EDS has acquired Tac Technologies, Dimension Data`s desktop solutions consultancy. Tac Tech will provide the platform and client base from which EDS will launch its own distributed systems management (DSM) offering, Renascence, in South Africa. EDS currently uses Renascence to provide support for more than 650 000 Intel and UNIX-based desktops worldwide. Tac Tech, with a complement of 185 employees in 10 centres, gives it the nationwide field support capability to introduce the service in this country. According to Didata chairman Jeremy Ord, the acquisition makes excellent sense, as it consolidates the group`s DSM capability within a single organisation - EDS Africa is 50% owned by Didata - in addition to which "Renascence will provide a huge boost to the team`s market offering." Further bolstering Tac Tech`s standing in the market is its selection earlier this month as a Novell Systems House. The company - already a Microsoft Solutions Provider - was one of only 11 among 40 applicants to meet Novell`s stringent service and skills criteria for its 1998 South African support network, and one of even fewer to receive certification in their first year of application. Explaining the rationale behind the launch of Renascence, EDS director Phil Hall said most companies are experiencing unprecedented growth in the desktop area, without the commensurate application of security and controls that one would expect with such a strategic asset. "Because of EDS` mainframe heritage, security and controls are a core competence." Renascence offers more than just security, however. It is a comprehensive distributed systems management service that provides improved enterprise-wide efficiencies for information sharing, messaging, cost control and business process improvement. Six basic services can be delivered, individually or together: customer administration, customer support, field support, network and systems management, planning and architecture, and procurement. These services are provided on a turnkey, selective outsourcing or partnering basis. "Over the past five years the majority of medium to large organisations have moved to distributed computing," said Hall. "But the changes have occurred department by department, in a sporadic and inefficient way. Renascence allows us to integrate the entire desktop and network infrastructure and to put in place an end-to-end service delivery continuum." The benefits that Renascence has provided throughout the world are: * The control and reduction of DSM costs * An improvement in DSM service levels * A platform to focus on supporting the evolving business needs of the organisation. These are achieved as a result of: * A single point of accountability for all outsourced desktop services * A reduction in service management interface time * Improved asset management through automation and LAN-based tools * Reduced cost of desktop systems and services * The introduction and management of standards * Improved desktop management * Increased reliability for end-users * Clearly defined accountability channels Trevor Cloete, managing director of Tac Tech, said the combination of his team`s expertise and the Renascence service portfolio would make EDS a powerful competitor in the DSM arena. "The market is growing rapidly, but together we will have the people and the products to meet the increased demand." Editors` Note: EDS, the official information technology services provider for World Cup 1998, is a leader in the global information services industry. The company`s approximately 110 000 employees specialise in applying a range of ideas and technologies to help business and government customers improve their finances, products, services and relationships. EDS, which serves customers in 44 countries, reported revenues of $15.2 billion in 1997. The company is independent and publicly owned, and its stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange. EDS can be visited via the Internet at http://www.eds.com, and EDS Africa at http://www.za.eds.com.
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