There is no doubt that communication and its related technologies have grown significantly over the past decades. With information and communications technology (ICT) becoming a more intricate part of everyday life, people are gaining more knowledge on the subject. While it advances, IT discussions are still focused on the utilities; however, these conversations should be centred on a balanced mix of technical and business expertise, to ensure companies don't just receive a product or answer but rather a meaningful solution that meets bottom line economic and operational requirements.
Today, communications and ICT technologies offer a wealth of benefits to Africa in terms of encouraging foreign investment, driving economic expansion and assisting in the development of all related sectors. Nonetheless, in a world where so much is the same and differences between outstanding and ordinary are subtle, ICT partners who can deliver enablement where it matters, in a flexible timeframe that supports this differentiation, is rare. When embraced, these quickly become a unique component in an organisation's framework of excellence.
The Ubuntu Group is proudly BEE and comprises seven specialised companies each with a market focus that allows the group to deliver a full spectrum of ICT solutions to the public and more recently, the private sector. According to Gary Robertson, Director at Ubuntu Group: “We have understood the critical role that ICT plays in business today and know that the effectiveness of a client's systems can often mean the difference between being merely a market entity as opposed to a market leader.
“However, business is non-existent without relationships. A product or solution could be the best in the market but without adequate relational service and understanding, this product or solution can be rendered meaningless. Unless we have a trusted advisor relationship and integrally understand the customer's business together with pain points, our solutions may not fully accomplish their intended purpose to ultimately enable the customer's business objectives. People do business with people and our people understand the importance of long-standing, worthwhile relationships with customers.” Relationships form the basis of the customer's confidence and trust in the company to perform and, all importantly, remain the single point of accountability.
Today, to gain the coveted competitive edge, enterprises must continuously strive for increased efficiency and better margins. Therefore, to support these key business goals, IT professionals are continuously pressured to ensure critical business applications run effectively throughout the company - often utilising limited and scarce resources. To meet this challenge, and provide high levels of collaboration and real-time data sharing, enterprises rely heavily on partners that can actually provide flexibility, scalability and enhanced functionality.
“In simple terms, this means that companies need to focus on working with organisations that ensure that any engagement is underpinned by the ability to either grow your revenue faster using technology, as well as evolve your growing technology infrastructure requirements effectively to ensure you remain competitive.”
Today we can no longer afford to be complacent as the ever-increasing role IT is playing in businesses has meant that enterprises must now aggressively compete on a global scale where consistency and cost-effectiveness are essential to meet customer demands. “To do this, value is defined by the relationship and performance,” concludes Robertson.
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