computer reseller news aug 08
DESCRIPTION
Panda Security; Cisco intelligence network; HP has updated its Preferred Partner Programme; Cisco Extreme Business Makeover reaches out to SMBs; GovTech; ease of use drives accounting software boom; wireless networking; mobile technology; Women in IT.TRANSCRIPT
Getting government businessright p17>>Fujitsu Siemens touts SelectProgramme p19>>Are grey imports underminingchannel legitimacy? p30>>Ingram Micro has new CEO p41>>2008 CRN Partner ExcellenceAwards p45>>
Inside This IssueInside This Issue
July 2008
www.crn.co.za
Iomega is ramping up channelinitiatives locally. Find out how the
removable storage products vendorplans to woo solution providers that
target the SoHo and SME storagemarket. p14>>
Iomegaengages gear
Iomegaengages gear
C
PUBLISHER’S: NOTE
Manda Banda – publisher
ollectively, they have a voice that reverberates throughout the IT industry. Individually, their roles run
the gamut from distribution executives to vendor channel directors to CEOs of solution provider and
reseller companies.
As we celebrate, recognise and honour women achievers in the local IT and the channel, here at CRN
we also take cognisance of the contributions that women in general have made towards building a more
racially and gender-balanced society.
As is the norm in our publishing calendar, we pay tribute to those women who are the movers and
shakers in IT and local channel.
This year, CRN has decided to honour those influential women in the local IT industry who are making a
mark for themselves and are inspiring other women to join them. When women from all over the world
come together to celebrate their day, they can look back on an international tradition that represents at least
nine decades of women wanting to participate in society on an equal footing with men.
In celebrating National Women’s Day, which falls on 9 August in SA, CRN pays tribute to the local IT
channel’s outstanding women achievers.
Does gender hamper or aid advancement in the channel? What do the statistics really tell us?
Through individual profiles highlighting their personal achievements and how they found themselves in IT,
CRN is letting women tell their stories and what their roles entail.
This year, there are more 18 women on our list we are profiling.
The women of years past paved the way for those who came after them. Today’s Women in IT will do the same for the generations to come.
As we salute these movers and shakers, we believe that it is through their participation in the IT and channel space that a lot of progress continues to
be made as more and more women are getting into middle and senior management positions.
As a publication that supports equal opportunities for all, we firmly believe that by honouring these women, we are also dispelling the myth that IT is
or should be a male-dominated industry.
By paying tribute to these women, we are also hoping that their individual achievements will influence others to consider careers in IT, particularly
young girls who would like to pursue careers in industries that are predominantly seen as a male only domain such as IT, engineering, mining and
geology, to mention a few.
In the pages that follow, CRN features some of the most influential women in the local channel: discussing their roles in the sector, how they joined the
IT industry and their rise to fame.
To all women happy Women’s Day and always remember the struggle continues – Aluta Continua!
Enjoy the read and I let me know what you would like us to tackle in CRN. I can be reached at [email protected]
Paying tributeto the women in IT
CRN Contacts:
Publisher:
Manda Banda
Online editor:
Kaunda Chama
Journalists:
Portia Shaba
Dominic Khuzwayo
Brand executive:
Hellen Murahwa
Sub-editor:
Jenny Bastomsky
Designer:
Spencer van Graan
Database and subscriptions:
Daisy Mulenga
copyright noticeCRN Southern Africa is published monthly by
Systems Publishers (Pty) Ltd. The copyright of all material in this publication is reserved by the proprietors, except where expressly stated. The publisher, however, will consider reasonable requests for the use of material
by others on condition that the source and author of the report are clearly attributed. Due to the nature of the newspaper print process, Systems Publishers
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CRN Southern Africa is a licensee of CMP Media LLC.
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Contents
Scans in this publication have been reproduced on the EPSON PERFECTiON 2450 photo
2 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008
News & Analysis
4 – What’s News
6 – Comings and Goings
8 – Dmoves
10 – High Five: Panda Security
14 – Cover story: The Intelligent Network. Cisco’s senior VP Worldwide
Channels, Keith Goodwin is upbeat partners will benefit from intelligent
networking. By Manda Banda
16 – HP has updated its Preferred Partner Programme with new
initiatives focused on profitable growth and business development. By Dudu Shaba
18 – Cisco Extreme Business Makeover reaches out to SMBs.
By Dudu Shaba
20 – GovTech: This year’s GovTech conference was a great event for resellers,
not only because they were able to see and hear about plans made by government,
the biggest ICT customer in the country, but also to learn about some of the
pledges and suggestions made by key players in the public sector.
By Kaunda Chama
22 – Demand Generator: NC Solution X300 boosts PostNet’s
Internet Cafes. By Dominic Khuzwayo
23 – Microsoft Partner Summit 2008. By Kaunda Chama
Features28 – Ease of use drives accounting software boom.
By Dudu Shaba
32 – Wireless networking has become a pre requisite.
By Dudu Shaba
37 – Mobile technology aids in addressing economic challenges.
By Dudu Shaba
40 – Women in IT CRN pays Tribute women
movers and shakers in the SA IT channel space. By Manda
Banda, Dudu Shaba, Kaunda Chama, George Maseko and
Stanley Chishala.
Parting Shots56 – Snapshot: Dan Engel, Polycom
56 – Dilbert
45
19
16
15
13
&GOINGS
4 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008
COMINGS
WHAT’S NEWS
Serima jumps to SAPPfungwa Serima, ex Microsoft boss will take over
the helm of SAP’s Africa region, which was
under the stewardship of Claas Kuehnemann
MD, SAP Africa. Serima will be responsible for
strategic planning, operational excellence, sales
and field operations, professional services and
overall performance in the Africa region. “I am
honoured to join SAP’s winning team and to work with it on
expanding the strong foundation that has been built in the
region.” Serima adds that his main focus is to ensure that
African businesses look increasingly to IT as the basis for business
innovation and to improve their profitability.
SAS appoints sales headSAS Institute has announced the appointment of
Kevin Kemp as its dedicated sales manager. “We
are in an exciting time at SAS and are investing
heavily in our people, Kemp’s appointment is a
key component of this investment,” says Kerry
Evans, general manager, commercial division,
SAS South Africa.
Tasked with building up the personal and client relationship
skills of the team, Kemp brings 17 years of experience in which
he has served in roles within the insurance, banking and ICT
industries. Kemp recently held senior positions at GijimaAST
where he was responsible for the financial services and retail ser-
vices units.
Stephen Moore to manageCommVault Stephen Moore has joined Workgroup to head
the company’s CommVault division. His experi-
ence includes a stint in operations management
at Acer Africa and he was a partner in the cre-
ation of Jokers Wild Productions. “As
CommVault product manager, I’ve been tasked
with promoting the brand, increasing market share and setting
up a solid client base. A large part of this will be maintaining
strong relationships with our partners, and ensuring they are up
to speed on the product offering and the value add it brings to
South African end-users,” he says.
New PR manager at Microsoft.Adrian Wainwright has been appointed new PR
and image manager for Microsoft SA. Adrian
comes to Microsoft SA from Microsoft West,
East and Central Africa (WECA) – a team he
joined two years ago as the PR and communica-
tions manager. More recently, Adrian assumed
the central marketing lead role, which saw him taking broader
responsibility for BG and segment marketing. Prior to Microsoft,
Adrian spent over 10 years in account direction and content
generation roles at different agencies, handling PR and through-
the-line communications campaigns for a broad spectrum of
local and international ICT companies, including Microsoft.
Timm now with HP HP has announced the appointment of Allan
Timm as sales director, HP SA. Timm joins the HP
team from Faritec where he held the position of
group sales director. Oliver Fortuin, TSG Country
Manager says, “Timm will be responsible for dri-
ving HP sales, creating a new TSG sales culture
and building an investment plan for the sales
team. He hopes to significantly influence the strategic aspects of
the HP sales organisation in SA.” Fortuin adds that Timm’s
appointment marks an important step forward in growing HP’s
sales with a well-led sales force.
3Com promotes Wiggill3Com, one of the leading global networking
companies, has promoted Derek Wiggill to
regional sales director for Africa. Wiggill joined
3Com in January 2007 as regional telecommuni-
cations sales manager. Before that he was sales
director of Redline Communications, where he
was responsible for opening its Africa office. He
has extensive experience in telecommunications, consultancy and
channel management in the region, and is responsible for defin-
ing strategy for 3Com in Africa and driving innovative solutions
that benefit partners and customers.
Wiggill says: “3Com is committed to providing the highest
level of service and support to its customers in Africa as well as
maximising the tremendous growth opportunities that exist
across the region.”
EMC has new technology solutions managerEMC South Africa recently appointed Palesa
Mapetla technology solutions manager. Mapetla
holds a diploma in business IT systems and
Advanced Business Programme Management
from Wits Technikon. She was also a recently
awarded her MBA from the University of
Johannesburg. She combines her formidable
qualifications with considerable industry
experience, having worked for several years in various roles at
other international IT vendors. Mapetla will be responsible for IT
service management (ITSM), backup and recovery, consolidation
and related disciplines.
Pfungwa Serima
Kevin Kemp
Stephen Moore
Adrian Wainwright
Allan Timm
Derek Wiggill
Palesa Mapetla
6 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008
WHAT’S NEWS
Ingram Micro adds backup solutionsIngram Micro SA has added a full range of HP tape drives to its port-
folio. Jacques van Zijl, product manager, Ingram Micro SA, says this
will enable the company to sell HP tape drives to customers, while HP
installs services and provides the warranties on the solutions.
Citrix expands channel programCitrix Systems has extended its Citrix Advisor Rewards programme to
pay channel partners on sales of Citrix XenServer software. The pro-
gramme, originally introduced in 2004, pays Citrix Solution Advisers
for designing and delivering solutions based on Citrix application deliv-
ery products. According to the company, the programme has been
extend to include embedded versions of XenServer and eliminates any
potential channel conflict with OEM partners. This also ensures strong
incentives across the board by compensating partners that influence
embedded XenServer deals as well as those who fulfil them.
ProScan launches GPS systemProScan Enterprise Mobility has launched the CoPilot Live 7 GPS from
ALK Technologies for Windows smart phones and pocket PCs. Andrew
Fosbrook, group MD, ProScan says that the CoPilot Live 7 software
redefines mobile satellite navigation with its simple and intuitive
menus, new clearer 2D and 3D map views, and real-time mobile
Internet navigation-based services. “The redesigned destination entry
makes finding to destinations simple, with step-by-step address entry,
finger-touch buttons and predictive address matching. Frequently used
features are quickly accessible, including changing the map view and
locating the nearest petrol station,” he says.
HP goes gold HP has launched its upgraded and expanded Gold Preferred Partner
Programme to the local market. HP announced that it will invest in
additional channel sales resources for its preferred partner programme,
while including a new gold level and a new virtualisation specialisa-
tion. “We believe in our partner strategy more than ever,” says Mark
Perry, country manager, solutions partner organisation, HP, SA
“Our channel commitment is defined by business results and we’re
investing heavily in partners who share this vision, while making it sim-
pler and more rewarding to work with us,” adds Perry. With the new
programme, HP aims to extend its flagship programme to even more
resellers looking to maximise their relationships with the company.
GovTech needs make-overPublic and Administration Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi stressed
the need to change GovTech from being a talk shop to a more out-
comes-focused event. She says the government’s IT agenda should be
one the people follow to make a difference, especially considering the
huge budget that is set aside for ICT procurement by the government.
Fraser-Moleketi stresses that ICT should be primarily used to find solu-
tions to the challenges the country faces. She adds that making a suc-
cess out of the technology that the government procures goes beyond
effective public private partnerships (PPPs) to cohesion within govern-
ment organisations like OGCIO, GITOC Council and SITA.
Citrix unveils Project KenshoCitrix Systems, one of the global leaders in application delivery
infrastructure, has announced the release of Project Kensho, which
is designed to allow independent software vendors (ISVs) and
enterprise IT managers to easily create hypervisor-independent,
portable enterprise application workloads. These tools are set to
allow application workloads to be imported and run across Citrix
XenServer, Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and VMware ESX
virtual environments.
Project Kensho will enable ISVs and enterprise IT staff to leverage a
hypervisor-independent portable virtual machine format that
packages a complete application workload as a secure, portable and
pre-configured open standard virtual appliance.
Acer presents P243W widescreen displayAcer has released the new P243W LCD monitor, a 24-inch
widescreen display for the home or small office environment.
According to John Geypen, business development manager
Acer SA, the widescreen display integrates the latest panel
technology for an improved contrast ratio of 3000:1, wide viewing
angle of 170° and 400 cd/m? brightness.
He says the P243W supports resolutions of 1 920 x 1 200 and
94.1 pixels per inch (PPI) enabling users to take full advantage of the
latest multimedia applications. “This new 16:10 widescreen monitor
allows media lovers and professionals to comfortably view multiple
applications simultaneously,” he adds.
New Logitech driving forceLogitech will release a wireless force feedback racing wheel for the
Playstation 3 console. Robert van de Vegte, regional director,
Logitech SA says the device is very quick to set up and easy
to store.
“The Driving Force Wireless force feedback wheel delivers the type
of racing experience you’d expect from a Logitech force feedback
wheel and the one-piece design is easy to set up and just as easy to
put away, keeping the living room free of clutter,” says Van de Vegte.
The Logitech Driving Force Wireless force feedback wheel is expected
to be available in SA in September at a suggested retail price is R1
199, including VAT.
Sahara unleashes desktop PCsSahara Computers has released its latest range of desktop PCs.
The latest offering is designed to meet the needs of a growing
end-user base as resellers experience an increase in demand
for competitively priced, multi-functional PC solutions.
Gary Naidoo, deputy MD at Sahara, says the company has
received substantial feedback from its resellers indicating an increase
in demand for desktop PCs, from entry-level to the high-end
gaming market.
“The focus is on quality, feature-rich desktop products. Aspects such
as LCD monitors, the latest in sound and graphic cards, wireless
peripheral devices, Internet connectivity and the most up-to-date
software are all key factors behind a decision to invest in desktop
solutions,” he says.
Westcon SA partners with SymantecWestcon SA, one of the leaders in the networking field, has formed a
partnership with storage and security specialist Symantec. Jacques
Malherbe, CEO, Westcon SA says: “Westcon SA is committed to its
channel and continuously aims to offer its partners the best value in the
business. To ensure that Westcon SA offers the best-of-breed technolo-
gy, it is crucial to build partnerships with industry leaders such as
Symantec,” he adds. Mark Smissen, channel manager, Symantec Africa
adds that the prospect of working with Westcon across Africa is a sig-
nificant step for Symantec, especially as Westcon SA demonstrates a
keen vision to expand Symantec’s reach outside of the traditional enter-
prise space.
Comztek gets Iomega accountICT distributor Comztek has added Iomega to its dynamic consumer
electronics product line. Heinz Stephen, director of consumer electron-
ics, Comztek says, “Iomega fits in perfectly with the rest of Comztek’s
blue-chip product mix. The partnership with Iomega puts us in a
unique position to offer our customers true end-to-end solutions in the
consumer electronics market.” Stephen explains: “The decision to work
with Iomega was an easy one. Comztek sought a partner that would
match its culture of innovation and customer-centric service delivery
together with providing reliable quality products, and this was achieved
through the partnership with Iomega.”
BDS appoints Ugandan partnerBytes Document Solutions, has partnered with Service and Computer
Industries (SCI). Coenraad Ackerman, Africa operations manager, Bytes
Document Solutions says that SCI has been chosen because of its
strong reputation in Uganda as an independent services provider. “The
company has entrenched partnerships with some of the world’s lead-
ing ICT companies, demonstrating a depth of experience that makes it
an ideal Ugandan partner for us,” he says. Amitava Chatterjee, project
manager, SCI says, “We are focused, with the support of Bytes
Document Solutions, on providing superior delivery and implementa-
tion of Xerox products and solutions to our customers and to follow
through with quality after-sales support.”
Biodata gets rights from IBMBiodata, local security distribution company, has secured rights to dis-
tribute IBM Internet Security Systems (ISS) products. According to
Biodata, it is currently the only distributor of ISS products in the region,
and plans to deliver the full scope of ISS security solutions in SA,
Namibia, Swaziland and Lesotho. “As a specialised security distributor
with a wide array of solutions in our stable, we feel the IBM ISS range
truly complements our current offerings,” says Christian Runte, MD,
Biodata.
