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IBM appoints Mobile 1 as EMM partner

Sibahle Malinga
By Sibahle Malinga, ITWeb senior news journalist.
Johannesburg, 28 Feb 2017

UPDATE

What we reported in this story was based on the information received from Mobile1, and was believed to be accurate at the time of publications. However, it has since been brought to our attention that, although the partnership is in place, the release is not in line with IBM's guidelines, and no preferred partner status exists.

IBM has appointed enterprise mobility solutions company, Mobile 1 as its first Tier one Global Service Partner on the African continent.

Mobile 1 specialises in mobile device management (MDM), enterprise mobility management (EMM) and IT asset management. The company's MDM solution provides both end-users and administrators with control over their smart devices remotely to ensure device, content and usage security. According to Mobile 1, the partnership allows the South African based company to work directly with IBM decision-makers, while garnering IBM's full support.

IBM says becoming its Tier 1 partner allows Mobile 1 to build and sell IBM-based solutions, develop greater consultative selling and solution skills, leading to a greater domination of market share. With this competitive advantage, doors are opened to new and more complex opportunities associated with what IBM refers to as a "Smarter Planet".

"We are delighted to be named the preferred partner to work through, as the first and only Tier one global partner in Africa," says Brad Fraser, CEO of Mobile 1.

Rachel Keymer, sales executive at Mobile 1, says having identified the IBM solution as one of the best software-as-a-service (SAAS) solutions on the market, and allowing EMM bolt-on to control its own application, the company became an official reseller.

Brad Fraser, CEO of Mobile 1.
Brad Fraser, CEO of Mobile 1.

"This enables us to embed our workforce application with enterprise mobility management. This gives the combined solution tremendous power. EMM ensures comprehensive control over smart devices remotely," explains Keymer.

IBM recently enhanced its PartnerWorld programme to help partners spur growth, customer satisfaction and revenue. The redesigned programme now includes over 40 competencies which are said to help in areas such as cloud, cognitive and security.

"As digital and cloud solutions continue to transform industries, our partners need to deliver cognitive solutions with deep vertical expertise built on the IBM Cloud platform and made available in an omni-channel environment," said Marc Dupaquier, general manager at IBM Global Business Partners. "We've expanded and redesigned the PartnerWorld programme to guide business partners of all types and models in developing capabilities."

Mobile 1 says it selected the IBM solution after three years of intense investigations into the best-fit-solution, and looking at all of the Gartner quadrants where IBM appears. "We then tested it thoroughly, with clients using our MSX workforce management solutions," says Keymer. "This is a good fit for the South African market, offering a SAAS cloud solution."

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