Saab Grintek has become the first company in Africa to be awarded Nortel EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Gold Partner status in four categories.
"The highest accreditation in Africa until now has been three golds," said Angelo Manzoni, managing executive of Saab Grintek's Enterprise division.
"We achieved Gold Solution Partner status for secure remote access solutions, secure networking which includes firewall and threat protection, enterprise IP telephony and SME IP telephony. This is a significant achievement and augers well for certification on more levels in the near future," he said.
"Our quadruple gold partner status now enables us to offer customers innovative solutions supported by local engineers who have Nortel certified training and expertise. This, coupled with our understanding of local conditions, is a winning solution," Manzoni said.
"Nortel only awards Gold Certification to companies who have a successful track record in delivering Nortel solutions," said Yves Roux, vice-president for Africa region at Nortel. "Grintek has clearly demonstrated that they are committed to being a Nortel partner and that they have invested in the necessary skills and equipment to enable us to fulfil our customers' expectations from pre-sales to post-sales support."
The Nortel programme requires that a partner employs a minimum of four Nortel certified persons in each of the prescribed disciplines from pre-sales to after-sales. The Nortel partnership programme builds a comprehensive framework to ensure successful partnering and provides a basis for a close relationship between Nortel and its EMEA partners.
As part of the advanced Nortel service offering to the industry, Saab Grintek established Technical Training Solutions (TTS) Africa, as a recognised Nortel Education Partner. TTS Africa was initiated to provide training for information communication and technology professionals on Nortel products.
In an ongoing drive to offer the most advanced technology and teaching methodologies, TTS Africa has developed a custom-built training centre that provides dedicated training to meet the needs of industry in a live working environment.
"TTS Africa is the only Nortel accredited training provider on the African continent, offering technical training solutions in enterprise and carrier industries," said Manzoni.
"Nortel is a recognised leader in delivering communications capabilities that enhance the human experience, ignite and power global commerce, and secure and protect the world's most critical information.
"Serving both service provider and enterprise customers, Nortel delivers innovative technology solutions encompassing end-to-end broadband, voice over IP, multimedia services and applications, and wireless broadband designed to help people solve the world's greatest challenges," he said.
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Grintek is a leading empowerment technology group and employs 1 000 people, most of whom are engineers and technicians. The company is a privately held partnership between Kunene Bros Holdings (29.7 %) and Saab AB (70.3%) of Sweden. The group specialises in three main market segments, namely telecommunications and selected niche opportunities within industrial and defence electronics. Saab Grintek is a business unit of Saab.
Saab
Saab is one of the world's leading high-technology companies, with its main operations focusing on defence, aviation and space. The group covers a broad spectrum of competence and capability in systems integration.
Saab Grintek Technologies
Saab Grintek Technologies applies the Saab Grintek Group's core technologies in the ICT, transport and energy sectors through the development of its own products as well as partnerships and distribution agreements with world-class suppliers.
The division provides tailored and innovative solutions from initial project and business requirement consulting, through to implementation, integration, ongoing support and training.
The company focuses on providing high-end communications solutions in the following areas: transmission, voice, data, wireless, and convergence services, antennas, RF components, DC power systems, pre-payment electricity meters, electric load management systems and a full range of professional avionics and aeronautical electronics.
The division's solutions have been implemented in over 500 top South African companies and in more than 22 African countries. Over 25 leading international vendors have selected Saab Grintek Technologies as a South African service provider and partner. Saab Grintek Technologies' head office and support centre is located in Centurion, Pretoria, and it has full regional support offices in Cape Town and Windhoek.
For more information please visit www.saabgrintek.com
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