Workgroup now CommVault distiWorkgroup has landed the exclusive distribution rights to CommVault
Simpana software. According to Stephen Moore company?designa-
tion?, “While there are a host of synergies between the two compa-
nies, with Simpana working seamlessly with a range of our hosted
products like Microsoft and VMware, we’re looking forward to brand-
ing the product locally and cementing it as a singular information man-
agement tool to be reckoned with.” Nick Wonfor, country manager,
Africa, CommVault concurs saying: “CommVault’s partnership with
Workgroup was the natural next step in its growth phase internationally.”
WAM signs with Rifle-ShotWAM Systems, one of the leading providers of supply chain planning
solutions, has signed a distribution agreement with Rifle-Shot
Performance Holdings. Jack Weiss, CEO, WAM Systems says: “Rifle-
Shot’s wealth of knowledge, its strong customer base and expertise in
the process industry in both South and sub Saharan Africa made it the
ideal partner to assist us in expanding our business in Africa.” “Our
product range fits well within the climate of opportunity in Africa,” adds
Weiss. Ian Huntly, Rifle-Shot Performance Holdings MD comments: “We
are very excited about this partnership and the expanded benefits we
are now able to offer our clients through WAM Systems’ solutions.”
Pinnacle Micro gets Cherry dealPinnacle Micro has signed a distribution agreement with specialised
computer input devices manufacturer Cherry GmbH. According to Hans
Steyn, business
development manager, Pinnacle Micro, the replacement market for
keyboards in sectors such as retail and banking, and general points-of-
sale will easily be in excess of R1 billion. “All current keyboards will, over
the next year or two, have to be replaced so that they will be able to
transact with the new EMV technology,” says Steyn. In addition, Cherry
keyboards are integrated with contact/contactless smart card readers as
well as standalone smart-card readers, which have been awarded certi-
fication from the USA security programme.
TomTom gives distribution to RectronTomTom, one of the market leaders in portable navigation systems, has
appointed Rectron as its sole local distributor. The appointment of
Rectron follows Tom Tom’s ending its relationship with Core Peripherals
SA in May this year. Joost Jetten, TomTom regional manager, South
Africa and Middle East, says TomTom has identified Rectron as the ideal
partner to help it expand its distribution network, set up the required
presence and further establish the brand in SA. “Since Rectron focuses
on best-of-breed products, TomTom is clearly the quality brand we
want to be identified with,” says Mark Lu, Rectron chairman and CEO.
Lexmark secures Itec, OfficeSmartLexmark, through its Value Print Partner Programme, has secured local
partnerships with office solutions providers, Itec Distribution and
OfficeSmart.
“Lexmark’s channel-centred culture now offers an additional avenue
of revenue for service dealers,” says Lawrence van Namen, Lexmark
sales director. “Itec and OfficeSmart’s immediate commitment is a clear
indication that the programme will be accepted in SA,” adds Van
Namen. According to Lexmark, the programme’s “save more” philosophy
provides channel partners with the tools to help their customers print
less and gain control over their printing costs, which can equal
between one and three per cent of a company’s turnover.
8 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008
ANALYSIS: DISTRIBUTION MOVES
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
10 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008
HIGH FIVE: EMCSOLUTION PROVIDERS
BY DOMINIC KHUZWAYO
EMC gearing for growth.
Palesa Mapetla is the new technology solutions manager at EMC, one
of the leading developers and providers of information infrastructure
technology and solutions. Mapetla holds a diploma in business IT
systems and another in Advanced Business Programme Management
from Wits Technikon. She combines her formidable qualifications with
considerable industry experience, having worked for several years in
various roles at other international IT vendors. CRN had a chat with
Mapetla about her new position.
CRN: What is your management style?PM: My personal leadership style is one of being approachable. I like
to consult with my colleagues and to draw on the broad range of skills
and expertise within my team to ensure that we develop solutions that
offer clients powerful, compelling and meaningful solutions.
CRN: What changes are you making?PM: I will be implementing changes and restructuring my department
with an increased focus on services. This will include a specific sales
focus in the services arena, with particular emphasis on high-end ser-
vices. We are going to offer best-practice services and solutions, lever-
aging off the benefits of the experience that EMC has gained, particu-
larly in the Middle East.
CRN: What challenges is the storage sector facing?PM: Our Expanding Digital Universe survey, which we conduct in con-
junction with IDC, indicates that the volume of data is growing at an
increasingly rapid rate and that it should reach 1.8 zettabytes by 2011,
a compound annual growth rate of 60 per cent. This vast volume of
data will need to be stored and managed effectively and efficiently to
ensure that critical data is always available when required. One of the
key issues this highlights is the requirement for storage hardware.
CRN: What benefits is EMC offering customers?PM: EMC has evolved substantially over the past few years and
through acquisitive growth and internal innovation and development,
we offer a far more comprehensive range of solutions and products
than ever before. Wherever individuals and organisations are using
information to imagine, to discover, to create, and to build relation-
ships, you’re very likely to find EMC working behind the scenes to
enable this by making information fit and ready for use. We created
the Information Lifecycle Management category and we are evolving
this proposition in line with constantly changing information manage-
ment requirements.
CRN: Where do you see EMC in the future?
PM: EMC will continue to focus on four areas of information man-
agement: storage; protection; optimisation; and leveraging. We will
assist companies with their information requirements through:
Managing growth – particularly as there is a dramatic growth in the
amount of information and the storage of this will pose increased
infrastructure complexity
Managing risk –where we will play a role in protecting against
information loss, securing information against unauthorised access,
and complying with legal and corporate mandates
Managing effectiveness – where we will play a role in reducing
capital and operational costs, improving flexibility and responsiveness,
and delivering service levels demanded by the business
Creating new value – where we will leverage information in new
ways, using infrastructure to drive the business.
EMC appoints new technologysolutions manager
“We are going to offer best-practice services and
solutions, leveraging off the benefits of the
experience that EMC has gained in the Middle East
in particular.” – Palesa Mapetla, EMC.
n the aftermath of the 2008 global Cisco
Partner Summit held in Honolulu in April, Cisco
Systems is urging its channel partners globally
to follow it down a new path and on a course it
believes will catapult it and its channel commu-
nity to the forefront of the IT industry.
That path, according to the vendor, is
Intelligent networking which has been stimu-
lating and continues to enhance collabora-
tion via online Web 2.0 tools and Software-
as-a-Service (SaaS).
The collaboration strategy Cisco has been
preaching in the channel over the past three
years is a combination of technologies such
as VoIP, unified messaging, instant messag-
ing, IP video, Telepresence, mobility, SaaS
and Web tools like blogs and Wikis.
In fact, the networking vendor has been at
the forefront of making it easier for cus-
tomers to communicate easily with each
other using an amalgamation of technolo-
gies as the linchpin of its broader intelligent
networking strategy.
Clearly, a combination of the above tech-
nologies is the foundation on which Cisco’s
strategy is based as it rallies partners to go
beyond their traditional networking focus of
selling and implementing routers and switches.
To this end, Cisco is moving towards soft-
ware and is advising solution providers to
skill up and get their hands on software
applications or find someone to partner with
who is operating in this space.
The networking and convergence solu-
tions vendor is moving away from its tradi-
tional business focus and embracing soft-
ware to be at the forefront of what should be
its key offering in the new intelligent network.
As this strategy becomes clearer, Cisco
does not want to leave its partners behind
and is urging them to get up to speed with
applications or partner with their peers who
are well vested in this market.
SaaS investmentCisco’s SaaS strategy has gained momentum
following the vendor’s US$3.2 billion acqui-
sition of WebEx Communications in May
2007. At the time of concluding the deal,
industry pundits touted the purchase would
yield a long-term impact on Cisco.
In an exclusive interview with CRN SA,
Keith Goodwin, senior VP worldwide chan-
nels at Cisco, says the main motivation
behind the push of intelligent networking and
SaaS is to ensure that Cisco becomes the
most influential IT company in the next three
to five years.
Goodwin says Cisco resellers around the
globe will have to adapt to take advantage
of the collaboration opportunity, even in the
way they engage with the company.
“Traditionally, we have been strong in the
networking space,” he notes. “To capitalise
on the opportunities that have been created
as a result of Web 2.0 technologies, partners
will have to not only invest in systems but
solutions and software capabilities.”
Goodwin emphasises that changing the
way partners do business with Cisco is not
enough as they need to evolve themselves
and their business models for them to capi-
talise on the opportunities that are emerging.
He says through initiatives such as the
Industry Solutions Partner Networking (ISPN),
which has brought over 200 Cisco solution
providers globally into direct contact with
ISVs, the company has been able to assist
partners to jump onto the software applica-
tions bandwagon. “We are investing a lot in
SaaS as we believe it is a multi-billion dollar
industry,” he says.
Locally, Cisco has three partners enrolled
on the ISPN programme following its launch
in August 2007.
Prabashni Pillay, regional channel manag-
12 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008
COVER STORY: CISCO
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
BY MANDA BANDA
IPioneering a new IT path.
Intelligent Networking
“If you look at our business, 96 per cent goes throughthe channel.” – Steve Midgley, Cisco
COVER STORY: CISCO
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008 • 13
er at Cisco Systems SA, says the local sub-
sidiary has two partners serving the mining
sector and one partner playing in the real
estate industry enrolled on the ISPN pro-
gramme. Pillay adds that four more partners
are to register before year end, which will go
a long way in persuading others to join the
programme. “Through our interactions with
these partners, we are getting positive feed-
back,” she says.
Pilot channel programmesAs Cisco maps out channel building blocks
to assist channel partners, it is also testing a
number of channel programmes for partners
working in service models particularly out-
sourcing and managed services.
In addition to a managed services pilot
programme launched in the second half of
last year and another pilot initiative around
WebEx, the company it acquired this year,
Cisco is also piloting a channel programme
for outsourcing.
In fact, the outsourcing programme is part
of a strategy that Goodwin unveiled at the
2006 Partner Summit conference with the
aim of creating what he dubbed then as
“offer-based” partner programmes.
Steve Midgley, country manager at Cisco
Systems SA, says although these programmes
have not been kick-started locally, there is a lot
of interest from local partners. The vendor will
start local pilots at the start on the fourth quar-
ter. Midgley says the interest emanates from
the fact that Cisco’s addressable market in SA
has doubled. “If you look at our business, 96
per cent goes through the channel,” he says.
“Locally, we only have one direct client.”
Product roadmapWith the vendor having launched its
Aggregation Services Router (ASR) family of
products earlier this year, Goodwin says the
company sees virtualisation as an area that is
growing and should receive more attention
from Cisco both from a technology and
product perspective.
In addition, Goodwin says SME networking
products, the new midrange routers together
with video and Telepresence products are
slated to receive a lot of attention this year. “It
is vital to point out that while we are embrac-
ing software and services that go with soft-
ware applications, Cisco will continue to bring
to market networking solutions in the SME,
midrange and enterprise space that have
made it a strong and trusted brand,” he says.
While many solution provider partners are
upbeat about Cisco’s vision and push of the
intelligent network and what it can do, end-
user customers who, in essence, are sup-
posed to benefit from these initiatives are
slow to embrace full-scale collaboration and
Web 2.0 solutions.
The success of Cisco’s partners in changing
the mindset of their customers will be the
yard stick on which Cisco’s vision of intelligent
networking will be measured.
“Changing the way partners do business with Cisco isnot enough as they need to evolve themselves and theirbusiness models for them to capitalise on opportunitiesthat are emerging.” – Keith Goodwin, Cisco
Keith Goodwin, Cisco
P has updated its Preferred Partner
Programme with new initiatives focused on
profitable growth and business development.
Mark Perry, Country Manager, SPO, HP, says
HP has invested in additional channel sales
resources for its Preferred Partner Programme
and included a new Gold level for 2009.
According to Perry, the Gold level for
2009 is for Partners who are specialists
that have gone the extra mile in terms of
accreditation and dollar commitment to HP.
“These partners operate in the corporate
enterprise and public sector space. They will
offer specialised solutions to their customers
and their Gold status will further HP’s
commitment to these partners and vice
versa,” he says.
The updated Preferred Partner Programme
will benefit partners by suiting their market
conditions, enabling them to experience big
technology shifts and implementing quicker
to their markets.
“We have very good programmes for our
partners and we can’t keep them stagnant,
our partners will get bored. There are many
technological and environmental changes
taking place and we have to keep them
informed. In addition to that, we found that
the existing Preferred Partner Programme is
still desirable and growing bigger, so we
looked at our programme and standardised
around the world,” he says.
Perry says that eligible Gold partners have
been identified. Partners who still want to
register should be catering to the enterprise
and public sector and be registered by
1 September 2008.
HP Gold Preferred Partners are required to
meet the following criteria: � Revenue threshold� HP Certified Professional Certifications� Specialisation-specific criteria� Self-profiling� Sales and service partner contracts
with HP
Revenue thresholdPerry says to apply for entry into the Gold
Preferred Partner Programme partners are
required to meet sales revenue of $2 million
(net value) per annum from HP SA
authorised distributors for the previous full
12-month period.
He says that partners wishing to specialise
in any of the focus areas below, will need to
ensure that they meet the necessary individual
specialisation requirements by 1 September
2008.
He states that the 2009 specialisations
are:� Computing Systems� High-Performance Computing� DataCentre Solutions� StorageWorks Solutions� Virtualisation� Workstations� ProCurve Networking� Service� Professional Service Partner (previously
ASDP specialisation)� Authorised Services Partner (previously
ABSP specialisation)� Office Printing� Office Printing Solutions� Large Format Printing
14 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008
ANALYSIS: HPSOLUTION PROVIDERS
BY DUDU SHABA
H
“The Gold level for 2009 is for partners who are specialistsand have gone the extra mile in terms of accreditation anddollar commitment to HP.” – Mark Perry, HP
New Gold level for 2009.
HP updates PreferredPartner Programme
ANALYSIS: HPSOLUTION PROVIDERS
CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008 • 15
HP Certified Professional Certifications
Perry says that the HP Certified
Professional Programme is structured
around five certification focus areas which
are sales, pre-sales, integration, administration
and development.
“There is a requirement to achieve and
maintain at least two Accredited Sales
Professional Certifications or one Accredited
Sales Professional Certifications and one
Accredited Pre-sales Professional
Certification,” he explains.
HP recommends the following certification
for partners who are new to the HP Certified
Professional Programme – Commercial
Solutions Sales Professional or Commercial
Solutions Presales Professional.
“For those partners operating in the enter-
prise market we have an
equivalent Sales and Presales Certifications
in Enterprise Solutions. HP Certified
Professional Certification can be achieved
through the passing of the required exams.
Sales exams can typically be taken on the
Web, technical exams will normally require a
visit to a secured Prometric exam centre,”
he comments.
Once partners have completed all of the
above, they should email hpcommuni-
[email protected] requesting entry into the
programme, with: “Request for Entry into
the Preferred Partner Programme” in the
subject header.
Perry goes on to say that partners who
want to be considered for membership of the
2009 HP Preferred Partner Programme
should consider the following criteria: � Revenue threshold – Preferred Partner
Programme partners are required to meet
sales revenue of $100 K net value per
annum from SA HP authorised distributors � Self-Profiling – HP Preferred Partners
must complete and submit self-profile
information on an ongoing basis. The
information required ranges from general
contact details and job functions to
employee statistics, turnover for the past
two financial years, business segmentation
and focus, product turnover, vertical mar-
ket details and details of other vendors
used and brands� ASP – Partner Fundamentals Training� HP Certified Professional
Certifications – the HP Certified
Professional Programme is structured with
five certification focus areas: Sales, Pre-
sales, Integration, Administration and
Development. � SSP Contract – To sign and return the
SSP contract, the request can be sent to
[email protected] with: “Contract
Request” in the subject header.
For 2009, Perry says that HP is also
aggressively targeting the small business
small office (SBSO) Preferred Partners.
“We are creating a pool in this market for
HP products. We will do this via marketing
as well as our acquisition database,” he says.
Perry says the updated Preferred Partner
Programme will enable its partners to have
more market share and be more profitable.
“HP is a channel organisation and we
have been dealing with partners for many
years. Our updated Preferred Partner
Programme endorses our new commitment
to the channel and shows that it will
continuously evolve,” he concludes.
