Thuthukani Technology Results (TTR), part of listed financial services holding company Thuthukani Group Limited, has implemented a
Cisco Virtual Private Network (VPN) and developed 95 Points of Presence (PoPs) to the value of R4.5 million. This latest technology investment is aimed at providing Internet and VPN benefits to TTR`s client, Snyman and Partners and its 23 600 clients and users, and forms part of TTR`s `Total Solution` strategy within the Information Communication Technology (ICT) arena.
Snyman and Partners, one of the largest debt administrators locally, has already seen tangible business benefits: the organisation has been able to triple the amount of transactions it facilitates from 6 million to 18 million per day.
Rudolph Engelbrecht, CEO of Thuthukani Technology Results, says that one of the major requirements for customers is an integrated ICT offering that facilitates easy access to information and data sharing. "When collecting debt or making credit decisions, Snyman and Partners previously had to use various types of communication methods, such as fax or dial-up, to get the necessary financial information. In addition, the majority of information required is available from credit bureaus and databanks that are not situated online. Through the VPN, Cisco has created a secure line to third party information, which has streamlined Snyman and Partner`s business processes and increased their rate of responsiveness to clients," he adds.
Snyman and Partners currently has 123 offices servicing up to 23 000 corporate clients. Mike Botes, corporate account manager at Cisco Systems explains that originally these offices had differing IT systems, which meant that many internal processes had to be done manually. "This was time intensive and created room for human error," he explains. "The VPN now allows the organisation to automatically conduct hourly updates, with less time and money spent on sending, receiving and verifying data. The result is an organisation that is more efficient and accurate in terms of data transmission with its customers."
Engelbrecht adds that one of the main reasons why the organisation chose Cisco is because of the security offered by its VPN services. "Thuthukani Technology Results has implemented security measures such as Pix Firewalls, authentication, controlled access and data encryption techniques to minimise Snyman and Partners` risk, as the information being carried over the network is extremely sensitive. In addition, we believe that the local support offered by Cisco and its ecosystem of partners is vital in ensuring that the transition is smooth and that business carries on uninterrupted through the implementation."
The second phase of the project will be for Thuthukani Technology Results to provide VPN services to all companies within Thuthukani Group Limited and its target market, as well as to develop a further 103 Points of Presence in regional Africa, including Botswana and Namibia.
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Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. The South African office was started in late 1994, with a single office in Johannesburg and two members of staff. Growing significantly year-on-year, Cisco is now represented in all major South African centres by local offices and/or partner organisations.
The South African team offers support in sales, pre-sales, marketing and promotions as well as a pre-sales helpdesk. By breaking the team into these segments, it allows Cisco to focus on the unique requirements of each target market, so that it can ensure that it is providing its individual customers with products and services that meet their needs.
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