Robert Sussman and Lance Fanaroff, joint CEOs of the Integr8 Group, the largest privately owned BEE ICT company on the African continent, have been honoured as finalists in the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Awards for 2009.
Ernst & Young`s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, in association with First National Bank, is an established global initiative that has achieved substantial recognition as a proven mechanism for the encouragement and recognition of entrepreneurial spirit and application.
Previous finalists have included Executive Chair of the Bidvest Group Brain Joffe, mining magnate Patrice Motsep, Zithulele KK Combi, Director of Ukhozi Investments, CEO of Imperial Holdings Bill Lynch and Guy Lalibert'e, Cirque du Soleil.
Integr8 Group has earned international acclaim for its technological innovation and leadership that continues to make an impact on the local and global markets, with a focus on bridging the digital divide in South Africa and Africa.
The provision of business-centric managed ICT services, covering advancement in business via key technology trends like software as a service, virtualisation and cloud computing is part of the bleeding edge core solutions offered by the innovative company.
Both Sussman and Fanaroff have received industry wide recognition for their leadership, business acumen and success in ICT application, integration and management.
Fanaroff was recently awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the Topco National Business Awards, and Sussman has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including the ForgeAhead African ICT Achiever Award for Top Businessman and Absa Jewish Entrepreneur of the Year.
Management at Integr8 Group believes that having two members of its executive management as finalists has differentiated the company among a high calibre of entrants.
"It is a great honour to be recognised by Ernst and Young," comments Sussman. "The company`s success since its inception is not down to any one individual, it is the synergistic and strategic combination of skills sets, expertise, knowledge, passion and commitment."
Fanaroff agrees and believes the company`s unrelenting, tenacious determination to acquire and retain the most sought after technical skill sets and intellectual property in the industry and its unwavering passion to enhance the value of technology in business has helped it secure international attention and recognition.
"The global credit crunch and impact on socio-economic development has forced businesses to extract maximum value from technology investment. We have conceptualised, developed and successfully delivered our business model into the market, taking this trend into serious consideration. It is an honour to be recognised by Ernst & Young and First National Bank," says Fanaroff.
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The Integr8 Group
The Integr8 Group is an established and dynamic provider of managed ICT services.
The group houses the following companies:
Integr8 IT - Focusing on the design, implementation and ongoing management of ICT infrastructure. The core focus is on the provision of managed services around ICT infrastructure.
Integr8 Rental - Focusing on ICT and all asset-related finance for southern Africa and Africa based corporations.
Integr8 Fax - Focusing on the provision of electronic fax transmission via its global fax platform and footprint, with servers located on every continent.
Integr8 Telecoms - Focusing on the provision of telecommunication and voice switching services in the emerging markets of Africa, India and China.
Integr8 Property - Focusing on long-term strategic investments into prime ICT intelligent real estate.
With over 400 fulltime, highly skilled professionals and substantial market share, the company is the largest privately owned BEE ICT company on the African continent.
Integr8 IT is the innovator, founder and operator of the only South African based Nerve Centre (www.nervecentre.co.za), providing a digital hub to manage and regulate the ICT environment of many of the country`s leading corporations.
The Integr8 Group - in its application of skills and transfer of value in each company - has been acknowledged and accredited with many awards, namely Microsoft Gold Partner of the Year, African ICT Achievers CIO of the Year for Africa, Best Customer Experience of the Year, Network Infrastructure Solution of the Year, Security Solution of the Year for Middle East, Africa, & Eastern Europe, Advanced Infrastructure Solutions, and many others, every year, since inception.
Named as one of the country`s top ICT companies, the most innovative company on the African continent and honoured with a position among South Africa`s Technology Top 100 Companies, the Integr8 Group, through its associated companies and organised network, has established itself as a strategic partner with numerous internationally-recognised industry leaders.
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