Mark Perry, HP
s part of its commitment to stimulating
economic growth by making technology
more accessible to small and medium busi-
nesses (SMBs), Cisco has this month
announced the winner of its Extreme
Business Makeover competition.
The Cisco Extreme Business Makeover
competition, which targeted SMEs in SA,
was launched in March this year. Val
Moodley, regional sales manager for
Commercial, Cisco SA, says the exciting
initiative was aimed at working with SMEs
to assess what their current networks entail,
what their actual requirements are and
how they can grow by implementing best-
in-class Cisco technology.
Moodley says SMEs were offered an
opportunity for a total makeover of their
network, free of charge.
“After receiving more than 350 entries,
Cisco announced Redpeg the deserving win-
ner on 7 August 2008 in Sandton. The
overall prize is a complete networking
transformation featuring the latest Cisco
products and solutions valued at R300 000.
The campaign marked another step forward
in Cisco’s ongoing commitment to help
stimulate economic growth by making tech-
nology more accessible to SMEs,” he says.
The competition was open to all busi-
nesses in SA, employing between 8 and
250 people, which had been trading for
three or more years.
“To take part and qualify, participating
businesses had to answer various questions,
such as how the Cisco technology will
enhance their business growth and efficiency.
Cisco received a massive response to the
competition. The number of entries
exceeded all expectations. We had entries
from SMBs from all around the country
which proved that local SMEs are
increasingly looking to build an IT
infrastructure that will present them with
a differentiator,” he says.
In determining the deserving winner,
Moodley says that a panel of ICT and SME
industry experts assessed the entries and
evaluated them against various criteria to
determine the competition winner.
“Our technology experts will now con-
duct a detailed analysis of Redpeg’s needs
and instigate a renewal of its technology
platform with Cisco integrated solutions,
including a fully integrated Cisco network
with voice, video, wireless communication
and desktop applications,” he says.
“As our business grew, so did our
requirement for a reliable, well integrated
and cost-effective networking and commu-
nications infrastructure. Managing the vast
amounts of data we work with in a secure,
reliable and cost-effective manner is key to
our business, so is the ability for employees
working remotely to access this informa-
ANALISYS: CISCO
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
BY DUDU SHABA
ACisco’s Extreme Business improves productivity.
Reaching out to SMEs
Val Moodley,Cisco SA
ANALISYS: CISCO
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
tion,” says Tracy Jean-Pierre, founder and
director, Redpeg.
“As our existing system no longer meets
our business requirements, we are thrilled
to be the winners of this makeover. The
new Cisco network will enable our employ-
ees to remain connected, productive and
able to access the information they need in
an efficient and reliable manner.
Additionally, the ability to collaborate with
various stakeholders in creating up to date
and quality HIV/Aids material and reports is
essential to maintaining a competitive
advantage,” Jean-Pierre adds.
According to Moodley, there has been a
call for the larger IT industry players to be
more supportive of the SME market and
provide enablers for them to grow.
“Through campaigns such as our Extreme
Business Makeover we are able to demon-
strate that Cisco is responding to this call by
delivering tangible support for this growing
portion of our economy. Our research indi-
cates that SMBs are becoming increasingly
sophisticated and demanding in their use of
technology; they are now in a position to
take advantage of what has always been
within the realm of larger organisations.
Until recently, large enterprises had an edge
over SMEs with regard to emerging tech-
nologies,” says Moodley.
Moodley explains that the common chal-
lenge faced by small businesses is finding
the right technology tools to increase
productivity and efficiency. “As part of our
ongoing commitment to the SME segment,
we are pleased to be playing an important
role in assisting them to transform the way
they do business. In Redpeg’s case, we
believe our technology solution will provide
it with the tools it needs to increase produc-
tivity and competitiveness, and develop
quality materials and reports to create
competitive distinction
Effectively, we see ourselves as the
change agent, creating new opportunities
for SA SMEs to leverage and grow their
businesses and contribute towards job creation.
The kinds of solutions we provide are simple
roadmaps that emphasise scalability of
technology as well as optimisation of costs.
In driving our messaging through, we used
various media, including print, broadcast
and online, and it’s thanks to all these
media institutions that we were able to
reach so many SMEs,” Moodley concludes.
“The Extreme Business Makeover competition marksanother milestone in Cisco South Africa’s ongoingcommitment to help stimulate economic growth by mak-ing technology more accessible to small and mediumbusinesses (SMEs).” – Val Moodley, Cisco SA
18 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008
ANALYSIS: GOVTECH
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
his year’s GovTech conference was a great
event for resellers, not only because they
were able to see and hear about plans
made by government, the biggest ICT cus-
tomer in the country, but also to learn about
some of the pledges and suggestions made
by key players in the public sector.
To start with, Telkom announced it will
continue updating its infrastructure, which is
great news for channel players that are lucky
enough to be part of Telkom tenders.
For example, a spokesperson from the
fixed-line operator mentioned that the com-
pany is setting up WCDMA networks as a
way of deterring the cable thefts that have
plagued the company for many years.
This will also contribute to improved
bandwidth availability and affordability
as end-users become more sophisticated,
and at the same time be a better facilitator
of e-government.
At the event, Public Service and
Administration Minister Geraldine Frazer-
Moleketi stressed the need to change confer-
ences such as GovTech from being mere talk
shops to being events where stakeholders
can formulate action plans that are actually
followed through.
The minister said IT spend must make a
significant difference in the business of the
companies that supply it to the public sector
as well as improve the functioning of govern-
ment departments considering the sheer size
of the public sector’s annual IT budget.
“IT should be used to find answers and
solutions to the challenges faced by both the
government and its citizens but, at the end of
the day, collaboration between local IT sup-
pliers and government? is critical in achiev-
ing this,” she explained.
Adding on to the fact that collaboration is
a prerequisite to success Frazer-Moleketi said
that it should go beyond just being between
the government and its suppliers but also
within government structures themselves.
“These structures must ensure that they get
the basics right if they intend providing effec-
tive service delivery. I must also caution
against conference euphoria where people
leave and forget most of what they dis-
cussed. We need to make GovTech a real
knowledge platform and not just a talk
shop,” she said.
Former State Information Technology
Agency (SITA) CEO Llewellyn Jones stated
that 2008 has been an eye opener for both
the private and public sectors because of the
global economic downturn.
As good news for local channel players,
Jones announced that SITA would ensure that
local distributors and resellers enjoy the majori-
ty of public sector business. This, he said,
would help to develop the local IT sector,
which has been going through turbulent times.
He said that although the power crisis still
hangs over the country, he sees 2008 as a year
of change with the emphasis on strategies.
“Even us as an agency have shifted from
BY KAUNDA CHAMA
TFormulating action plans.
Govtech 2008,great for resellers
“What we want to do as a government is give ourcitizens a ‘single view’ of the public sector so that wecan better serve them.” – Frazer-Moleketi
ANALYSIS: GOVTECH
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008 • 19
being a very inward focused entity primarily
focused on fixing SITA to one that is more
outwardly focused on helping government
better deliver services through IT,” Jones said.
He added that although the S ITA Act
makes it mandatory for companies to go
through the agency when doing business with
the public sector, Jones would like companies
to do business through SITA because of its
quality of business and level of service.
The agency has committed to maintaining
a collaborative delivery model where it will
ensure the involvement of local technology
suppliers, while at the same time adopting a
shared services model. SITA could potentially
set aside more than R500 million for the
extension of its ICT infrastructure as a way of
ensuring that it remains financially stable.
“We will deliberately focus on working with
local companies to get the best technology
solutions into the public sector. Although the
multi-nationals are perceived to have the best
solutions on the market, a good number of
local hardware and software developers and
system integrators have been making an
impact globally,” Jones explained.
One hopes the person who takes over
from him shares these feelings as this
could help further the local ICT channel
which is struggling.
He added that SITA will also work to help
develop local small development houses
through the imposition that they are involved
in its procurement process.
He, however, could not give an indication
of how much local companies could poten-
tially gain from the agency’s millions in?.
Of the areas that companies can target to
gain reasonable revenues from the public
sector, Jones said that networking, hardware
(server consolidation) and software licensing
are hot areas.
He added that most of the spending will
be on networking, which is critical in facilitating
better service delivery.
commented that local distributors and
resellers have great potential for revenue
generation as the government continues on
its journey towards automating and integrat-
ing its service delivery processes through ICT.
“What we want to do as a government is
give our citizens a ‘single view’ of the
public sector so that we can better serve
them,” she said.
Another area where local technology
providers might make money is through
the provision of technology products and
services to the public sector while it strives
to upgrade its systems in line with the
requirements of what has come to be known
as green computing.
As the government moves to become a
leader in implementing more environmentally
friendly systems, there is great potential for
companies to sell more products and
solutions to the public sector.
According to the minister, although
government has not yet formulated a specific
policy on green computing, it is committed to
keeping in line with the principles of adopting
environmentally friendly technology solutions.
“Although the power crisis still hangs over the country, hesees 2008 as a year of change with the emphasis onstrategies.” – Llewellyn Jones, SITA
LlewellynJones, SITA
20 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008
ANALYSIS: GOVTECH
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
t this year’s GovTech conference, Jonas
Bogoshi, CEO of system integrator Gijima
AST, which is also the platinum sponsor of
the event, said that procurement has moved
from just getting the best product at the best
price to creating solutions partnerships.
He stressed that companies and the
government have to start looking at the
entire value chain when selecting procure-
ment partners.
“Sadly, we find ourselves in a situation
where procurement remains at the lower end
of ICT maturity,” he said.
Looking at government and large enter-
prises specifically, Bogoshi said that as a sys-
tem integrator Gijima AST has noticed that
the time taken from the time companies and
corporates identify technology needs to when
they actually implement systems is too long.
“This situation makes it such that the
time to the actual realisation of technology
benefits is prolonged unnecessarily,”
noted Bogoshi.
He suggested that a workable alternative
is for the public and private sectors to
change their procurement strategies from
technology specific to solution oriented.
“Both these entities have to adopt value-
based adjudication processes and not just
focus on elements such as cost and black
economic empowerment,” noted Bogoshi.
He advised that government and the pri-
vate sector also have to develop models that
result in the sharing of risks and rewards.
“SA does not have a good and clear public-
private partnership model which tends to
delay project implementation times,”
commented Bogoshi.
He added that the time overrun when
using traditional implementation models can
be more than 30 per cent, whereas through
effective public-private partnerships the time
can be reduced to about 11 per cent.
At the event, the then SITA CEO, Llewellyn
Jones, announced that the theme for this
year’s GovTech conference was
“Collaborate, Innovate and Deliver”.
The theme was the result of recognition by
the government that it is critical for it to work
more closely with the private sector on deliv-
ering large complex projects.
“This close partnership will also help to
mitigate the shortage of appropriate ICT
skills in SA,” he said.
According to Bogoshi, a new approach to
planning, procurement and implementation
of ICT projects by the public sector is needed
to ensure successful delivery and the sustain-
able leveraging of new technology frontiers.
“It is also necessary to simultaneously
stimulate the development of a local industry
capable of competing with established and
emerging ICT giants globally. Conferences
like GovTech help in driving public service
transformation and enhancing the strategic
role of procurement in enabling public sector
service delivery,” he said.
According to him, it is vital to develop and
grow technology continuously to meet the
needs of South Africans while ensuring that
projects are completed on time and in line
with a broader national strategy.
“This is why particular attention must
be paid to the final aspect of delivery,”
noted Bogoshi.
“There is a need to differentiate between
simple traditional procurement and strategic
BY KAUNDA CHAMA
A
A new look atprocurement
Conferences like GovTech help in driving public servicetransformation and enhancing the strategic role ofprocurement in enabling public sector service delivery.”– Jonas Bogoshi, Gijima AST
ANALYSIS: GOVTECH
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008 • 21
procurement. Simple procurement is appro-
priate for known products with fairly simple
and known functionality. Experience has
shown that normal or traditional procurement
processes are inappropriate for complex
strategic projects like government’s
Integrated Financial Management System
(IFMS) and Home Affairs’ ‘Who Am I
Online’. In this situation procurement needs
to foster partnerships for sharing risks and
rewards between the supplier and consumer.
A more strategic partnership will enable
quicker realisation of benefits by the con-
sumer,” he explained.
Bogoshi further said that government’s sup-
port for the IT sector is vital, as the majority of
IT companies around the globe continue to
grow because they are able to spend money
on research and development, banking on
continued support from their governments.
“SA faces its own unique challenges,
including a shortage of skills. Although this is
prevalent throughout the world, the shortages
here are more acute. Another problem is that
the industry is too fragmented. There are too
many small companies in a sector where
only the big players have the financial where-
withal to spend reasonable sums on research
and development.
“These issues highlight the importance of
conferences such as GovTech, which are
unique in that they allow for both private
and public sector organisations to come
together to share best practices while finding
solutions to the problems plaguing the sector,”
he explained.
Blowing his own company’s horn, Bogoshi
was quick to say that he believes it is Gijima
AST’s diversified and comprehensive range of
ICT consulting and delivery capabilities,
together with its in-depth knowledge of?
experience in? systems integration, that pro-
vides a solid foundation from which to devel-
op the kind of integrated and focused solu-
tions that will play the biggest role in
enabling government to better meet the
needs of its people.
As government continues to embrace
open source software, CEO of Europe-based
OpenForum Graham Taylor commented that
the potential for open source software and
open standards arguably has the biggest
potential for discontinuity in the ICT industry
since the Internet.
“Open source software can now be as
commercial as proprietary alternatives?, the
only difference now is the business models
and licensing structures, ” he said.
He adds that the open source movement
is no longer an anti-software industry move-
ment, quoting research group Gartner as
having predicted that by 2012, 90 per cent
of public sector organisations will be using
open source software in one way or another.
“Open source software is here to stay and
so is proprietary, the key for government and
private organisations is to develop integrated
strategies,” explained Taylor.
He added that with 70 per cent of
e-government applications being developed
in-house, open source and standards present
an opportunity for lowering ICT costs,
encouraging a sharing culture, faster
development timescales and increasing
accessibility to citizens by reducing dependence
on specific software.
In addition, Taylor pointed out that adopting
open standards also increases opportunities
for local software developers and SMEs to
get a slice of public sector business.
Jonas Bogoshi, Gijima AST
C Solutions (Pty) Ltd, one of the most
popular terminal solutions companies in SA
has offered PostNet in Northgate shopping
centre, Johannesburg, a user-friendly virtual
PC Internet café.
PostNet upgraded its Internet café to
NC Solutions’ NComputing X300 virtualised
terminal solution and TrueCafe billing system.
This upgrade follows PostNet
Northgate’s previous experiences of age-
related issues and security problems which
rendered each PC vulnerable to numerous
virus onslaughts which became increasingly
difficult to manage. Additionally, the
Internet café’s multiple points of entry
added to the system’s vulnerability.
Alex Hughes, owner of PostNet
Northgate says, “Due to these challenges I
decided to partner with NCSolutions as it
provided me with a solution that will allow
me to run one central system with six ter-
minals, which means I have only one PC to
worry about.
“In addition to this, it was important to
have a robust and easy-to-use billing system
and that is where TrueCafe shone out from
the other billing systems.
“It just made a lot of sense; the chances
of users installing malicious software is
virtually zero, plus running only one copy of
software improves manageability and miti-
gates system vulnerability,” he adds.
PostNet Northgate enjoys improved
infrastructure manageability, system security,
usability and reliability since upgrading to
NC Solution X300.
Working on both Linux and Windows,
the X300 uses only 1 watt of electricity per
added user (compared to 115 watts for a
typical PC). With a longer useful life and far
smaller size, the NComputing solution
also helps to reduce e-waste, a growing
problem around the world. The X300
terminals get their power from the PC via
the CAT5 fly leads.
“What many businesses don’t realise is
that up to 90 per cent of a PC’s processing
power is unused. In addition, hard drives
with large capacities are now standard,
making the solution ideal as the hard drive
capacity is shared among the terminals,”
says Sean Owen-Jones, MD, NC Solutions
The NC Solutions X300 terminal solution
is optimised for clustered applications such
as Internet cafes; expanding one PC by
adding a PCI card and connecting up to
seven multi-user terminal boxes. It essen-
tially redistributes excess computing power
to each PC terminal.
Owen-Jones explains that connected
users enjoy the same speed and perfor-
mance as the host PC while working inde-
pendently and securely from each other.
