Datastrip Limited, the UK-based world leader in two-dimensional (2D) technology, has partnered with JSE-listed Square One Solutions Group, the Johannesburg-based systems integrator, affording Square One access to Datastrip's innovative software, hardware and biometric verification devices.
"The business opportunities that this partnership creates are immense," says Square One's special projects division head, Stephen Bekker. "We can marry our own market-leading biometric technologies with Datastrip's secure ID card and document-based applications to create straightforward, working solutions for a multiplicity of otherwise complex applications.
"These applications vary from national ID programmes, voter registration, through to driver's licence ID cards, boarding passes and frequent flyer programmes. This relationship resulted from our working in African territories together - and determining that we provide affordable solutions, at the right level of resource, for these territories.
"Our initial interest arose due to Datastrip's storage capacity being larger than industry norms, affording far more scope in terms of application - not to mention that its technology is complementary to our authentication products. We also found Datastrip's sales and technical support services to be exceptional - and this is absolutely critical in the environments within which we deploy our solutions."
"The partnership will strengthen the positions of both Datastrip and Square One in the marketplace," adds Patrick Gilmore, Datastrip's Business Development Director for Africa and Middle East. "Square One responded immediately to our vision with passion and commitment. From the start our products were understood and they saw the potential in adding them to their portfolio.
"We complement each other - in more than just common areas in common territories - both concerns have a thorough understanding of Africa and how to do good, sound business on this continent. We have been working this region for many years and understand the complexities. We have the capacity to support the solutions we implement. We see this relationship as having a mutually lucrative foundation."
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Datastrip is a leading provider of software, hardware and biometric verification devices, including 2DSuperscript, a high capacity, low cost two-dimensional (2D) symbology, Software Developers' Kits (SDK), DSVerify2D, a portable ID card/document reader with integrated fingerprint verification, and the newly introduced PCRead2D, a PC-based card reader with option to integrate biometrics.
Datastrip and its integration partners provide total solutions for the production of ID cards and documents such as passports, national ID cards, driver's licences, voter registration cards, health cards, financial cards and other identity documents, as well as biometric verification systems.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has recognised Datastrip as an acceptable technology for use on machine-readable travel documents (MRTDs) such as passports and visas.
Square One Solutions Group Limited
Square One provides integrated IT-based solutions to corporate, retail and government clients. The core business of the company encompasses document handling and information sharing solutions; knowledge management; networking; hardware, software and consumable products distribution; Internet, IT security (biometrics) and e-commerce technologies; data storage; variable data product marking and coding solutions; uninterruptible power supplies; and value-added business services.
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