Dimension Data has further strengthened its enterprise services offering through being awarded the sought-after Compaq StorageWorks accreditation in South Africa.
Compaq is currently ranked by leading Fortune 100 companies as the most important vendor to the network storage market. This number one ranking confirms Compaq`s ability to deliver quality product to markets where data has to be stored increasingly quickly, securely and cost-effectively, says Frans Nijeboer, business development manager at Dimension Data.
The two companies already have a strong working relationship. Dimension Data`s activities in the storage market have increased substantially over the past six months, through a storage initiative by Dimension Data`s Western Cape and Gauteng offices.
However, the StorageWorks accreditation now authorises Dimension Data Network Services to consult on and supply customers with Compaq`s range of StorageWorks enterprise storage solutions, as well as architect storage solutions based on StorageWorks technology.
Nijeboer points out that the exponential growth of the Internet has spurred storage requirements to new heights. With Dimension Data`s main focus being network integration and e-business enablement, increasing involvement in the storage sector is a natural evolution, he says.
As the demand for storage shows no sign of abating, and the ongoing shortage of storage-oriented skills remains evident across the board, he believes the local requirement for outsourced storage servicing will escalate.
"With demand climbing swiftly across highly individualised enterprises, more and more businesses are going to start getting serious about outsourcing their storage requirements," states Nijeboer.
"Depending on the requirements of each application in terms of physical architecture, bandwidth requirements and backup facilities, each environment will be different. Users cannot just implement off the shelf solutions, either in-house or off-site to match the requirements."
Nijeboer believes that other issues such as standards and interoperability, enterprise storage strategies and storage network integration will also promote the role of a third-party storage solution provider.
"The leaders in the network storage market will be those vendors that develop strong working relationships and leverage their individual strengths to the full.
Dimension Data`s ongoing collaboration with Compaq leaves it well-positioned to deliver an optimum level of customer service and grow its storage market share," he concludes.
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Dimension Data
Dimension Data is a leading global network services and i-Commerce solutions provider, focused on enabling enterprises, telecommunications service providers and new economy companies to communicate and transact effectively in an e-enabled environment.
Dimension Data is listed on the London Stock Exchange and operates in over 30 countries on six continents. The Group has achieved a compound annual growth rate in US dollars of 78% in revenue and 38% in basic earnings per share over the past two years.