“The X300 is really easy to install and in
the case of PostNet we were up and run-
ning in no time. We are very happy with
the outcome of the project and believe
PostNet Northgate is a true indication of
an Internet café using virtualised terminal
solutions,” he adds.
According to Hughes, the X300 solution
has allowed him to cut down on the
number of PCs, network points, power
points and cabling which translates into
cost savings. The system is now simple and
easy to use, the environment is more
streamlined and aesthetically pleasing, and
service delivery has improved
Hughes adds, “I believe other Internet
cafes can take a snapshot of my environ-
ment and implement it. The system copes
with the high usage and heavy-traffic
requirements associated with Internet cafes.
The user response has been very good and
the number of complaints has gone down
to virtually zero.”
In addition to the hardware, NC
Solutions also provided PostNet with
TrueCafe’s billing system which allows for
complete flexibility in billing customisation.
TrueCafe software is designed to work in
“virtualised” environments hence the good
marriage with NComputing’s X300 which
shares one IP address for up to seven users
per PC.
“We hope to support more operating
systems this year and will also be launching
our “Virtual IP” product for the X300 and
as well as two additional size variations of
the X300,” concludes Owen-Jones.
Do you have demand generator stories
to share with us? Please e-mail Dominic
Khuzwayo at [email protected]
22 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008
DEMAND GENERATOR: NC SOLUTION
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
BY DOMINIC KHUZWAYO
N
“We are very happy with the outcome of the project andbelieve PostNet Northgate is a true indication of Internetcafé environments from virtualised terminal solutions.” – Sean Owen-Jones, NC Solutions
NC Solution X300boosts Postnet
Sean Owen-Jones, NC Solutions
t this year’s Microsoft Partner Summit, Manoj
Bhoola, the company’s executive for the
server and tools business, outlined what the
company has identified as major trends.
The first and most obvious technology
trend he pointed out is virtualisation; he says
that this trend has stemmed from the fact that
companies have identified that in the past
corporates would install large amounts of
hardware and only five per cent of it was
ever used at a time.
“Today, for example, with the use of the
right virtualisation solution, a company can
put three servers in a single box and attain
up to 70 per cent utilisation,” he notes.
He comments that the advantage of the
virtualisation solutions on the market is that
they are hardware and software agnostic. “A
company can take many different servers all
running different server solutions and run
them in the same box, and with solutions
such as Hyper V managing the environment
is relatively easy,” explains Bhoola.
He adds that a solution like Microsoft
System Centre can manage any heteroge-
neous virtualised environment and with
Windows Server 2008, companies can
get from a single to an unlimited number
of server licences depending on the nature
of the licence.
According to the software giant’s research,
there will be more that 50 000 servers
shipped in the next fiscal year. Bhoola
reveals that even with virtualisation gaining
momentum, the number of servers being
shipped does not seem to be decreasing and
looks poised to grow at 14 per cent in the
next fiscal year.
He explains that the enterprise space
accounts for the bulk of server consolidation,
while the SME space continues to experience
growth in server numbers being shipped.
According to Microsoft, the Internet and
email are the major drivers of server growth
in the SME space and will continue to be for
some time.
ANALYSIS: MICOSOFT
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
Looking further aheadBY KAUNDA CHAMA
Microsoft looks at future trends.
CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008 • 23
Manoj Bhoola, Microsoft
“It is nothing new to say that the days when workerswere stuck at their desks are over, and companies large and small are looking for solutions to help themkeep up with the pace of development.” – ManojBhoola, Microsoft
A
“With 64-bit technology contributing to
the enhancement of virtualisation and
because solutions like Hyper V and the
new Exchange are dependent on it, there
will also be a lot of interest in the technology,”
says Bhoola.
Another trend he pointed out is integrated
collaboration, the most common example of
which would be unified communications,
which has become quite the buzzwords in
the corporate space.
A good number of local and international
corporations are considering or have
already deployed unified communications
solutions as a way of streamlining their
networks as well as to save costs on
external communications.
Management of server environments both
physical and virtual will be a focus area
going forward. “Large corporates, in future,
will run large boxes with anything up to 40
virtual servers in them,” he notes.
Another important factor that is and will
continue to be a catalyst in increasing server
sales is compliance with international
regulations. The likes of the King II
Report and Sarbanes-Oxley require that
corporates keep certain important informa-
tion for specific periods and have systems in
place in terms of disaster recovery and
backup, and storage.
In addition, Bhoola explains that security
will continue to be a growth area for
companies and distributors as well as resellers
who can earn good revenues by becoming
their end-user customers’ solution partners.
“Security is no longer what it used to be
because today’s threats demand that security
solutions are integrated and multi layered,”
he comments.
At the same event, Microsoft’s chief security
adviser Edward Gibson commented that
security trends have come full circle since
early 2000. He says the biggest security
threat within corporates remains the user and
they need to be a little more stringent with
their security policies.
“Microsoft does have a number of
security competencies that partners
can qualify for, but what we find is
that a lot of our partners are more
interested in selling our other value and
volume products rather than our security
products,” he comments.
He says that when it comes to the
business world security is not the
“sexiest” subject.
He, however, adds that corporate are
doing well in curbing security threats but they
still remain vulnerable to botnets from users.
“The biggest data leaks come from inside
the corporate,” notes Gibson.
He cites organised crime as a very big
threat to corporates as well as individuals
because the criminals work continually to
extort or obtain information from corporates
and individuals.
“Social networking comes with its own
unique threats and with broadband being
rolled out in SA at a fast pace, corporates
need to update their security policies and
procedures to be able to meet any potential
threats head on,” explains Gibson.
In addition, Bhoola says standards and
interoperability will be a big trend as different
vendors respond to end-users’ demand for
heterogeneous environments.
“A good example of this is the agreement
that Microsoft signed with Novell last year
which means that there is better integration
between Microsoft’s operating system and
Suse,” he notes.
Mobility has also come of age and
Bhoola comments that there is a lot of
scope for business in this space as compa-
nies continue to embrace the concept of the
mobile worker.
“It is nothing new to say that the days
when workers were stuck at their desks
are over, and companies large and small
are looking for solutions to help them
keep up with the pace of development,”
he comments.
High-performance computing is yet another
area that is seeing notable growth with many
companies embracing clustering and taking
their servers and maximising their capacities
and capabilities as if they were a single system.
24 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008
ANALYSIS: MICOSOFT
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
“Social networking comes with its own unique threatsand with broadband being rolled out in SA at a fastpace, corporates need to update their security policiesand procedures to be able to meet any potential threatshead on.” – Edward Gibson, Microsoft
t this year’s Microsoft Partner Conference,
the company stressed the importance of
selecting the right partners for business
success. The software giant believes that
partner selection is a very important process,
adding that a company must ensure that its
views, vision, policy and goals are all shared
by its partners.
The company says that partners, if aligned
properly, can gain reasonable amounts of
revenue above and beyond just distributing and
reselling its software solutions. According to
Microsoft, for every rand spent on its technology
about R6.25 is spent on hardware, R1.25 on
services and R1.50 on software.
The company recognises the mammoth
task of skills development and retention
facing the country and has pledged to work
much closer with its partners in overcoming
this major challenge.
According to Mark Reynolds, the company’s
group manager of small business and
transactional partners, Microsoft has very
serious plans for regional expansion in
Africa. Some of the business areas that the
company sees as being good revenue gener-
ators for its business partners include Internet
Server Share, Virtualisation (Hyper-V), soft-
ware as a service/hosting as well as its Small
Business Server solution.
He adds that Microsoft Dynamics ERP
and CRM are seeing very impressive market
penetration and this is giving the vendor a lot
more reference sites.
On the voice-over-Internet protocol
side, Microsoft says it is looking to
migrate its voice-enabled customers to
Microsoft Exchange 2007 and get them
“fully VoIP” ready.
Microsoft says it is very committed to
continually improving the customers’
experience and will put a lot of focus on
ensuring that that its customers perceive
value as well as derive it from its solutions.
The company admits that licensing
remains an issue that needs urgent attention
as piracy levels are relatively high and
end-users need to be educated around legal
software issues.
The company’s Sandy Overtveld says the
company is more than ever focused on
improving the eco system between itself, its
partners and end-users.
“Our strategy involves looking at our
partners as well as end-users and identifying
what is pertinent to them, and then working
with them to develop three- to five-year
growth plans,” he explains.
The company is consciously bringing more
partner account managers on board as a
way of better servicing its channel partners.
These individuals will also be responsible
for ensuring that the company conducts
regular reviews with its partners either on a
quarterly or bi-annual basis depending on
the requirements of the software giant.
“A major part of this is obviously that we
want to align our objectives with that of our
partners as it is imperative that we are both
headed in the same direction with the same
vision and objectives,” says Overtveld.
He adds that because planning ahead is
important to Microsoft, it will remain
committed to supporting its partner network
through assistance in sales, support and
marketing initiatives.
“We are also looking at working very
closely with our partner channel to identify
where the skills gaps are in the sector and
also to see how we can work together to
address this issue,” notes Overtveld.
One important aspect that he stresses is
that Microsoft wants to ensure that not all its
partners grow in the same direction as it
wants them to focus on specialisation in
particular disciplines.
Hot specialisation areas include skills in
SQL Server, virtualisation and the manage-
ment of virtual environments.
“Our partner capacity planning priority
areas include systems management,
networking infrastructure, infrastructure
security, business intelligence, Windows
deployment, Microsoft Office deployment
and unified communications,” Overtveld says.
He adds that part of the vendor’s go-
to-market strategy is recognition of the fact
that customers buy solutions as opposed to
just products.
The vendor agrees that one of the major
principles for success will be aligning and
clearly mapping its partners’ businesses to its
solution areas and capabilities.
ANALYSIS: MICROSOFT
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008 • 25
“We are also looking at working very closely with ourpartner channel to identify where the skills gaps are inthe sector and also to see how we can work together toaddress this issue.” – Sandy Overtveld, Microsoft
The importance ofpartner selectionBY KAUNDA CHAMA
Partnering with Microsoft.
A
ccounting software remains the core of any
business system and is always mission
critical. What has changed is that, in the
past, it was a defensive tool. Now it’s also
pro-active in that it helps you to manage
your business better.
This is according to Steven Cohen, MD,
Softline Pastel, who says that SMEs that
have used accounting software to improve
efficiencies now want to be more creative
about how they manage their businesses
and are moving towards add-on functionality
such as customer relationship management
(CRM), business intelligence (BI) and
mobile solutions.
“So, overall, accounting software is giving
companies more insight into their operations
than was possible before,” he remarks.
Jumana Helal, head, Microsoft Dynamics
business, Microsoft SA, says that companies
have a pressing need for partner support
they can trust and solutions they can use,
giving products with a familiar interface
and trusted brand equity a head start in
the marketplace.
“The financial and accounting software
arena is undergoing a major business and
technology overhaul and the market’s grow-
ing need to replace high-priced infrastruc-
ture with cost-effective, highly scalable tech-
nology is creating gaps for savvy channel
players to emerge as strategic technology
partners to business and to use their techno-
logical edge to seize market share and grow
profitability,” says Helal.
“Moreover, every company has a different
set of needs, one size most certainly does
not fit all and flexibility is a key factor in
ensuring that a company realises the full
potential of its financial software spend,”
Helal adds.
“Accounting software is vital to all busi-
nesses, particularly in a fast changing global
economy. With costs escalating almost
weekly it is now more important than ever
for decision-makers to keep an eye on their
businesses’ profitability,” says Malcolm
Granville, CEO, Accknowledge Systems.
Current trendsAccording to Cohen, the 2008 trend is that
vendors are pre-integrating vertical solutions
such as CRM and BI into their core
accounting product. He says they are also
integrating operational activity into account-
ing to make their product a more complete
business solution rather than only an
accounting solution.
“But the quality of the accounting core
has still to be preserved and SMEs, in
particular, will only go with a business
rather than an accounting solution if it is
easy to use and can be implemented
quickly and with minimum disruption to their
operations,” he says.
“More accounting applications are
offering Web support, allowing access to
business accounts remotely, a key feature for
decision-makers. Globally, as the trend
towards higher interest rates and slower
economic growth continues, customers
are tightening up on expenditure and this
could drive the ”software as a service”
model, and encourage more small businesses
to purchase accounting applications,”
Granville comments.
Helal says that ease of integration is a
key factor in adoption and potentially the
customer experience.
“We believe it’s extremely important for
the end-user to have the feeling of having
been there before, and know intuitively how
to navigate in their business software
applications. This provides real productivity
to the end-user,” he says.
What to look for When looking for a good accounting sys-
tem, Cohen says that users need to be sure
the systems they buy give them solid after-
sales service, good vertical products and
software development kits, particularly for the
integration of legacy systems.
“This is a trend that Pastel has seen esca-
late over the past two years. About a year
ago, the requirement for interoperability in
even the smallest of businesses became so
noticeable that Pastel embarked on a process
of building its own software development kit
(SDK) for its Pastel Evolution product.
ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE FEATURE
28 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008
Ease of use drivesaccounting software boom
“Flexibility is a key factor in ensuring that a companyrealises the full potential of its financial softwarespend.” – Jumana Helal, Microsoft Dynamics business.
Are grey imports undermining channel legitimacy?
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
ABY DUDU SHABA
Also, your accountant and auditor should
know the package. There should be a solid
existing user base in the geography you
operate in, because that automatically
guarantees you easy access to support,”
Cohen says.
He goes on to say that users should make
sure that the software they end up with is
from an established developer with thou-
sands of customers.
“Pastel has 180 000 customers worldwide
and is the most popular accounting software
package among SMEs. Get referrals. Ask
your accountant’s opinion. Accountants work
with a variety of their clients’ accounting
packages and will have an accounting
package of their own. So their advice is
based on first-hand knowledge. 9 out of 10
accountants who recommend accounting
software to the SME market recommend
Pastel,” he says. In addition to that, he says
that customers should choose software that
does the basic accounting work as well as
have add-on modules for other business dis-
ciplines such as CRM and BI that will give
them deeper insights into their business and
its potential.
“Thereafter, stick to doing what you
do best, which is run your business. Don’t
try and be a hero and set up everything
yourself. That’s what value-added resellers
(VARs) are for, to save you time, money and
headaches. But do take the time to let your
VAR know what you need out of the system,”
he comments.
ERP and CRMAccording to Helal, the typical ERP applica-
tions in the market provide the same user
experience, whether you are in finance,
CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008 • 29
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE FEATURE
“Accounting software is giving companiesmore insight into their operations thanwas possible before.” – Steven Cohen,SoftlinePastel.
production, sales or are the CEO. Helal says
the next wave of financial and accounting
software identifies some 50 key roles in an
organisation and provides specific user
experiences to those roles.
“It’s still the same business processes and
the same data that you are going through,
but the way they are being presented to you
is different,” he explains.
Another key driver of usability and pro-
ductivity is the way new-generation financial
and accounting applications are linking
structured information from other business
applications like BI, CRM and ERP with
unstructured information in Word, Excel,
PowerPoint or even a voicemail. He says this
provides a complete overview of what infor-
mation is available in an organisation.
Helal has no doubt that the future of busi-
ness software lies largely in a Web-based
hosting model or software as a service,
which gives customers unprecedented flexi-
bility in the way they source, deploy and use
mission-critical business software. Depending
on their specific business and IT needs, cus-
tomers will be able to deploy accounting
software either as a traditional on-premise
solution, a Web-based on-demand solution
or as a flexible mix of on-premise software
and on-demand services.
According to Jeremy Waterman, MD,
Softline Accpac, the SaaS-based ERP is a
completely different animal. He says that ERP
is not typically a “vanilla” application and
“one size does not usually fit all”.
“Companies use these applications as a
means of differentiating themselves in the
market to build and develop competitive
advantage. SaaS-based ERP stands in direct
contradiction to this. By making use of this
centralised, hosted model, you essentially
forfeit this type of customisation and
tailoring. If you’re looking for something
more than this, the only real option available
to you is to use the hosted service in
conjunction with on-premise software – a
hybrid version that would seem to defeat the
object of hosting the application in the first
place,” he says.
While this often makes SaaS-based ERP
an inappropriate solution for larger
organisations, Waterman says that it still
holds appeal for the middle and lower ends
of the market where companies have more
standard requirements.
“In this type of situation, the cost and
operational benefits may outweigh the
customisation requirements. This is some-
thing we’re seeing more and more in the
local context, with smaller companies weighing
up the advantages of owning their own
bottom-end solution or choosing the
SaaS-based ERP model to take advantage of
tools that were previously the domain of
bigger market players,” he explains.
