Johannesburg, 26 Feb 2008
IT services and solutions provider, Datacentrix, has placed a strong focus on its Microsoft solutions delivery, revamping its traditional offering in order to meet future local business needs, in alignment with recent changes within the software giant itself.
"The reality is that Microsoft is the only vendor which provides an entire software solution from the ground up," states Charl Joubert, managing director: solutions at Datacentrix. "Over the past five years, it has become intrinsically involved in new market spaces including enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), and collaboration and productivity enhancing solutions, revolving around the Information Worker solutions.
"This is a new way of thinking," he explains. "Previously, the marketplace had the perception that Microsoft merely provided business applications and the Windows platform, but the company has become a true business solution provider and is a strong player within the back office, supports systems management as well as providing for the applications space and also for mission-critical data centres."
According to Agnat Makgoale, business unit manager at Datacentrix, as a provider of Microsoft solutions, Datacentrix has continually evolved its Microsoft offerings based on customer demand. "As part of Microsoft's integrated stack offering, we are focusing on the Information Worker solutions and the related business intelligence, Share Point and workflow tools. On the infrastructure side, we focus more on systems management with System Center, pure infrastructure, addressing Active Directory and identity management needs and messaging, which encompasses Exchange and Office Communications Server (OCS)."
He continues: "Datacentrix had always played within the ERP and workflow spaces, but now we are addressing many more areas, finding synergies in the areas of infrastructure and Information Worker."
In order to address the ongoing challenge of finding and retaining skills, Datacentrix and Microsoft also recently launched a joint skills development initiative, the "Microsoft/Datacentrix Student 2 Business programme", aiming to equip students of the Datacentrix Skills Development Programme with the key competencies necessary for them to excel in their potential careers and to help grow the local IT industry.
After graduating from a tertiary institution on the theoretical component, candidates are further trained in the latest software and technology applications for practical skills through classroom training, industry workshops and individual mentorship. These students are employed throughout Datacentrix for the duration of the programme.
There are currently 12 students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds enrolled in the programme. "Datacentrix fully supports Microsoft's goal to empower and grow industry skills within South Africa and we look forward to seeing the successful outcome of this joint effort," adds Makgoale.
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