Unisa banks on Datacentrix

IT infrastructure, solutions and services provider, Datacentrix, has been awarded the tender to consolidate the University of South Africa`s (Unisa`s) core Unix administration systems environments, providing the university with new HP servers.

Says Jenny Govender, account manager at Datacentrix: "This new project is the culmination of a close relationship with Unisa that dates back a long time, and is the logical outflow of mutual trust and respect between the two organisations."

Unisa has ordered HP 9000 Unix servers in order to upgrade and consolidate the IT infrastructure for its Pretoria and Florida-based campuses.

Datacentrix will also provide on-site consultancy and integration services to ensure a smooth transition to the new solution. The total solution also includes aspects such as ongoing maintenance, support and training.

Executive director: ICT at Unisa, Dr Vic Coetzee, explains that Unisa has been at the forefront of ICT technology for more than 30 years. "This upgrade is imperative for Unisa as the current infrastructure is ageing fast and cannot cope with the new vision and business initiatives of the new Unisa."

"The main purpose of the Unisa ICT directorate is to ensure the application of the ICT infrastructure required for teaching and learning, research and administration is aligned with and supports the shared understanding of Unisa`s way forward. The tender was awarded based on the following criteria: product, price, total cost of ownership, black economic empowerment, industry track record and proven after-sales service and we believe that Datacentrix provides excellent value-add in all of these categories."

Govender maintains that Datacentrix is ready and able to deliver this solution, which is very similar to other implementations that Datacentrix has completed successfully in Pretoria, Johannesburg, the Vaal Triangle and Cape Town over the past few years.

"Datacentrix is the largest HP enterprise reseller in South Africa and was recently named as the first HP StorageWorks Elite Partner in South Africa," says Hein Buhrmann, divisional director at Datacentrix Enterprise Systems. The company is also the preferred storage and server partner for some of the largest IT customers in South Africa.