Waterman says the SaaS-based
applications are set to continue adding
value and allow smaller-sized companies to
operate like larger ones.
“While the model would seem the ideal
one for “vanilla” applications, ERPs are not
such applications As such, companies
weighing up the costs and benefits will find
themselves caught in the interminable debate
of customisation versus costs,” he says.
How can SMEs benefit?With an SME start-up failure rate of up to 80
per cent in SA, says Cohen, small businesses
need to do everything they can to avoid a
similar fate.
“The move to an automated accounting
system is a smart one. There’s an urgent
need to differentiate your business quickly,
relevantly and affordably. But to do that, you
need to spread your information base
beyond the admin office and on to the desk-
top of every employee.
Applications specific to disciplines other
than accounting –human resources, CRM, BI
and ERP - enable you to do that,” he says.
He adds that SMEs are beginning to
explore and gain comfort from the idea of
adding this functionality to their existing
accounting solutions.
“They’re also realising the benefits of pro-
viding this extended functionality in a familiar
environment that drives internal adoption
and reduces the time needed for training.
30 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008
“Companies use these applications as a means ofdifferentiating themselves in the market to build anddevelop competitive advantage.” – JeremyWaterman, Softline Accpac.
ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE FEATURE
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
Jeremy Waterman, Softline ACCPAC
For the first time users can be pro-active
exploiters of the available solutions. And as
the needs of their businesses change, they
can keep their own technology stacks up to
date through upgrades, add-ons and
modifications. A small amount of time spent
exploring the full potential of software
investments can pay dividends when SMEs
gain the ability to sculpt their own solutions
ultimately saving them time, money and
differentiating them in the market,”
he comments.
SkillsFor solution providers to be successful in this
space, Cohen says they need to be attractive
to their customers. “You need to understand
the flow of information through a business.
You also need to understand the features of
the software you’re selling. Only then can
you work out how to map those features to a
customer’s business requirements,” he says.
Granville comments. “Accknowledge Web
Accounting software resellers require basic
computer skills with accounting or book only
a few hours training users can be operational
in no time at all”.
Decent marginsGranville says that Accknowledge Systems’
dealers receive up to 50 per cent annuity
income on the retail price of the software
sold and can charge for service, training and
configuration. There is also the option for
dealers and accountants to brand the
accounting software as their own.
He adds that there are many revenue
opportunities in selling and installing
Accknowledge Web Accounting.
“Providing training and consulting, setting
up call centres and report writing are a few
areas where resellers can increase their rev-
enue,” he says.
“From a Pastel-specific point of view, we
enable our resellers to increase their margins
in direct proportion to their efforts. In other
words, as they increase sales and staff train-
ing, for instance, so their margins grow,”
Cohen comments.
Future Cohen says that accounting software will
continue to be mission critical.
“It will continue to expand from the purely
accounting domain into the operational
domain and I believe, the Web will become
the major delivery platform in the medium
term,” he says.
“Web-based accounting applications are
the future,” concludes Granville.
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE FEATURE
Applications specific to disciplines other than accounting–human resources, CRM, BI and ERP - enable you to dothat.” – Steven Cohen, MD, SoftlinePastel
ireless technology is no longer a business
luxury and has now become ubiquitous in
the market. It’s not just a boardroom wire-
less deployment anymore and employees
increasingly expect to have wireless access
across the board and enterprise wide. This
is according to Kevin Mitchell, Systems
Engineer for Enterprise, Wireless sector,
Cisco Systems. He stresses that new recruits
in the modern marketplace expect to have
wireless access to the network and the issue
has recruitment implications for companies
looking to attract and retain young talent.
TrendsWhile the network continues to be the back-
bone of any IT infrastructure, it is expanding
in scope due to the need to support an array
of next-generation applications such as data
and video applications that reach across the
divides between television, personal comput-
ers and mobile devices.
The trend towards the convergence of net-
work infrastructures has improved and
changed the way people communicate in
today’s enterprise environment. This is
according to Andy Robb, chief technology
officer at Duxbury Networking.
“In this new era, the network has gained
in sophistication and is able to carry Web
applications, data, voice and video, and
accommodate devices such as IP phones,
security cameras and bar-code readers.
“However, this level of openness has
placed increasing pressure on companies -
from small businesses to large corporates -
to control access to the network and
strengthen security to protect critical, sensitive
data,” he says.
Robb says organisations are realising the
necessity to secure their internal infrastruc-
tures against external threats. However, the
challenge is to achieve this without sacrific-
ing network performance.
What’s new As businesses scale, traditional wireless net-
work deployments become more complex,
more costly and less secure, users expect the
ability to roam between access points. Wynand
Moller, regional manager Western Cape,
D-Link Africa, says that new applications like
NETWORKING FEATURE
32 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008
Wireless networkinghas become a prerequisite
BY DUDU SHABA
W
Wynand Moller,D-Link Africa
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
“Unlike traditional wireless networks, wireless switchingoffers a user-based approach to administration policy asopposed to policy tied to ports and, addresses.” –Wynand Moller, D-Link Africa
Business and homes need to be securely connected to networks.
Wi-Fi VoIP require the ability to roam seam-
lessly and securely.
“For example, wireless switches provide a
simple, centralised, iron-clad solution, with
management tools, policy enforcement and
built-in security. They make wireless LANs as
secure as their wired counterparts. With
today’s technology, you can overlay WLAN
switches without compromising the integrity
of the original wired infrastructure,” he says.
Unlike traditional wireless networks, Moller
says that wireless switching offers a user-based
approach to administration policy as opposed
to policy tied to ports and addresses.
“This puts the network administrator back
in charge, with a centralised console for
managing and troubleshooting any contin-
gency. Network administrators centrally con-
trol authentication and encryption, manage
VLAN groups, enforce roaming policies and
maintain tight control over Quality of Service
traffic. Each client is tracked by user identity,
rather than by port, device or approximate
location, making the environment more
secure and intruders much more visible.
Policies that govern who can do what and
where while roaming wirelessly can be easily
implemented. Centralised WLAN systems fol-
low users and know who they are, so it is
much easier to locate rogues when they
appear on the scene,” he says.
In terms of mobility, he comments that
users stay connected because Layer 2 and
Layer 3 switching on the wireless switch
allows them to move between access points,
VLANs and subnets.
Moller says that D-Link integrates
Microsoft NAP Technology into xStack
Switches, expands Green Ethernet line-up
and offers all-in-one Wireless and Wired
Smart Switch, providing the freedom to con-
nect virtually anywhere at anytime.
Robb says that the deployment of policy-
based, user-orientated solutions such as
Network Access Control (NAC) will enable
ease of use.
“NAC solutions monitor activity on the
network and collect data within the frame-
work of pre-defined rules. They use this data
to implement the appropriate access policies
for each user on the network, which is
enforced at strategic points throughout the
network,” he explains.
“This strategy stands in stark contrast to
traditional approaches which emphasised
the installation of firewalls and access control
lists inside the network,” he adds.
Against this background, Robb says it is
important for companies to embed security
into their networking infrastructure and not
allow it to form appendages that are vulner-
able to attack.
“Security information management tech-
nologies are available to correlate informa-
tion from numerous sources throughout the
organisation, forming a single picture of its
security posture.
These technologies must be leveraged to
provide a highly available, secure and appli-
cation-focused communications environment
that can deliver all of the converged services
necessary to support next-generation busi-
ness environments,” he comments.
Robb says that correlating network data
with security information yields a more accu-
rate picture of network and user activity and
provides greater forensic granularity for
investigating compliance violations.
Mitchell says current technologies largely in
pilot stages include Outdoor Wireless MESH
(WiMESH) in metropolitan areas that could
enable users broader connectivity. “From the
specific WiFi hotspots at coffee shops and air-
ports to bigger interconnected hot zones that
provide city-wide access from the office to the
pavement to the park to the home.
Indoor MESH in the office will also alleviate
the need for expensive and time-consuming
fibre optic cabling to each switch or access
point, providing blanket coverage without an
unwieldy cable infrastructure,” he says.
To address the lack of access to ICT
in rural communities and developing
countries, Mitchell says that technologies
such as WiMESH and WiMax are being
increasingly adopted.
“In the last year alone, we saw more of
these technologies being deployed as they
have matured to provide secure, reliable and
34 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008
“In this new era, the network has gained in sophisticationand is able to carry Web applications, data, voice andvideo, and accommodate devices such as IP phones,security cameras and bar-code readers.” – Andy Robb,Duxbury Networking.
NETWORKING FEATURE
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
Andy Robb, Duxbury Networking.
scalable communications for wireless data,
voice and video applications.
Cisco provides MESH solutions via the
Cisco Unified Wireless Solution using Aironet
1522 MESH access points, and can offer
WiMax solutions from its recent acquisition
of Navini Networks,” says Mitchell.
Broadband and consumers According to Moller, D-Link is fuelling broad-
band to consumers by developing and mar-
keting products that thrive on bandwidth.
He says that the new Draft 802.11n wire-
less technology improves bandwidth speeds
and coverage, while enabling next-genera-
tion Internet applications like VoIP.
“Small businesses that are considering
wireless to expand network coverage and
add connectivity and flexibility need to con-
sider new draft 802.11n wireless equipment.
Draft 802.11n products enable faster perfor-
mance and longer connectivity range. They
are perfectly suited to small organisations
needing a more robust wireless solution.
Draft 802.11n wireless solutions are much
faster than traditional 802.11g, 802.11b
and 802.11a equipment. Draft 802.11n
technology also expands coverage much fur-
ther than previous 802.11 technologies.
The implications for small businesses and
home offices are clear. VoIP telephony, large
file sharing and streaming, and numerous
other performance-dependent applications
are now much easier to maintain without
delays or network traffic hiccups,” he says.
Pierre Holtzhausen, channel manager,
Nology, comments that the ability to offer
multimedia products that truly enable the dig-
ital home will be a key differentiator.
“Ethernet over Power is an interesting
development and there are products that use
existing home electrical wiring to connect
computers or network devices in different
rooms or to share printers and files as well as
high-speed Internet connection.
Additionally, Ethernet over Power can be
used to expand a wireless network into a
dead zone, as wireless signals cannot pene-
trate thick walls or reach down to lower lev-
els,” he says.
ConvergenceAccording to Moller, organisations of all
kinds are taking advantage of IP network
convergence solutions to integrate applica-
tions, boost productivity, save on network
management and maintenance, and lower
the cost of communication. These new solu-
tions bring people together more efficiently to
connect with customers, solve problems and
make better decisions.
“IP convergence does not require rip-and-
replace modifications. Converged IP services,
software and equipment can be added as
necessary and infrastructure can be improved
incrementally. IP networks exist at most
organisations,” he says.
“Furthermore, there are now file
servers available that are optimised for
converged services.
In a nutshell, these servers allow USB stor-
age devices such as flash drive,
MP3 player, DSC, USB HD and USB CD-
ROM to be shared on your local network or
over the Internet,” comments Holtzhausen.
TrainingMoller says that D-Link is offering a course
that is designed to introduce, enhance and
maintain valuable skill sets that are required
in the IT industry. He says that the DCE train-
ing is a full two-day intensive training course
that encompasses the very basics of network-
ing, taking the student through a series of
simple modules right through to some very
advanced and interesting topics.
He says that focus areas include wireless,
switches, security and surveillance, and
entails theory as well as practical hands-on
sessions on the following:� Providing network professionals with the
knowledge to design and implement
end-to-end solutions.� Channel partners to greatly benefit
from course.� To achieve the highest level of technical
knowledge across a broad range of inter-
networking-related technologies.
CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008 • 35
NETWORKING FEATURE
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
“New company recruits in the modern marketplaceexpect to have wireless access to the network and theissue has recruitment implications for companies lookingto attract and retain young talent.” – Kevin Mitchell,Cisco Systems
Kevin Mitchell, Cisco Systems
“Delegates attending the two-day course
will be required to pass assessments to gain
certification. On successful completion of the
assessments, the delegates will receive a
unique D-Link Certified Engineer Certificate
with an authentication number,” he says.
Solution providers For solution providers to win customers,
he says it is advisable for them to offer
complete solutions.
“At Nology we provide our partners with
products, service and professional advice to
do just that,” he says.
Solution providers can also earn recurring
revenues by offering maintenance and man-
agement services such as patch updates and
security audits which provide a consistent
revenue stream to integrators.
In today’s competitive landscape, comput-
er resellers will have trouble differentiating
themselves from their opposition if they do
not add value to the products they sell.
This is the view of Andy Robb, chief tech-
nology officer, Duxbury Networking, who
says resellers who offer hardware at cut-rate
prices are simply not going to be successful
in a climate where margins are already tight.
“The low-margin, high-volume, low-touch
sales model has failed time and again,” says
Robb. “Hardware and many software prod-
ucts have become commodities that can be
easily bought online, allowing customers to
bypass the reseller completely.
“Resellers who understand market
dynamics realise that they need to offer
solutions that add tangible value to their
customers’ businesses.
“These resellers will invest in the skills nec-
essary to integrate diverse product sets and
sought-after security solutions which ‘future-
proof’ their customers’ current systems – at
the same time offering value for money.”
WAN OptimisationLooking at what will pioneer WAN optimisa-
tion in the market, Nelio DeFreaitas, techni-
cal authority, Riverbed, SA, says that the
WAN optimisation controller (WOC) market
is maturing rapidly, but remains dynamic with
a high level of innovation from vendors.
“Organisations looking to acquire WOC
capabilities should identify their specific needs
and conduct real-life trials before committing
to a purchase. Optimisation techniques for
WANs can improve most organisations’
application response times, particularly where
network latency is high, which is often due to
centralisation of servers and IT resources.
Typically, WOCs serve to prevent network
latency having a severe impact on the
performance of applications and underlying
protocols. Through data reduction and
prioritisation techniques, WOCs can also
help organisations to avoid costly bandwidth
upgrades,’ he says.
“This has led to different vendors offering
different combinations of features. So, before
choosing a vendor, ensure you understand
the applications and services running on
your network, and the protocols they use.
Also conduct a detailed analysis of your net-
work traffic to identify specific problems, for
example, excessive latency, bandwidth
oversubscription or lack of prioritisation for
certain types of traffic. Finally, insist on a
real-life trial before committing to any
purchase,” he explains.
Holtzhausen says ROI will drive WAN
optimisation adoption. “Organisations such
as Riverbed and Packeteer are leaders in the
WAN optimisation space. Riverbed’s WAN
optimisation solutions, for example, remove
repetitive traffic from WANs through data
streamlining,” he comments.
Holtzhausen says that the evolution of the
network in the enterprise, SME, SoHo and
home environment has been more evident.
“We are continuously seeing the emer-
gence of more data capturing devices that
not only improve networking and information
capture but offer a more price-sensitive
means to do so.
Also, with the increase in fuel prices we
have seen an increase in the number of
people working from home and more
companies need to be able to connect their
mobile and remote workers to the office
network securely,” he concludes.
36 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008
“It’s no longer just about opportunities in the voice market, but
rather in the areas where we are able to marry data and security,
unified communications, and wireless solutions where the real
opportunities exist.” – Richard Menton, Bytes Communications
NETWORKING FEATURE
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
MOBILE AND WIRELESS FEATURE
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
Businesses can continue to grow on the move.
BY DUDU SHABA
M
Mobile technology addresseseconomic challenges
obile and wireless communication is becom-
ing more important as we battle with a host
of challenges in the workplace, such as soar-
ing petrol costs. As a result of this, there are
huge opportunities for service providers in
the mobile and wireless business sector.
This is according to Christopher Riley, MD
and founder of laptop and accessories retail-
er, The Notebook Company.
Riley says that with petrol prices having
soared by 43 per cent so far this year, com-
panies are being hard-hit and are urging
staff to plan their diaries better.
“With the punitive petrol prices it is no
longer a case of just jumping in your car to
visit a customer, the costs are just too high.
More and more communication with cus-
tomers and staff is going to have to be mobile.
“There is no point in an employee who has
a meeting in, say, Pretoria, rushing back to
the office in Johannesburg. Besides the loss in
productivity due to travelling time, the actual
cost of this travel is becoming hair-raising and
is going to affect companies’’ bottom line
directly. This is one of the cardinal reasons
companies are going to have to look at arm-
ing key staff members with laptops which are
wirelessly connected. The initial cost of pro-
viding the technology will soon be offset
against overall cost savings,” he says.
