Solution Provider partners who knowledge. considered related functionality like security provide Microsoft licensing solutions “When we broke down exactly what the or back-up. It’s our job to bring this to their and services through the LSP intentions of the OCP were, we realised we attention and then provide the relevant programme. were perfectly positioned and primed to licences to enable this.”
Brainstorm αlpha A W A R D S EDUCATION 51 PARTNER STAYING AHEAD OF THE CURVE By Simon Foulds
Certifying employees via digital instruction is paving the way for the upskill of employees throughout Africa.
KAROLINA KOMENDERA Ronald Meeske, CTU Training Solutions
ver the past three years, CTU Training Solutions has been Oconducting a Microsoft training share their experiences and achievements time off to attend a training course.” programme certifying students across Africa. among the group and on public platforms Currently CTU Training Solutions certifies The success of this programme can be seen such as Facebook and Twitter. The ‘avoidance 20 000 students annually across a diverse in the 80% attendance rate – unheard of a of loss’ techniques is about building a PBL range of technologies. Meeske adds that couple of years ago. This, according to the (Points, Badges and Leaderboard) system how it structured its Microsoft learning training institution, is a major achievement and is the only negative element employed programme is a template that it intends for an online programme. whereby students avoid missing online adopting for other online courses offered. Initially there were challenges because classes as they earn a fictitious virtual “Previously when a company adopted the course was presented to students via currency to ‘pay’ for their exam. a particular technology we would send an virtual instructor-led training (VILT). This Meeske believes the gamification instructor to a central point and employees programme was designed to engage and resulting student engagement was would then receive the relevant training with the students and enable them to ask a contributing factor behind why the at one central point. Nowadays we’re questions as the course progressed. The organisation was chosen as Microsoft’s 2017 able to structure the relevant training so challenge was getting the students to attend Education Partner of the Year. it can be presented to employees during the online classes. CTU Training Solutions Another reason behind the company’s non-productive hours, which is a win-win overcame this via gamification. success in winning the award is that it situation for everyone involved. Companies This exercise helped achieve high embraced the strategic direction Microsoft is can then train all their employees this way attendance rates, improve continuous taking. CTU Training Solutions has been able irrespective of where they’re based.” engagement and certification attainment. to adapt quickly in presenting new learning The biggest problem with enterprises The gamification model focuses firstly on and consulting solutions to customers adopting technology, according to Meeske, changing behaviour and attitude by giving a aligned to Microsoft solutions. The adoption is that once acquired by companies it isn’t clear context of the roadmap – from learning of technological developments within its used to its full potential. To overcome this, to earning – encouraging students along own operations have also been a key factor, he concludes, there needs to be a change in the entire journey. Secondly, its emphasis says Meeske. user perceptions about undertaking training on ‘accomplishment’ helps students to “CTU Training Solutions has always and personal development so companies experience incremental steps of self- embraced the strategy of integrating can get the most out of the technology realisation. Classic approaches to celebrating technology in providing training solutions they’ve purchased. accomplishment, by praising students’ best suited to students seeking Microsoft achievement at the end when certificates certification. We’re able to offer this at are handed out no longer works effectively, any of our campuses across the country says Ronald Meeske, CEO at CTU Training or via virtual instructor-led and distance This award recognises partners who Solutions. Instead, incremental achievements programmes. This is advantageous for provide innovative solutions and are celebrated throughout the learning corporates wanting to upskill employees services in education that enable engagement. because we’re able to offer VILT, so modern learning in the new digital ‘Social relatedness’ is the third element employees can be educated anywhere on world. employed to give ‘millennials’ tools to easily the continent, as opposed to taking work-
Microsoft Partner Network AWARDS 52 MANAGING DIRECTOR’S AWARD EOH ENABLING A Gold Microsoft Partner The need to transform digitally in order to sustain THE CLOUD relevance, competitiveness and leadership in your industry has been established. The message is clear – transform, disrupt or fail. ECOSYSTEM But the process of change isn’t that simple. By Adrian Hinchcliffe
Astel Systems pivoted from telecoms Whomever your customers may be, EOH has developed solutions that will help you innovate the to cloud and is already making a big way you engage clients and do business, within a market place where expectations are evolving more rapidly than ever before. impact enabling local cloud solutions providers. Alkesh Singh, Astel
KAROLINA KOMENDERA Our Microsoft solutions & services fall into 5 key practices:
