e.com institute, a provider of information and communication technology (ICT) solutions for large enterprises and governments globally, has signed a strategic alliance with Azeus, an Asia Pacific-based ICT services provider with a strong focus on bespoke software development.
The alliance will allow e.com to deliver Azeus' proven methodologies and development of collaboration solutions to the local market.
Says Cassim Parak, CEO, e.com institute: "The alliance creates a synergistic fit of e.com and Azeus' business strategies, approaches, methodologies and technologies. Azeus specialises in collaboration solutions that have been successfully developed and deployed in the Asia Pacific market, with a special focus on e-government.
"e.com, on the other hand, has a stronghold in the private sector, creating an opportunity for Azeus to make an entry into the local market. This will assist the public sector's efforts to create an effective e-government infrastructure with collaboration at its core - a key, ongoing initiative in South Africa."
Azeus has been instrumental in the birth and development of e-government solutions. Its Hong Kong airport initiative in 1997 was the springboard for its e-government focus and specialist software development.
The company had to create a system all stakeholders could partake in, creating one of the first functioning examples of collaborative e-government. While the focus the Hong Kong government took from that was interoperability and electronic transactions, it opened the door for the development of a Web architecture that could be accessed by the public.
Services such as a cervical cancer screen programme, which enables public users (women) to go online, make appointments, view results and transparently follow the entire process, have also been developed in Hong Kong. The successful development and deployment of this technology has created an opportunity for other governments to fast track their e-government initiatives, in particular customer-centric government services.
"Azeus is firmly entrenched in the Asian market. However, we would like to expand our footprint into the African market and replicate our turnover in the Asian market, in this region," notes George Boughton, Business Development Director, Azeus Africa.
CMM Level 5 world-class quality
"Azeus' outsourcing development model has had great success in international markets and has proved to offer quicker and more specific results," says Parak. "These achievements are supported by their compliance with the highest internationally accepted standards in the delivery of solutions."
"As a reflection of our emphasis on best practices, our solutions comply with the capability maturity model for software (CMM) level 5, the highest maturity level focusing on continuously optimising process improvement. This represents a key internationally recognised industry assessment for software development excellence, and Azeus is the first company in Greater China and Southeast Asia to be assessed as SW-CMM Level 5.
"Continuous quantitative feedback from the process of piloting and implementing innovative ideas and technologies provides our clients with a distinct advantage," explains Boughton.
These practices conform to e.com institute's high requirements for the delivery of quality solutions, providing the local company with a partner that offers a considerable value proposition to its customers.
Boosting local skills development
Apart from a strong team of developers, Azeus organises separate teams of professionals that are dedicated to testing software. Thorough and robust testing assures that the software has achieved top quality and stability before delivery to their customers.
"e.com institute's philosophy incorporates the idea of creating a skills-pool in the local market. The opportunity to further skill our employees is central to this alliance. Training at Azeus development headquarters in Hong Kong will provide us with additional skills and competencies to ensure our after sales service not only meets, but exceeds our customers' expectations," concludes Parak.
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Established in 1999, e. com institute is a leading provider of ICT solutions for large enterprise and governments globally. e.com institute is 100% black economic empowerment and is committed to contributing to the righting of the inequalities of the past.
Our end-to-end business solutions lead to a cohesive eco-system, incorporating people, process and technology. e.com institute delivers technology consulting, enterprise resource planning, business intelligence, information management, knowledge management and specialist ICT skills.
These centres of excellence operate as a set of integrated business units within e.com institute. For more information, please visit www.ecominstitute.com.
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