But Riley says that it is not just the cost of
travel that should make companies rethink
their business strategies. “If a salesperson
arrives at a customer with a laptop which is
linked to their company’s system, they will
not only be able to do a client presentation
showing its latest products and services, but
they will also be able to effect a sale right
there, in real-time, if the customer is keen to
order something. This level of professional-
ism and of being ‘in touch’ with the company
will increase productivity and customer ser-
vice significantly,” he comments.
Cathleen Lester, product manager, HP
Retail, Axiz, says that in today’s society the
idea of a balanced life demands that we
think, plan, work and communicate on the
move. She says this will be more achievable
with mobile and wireless technology.
“In the workplace, mobile and wireless
solutions afford employees the opportunity to
log on to their organisation’s network
remotely while at a doctor’s appointment, for
“In today’s society the idea of a balanced life demands that
we think, plan, work and communicate on the move.” –
Cathleen Lester, Axiz
CathleenLester, Axiz
example, or at home waiting for peak-hour
traffic to pass. Users are able to do what is
possible and important through anytime-any-
where access to the Internet, corporate
intranet, e-mail and other important informa-
tion,” she says.
Yaron Assabi, CEO Digital Solutions Group,
says that mobile phone penetration has
reached more than 90 per cent in SA whereas
Internet penetration is at around 11 per cent.
“Although Internet penetration is low, the
growth seen in the past few years in con-
sumer connectivity is primarily due to mobile
Internet. There are also more subscribers
accessing the Internet from their mobile
phones or 3 G cards than fixed lines.
Therefore companies have to consider
mobile as the primary channel for interaction
with their customers.
The high market penetration and the fact
that the mobile channel is a personal always
on medium makes it a highly profiled and
extremely targeted channel. The fact that
communication via mobile and wireless is
instant and delivery is immediate makes
them very powerful, especially because
response and effectiveness can be mea-
sured,” he comments.
Trends Lester says the smartphone industry is boom-
ing worldwide. Consumers have discovered
the beauty of converged devices that not
only keep them connected, but also afford
them the luxury of a handheld computer that
manages their diary and enables them to
view and edit documents remotely. Lester
says notebooks are also in high demand
because they are a very affordable means of
ensuring you have timely information at your
fingertips, which is essential in today’s com-
petitive and dynamic markets.
“Consumers and entrepreneurs are clearly
demanding mobile and wireless devices, and
the winning tool in the market at the moment
is definitely the ultra low-cost notebook.
These entry-level products offer the channel
great margins in today’s economic climate,”
says Lester. With recent developments and
the trend towards a multi -play environment,
Assabi says that the mobile experience has
become more engaging and can be a rich
media experience.
“Mobile data services applications
abound and mobile network operators,
globally, have realised the data average rev-
enue per user (ARPU) will surpass voice
ARPU in the next few years.
Mobility is high on the chief information
officer’s agenda as an efficient means for
employees to communicate immediately.
Ideas and innovations surrounding new ways
of approaching mobility, taking security and
corporate infrastructure into account are a
primary concern. The trend towards unified
communications and mobile offices is
becoming mainstream,” he says.
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
MOBILE AND WIRELESS FEATURE
38 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008
“With the punitive petrol prices it is no longer a case of just
jumping in your car to visit a customer. More and more
communication with customers and staff is going to have to be
mobile.” – Christopher Riley, The Notebook Company
Rick Rogers, Alvarion
3G in notebooks Embedded wireless broadband (3G) capabil-
ities for laptops has been difficult for compa-
nies to justify but as the mobile worker
becomes more of a necessity this new-wave
technology is set to become imperative.
Christopher Riley, MD of laptop and
accessories retailer, The Notebook Company
(www.notebook.co.za), says it is still difficult
for companies to justify the higher upfront
purchase costs, added monthly costs and
asset protection, but new pricing plans and
technology evolution are going to change
attitudes.
“Pricing will come down and as compa-
nies realise the benefits of workers being in
touch anytime, anywhere, and provide 3G-
enabled laptops to those workers who they
believe will be able to add value to the com-
pany by being constantly in touch.
In addition, higher travelling costs due to
the petrol price, which has risen 43 per cent
so far this year, is compelling companies to
look at ways to save costs. If workers keep
driving to and from offices for meetings when
they can be working remotely, petrol costs
are going to spiral. So despite the costs of
kitting out staff with 3G laptops, overall costs
could come down and productivity could
also increase,” he comments.
WiMax an answer for AfricaRick Rogers, director, Alvarion, says Africa is
one of the most promising regions in the
world for WiMax. He says the lack of devel-
oped cable infrastructures is forcing the
search for the best alternatives, and trends
indicate that operators are choosing to use
wireless broadband rather than satellite con-
nectivity for cellular backhaul. “True comput-
ing mobility is not the pipe dream it used to be.
It has, in fact, for various business and environ-
mental reasons, become more of a necessity
than an option. Industry leaders are aggressive-
ly launching technologies which will give con-
sumers even more mobility and connectivity.
Alvarion is at the forefront of mobile computing
and WiMax, in particular, is one such technolo-
gy that will be a catalyst in the global market-
place as far as mobility is concerned,” he says.
He adds that the key challenge is to rapidly
meet the demand for broadband in Africa as
more people and governments realise that a
key means to bridging the digital divide is the
existence of readily available primary broad-
band connectivity. “WiMax is the obvious
choice, because it offers a very cost-effective
solution with fast deployment cycles, thereby
facilitating a super-fast response to the needs
of operators in different countries across the
continent. Furthermore, WiMax will bring
lower costs for both operators and end-users,
allowing new entrants to build attractive busi-
ness models to address both the residential
and business segments,” he says.
SecurityAccording to Lester, security is the lifeblood
of the ICT sector, therefore it is essential to
ensure that confidential data and unique
identities are protected.
“In addressing the high importance of this,
HP has installed multi-layered security solutions
and user-authentication devices across its
mobile and wireless ranges,” Lester comments.
Assabi agrees that wireless networks are
becoming more popular and a better
understanding of security has become
essential. He says that vulnerabilities in
wireless networks leave users open to the
following:� Session hijacking – where users are
interrupted in their online endeavours. � Eavesdropping – in the mobile sphere
where callers are overheard and conver-
sations meddled with. � Data manipulation – at some points
in the data capturing process as well as
afterwards, hackers have access to
important and confidential data allowing
them the opportunity to destroy relevant
and critical data. � Lack of privacy – due to the open
nature of mobile.
“Security is a concern but can be mitigat-
ed by using the right service provider, net-
work design, and customer and end-user
education,” says Assabi.
Staying abreast
Assabi believes it is essential for solution
providers to ensure that both their staff and
clients are aware of new trends and
advancements and at the same time offer
them tools and solutions that match
current trends.
“A company’s inward focus on knowledge
workers that are connected to their informa-
tion all the time can provide a huge
competitive advantage.
From a customer perspective, an
online strategy has to include a mobile
Internet experience and to ensure the
customers that access their site via
a mobile phone is the same rich experience
they have when accessing the website
from a PC.
Service providers need to consider that
developing application for mobile access
requires adaptation as mobile phones have
different size screens and operating systems.
Service providers have to look at mobile and
wireless communication as an essential part of
any solution,” he comments.
Lester emphasises that it is imperative for
resellers to leverage their strong distributor rela-
tionships to keep them up to date and on the
frontline of what’s new and upcoming.
“Axiz understands the importance of
this communication link and continuously
strives to bridge the information gap with its
resellers in the form of roadmap updates,
customer visits or vendor-driven technology
events,” she remarks.
Future Wireless technologies, Rogers says, will
continue to compete for wallet and air
space as its competitive landscape pushes
fringe mobile computing devices into the back-
ground. “Mobility is no longer an expensive,
top-level business tool, but something that is
accessible to the man in the street. As long as
consumers keep adopting mobile technology,
they will expect it to evolve,” he concludes.
CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008 • 39
“Mobile phone penetration has reached more than 90 percent in SA whereas Internet penetration is around 11 percent.” – Yaron Assabi, Digital Solutions Group.
MOBILE AND WIRELESS FEATURE
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
...as gender discrimination is becoming less of a factor.
By Manda Banda
40 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • Woman in IT • AUGUST 2008
Women in IT: Michelle Kasselman, Iomega
OOvveerrccoommiinngg bbaarrrriieerrss ooff ssuucccceessss
“Gender and gender discrimination are becoming less of a factor in an
individual’s success in today’s business world,” says Michelle Kasselman,
key account manager at removable storage vendor Iomega.
Kasselman says although statistics still support the view that generally
senior management positions across all industries in SA are still the pre-
serve of males, this situation is changing rapidly with increasing numbers
of women occupying positions at all levels of management in varying
degrees of seniority and influence.
According to Kasselman, across the spectrum from politics and sport to
the IT industry and commerce, women are featuring more prominently
and achieving as much as their male counterparts. She says there isn’t a
thing a woman cannot accomplish if she puts her mind to it as most barri-
ers have been overcome.
“While the IT industry may have been dominated by males in the past, I
think this is changing very quickly and may not even be the case any-
more,” she says. “A useful indicator is that an increasing number of
women are making their presence felt on all levels and contributing signif-
icantly to the successful growth of the IT sector.”
Kasselman says she joined the IT industry by accident rather than
design as her childhood ambition was to be a choreographer. “In 2002
my husband and I moved from Witbank to Johannesburg and, frankly, my
attempt to be a stay-at-home mum drove my family crazy,” she recalls.
“My husband, who is in IT, introduced me to the industry where I started
working in the components reseller business.”
Kasselman says she has no regrets about developing her career in
the IT industry as it is the most innovative market sector, with
technology evolving at a rapid pace. She adds that keeping track of
new developments and the latest technologies make it a challenging and
stimulating environment in which to operate successfully and keep abreast
of the competition.
Kasselman says specifically relevant to Iomega and the space in which
the company operates – namely data storage and protection -the speed
at which technological development has accelerated over the past few
years has been nothing short of amazing. “Each year I anticipate that we
are going to reach a plateau in terms of storage capacity, but it just keeps
on growing,” she says. “From a couple of hundred megabytes a few years
ago, we are now delivering portable hard drives with terabytes of storage
and NAS systems with advanced features that would have been unimagin-
able in the not too distant past.”
After leaving high school, Kasselman started out as a photographer,
later moving into company administration and then into the retail sector,
where she owned several small businesses.
Having kick-started her IT career in the components reseller business,
she soon moved into the storage solutions distribution environment, where
she spent five years, progressing from internal and external sales into
product and retail management, finally becoming business unit manager.
“I’m a people person. I thrive on the challenges involved in establishing,
developing and maintaining business relationships that end in a win-win
situation for Iomega and its clients.”
She says women can compete on an equal footing without losing their
femininity, which can be turned to their advantage.
She adds that as women across the country celebrate Women’s Day, it
is vital for them to be themselves, be proud to be a woman and, above
all, believe in themselves and their abilities. �
“As women across the country celebrateWomen’s Day, it is vital for them to be
themselves, be proud to be a woman and,above all, believe in themselves and their
abilities.” – Michelle Kasselman,Iomega
CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • Woman in IT • AUGUST 2008 • 41
IInnssppiirraatt iioonn ffrroomm wwiitthhiinnBy Kaunda Chama
Watching her husband working in the IT indus-
try in the ‘90s inspired Microsoft Dynamics’
Tracey Newman to work in the sector.
“I kept thinking that it seemed like an incred-
ibly dynamic sector to be operating in. When
an opportunity presented itself that placed me
slap-bang in the ‘IT fray’ I took it,” she says.
Newman explains: “I don’t think that I’ve
faced particular challenges as a woman in IT. I
think that I face the same challenges that
women in all sectors face: how to balance
work and home. How to be there for your
children in a really engaging way when you’re
working long hours and sometimes get home
just wanting to vegetate on the couch.
“Interestingly, I know a lot of men who face
exactly the same challenges so I’m not even
sure that the work/life balance issue is specific
to women.”
She says that some of the lessons she has
learned include always doing one’s homework.
“I was doing an MBA at the time I decided to
move into IT and this gave me an opportunity
to find out all I could about the industry before
I moved into it,” Newman says.
Regarding issues the industry still needs to
overcome, she says digital access is an issue
that plagues the African continent.
“How do we provide the people of this con-
tinent with access to technology as well as the
requisite skills, so that they can join the global
economy and improve their lives?
She says that Microsoft is intent on
helping people to realise their potential
through technology.
“This commitment takes a number of forms:
On the one hand, it speaks to employability
through the acquisition of 21st-century skills.
This means that we share government’s aims
of creating a thriving and integrated economy,
which draws on the creativity and skills that
our population can offer, creating meaningful
work for all to help eliminate poverty and
reduce unemployment.
She believes that the local software economy
is an important economic driver that has the
capability to deliver massive exportable innova-
tion and address unemployment. According to
her, the sector has done away with its issues
with gender equality.
When not being an IT professional,
Newman is a mother, a wife and a friend.
Newman’s vision for the future is one of a
prosperous, innovative and entrepreneurial
Africa that is able to help its children to realise
their dreams. �
LLaannddiinngg iinn IITT bbyy cchhaanncceeBy George Maseko
Heather Third, one of this year’s CRN top
women in IT says she joined the industry not by
design but by chance. She explains that a
major reason for her joining the sector was the
possibility of working for Microsoft.
“I was attracted to the strength of the
Microsoft brand and as a marketer, wanted to
know all the secrets behind the company’s
marketing machine. I was attracted to the
potential of what technology could offer and
the Microsoft catch line at the time– Where do
you want to go today? – summed it up for
me,” she explains.
When asked about her challenges as a
woman in IT, she says, the age-old challenge
of finding balance between family and career is
top of her list.
Other challenges she initially faced include
the fact that she did not hold a technical
degree and so to be in a position of product
manager for Microsoft Office meant she started
out having to understand bits and bytes from
the very beginning.
She adds that because the IT industry is all
about solving life issues with technology, it has
an amazing “can do” aura about it.
She advises that to stay ahead in this space,
one needs to take time to get perspective. One
has to make sure they stick with their personal
values and that they bring themselves to the
table every time they interact with their col-
leagues or customers.
According to her, Microsoft’s mission is to
enable people and businesses throughout the
world to realise their full potential, adding that
technology is a clear enabler of human poten-
tial, creativity, imagination and productivity.
“That’s especially true on a continent like
Africa where there is so much potential for
technology to help leapfrog historical chal-
lenges, to transform education, foster innova-
tion, and help create sustainable economic
growth, she says. Third comments that the
channel for the future may well not be the tra-
ditional channels we are used to. Partnerships
will be critical in solving the technological chal-
lenges, while stronger alliances are sure to see
new and different solutions evolve.
Regarding gender issues in the IT space,
Third says: “I don’t think there are any, however,
I can only speak from my own experience and I
have never seen it. Admittedly, I have been priv-
ileged to work in a progressive company like
Microsoft whose gender equality and diversity
outlook and policy is unquestionable.” �
Tracy Newman
Heather Third
Women in IT: Tracy Newman, Microsoft
Women in IT: Heather Third, Microsoft
succeeding against all odds.
By Manda Banda
42 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • Woman in IT • AUGUST 2008
Women in IT: Lorna Hardy, HP
SSttaayyiinngg ffooccuusseeddWhen Lorna Hardie was growing up, all she wanted to become was a
physiotherapist. However, she did not fulfil her childhood ambition as at
age 19, she decided to venture into the IT industry when she joined
her mother who ran her own business from home. “I joined her while
on a six-month sabbatical when I returned from the UK when I was 19,”
she recalls.
Hardie says it was this stint working with her mum that laid and gave
her a strong foundation and understanding in terms of the IT industry, as it
involved everything from building PCs to installing software and even
training customers. “I actually had plans to return to the UK and become
a physiotherapist but one year in IT and all of that changed. It is history
and I am still in IT and enjoying it.”
Although the local IT industry is largely dominated by males, Hardie
firmly believes both males and females have different experiences and
attributes that they bring to the table. She says the fact that more women
are becoming visible in the industry as leaders and drivers is a sign that
the benefits of communication are paying off. “I believe we all bring dif-
ferent perspectives to the industry and with each perspective comes an
opportunity to review and reflect on challenges that may have not been
obvious had we not had the opportunity to work together and that cannot
be defined by gender,” she says.