n a publication showcasing partner Cellular, the company I worked for at the start in the US. “I knew immediately that this excellence in helping Microsoft to digitally of my career. They were looking at replacing was our path – a vendor with a cloud Itransform South African businesses, you their existing billing software and I suggested programme and partners that would need a might expect the winner of the prestigious that we build an entirely new platform.” cloud billing platform.” Platform Consulting Data and Analytics Managing Director’s award to be a big hitter Singh was given six months to produce “Because we understood service provider This includes licensing, SQL database solutions and Unlocking the value in your data with SQL database in the local tech space – an exchange-listed something. Self-funded and with a team of operations and knew the telco model well, systems integrator or well-known ISV, perhaps. three fresh graduate developers, a working which was very similar to the CSP model, platform modernisation development and analytics with PowerBI But Astel Systems has flown under the radar. platform was created in four months. “I was we were able to bring a lot of that industry So how did a 12-year-old company with a extremely proud of what was achieved by our knowledge to the table. I knew if we created history steeped in telecoms billing come to small team in a short space of time,” he says. the right end-to-end solution for the CSP, be selected by Microsoft’s MD Zoaib Hoosen In 2009, iTalk Cellular was acquired by we would get a lot of traction and could as being such an influential partner to the MTN. This proved to be quite a challenging entrench ourselves there,” he says. future of digital transformation? period for Astel as iTalk Cellular was one of With client wins from Rectron, EOH Business Applications Custom Software Development and “Given what Microsoft is doing in the its anchor clients. Singh admits the next few and a number of First Technology Group Underpinned by the Dynamics 365 suite, and customized Integration cloud, I looked to our ecosystem to find years were tough. subsidiaries, among others, Singh believes by our highly competent software developers a partner with great potential and doing In 2013, Singh decided the company Astel is starting to prove the point. We’ve designed a practice around the credo something different in this area. While they should diversify its focus from purely “With Microsoft confirming CSPs are DevAnything and we work with the best in the themselves might not be a big consumer of telecoms. “We looked at what the next big integral to its growth, and the fact we’re business to deliver on this promise cloud, the software Astel has developed is thing was going to be and saw the cloud enabling CSPs and therefore the wider enabling our cloud ecosystem in this country opportunity. Based on our research, and ecosystem, I believe that’s a critical reason in a big way,” says Hoosen. the IDC’s view that telco billing vendors for us winning the Managing Director’s Based in Durban and employing over 40 were best placed to enable cloud providers, award. The award gives Astel a lot of Productivity people, Astel Systems was founded by MD we set up an internal cloud team. Another credibility as we enter other markets. We’ve Enabling a truly modern workplace through O ce 365, Alkesh Singh in 2005 to provide a telecoms factor was the lack of an obvious market just launched an office in the UK and are SharePoint and Teams billing platform for a single client. leader at the time.” also setting up a business entity in Dubai, Singh had spent four years working for a In 2014, Microsoft selected Astel as part so we’re looking at Middle East, Africa and telecom billing solutions provider in the UK, of its Equity Equivalence (EE) programme. Europe as our target market.” EOH’s approach to industry is to complement generic IT services with in-depth and specialised and was responsible for their project delivery “This was great for our business as it helped Says Hoosen: “The strategic value of industry knowledge. With 8 Microsoft gold competencies and more than 500 certi ed Microsoft across emerging markets. However, the fast-track us with marketing, building the this partner is in it being a big component product was often too complex to configure, brand and funding extra resources. Without in our go-to-market by providing a key specialists in our business you won’t nd any other Microsoft Solutions provider in Africa that required lengthy implementation timelines, support from Microsoft and its leadership enabling technology for our partners. The can provide the depth and breadth of expertise that we do. Visit us at www.eohamp.co.za and a pricing model that did not provide team, we’d have probably missed the cloud big differentiator is that it’s a home-grown satisfactory ROI, says Singh. opportunity,” says Singh. company with South African IP. It was After failing to persuade the company’s In 2015, Singh attended a presentation on interesting to find someone within our EE management to refocus the product, Singh Microsoft’s CSP (Cloud Solutions Provider) programme that met all of these checkboxes moved back to South Africa. “I approached iTalk programme at the Microsoft Inspire event and is so well-placed to go global.” Technology makes it possible... People make it happen
Brainstorm αlpha EOH A Gold Microsoft Partner The need to transform digitally in order to sustain relevance, competitiveness and leadership in your industry has been established. The message is clear – transform, disrupt or fail. But the process of change isn’t that simple.
Whomever your customers may be, EOH has developed solutions that will help you innovate the way you engage clients and do business, within a market place where expectations are evolving more rapidly than ever before.
Our Microsoft solutions & services fall into 5 key practices:
Platform Consulting Data and Analytics This includes licensing, SQL database solutions and Unlocking the value in your data with SQL database platform modernisation development and analytics with PowerBI
Business Applications Custom Software Development and Underpinned by the Dynamics 365 suite, and customized Integration by our highly competent software developers We’ve designed a practice around the credo DevAnything and we work with the best in the business to deliver on this promise
Productivity Enabling a truly modern workplace through O ce 365, SharePoint and Teams
EOH’s approach to industry is to complement generic IT services with in-depth and specialised industry knowledge. With 8 Microsoft gold competencies and more than 500 certi ed Microsoft specialists in our business you won’t nd any other Microsoft Solutions provider in Africa that can provide the depth and breadth of expertise that we do. Visit us at www.eohamp.co.za
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