Aside from that, Hardie is delighted by the dynamism in the IT
industry, especially the ever-evolving landscape. She is particularly
pleased at seeing and experiencing the HP ProCurve brand adapt and
develop in line with what the industry and market truly needs to meet their
business objectives.
Prior to joining HP in her current role as ProCurve business unit
manager, Hardie gained tremendous experience and exposure to
IT as a whole when she joined Introstat in a sales role. A six-year
stint saw her honing her skills with POS International (division of Mustek)
where she moved from telesales to sales and ascended to the sales
manager position.
Hardie’s defining moment came in November 1999 when she joined
HP as a business developer for the English African, Imaging and Printing
division. “I moved on to work its channel organisation for several years
and finally took on the role of ProCurve Business Unit manager in June
2005,” she says.
Hardie says as the country celebrates Women’s Day it should pay trib-
ute to women who are working in IT and influencing others to join the
industry. It is vital that women continue to work hard, stay focused, always
consider their actions and remember that respect is something you earn
and is never something you can buy or demand.
She adds that mentorship programmes offer a sustainable means of
developing and encouraging young women entering the business world.
Hardie says HP is proactively driving graduate programmes to encourage
and develop graduates as it fosters real value and growth opportunities
for those who are new to the working world.
“Ladies, we are all fabulous and sometimes we need to just remind
ourselves of that fact,” she concludes. �
“Ladies, we are all fabulous and sometimes we need to just remind
ourselves of that fact.” – Lorna Hardie, HP ProCurve
Michelle Janse van Vuuren, GM: marketing at
Canon Consumer Imaging SA entered the
office automation industry when she joined
Panasonic in March 1992. After eight years
she moved to Canon SA, again in office
automation and photo/video.
She explains that one of her major chal-
lenges has been exceeding what management
believed was the proverbial glass ceiling for her.
“In terms of prejudice, I have not experi-
enced it and find it quite painful that women
are perceived to be treated unfairly and
provided with fewer opportunities due to their
gender,” says Janse van Vuuren.
She says that one of the lessons she has
learnt as a woman in IT is to remain true to
what she is. “Don’t try to be a man – be your-
self and don’t overcompensate. It might take
people a while but they will eventually get used
to the fact that you are a woman in a leader-
ship position,” explains Janse van Vuuren.
She adds that from a multinational perspec-
tive, women are treated equally, so in her
experience she has found that, for instance, if
there is any discrimination it is limited to smaller,
privately-owned organisations.
Janse van Vuuren notes that she has not
experienced discrimination based on her
gender in the IT industry in general, although
senior management in larger companies is still
male biased.
Regarding what the industry still needs to
overcome Janse van Vuuren comments: “In
tough economic times channel players will
have to differentiate themselves from the com-
petition. It is particularly second-tier partners
that face a troublesome time as there are so
many of them and only so much business.”
On what key issue her company is facing
she says: “Differentiation – what is your value
add as product alone is no longer good
enough. As a result, we are focusing heavily on
our brand and reputation to ensure that we
gain a competitive advantage.”
She says that when she is not busy running
Canon’s consumer imaging business, she
enjoys being a wife and mother.
Looking ahead, she says she would like to
establish Canon as the foremost input,
throughput and output solutions provider
enabled through the company’s strong focus
on research and development, and resultant
patented technologies. �
By Dudu Shaba
By George Maseko
Zelda Emmerick, product manager, Microsoft,
Axiz, has been nominated as one of the 20 top
women in the ICT industry by CRN. She says
she has always strived for professionalism and
excellence as well as to respect other people.
Emmerick’s career in the industry started with
SDD in 1999.
“When the company was liquidated in
2001, I was one of 13 staff to open ACT with
Anton Herbst. I worked at ACT until 2005
and then joined Axiz where I am the product
manager for Microsoft,” she says.
“IT is a very competitive environment and the
challenge for me is to stay focused and ahead
of the competition. My biggest realisation has
been not to measure myself against other peo-
ple’s achievements but to simply do my best.
“Anton always used to ask us about our
‘value proposition’ to the company and this, I
believe, holds true in many aspects of a per-
son’s life. If you are not adding value to your-
self and those around you, then what are you
actually achieving?” she comments.
Emmerick says that Women’s Day is about
women celebrating their independence, their
ability to have successful careers while being
moms, wives, friends and even students.
“Times have changed dramatically and
women are no longer expected to be submis-
sive. For the ICT industry to continue empower-
ing women, education and training should
remain key.
“It would be a welcome advancement if the
industry offered women study bursaries,
encouraged flexi-hours and mentorship pro-
grammes,” she says.
For her, Axiz is a great company to work for
when it comes to family. “Our CEO values fami-
ly time and encourages employees to keep a
balance in their life. I firmly believe a person has
to look after all four aspects of their life, physical,
mental, emotional and spiritual,” she says.
She goes on to say women bring skills such
as multitasking, empathy, understanding and
flexibility to the table. “I hope 2010 delivers on
all its promises, that the Gautrain is a success,
and that our national power crisis is resolved,”
Emmerick concludes. �
44 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • Woman in IT • AUGUST 2008
Women in IT: Zelda Emmerick, Axiz
Women in IT:Michelle Janse van Vuuren, Canon
RReemmaaiinniinngg ttrruuee
AAddddiinngg vvaalluuee ttoo ppeeooppll ee aarroouunndd yyoouu
Zelda Emmerick
Michelle Janse van Vuuren
CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • Woman in IT • AUGUST 2008 • 45
By Dudu Shaba
Jane Thomson, MD, Softworx, has been nomi-
nated one of the top 20 women in the ICT
industry by CRN. She attributes this to her pas-
sion, commitment and enthusiasm.
Thomson started her IT career as a pro-
grammer for 3M, and then moved through the
ranks as an analyst and project manager
before she joined the management team.
She has held the posts of DP manager, IT
manager and divisional manager, and then
hopped the fence to the supply side. “Here I ran
the Baan consulting business for Q Data and
then started my own business as a partner. I then
joined Baan SA as it was undergoing a manage-
ment buyout and became Softworx in 1999.
“I am the only female board director at EOH
and run the Softworx division. We market, sell,
implement and support the Infor and Cognos
ranges of solutions in sub-Saharan Africa.”
As far as challenges are concerned,
Thomson says she has never been treated dif-
ferently as a woman, and doesn’t consider her
gender a challenge in the IT industry.
“I have grown from a technical person and
perfectionist who wanted to do everything
themselves to a manager who gets the best
from people. I believe in gathering the best
people as part of your team and keeping
them,” she comments.
This month, Thomson says she will celebrate
the fact that ICT is one of the sectors that
embraces the advancement of women and the
principles of non-discrimination.
One of Thomson’s wishes is that all children
should have an equal opportunity for a good
education. “I hope to see an end to squatter
camps, and that these shack dwellers are
moved to better living conditions. I also hope
to see crime levels normalise and our national
soccer team take the World Cup in 2010,”
she concludes. �
Women in IT:Jane Thomson, Softworx
By Dudu Shaba
Jorina van Rensburg, CEO, Condyn, has been
nominated one of the top 20 women in IT. Van
Rensburg says this is as a result of a combina-
tion of aspects such as passion, vision growth
and team support.
“Throughout my career, I have believed in
hard work, determination and getting the job
done. I am passionate about the industry, my
employees and clients,” she says.
Van Rensburg, who is CEO of Condyn, says
she has been a major player in the field of
information security for 15 years and has expe-
rience in the IT industry which includes hard-
ware, software, networks and security.
“As CEO, my tasks are varied. What I like is
that no day is the same as the previous one.
Between dealing with clients and employees,
negotiating contracts, providing vision and guid-
ance, and having fun, I have to ensure that all
the balls stay in the air and that we continue our
culture of service provision,” she comments.
Van Rensburg says her first challenge in the
IT industry was that she had no experience and
no idea what people were talking about when
they spoke about IT.
“I had to learn very quickly through friends,
speaking to experts, reading and so on,” she
explains. Nevertheless, she says that her entre-
preneurial nature surfaced and she decided to
establish a network company in 1995.
“Condyn has always been a company that
has been able to change in parallel with mar-
ket needs. After attaining success as a network
company, Condyn was converted into a
focused information security solutions company.
Today, it is a well-established organisation that
has a wealth of experience in networking and
information security,” she says.
Van Rensburg has learned many lessons
over the years through trial and error. The three
major lessons that she has learnt during this
period is that she has to listen to her inner
voice in the decision-making process, that busi-
ness is just business and to always persevere.
She believes that both male and female
counterparts are human beings with emotions,
and perceptions and generalisations are most
often defined by society.
“In my view, any person female or male
reacts differently to different things. But both
genders react in the same way in a family crisis.
Sometimes the male will be more level-headed
but both react emotionally. The bottom line is I
believe that we should stop judging people if we
do not know them and their circumstances. In
other words, stop putting people in boxes
because you might find that the predefined
generalisation was incorrect,” she says.
For everyone to have equal opportunities,
Van Rensburg suggests that people should stop
trying to find excuses for not reaching the top
of the corporate ladder. “People in general,
and not just women, should make a difference
due to passion, skill and knowledge. We
should grow within ourselves and do the best
we can within our own assessment and
definition of success,” she concludes. �
Women in IT: Jorina Van Rensburg, Condyn
EEmmbbrraacceedd bbyy tthhee IICCTT sseeccttoorr
EEvveerryyoonnee hhaass aa ddeeff iinnii tt iioonn ooff ssuucccceessss
Jane Thomson
Jane Thomson
The force that has made World Computer Systems’ (WCS) export division
grow in the SADC region is evident when you see and chat to Inocencia
Mojane, export sales and assistant sales manager at WCS.
Mojane has single-handedly built WCS’ export division from scratch
and propelled it into a force to be reckoned with in the IT distribution
space. The company continues to enjoy favour from solution providers
across the borders of SA in countries, including Angola, Mozambique,
Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Swaziland, Botswana and the DRC.
Since starting out in IT in 2003, Mojane’s passion for the industry has
grown from strength to strength.
Given that she got involved in IT by chance, Mojane’s first introduction
to the industry came five years ago when she landed a job at OEM
assembler Sahara Computers. “I always wanted to pursue law when I was
growing up,” she recalls. “I wanted to specialise in mercantile law.”
Having started out as a clerk at Sahara in 2003, Mojane says her
diploma in computers put her in good stead and it didn’t take long before
she was offered a position in sales. “I have not regretted my decision to
pursue and develop a career in the IT industry.
In 2006, Mojane joined WCS and was straight away tasked with
setting up the company’s export division. “Initially, it was a bit of a
challenge as customers across the border can be demanding,” she says.
Being multi-lingual has helped her a lot in her current role as she
speaks English, Portuguese and a few indigenous African languages.
Mojane adds that the fact that she has the right attitude towards her job
and clients has really helped her to develop and grow the export division.
“What I love about my job is that I have direct contact with my clients,”
she says.
Although she is delighted to be among the Women in IT that have
been honoured by CRN, she strongly believes that having a good state or
public education system and foundation from which all will benefit will go
a long way in aiding particularly girls to choose careers in industries that
are still dominated by men. “Nothing beats the power of knowledge and
being knowledgeable,” she says.
While Mojane has not experienced any form of discrimination in the IT
industry because she is a woman, she says the best way to excel in what-
ever women do is to learn and keep abreast of what is happening. “There
is no job that is a male-only domain and women around the world can
achieve anything in the workplace if they have the right attitude and are
always optimistic,” she says.
A self-confessed religious person, Mojane likes to spend most of her
time away from the IT selling business with her family.
Looking ahead, Mojane would like to continue growing WCS’ business
and see peaceful co-existence between the company and the entire
dealer channel. �
Right attitude leads to success.
PPaassssiioonn ffoorr IITTBy Manda Banda
46 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • Woman in IT • AUGUST 2008
Women in IT: Inocencia Mojane, WCS
“There is no job that is a male onlydomain and women around the world canachieve anything in the workplace if they
have the right attitude and are alwaysoptimistic.” – Inocencia Mojane, WCS
Making the mark.
FFrroomm aauuddiittoorr ttoo IITT ssoolluuttiioonnss sseelllliinnggBy Manda Banda
48 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • Woman in IT • AUGUST 2008
Women in IT: Loraine Vorster, CompTIA
Trained as an internal auditor, Loraine Vorster, regional director at
CompTIA says she stumbled upon the IT industry and ended up in several
sales and marketing positions after completing her first two years in an
accounting role.
“I started my career in the IT Industry 18 years ago working for TDF
Associates as a PR officer and remained in the IT industry in various roles
working with both corporates and training providers as clients,” she says.
She points out that she has always been passionate about equality for
women in the workplace.
“I believe it is easier for women to make their mark in the IT industry
than many others that are traditionally male and might remain so for a
while yet. The one challenge I still find annoying is women being paid a
lower salary than their male counterparts. Most women I meet still fulfil all
the traditional roles at home and have a demanding job as well. It is
extremely difficult to juggle all these responsibilities,” comments Vorster.
She explains that women are emotional and tend to manage that way.
In her opinion, men tend to me more practical. “As a woman in a senior
management position, I had to learn not to react emotionally, survive
company politics and have the company’s best interests at heart as well
as those of my staff. Never be afraid to stand up for what you believe in,
even if you are the only one standing,” she adds.
Looking at the IT industry as a whole, Vorster comments that despite
many projects and efforts from major companies the sector is still facing a
skills shortage.
“CompTIA members are struggling to retain good staff and source new
staff. The association is working on several industry partnerships to find
sustainable solutions,” she says.
As an industry association, CompTIA exists to serve the IT industry; its
members attend various forums which provide a neutral platform for them
to raise their issues and concerns.
“CompTIA then assists to find solutions to those issues and concerns.
We are concerned about the skills shortage and believe the solution lies
at school level, where we are focusing our resources at the moment.
CompTIA provides a valuable link between industry and the academic
environment,” Vorster explains.
She believes that the industry should be doing more, faster, to bring ICT
to all people across Africa. “We still meet young people every day who
have never worked on a PC, who have never been on the Internet. Can
you imagine your life without it? There are several great projects that have
made progress towards solving this problem,” she explains.
Vorster still sees certain IT jobs being filled by women and some by
men. “Although I believe we have come a long way in the past 14 years
with our government setting an excellent example for us, we still have
work to do. Women must not be scared to apply for jobs they are interest-
ed in, even if that job has traditionally been male oriented,” she explains.
When she is not staking her claim in the IT world, she is mother to two
teenage boys. “I love nurturing their interests, which currently include
skateboarding, PC gaming and heavy metal music.
“I enjoy reading and can spend hours in bookshops, particularly looking
for books on self-improvement and motivational topics. I have also
always had some crafty hobby and for the past few years have been an
avid scrapbooker.
As for the future, Vorster has hopes for a crime-free SA; a country
where race and culture is not an issue, and where children will have
access to the best education to enable them to build a future. �
“Although I believe we have come a long way in the past 14 years with our
government setting an excellent examplefor us, we still have work to do.” –
Loraine Vorster, CompTIA
By Stanley Chishala
It is not common for someone to trade in their
love for nature conservation for the ever-evolv-
ing and fast-paced IT industry. But for Corlette
Wessels, retail branch manager at local distrib-
utor Comztek, IT proved more appealing than
preserving nature so in 1991 with no formal
knowledge of what IT was, she kick-started her
career in the sector.
“I knew absolutely nothing about IT 17 years
ago as I always wanted to go into nature con-
servation,” she says. Everything changed when
she met the man who became her husband as
it was then that nature conservation took a
back seat.
Wessels says for now, the closest she is to
fulfilling her childhood dream is that she lives
on a game farm north of Johannesburg and
enjoys nature at its best.
She says although the IT industry has
opened up a lot of avenues for her, it can be
challenging at times but she is delighted that
the market has changed a lot and women in
leading roles have become more acceptable.
Wessels joined the IT industry in 1991 start-
ing as a receptionist at TSD the then trading
arm of Acer Africa. After a year at TSD, Wessels
joined software specialist distributor Workgroup
in its retail business unit and has loved being in
retail ever since.
Wessels is particularly thrilled by the retail
business as it is not only fast moving and
changes frequently from marketing to stock
deadlines but is also the fastest-growing sector
in the local IT industry.
Having had the opportunity to work for TSD,
Vantage Distribution, Hensta Structured
Cabling, Workgroup and now Comztek,
Wessels says the biggest lesson she has learnt
is to leave emotions out of business. “Women
shouldn’t be intimidated even if the boardroom
table is full of men,” she says. “Women in SA
and elsewhere on the globe need to believe in
themselves and their capabilities, and be pro-
fessional at all times.”
Wessels points out that there should be more
mentorship programmes to assist women enter-
ing male-dominated industries. She emphasises
that this is especially necessary with young
women. “It is important to ensure that local
companies do not just adhere to black empow-
erment but also encourage women to join
industries that are male dominated and assist
them to be successful,” she concludes. �
50 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • Woman in IT • AUGUST 2008
Women in IT: Corlette Wessels, Comztek
CChheerr iisshhiinngg tthhee IITT cchhaall ll eennggeeBy Manda Banda
Candice Gouws, internal sales and call centre
manager at Comztek, is aware that to be suc-
cessful in the cut-throat solutions selling game,
one has to always stay a step ahead of the
competition. It is precisely this that has kept
Gouws going since 1988, when she started out
as sales assistant to eight account managers
for an IT solution provider company.
Today, as the internal sales and call centre
manager at specialist networking solutions dis-
tributor Comztek, Gouws is in charge of a
team of 15 people in three different areas. The
areas include the call centre/inbound telesales,
Gauteng telesales and telesales into the rest
of Africa.
Gouws explains that the competitive nature
of this industry is what excites her the most and
keeps her going. “The challenge of selling
products that are similar to those of your com-
petitors and still being able to make a profit is
what I cherish most about IT,” she says. “The
adage ‘you snooze you lose’ is certainly the
norm in the IT industry.” Gouws says although,
historically, men have dominated the technical
position in IT and other related industries, while
women have tended to lead on the sales side
of the business, she enjoys the challenge of
being in an industry that has more men than
women. “I love the challenge and I am not
intimidated by the men,” she says. “Women
are feistier than men and go for every opportu-
nity to be at the top of their game.
Having started out in 1988 after completing
her studies, Gouws’ first job saw her working
as a sales assistant at an IT reseller in Pretoria,
something which was totally different to her
childhood dream.
As a young girl, Gouws’ ambition was to
set-up her own secretarial school to train
women to be successful contributors in the
workplace because back in those days, women
were perceived as homemakers who stayed at
home and looked after the children. “Ambition
was something most women could not even
discuss,” she recalls.
From the time she started out at a reseller
company in Pretoria, Gouws has had an
opportunity to work in the IT distribution sector,
first with LAN Design in 1994, which was
acquired by Comztek at the start of the new
millennium. During that time, Gouws held sev-
eral positions from telesales, account manager,
telesales supervisor and call centre manager.
Take a Girl Child to Work programme has
been very successful in shedding light on all the
other possibilities available to young girls in the
job market,” she concludes. �
Women in IT: Candice Gouws, Comztek
Candice Gouws, Comztek
Corlette Wessels, Comztek
FFrroomm nnaattuurree ccoonnsseerrvvaatt iioonn ttoo IITT
oommiinngg bbaarrrrii eerrss ooff ssuuBy Manda Banda
Woman in IT: Michelle Kasselman, Iomega
oommiinngg bbaarrrrii eerrss ooff ssuuBy Manda Banda
Woman in IT: Michelle Kasselman, Iomega
OOnnee sstteepp aahheeaaddBy Manda Banda
Linda Balfour, HR manager at PC powerhouse
Lenovo SA, is a firm believer a challenge or
challenges in the work environment are only a
challenge if one chooses to look at their work
surroundings that way.
Having started her career as an IT recruit-
ment consultant, Balfour says the industry has
always been open to women. She says the
nature of the IT industry is influenced by the
constant change needed to stay ahead of
the competition.
Locally, Balfour says the change has seen
more and more women join the IT industry
serving in key and influential roles. “One of the
changes that has been well embraced is the
fact that more women are cutting their teeth in
IT, an industry widely believed to be a domain
for males,” she says. “This is an indication that
women are taking it on themselves to dispel the
myth that IT is only for males.”
Balfour says the IT industry is not as scary as
it sounds when you are sitting with men and
they are talking about gigs and megabytes. She
explains that these are common words that
only feel strange to a layman. According to
Balfour, once you are in the IT industry, most
technology terminology becomes part of your
vocabulary. “In my opinion, IT is definitely not a
male-only industry. There are a lot of women
who are making their mark in the industry and
climbing the corporate ladder to the top,” she
says. “Women need to gear up and take the
male folk head-on.”
Having kick-started her career as an IT recruit-
ment consultant, Balfour’s childhood ambition
was to become a graphic designer. She could
not fulfil her childhood ambition and opted to
pursue a career in the call centre industry.
Balfour’s first break was at PLP, a call centre
company where she worked as a call centre
supervisor a few years ago. She later moved to
join recruitment agency Kelly as an account
executive. It was during her stint at Kelly
Recruitment that Balfour was first exposed to
mainstream IT. After leaving Kelly earlier this
year, Balfour landed her current job as HR
manager at PC-maker Lenovo SA where she is
in charge of recruiting and handling all HR
functions for the China-headquartered multina-
tional PC vendor.
Balfour is a supporter of the Take a Girl Child
to Work campaign as she believes that such ini-
tiatives open young career seekers’ minds.
However, she says that barriers are being broken
by those women currently making a difference
and contributing positively to the IT industry.
“Being involved at Lenovo at a senior HR level,
I strongly believe that gender is not a factor
when it comes to performance,” she notes. �
52 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • Woman in IT • AUGUST 2008
Women in IT: Linda Balfour
By Dudu Shaba
Phumeza Bham has been nominated one of
the 20 top women in the ICT industry by CRN.
She attributes this to her family background of
entrepreneurs and political activists. Against
this background, Bham says she has become
passionate about creating a level playing field
for Africans to participate in the local and glob-
al economy, which is a vision she would like to
see realised in her lifetime.
“My current position as HR manager at SAP
Africa has provided me with a tremendous
opportunity to give effect to world-class human
resource practices and development in a sub-
sidiary of the world’s leading provider of busi-
ness software.
The company’s drive to employ the best
people in the software industry as well as its
rich diversity and cultural wealth are some of its
greatest assets which resonate perfectly with my
personal goals. I would attribute these as being
the primary reasons for being nominated one
of the top 20 women in the ICT industry by
CRN,” she comments.
Bham’s past experience in senior manage-
ment positions at ABSA and Ernst & Young
have provided her with an appreciation of the
value IT brings to a developing economy such
as ours. In addition, she has been exposed to
the limitless benefits that IT brought to the mis-
sion-critical operations of the businesses she
worked in.
For Bham the month of August means cel-
ebrating the achievements of the women of SA.
“This is the month when we come together
to advance women’s struggles for empower-
ment and our rights to full equality as
enshrined in the Constitution. During August
we commemorate and re-emphasise the
important role of women in the transformation
of the country into a democracy,” she says.
Bham says that organisations have a huge
opportunity to exploit the competitive
advantage that gender diversity can give them.
“Having women in leadership brings a com-
pletely different dimension to leadership, one
that is far more embracing,” she comments.
Looking ahead, Bham says she would like to
leave a legacy which highlights her role as an
enabler in creating a supportive environment
for employees, where the voice of the employ-
ee is heard, and where her interventions
enabled the leadership of the organisation to
lead through change.
“I would like to be remembered as a catalyst
of transformation,” she concludes. �
Women in IT: Phumeza Bham, SAP
Linda Balfour
Phumeza Bham, SAP
WWoommeenn eemmppoowweerrnnmmeenntt iiss iimmppeerraattiivvee
CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • Woman in IT • AUGUST 2008 • 53
By George Maseko
Magda Engelbrecht, country manager of
Nortel, joined the IT industry working for an
end-user company where she managed the
company’s conversion of its accounting system
to MCBA.
“This gave me, at an early stage, exposure
to the challenges and frustrations customers
face in implementing new systems. I think it is
beneficial for a supplier to have worked as an
end-user to understand the challenges their
customers face.”
She notes that one of the main challenges of
her career has been balancing work and family
life. She says although work is important, life
outside work is equally important.
“The lesson I have learnt is that if these two
aspects of your life are not balanced properly,
there will be a downside. My vision for the
future is firstly to maintain a work/home bal-
ance and to ensure that Nortel provides the
same solutions to customers in sub-Sahara
Africa as it does globally,” explains
Engelbrecht. She also intends using what she
has learnt and her experience by giving back to
the industry in terms of mentoring staff and
growing Nortel.
Looking at Nortel, she says: “The brain drain
is a problem. It is severe and is affecting both
suppliers and customers. Customers are losing
good people which is impacting on their busi-
nesses. Good trained people are leaving SA for
more secure environments overseas where
there is no crime, and where there is political
stability and career opportunities.”
She comments that one way of getting
around this is to stabilise the country and get
rid of crime.
“The biggest challenge for the channel is our
economic climate. Channel players are not
seeing the so-called big government projects.
There are fewer projects than were expected.
There also appears to be less overseas invest-
ment in projects, possibly because of the uncer-
tain political environment and crime,” explains
Engelbrecht. She stresses that there is no gen-
der inequality in the ICT industry. “Any woman
who is prepared to work hard, has an aptitude
for ICT and is able to handle a stressful envi-
ronment will do well. There are many women
who make it in this industry, but you need to be
mentally tough,” Engelbrecht concludes. �
Women in IT: Magda Engelbrecht, Nortel
BBee ll ii eevviinngg iinn yyoouurrssee ll ffBy Kaunda Chama
Voula Philippides, managing member of soft-
ware distribution company Edutain says she got
into the industry purely by chance after her first
job in a data processing department.
“That job eventually prompted me to study IT
and move into programming, but in actual fact I
did not enjoy it as much as marketing IT,” she says.
When asked what she sees as the major
challenges faced by women in IT, Philippides
says the one that comes to mind is working
with a lot of men who think women are not
mechanically and technically minded.
“Competing in an excessively competitive mar-
ketplace with technologies and margins forever
changing mean you have to go to extreme lengths
to keep up and stay in the game,” she notes.
Regarding lessons she has learned that
women wanting to get into the industry can
benefit from, she says persistence coupled with
extreme drive, and continuous self-renewal will
keep them on the bleeding edge of the industry.
“One of the major issues the industry still
needs to overcome is that resellers need to
incorporate good business practices into their
marketing plans. The shortage of good skills
coupled with the unmet broadband needs of
being more ubiquitous and affordable are also
big issues,” explains Philippides.
Looking at Edutain specifically, she says that
broadband is a huge issue as high-power
applications like video broadcasting are still too
expensive and sluggish to broadcast in reason-
able quality and size.
Philippides adds that the current economic
slowdown is a stumbling block for retailers and
the channel, and ICT sector as a whole.
She further says that gender equality in the IT
space is slightly better now than it was in the
past decade.
“When I am not being an IT professional, I
am happiest when I am in motion; anything
from travelling to working out in the gym. I also
spend some quality time with family and friends
in between,” says Philippides.
Looking ahead, she says: “I have a vision
that communications will be revolutionised and
everything will be in video format and virtual
reality, making it so much easier to generate
material, paint pictures and send messages.
Robotics is also making huge advancements
and I am really looking forward to getting my
very first personal assistant robot in the not too
distant future.” �
Women in IT: Voula Philippides, Edutain
Voula Philippides
Magda Engelbrecht
CChhaall ll eennggiinngg tthhee uunncchhaall ll eennggeedd
RReeaacchhiinngg nneeww ffrroonntt ii eerrssBy Manda Banda
If ever anyone needed proof that survival in
today’s workplace is about people who are
multiskilled and can multitask, then Cheslynne
Britz, GM at local distribution powerhouse
Rectron would be it.
Having studied travel and tourism, Britz
realised soon after her tertiary studies that no
employer was willing to give her a chance in
the field of her qualification. “I tried to get a
job in the travel industry but did not succeed as
every potential employer wanted someone with
experience,” she recalls.
Although she could not fulfil her childhood
ambition of becoming a chef, she does not
have any regrets about carving a niche for her-
self in the IT industry. “To be honest, a career in
the IT industry wasn’t something I wanted to
pursue, as all I wanted to be when I was a kid
was a chef,” she says.
Fortunately for Britz, she came across an
advert in the local newspaper advertising a job
for a young dynamic individual for a local IT
distribution company. “At that stage I only knew
how to turn on a PC but I thought I should give
it a try and I have never looked back,” she says.
Britz got her break in the IT industry at the
age of 19 when Rectron hired her in the posi-
tion of PA and has been with the distribution
powerhouse for eight years. “I have only
worked for Rectron and through the years have
worked my way up to where I am today,” she
says. “Through that time, I have held many
positions moving from PA, sales executive, sales
manager, product manager, business manager
and now I am the GM for Rectron.”
Britz believes a woman can do anything or
be anything she wants to be. Because the IT
industry is dominated by males does not mean
one doesn’t have the chance of succeeding
and going beyond.
Britz says she finds it more challenging to work
in an environment dominated by women because
more women are putting themselves in line for
positions they never would have in the past.
Britz says as women from all walks of life in
SA celebrate Women’s Month, it is vital for
them to look after themselves and know that
they have a voice and, most importantly, that
they can achieve anything they want with the
right attitude, drive and charisma. “Remember
that nothing is out of your reach if you put your
mind to it,” she concludes. �
54 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • Woman in IT • AUGUST 2008
Women in IT: Cheslynne Britz, Rectron
By Kaunda Chama
Ingram Micro’s Nicola Homewood started in
the IT industry as a receptionist for a
company that rented out office space to start-
up businesses.
“At the time Storgate Cape Town was renting
offices from us. When Storgate moved into its
own offices, I was approached by the branch
manager and asked to join them. That was 11
years ago,” she says.
She comments that one of the major chal-
lenges she has faced as a woman in IT is the
assumption that because one is female they
know less than their male colleagues.
Another, she says is keeping ahead of tech-
nology and new products.
When asked about some of the lessons she
has learned in the industry, Homewood says:
“One has to have a positive outlook, be
assertive and look for new challenges. The IT
industry is always changing, so one should be
adaptable and open to new opportunities to
stay ahead of the game.”
Regarding the issues that she thinks the
industry still needs to overcome; Homewood
says the skills shortage is definitely top of mind
adding that another is the opening of more
management opportunities for women.
“As Ingram Micro South Africa is one of the new
kids on the block, we need to prove ourselves to
our customers and competitors,” she says.
Regarding pressing channel and ICT issues,
she notes that the volatile exchange rate and
margins are putting a lot of pressure on com-
panies that are struggling to stay afloat.
She admits that the IT space still has issues
with gender equality, and explains that in her
opinion, the situation is not unique to the sector.
When she is not busy being an IT profession-
al, she spends time with friends and family,
reads, shops, gardens, takes walks, gets cre-
ative in the kitchen, goes to the theatre and
attends talks on self-improvement.
Looking to the future, she would like to see
more young girls getting involved in ICT from
primary school level, thereby sparking an inter-
est in the very exciting industry.
She would also like to see more awards that
recognise women’s achievements and the
equality gap being bridged. �
Women in IT: Nicola Homewood, Ingram Micro
Cheslynne Britz
Nicola Homewood
MMoorree wwoommeenn iinn IITTnneeeeddeedd
56 • CRN SOUTHERN AFRICA • AUGUST 2008
PARTING: SHOTS
Company: Polycom
Position: Regional sales manager, Polycom business in
Israel, Greece and southern Africa
Age: 37
Best personal achivement: My two young daughters
Management style: Open door, results driven
Most admired company: Logitech
Most admired executives: Yitzhak Tshuva
Best IT product: The DSP
Most pressing local business issues: Bandwidth
Key to success: Analyse the situation from as many angles as
possible, learn from other people’s mistakes and your own
Favourite car: My first VW Golf
Your car: Mazda 6
Favourite authors: Dan Brown and Harlan Coben
Where do you live: Ramat-Gan, Israel
Birthplace: Jerusalem Israel
Hobbies/sports: Movies, tennis, football and golf
Favourite periodicals: Globes IT Popular Science (Israeli), IT
Magazine and Home Theatre/Stereo Equipment
Pet hates: People that are not open to change
DILBERT www.dilbert.com by Scott Adams
Snapshot
DanEngel